Look Ma I speak French----un peu!!

Pictures borrowed from Google!

The first level of my French class is almost near completion and I am so delighted to dabble in the musings of this fancy language. Did you know that French is one of the sexiest language in the world?? Well, I didn't know and I just said so because I find it damn sexy. Ah, the noises they make while speaking (technically, they speak in noises)!!! Well, when I speak French it is like I am croaking and I scrunch up my face in an attempt to frame a right sentence so it seems like I am passing painful gas. Since this is the A1 level, I can hardly use some handy words in French,but I can introduce myself (Je m'appelle Vinaya). I can also exchange pleasantries and order food (Bonjour Monsieur, Je voudrais un croissant et un tasse de café), which is the most important thing, right!! It's so exciting and I cannot believe that six weeks just flew by.

The class started with everyone being all over the place and staring bamboozled at our instructors as they schmoozed their way into our hearts in French. The first week was like we had turned two year old. Of course, I don't remember life as a 2 year old. But I have seen enough toddlers who have just started to speak and how their parents prompt the correct words, correct their pronunciations and guide them through the treacherous alleys of sentence constructions & grammar!!! Well, it was just like that for us only 10 times more painful because of the grammar (did you know every thing, every word in French has a gender!!! And you have to remember it all) and all the throaty noises we tried to make. At one point we all had sore throats trying to croak out the letter 'R'. All of us were so eager to speak in french that in an attempt to sound like a haughty French, we almost butchered the language.

Yet after 5 weeks of tussle with this mighty language, the nuances of French have woven into my brain so much that some of the words come out very French! Like I call Paris as 'Parhi' (phonetically, with the stress on 'rh') and almost say merci and oui to people. I also looked up 2 most used swear words, to help me cuss - Putain and Merde!! God even their swear words sound so exotic. Of course these pregnant attempts at sultry noises are accompanied by a puppet show!! I am sure for a uninterested outsider it would appear very funny....or like it is said in french très drôle!!

However, whats remarkable about these past few weeks is the classmates I had. It just made me wonder the mystical ways the world works. We all got along since the day one and we had a bang learning the basics of French. I have met some wonderful souls and made some delightful friends here, whose enthusiasm pegged me to put extra efforts in the class. As we move to the next level, I am dejected that some of these people are not going to be there and I am going to miss them so much. I had gotten used to taking comfort in some faces when I struggled while I attempted feeble French. In fact, I had wanted to write more about the classes, the instructors and the fun & bloopers that we had in the class. But I just couldn't find the words to describe it. So until the next level of French and the next post....A bientôt!!