And now, to work …

Read regular guest posts about a Kiwi living abroad in a non-English speaking country.

For a while I’ve been feeling a little bit guilty about having so much free time and not using it to study French. I’ve decided I need a little more structure to my days. So, I now have a comprehensive French study plan stuck to my wall – one week in, and things are going well.

For me, it’s not enough to be in France and to be picking up French on an ad hoc basis. I hear so many new words each day, but if I don’t note them down and come back to them on a regular basis, I won’t remember them. Or I might remember them when someone else says them, but I won’t be able to produce them myself. And none of that will necessarily improve my formal written French skills. So, the purpose of my study plan is to make me an active learner.

But it’s all about finding a balance and being flexible. If I’m having a great conversation with one of my friends I’m not going to run off to sit in front of my computer and conjugate pronominal verbs. That’s one of the great things about this whole experience, though – I don’t have to feel guilty about taking a break to watch television, because it’s French television! Another great thing – if I have any questions about vocabulary or pronunciation, I just ask the nearest French person. I get the lowdown straight from the horse’s mouth (in a manner of speaking). Last week for example, Vivian kindly let me spend an hour quizzing him on the particularities of French pronunciation.

One of my biggest challenges is keeping track of all the new words and structures I come across. I have a little notebook that I try and carry everywhere for noting down new vocabulary and any random grammar questions that come into my head (a frequent occurrence).  Sometimes it seems like a mammoth task keeping on top of it all, however. Which reminds me, I have to go and do my weekly “organise and revise” session of the new words I’ve learnt this week. Before I do that, though, I might just finish watching this French film that’s on television…

Mihiata  – Saint Nazaire, France