On Language

My French has definitely gotten better in the month and a half I've been here. I thought about translating this blog into French, then decided I didn't need a permanent reminder of my language mistakes (because the Internet is forever, folks!).

But it's lovely to finally get to the point where I can understand conversations if I concentrate hard enough, if my conversation partners are very patient, and if nobody uses any big words. This comprehension came in stages: first I was able to isolate the individual words, then I could understand each word (or at least, many of the words), then I could understand them together.

I still miss a good amount of conversations. But it's a really nice feeling to stand at church and be able to follow every word as the congregation around me recites the Nicene Creed ("I believe in God, the Father Almighty...") even if I can't say it myself yet. A truly universal church.

Speaking of mass...last week I was asked to do one of the readings last minute, and while there are few things more terrifying than public speaking, one of them is public speaking in a language you don't quite understand. I don't think the lady who asked me realized I'm not a fluent French speaker. I don't know how many words I butchered, but I'm sure it was a lot. Especially since most readings are a couple of paragraphs long...but this one ran into three pages (imagine my horror after I turned the first page and found two more!). Oh well. I gave it my best, anyway.

Living in a new country feels a lot like having your skin stripped off and slowly replaced, layer by layer. Particularly so with a language barrier, or two. I hope my new skin is stronger. But I'll definitely be different, a new combination of experiences and habits gained from living in a new country and culture.