Middlebury, VT: J'aime le français

(English below)

J’ai commencé ma prémiere journée ici sans attentes - quelquechose un peu anormal pour moi. Je pensais seulement que c’était bizzare de rester dans une ville aux états-unis où tout le monde parle l’anglais mais choisit de ne pas l’utiliser pour sept semaines. Pendant les premiers trois jours, l’école française semblait comme un camp d’été - il y avait beaucoup d’activité à faire comme les brise-glaces et les fêtes. Et j’ai rapidement trouvé que je l’aimait! 

Le matin du deuxième jour, je me suis réveillée à neuf huere. J’ai mangé une bar d’énergie car je n’avais pas encore trouvé le réflectoire, et j’ai fait une petite visite du campus. C’était très jolie! J’ai trouvé la table où j’ai pensé qu’on avait besoin de s’enrigstrer et une fille qui semblait qu’elle avait treize ans seulement m’a demandé quelquechose en français. C’était troup rapide pour moi. Avant d’avoir le temps de reflechir, un homme m’a demandé « Est-ce que tu es dans le niveau debutant? » Après toutes mes éxperiences avec le français, je ne m’attendais pas à ça!

J’ai trouvé un peu de courage après la prémière mésaventure et j’ai completé mon entrien oral sans problème. J’ai aussi fait la connaisance des autres étudiants de l’école française comme Tara, une fille mexique et israeli qui a dix-sept ans; elle est dans sa prémière année d’université, elle parle déjà trois langues, et elle a joué au foot professionnel pour l’équipe nationale d’israel! 

Nous avons passé l’après-midi à faire beaucoup de jeux comme « capturer le drapeau » et « la course des trois jambes ». Nous avons rivalisé avec son équipe et nous avons crée une chanson et un cri pour l’équipe. Mon équipe - la grise - n’a pas beaucoup gagné mais c’était amusant.

Le soir, nous avons regardé un film d’animation bizarre. Après, il y avait une fête française de karaoke avec les chansons françaises, le frômage français, et le vin français. J’ai éssayé de commencer une danse quand j’ai demandé « Decalé Gwada » mais tout le monde était plus timide que moi. Je suis sortie avec les assistants et les professeurs pour bien danser sur la musique francophone. 

À la fin de la nuit, un assistant qui connait mon ami de l’université a dit « Mais tu es dans le niveau plus haut, oui? » L’école a changé mon niveau au quatrième, ce qui veut dire que je vais parler comme un diplomé de français bientôt!

Cela fait sept ans que je n’ai pas utilisé le français intensivement, et tu sais quoi - j’aime! 

La traduction:

I started my first day here without expectations - something a little unusual for me. My only thought was that it was bizarre to live in a city in the U.S. where everyone speaks English but chooses not to use it for 7 weeks. During the first 3 days, the French School was like a summer camp - there were lots of activities to do like "ice breakers" and parties. And, I quickly found that I liked it! 

The morning of the second day, I woke up at 9 AM. I ate a granola bar since I hadn't yet found the cafeteria, and I took a little tour of the campus. It was very beautiful! I found the table where I thought we were supposed to register, and a girl who looked like she was 13 years old asked me something in French. It was too fast for me. Before I had time to reflect [on what she asked], a man asked me "Are you in the beginner's level?" After all my experiences with French, I hoped not! 

I found a little bit of courage after the first mishap and completed my oral interview without any problem. I also met some other students of the French school, like Tara, a 17 year old Mexican and Israeli; she was in her first year of university, already spoke 3 languages, and played professional soccer for the Israeli national team!

We spent the afternoon playing several games like "Capture the Flag" and "3-Legged Race." We competed with our team and created a song and a cheer f. My team - the grey team - didn't win much, but it was fun.

During the evening, we watched a cartoon movie that was really strange. Afterward, there was a French karaoke party with French songs, French cheese, and - you guessed it - French wine! I tried to start a dance party when I requested "Decalé Gwada" [a Congolese dance song] but everyone was more shy than me. I went out with the teaching assistants and the professors to really dance to French music. 

At the end of the night, one teaching assistant who knows my friend from university asked "But you're in the highest level, right?" I wasn't but after my oral interview, the school changed my level to the 4th (the highest), so I'll be speaking like a French college graduate soon! 

It's been 7 years since I used French intensively, and you know what - I love it!

(Les photos de Middlebury)

T.I.A. - My First Adventure on the Way to French School at Middlebury

Bonjour tout le monde! After a quiet couple of years post-Malawi - which, I can assure you, were anything but boring as I worked the D.C. circuit in the private donor world and completed the first year of a doctoral program in global health - I'm back (and with more adventures than ever)! My first year returning to student life has only been done for 2 weeks and already I've touched base in 5 states and 2 countries - completely normal in the life of this "D.I.V.A." 

Latest destination: Middlebury, Vermont

Sound boring? Well, my thirteen hour journey here yesterday suggests anything but...But I'm getting ahead of myself....

It started seven years ago, when, as a college junior at Michigan State University, I had an incredible opportunity to study abroad in Senegal, West Africa. The experience of living with a host family and an amazing roommate (who passed away last month, God rest her soul), interning with the Conseil National de la Lutte contre le SIDA - Senegal's National HIV/AIDS Policy Agency, and truly experiencing immersion into another culture encouraged me to really develop my French language skills. I returned to Senegal to do research the following year. Somehow, the years kept going by - I completed my Master degree, worked for a couple of years, traveled to at least 7 different countries, and with the exception of a quick trip to Burundi and Rwanda and a 3-week course at the Alliance Francaise, barely used my French! 

So, as I started my doctoral program this year, I knew that it was now or never. I was selected as a Kathryn B. Davis Fellow for Peace, funding me to promote better health and protection for children globally through an intensive summer of parler-ing francaise at the world-renowned French Language School at Middlebury College. Now, if only I could get there...

My day started off well - the weather in Boston was hot and beautiful and my taxi came with time to spare. I got to the bus depot for what was supposed to be a four-hour ride to Burlington, Vermont, followed by a one hour commute to Middlebury. But what fun would my stories be if everything went according to plan? After the first two-and-a-half hours of the journey, our bus driver pulled over on the side of the highway - never a good sign! He informed us that the Megabus had overheated, we could no longer drive, and he was awaiting instruction from dispatch. Thirty minutes turned into one hour turned into nearly two hours, and finally it was determined that we needed a new bus. So they'd send one from a nearby stop, right? Of course not - they'd send one all the way from Boston! After some optimism that the bus had cooled down, we inched our way along the highway, only to pull over again and sit on the side for a total of three hours. This might not have been the end of the world but naturally, it was hot, I had no food (translation: I was really cranky) and there was no water available on the bus or within walking distance (as us public health specialists would note, that's a serious safety hazard). My not-so-subtle discussion with the driver, as well as lots of mumbling and grumbling from the passengers who couldn't find alternative transportation, resulted in the driver transporting us to the nearest town, where we waited another two hours for a replacement bus. 

After a few more hours, the new bus delivered us to Burlington, where the excellent Middlebury Transit and our lively host Bill was waiting for a large group of us. We drove another hour, getting some fun facts about the history of Vermont. For example, did you know that Vermont has the second smallest population of U.S. states? And that this is the home of Ben and Jerry's ice cream?! He helped us check-in at the university, where we'd long missed the welcome dinner and festivities, and dropped me and my body bag of a suitcase at my new residence for the next seven weeks. I got my workout for the day carrying three bags up to the top floor via the stairs - naturally there was no elevator in my building - but I couldn't have been happier to unpack in my little dorm room.

My five-hour turned 13-hour journey is the latest in my unfortunate transportation adventures (think Kenyan safari...or Lake of Stars mishap...or Zanzibar transport nightmare...or Liwonde National Park fiasco...and the list goes on...). But in each of those situations, the most difficult transportation events were linked with some of my most incredible life experiences! And while I sometimes join the "expat club" complaining about ridiculous experiences like this when I travel internationally - "Oh, T.I.A. - this is Africa" - I couldn't help but smile as life reminded me that problems that affect peoples' lives are everywhere. I may not be in a foreign country this time, but from tomorrow, I actually sign a contract committing to embracing this foreign language immersion program - all French, all the time! My crazy trip here is bound to lead to an equally crazy summer, but could you expect anything less when "T.I.A." (This Is Africa America)!

A bus I hope to never see again! 

The beautiful views of Vermont...
from the side of the road...

My little dorm room - home sweet home!