Saturday

I decided to start taking French today...I took a semester back in college, and I decided to take it up again.  This now makes two times in my life that I intended to learn a biblical language only to end up learning French instead.  In January I had gotten word that I could audit a New Testament Greek class for free at a local seminary, but then I got sick and after so many weeks have gone by, I have a feeling I would be hopelessly lost if I were to try to start.  So, on a whim yesterday, I went in to ask about the classes I saw advertised on a sign.  The conversation went well, and I started classes today.

The director of the French school recommended I join a class that has already been meeting for a couple of months.  That way I could have the challenge of catching up rather than being bored as they go over things I already know.  (She's a woman after my own heart. :-)  It was fun.  I found myself taking mental notes of what the teacher did that helped me understand since he spoke quite a bit of French and I am nowhere near a conversational level yet.  (Having taught so many English Language Learners, it is helpful to throw myself into their shoes once in a while to gain perspective.)  The teacher called on me in class and often stood beside me to check my understanding as they went over the activities he had assigned as homework.  I even got to take a test.  It wasn't for a grade, just for practice for a test the students have the option of taking in May.  I gave it my best shot--I'm sure I made some drastic mistakes.  There was a moment when I wrote the french word for "mother" and was afraid I might have accidentally written a similar sounding word that means something very different (something you would definitely not want to call your mother to her face :-).  It will be interesting to see how I actually did when I get it back. 

So I'm taking French in Spanish, and finding I like it.  It's a lot of fun.

On another note, I need to go to the doctor tomorrow to get some more tests done about the typhoid...then I get to go to a specialist on Monday to find out why all my symptoms haven't gone away yet.  Quite honestly, I am getting to the point where I am praying to God to let me go home in one piece...with no lasting side effects.