Un têtu homme dans ma classe m'a enseigné la patience.

Every Monday at school, we do introductions because new students arrive. So today, we began class with introductions for our new student, Gahli. Once we were halfway through the class, another student, Erica, arrived, huffing and puffing because we're on the fourth floor. Everyone laughed, especially my teacher because she's very warmhearted, and we all began the introductions again. We had just finished when Lila walked in the door. Finally, my teach asked us if this was a joke and where the hidden camera was. It was quite funny. But effective for learning everyone's names!

The Monday class is also short, so we just worked on one exercise. We worked in groups to choose cards with places, people, and things on them and imagine a story in the passe compose (past tense). This may have been the most challenging moment of my life, that moment right then.

Gahli is quite loquacious and constantly interrupts everyone by asking very rudimentary questions. It was endearing at first, but it began to get old quickly. He also seemed incapable of working in a group. He told the teacher that he studies alone and he took the placement test alone so he should be allowed to write his own story. He didn't want to work with me and Woo Jung.

Finally, he consented to let someone else besides himself talk, and Woo Jung and I began our story about Paul, le grenouille (the frog). Paul made plane reservations to see Paris, London, the Netherlands, and Egypt and lost his baseball cap along the way. Gahli was very intent on Paul visiting the Pyramids in Egypt and insisted that Paul stay there for four days. He continued to explain Paul's visit to Egypt for a straight 3 or 4 minutes before I interrupted the interrupting cheese to explain - in French - that it was a group activity and that we must work together - nicely. Talk about patience.

"Nous devons travailler ensemble pour ecrire UNE histoirie. Nous avons besion d'imaginer et decider ENSEMBLE." I began to get irritated with his lack of comprehension and constant interruptions so I started to speak louder and louder. To which he said "doucement." Don't tell me what to do! I do what I want! I was so happy when that class ended. He seems like a friendly guy, but I really hope he get's better at working together because we do it everyday. For everything. Always. I may have to find a new seat otherwise.

My afternoon class was less challenging than my morning class for once today, after the morning I had. I worked with Salah, from Saudi Arabia, to understand a man's phone call to his wife that his car had broken down in the snow. Salah is very helpful when I don't understand something, and he even taught me to write my name in Arabic!

I think I'll change my legal signature. ;)

After school, Kacie, Hannah, Salome, and I explored a new building that was labeled thermal baths on our map. It turned out to be a strip mall that was closed on a Monday afternoon, but it was beautiful and the acoustics were fun. It made me wish I had brought my flute so I could see what I would sound like. 

I really wish it was possible to accidentally find places like this in the U.S. I would explore more often.

I'm trying to learn 10 new words a day, outside of school. My tactic is to remember things I try to say during the day but can't because I don't know the words and then learn them that evening. If I rewrite them here, I'll learn them better.

Today's VOC:

orgueil - pride

singe - monkey ( to talk about Mila) :)

têtu - stubborn

amusant - entertaining

ridicule - ridicuous

mentionner - to mention

sautiller - to hop

trébucher - to stumble

peigne - to comb

amener - to bring

s'inscrire - to sign up 

And good news! Mila finally let me take a picture of her!

How cute are we? She took this one herself. 

Bonne nuit,

Alissa