Being from the South

We began today with the usual breakfast at 8:30 and an SIT session at 9:30 until about 12:00PM, covering an article we read about being American and traveling abroad. I thought I wouldn’t understand everything that I needed to hear because all conversation is done in French, but to my excitement I understand more of the language on a daily basis. I am also beginning to think in French first and only in English when I talk among the other American students. My desire to become fluent is growing with each conversation and I am finding myself using more daring vocabulary and trying new phrases almost every time I talk to someone. I did not think the French would be so willing to help an “ignorant” American learn their language, but I have found that they really appreciate the fact that I begin any conversation in French before occasionally speaking English when I cannot express my thoughts in French.

We took a tour of Toulouse with a guide this afternoon that is actually one of our professors at the university. I am glad that we had an opportunity to meet him before classes begin. One of my biggest fears is that I will not be successful at first in the classroom because of my inability to understand everything that is said. I have to keep telling myself that I am not the first student to do this program and that the unexpected has most certainly already been experienced by someone previously. I have also noticed that my English is become a bit more complex as I write these posts because I take for granted the fact that I am fluent in at least on language. I am using different vocabulary than normal because it is comforting to know that I can form complex sentences and ideas in English. My goal is to be able to write something like this in French upon completing this program.

On another note, I need to get out more when I return to the states and spend time with students from other parts of the nation because only a few students in the SIT program are from the South. I have become aware of my constant use of “ya’ll” and other idioms only common below the Mason-Dixon line. It’s actually pretty funny because no one else here says ya’ll and the way things are done at Wofford seem foreign to the other students. There are six of us total and only two of us are from the South. The other Southern student is from Nashville so we are able to relate to each other regularly. The other four students are from Massachusetts, California, Missouri, and Delaware. I have nothing against Yankees and Mid-Westerners, but geez we do things differently in the South. When we first met one another and talked about our universities, I assumed that everyone had heard of Wofford College. Much to my surprise, not a single person has heard of it, much less Spartanburg, South Carolina. This baffled me at first but my perspective of the United States is constantly changing due to the new information I learn from the other students. Dinner is about 15 minutes away so I have to go now but I’ll post again soon. Bon soir et à bientôt.