September 18th

Day two was much better than day one, thank God. I did start the day a bit rough though, due to mixing up class times. I had though that Litterature Comparée started at 10, apparently it starts at 9, whoops. At least the teacher was very polite about it when I explained that I had written the number down wrong. I actually understood class too. Apparently it is just rhetoric in French, and although rhetoric is not my favorite subject, it is something that I have studied for many years. All the terms are the same as well as the analysis process. I did make sure that I saved some lists of literary terms, schemes, tropes, and fallacies to my computer just for reference purposes. I am actually excited for this class since we are reading "Pride and Prejudice" in French. How long that enthusiasm will last, I don't know, but I think that I will be able to make this class work. My other Tuesday class was more difficult; philosophy. The teacher seems very relaxed about things, he constantly talks about how beautiful the world is, but since there are only six of us in the class, he speaks very softly. I made the mistake of sitting in the back, shyness always happens at the worst times, and could barely make out what he was saying. It also did not help that there was a classroom behind me that was an English class. My poor head was trying to concentrate on the French while random spurts of English were mixed into the jumble. Also due to me only being "demi-couramment" (semi-fleunt), I can't keep up with the lecture. I am able to write bits and pieces down, but definitely not as much as the native students. I sympathize with the Asian exchange students who journey to the states, they are brave. However, this is perfectly normal, especially for the first week of real classes. I am learning a lot and becoming better and better at French everyday. I called my mother, she always cheers me up, to unload some crestfallen emotions on her and felt like a million dollars after. I keep telling myself that I'm in the same boat as every other foreign student and that I'm not expected to perform in the classes at the level of the French students. Now, although I keep telling myself that, I rarely listen to the advice. It is hard to cheer up when you are singled out as a foreigner and are struggling purely due to the language barrier. There is some wisdom that does always cause me to smile though; regardless of my French level, I do not sound nearly as silly speaking French as every French student does when they attempt English. I hope that the American accent's difficulty never falters, because it is hilarious to hear phrases like, "yoo doNT lewk welle" or "sorey I doNt knough". My apologies France, but since I deal with your French "politeness" you may as well become used to my crude American behavior. After all eye for an eye, or in France is it cigarette for a cigarette?