Post- the eighth: UE 3

So yesterday-- hier-- a word I adore for its similarity to Spanish-- was the day of the oral French placement exam. Oral. Um, "why don't we just extract some teeth?" was probably the remark I made to many of you prior to this test.


Interestingly, though, it was fairly painless. I arrived early and chatted in the hallway with a few girls from Lithuania who seemed amazed that an American actually knew where Lithuania was. Unfortunately, when they pressed further for where precisely my grandmother's family came from I could not deliver. Please ask me about the Romanian side of my family. I can actually mention a town name there.



Then, I got called into salle 39 for my 15 minutes of teeth pulling. The teacher had on way too much mascara for 10h, but was otherwise a very pleasant woman, and we discussed many bizarre stilted scenerios entirely in French-- no I am not an au pair-- and then she placed me into UE 3. There are 6 levels. UE 1 is for like absolute beginners. UE 6 is like for extremely advanced folks. So I am somewhat middling.


I was mostly just amazed that I was not placed in remedial French for 2-year-olds, which frankly would have made scheduling my law courses much easier. As it stands I now have to arrange some things. Thankfully the law department here is very helpful about things like that.



I think the French teacher lady was mostly just amazed that I've only studied French formally for like one class that lasted for something like 8 weeks last summer. lol. That does not feel nearly sufficient enough, but I do marvel at how much I can follow. I tried to explain to her that I think it is easier for me because I speak Spanish. I'm sure I entirely butchered trying to communicate that idea rapidly in French.


So, after the test I went on a silly search in several different FNACs (kinda like Borders or Barnes & Nobles, for those in the U.S.-- think books, electronics, etc.) for the text for the course. Unsuccessful, I finally came home and became well acquainted with amazon.fr to purchase my livre and accompanying cahier d'exercices.


Afterwards, I went back to Cergy for a Geomoov meeting (international student group thingo) and met oodles of people. Then, I had exciting adventures getting back home to Conflans because I am notoriously crummy at timing trains. Thus, I walked a couple of miles from one station home, because like hell was I going to stand there and wait 45 minutes for the next train when I could do the walk in like 20....


Tenacious as always, and impatient and somewhat disappointed at having to wait for the book delivery, too, I woke up this morning and continued my mad quest. Finally, FNAC Montparnasse worked out (third FNAC is the charm!?) and I came home just now to cancel my amazon.fr order. Yay! Impatience is a virtue.


I'm excited and have started looking through the livre and cahier. These both ought to occupy me some this weekend on my train ride to visit Doris in Noyant. Next week law courses start, too, so there is much excitement coming! Particularly, my Antitrust course, which is in Paris at a law firm-- http://www.vatier-associes.com/. Also, this evening I meet with Adrien (the 21-year-old computer/engineering student who I help with English and who helps me with French). Fun. Fun.


And even more, the news from the mother(land) is that my former nuisance of a landlord finally returned money he owed to me-- $200 USD. I feel almost like I need to write something like: -- "AMANDA ZANE, YOU HAVE JUST RECEIVED $200 USD, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?" -- "...I'M NOT GOING TO WILLIAMBURG, I'M GOING TO (EURO)DISNEYLAND!" Well, okay, not planning on that for anytime soon, but perhaps...lol.


I am just pleased that my former landlord finally came around, especially given that I spent a lot of last summer at work writing things related to landlord/tenant issues, so it was only too ironic that he would turn into such a schmuck right when I moved out of the apartment!


Nonetheless, that is all resolved now. My mad French book quest is resolved. And my schedule seems to be resolving itself. So there we are. And there is the end of this post.



-A