....But it will. Tomorrow is when it all begins. The elusive ‘year abroad’, that seemingly mythical third year which almost every language student assumes will never actually arrive when they first embark upon their degree. Yet tomorrow at 7am, I will have left my Kentish roots for seven months In Le Havre; where I will no doubt be greeted with an endless supply of pharmacies, many fruitless Hypermarket searches for salt and vinegar crisps and countless attempts to become best buds with ‘Real French People’.
So far, my family’s insistence that I ‘travel lighter than usual’ has resulted in two car loads booked onto the 07.50 Eurotunnel, five relatives and a shoe rack. Personally, I thought I’d done well, and it still remains beyond me how fellow students have managed to travel across the globe with only a couple of cases and a rucksack...I mean, how will I cope without my giant M&S teddy bear every night? What if my furnished flat doesn’t have any mugs or a Tesco mug holder? And how can I possibly clean the place up without the loan of my uncle’s mum’s special hoover? So you see, I’m only taking the essentials.
Having not spoken French since my brief visit to Le Havre in August (see previous blog entry), when it comes to my linguistic capability, I am more than a little concerned. However, I’ve been assured that I’ll soon get used to French life, and nodding along intellectually without a clue what’s going on will become second nature, although when teaching my 11-15 year olds I’m pretty certain they’re soon going to cotton on to this originally flawless system of conversation. All I can hope is that they’ll be kind to me, so that I can hopefully avoid agreeing enthusiastically to the fact that I smell, or something along those lines. Maybe they’ll teach me some ‘super-cool’ slang which will help me make friends instead....let’s hope so.
On Monday, there is a training day in Rouen for all English assistants, which I’m really hoping will be useful, or at least more useful than my second year TEFL module (Teaching English as a Foreign Language, for the non-abbreviation savvy of you). Although I was thoroughly enriched by the entirely futile observation that in order to improve our language skills, my peers and I needed to speak up more in oral classes, this is an altogether different situation. No longer will I simply be picking holes in the current language teaching methods; I will actually be the one implementing them. I have not yet been told my exact duties, but I know it is my role to bring authenticity and vigour to the English language, enhancing the learning experience with a variety of exciting and engaging activities.
....Or in the words of one wise friend; ‘just knock up some flash cards and blag it’.
See you on the other side!
