It's hard if you're expecting to understand EVERYTHING that's going on around you. It's pretty easy if you smile and nod every time someone speaks to you in French. I hate it when people expect me to do that... I would see one of my friends listening to a mono (counselor) speaking to them in French, presumably explaining something to them. They were nodding and saying stuff like, "Okay," "yeah," "I get it," "thanks," "I'll try to do that," et cetera. Then she would walk back to us (me and other friends) and I ask her what that was all about? What was the counselor explaining? Her reply: "No clue. What's for lunch?"
I've always been one to non-stop attempt to understand what someone is sayin' to me. I'll keep guessing and guessing and guessing, until I get it! Sometimes I got the feeling that I was bugging some of the counselors when I didn't get it... I have the tendency to expect people to keep trying until I got it. A lot of people were nice that way, and they would continually help me as far as understanding goes, but some other people... "c'est bon, c'est bon," waving their hands dismissively if I didn't get it. "Decour? Decour. Salut!" Ugh.
Well, I'll explain my schedule (which everyone has taped on the back of their name tags): Oh but before I elaborate, let me point out, that this isn't an exact translation, only what I know it to be. Sometimes I'll know the literal translation (which I'll point out) but if I don't, you'll have to look it up in a French dictionary (I always had one on me at camp!):
8h00 Réveil - Wake up
8h30 Petit déjeuner - Literal translation: small lunch, AKA Breakfast
9h15 Nettoyage/Réunion de staff - Cleaning up/Meeting for the counselors
9h45 Chansons (à l'amphi) - Singing songs
10h15 Activité de loisir 1 - First activity!
11h15 Goûter - Snack
11h30 Grande Odyssée/Odyssée/Cours - You heard it! "Grande" Odyssée for t'weekers (two-weekers)
12h45 Présentation du repas - A little play that the counselors put on.
13h00 Déjeuner - Literal translation: Lunch!
13h50 Annonces du temps libre - Announcing what areas/activities will be available during free time
14h00 Sieste/courrier - Quiet-time for the t'weekers (where we take naps or write letters) and "courrier" for the monthers (for further explanation on "courrier," ask Scotty!)
15h00 Course magnifique/Cours électif - Leaning about the course magnifique for t'weekers, "cours électif" for monthers.
15h30 Pause pour les 2 semaines - Fifteen minute break!
15h45 Activité de loisir 2/Portfolio - Activity 2 for t'weekers, portfolio for monthers.
16h30 Temps libre - FREE TIME!! The ONLY time you can buy anything, too
17h30 Odyssée/Cours - Odyssée for t'weekers, and Cours for monthers.
18h20 Plaisirs d'amour - ...no clue. Sorry, I'm racking my brain and I cannot think of what I did at that time. The translation is "Pleasure of love" or "love pleasure"... and I know I didn't do anything sexual while at camp.
18h45 Présentation du repas - Another skit!
19h00 Dîner - Literal translation: Dinner!
20h00 Pause - A few announcements, and a handing out of awards to those who speak a lot of French (I'll go into deeper detail about that soon)
20h15 Veillée - An after-dinner activity with the whole camp
21h15 Feu de camp - Goin' back to le pavillon (cabin) to sleep
8h30 Petit déjeuner - Literal translation: small lunch, AKA Breakfast
9h15 Nettoyage/Réunion de staff - Cleaning up/Meeting for the counselors
9h45 Chansons (à l'amphi) - Singing songs
10h15 Activité de loisir 1 - First activity!
11h15 Goûter - Snack
11h30 Grande Odyssée/Odyssée/Cours - You heard it! "Grande" Odyssée for t'weekers (two-weekers)
12h45 Présentation du repas - A little play that the counselors put on.
13h00 Déjeuner - Literal translation: Lunch!
13h50 Annonces du temps libre - Announcing what areas/activities will be available during free time
14h00 Sieste/courrier - Quiet-time for the t'weekers (where we take naps or write letters) and "courrier" for the monthers (for further explanation on "courrier," ask Scotty!)
15h00 Course magnifique/Cours électif - Leaning about the course magnifique for t'weekers, "cours électif" for monthers.
15h30 Pause pour les 2 semaines - Fifteen minute break!
15h45 Activité de loisir 2/Portfolio - Activity 2 for t'weekers, portfolio for monthers.
16h30 Temps libre - FREE TIME!! The ONLY time you can buy anything, too
17h30 Odyssée/Cours - Odyssée for t'weekers, and Cours for monthers.
18h20 Plaisirs d'amour - ...no clue. Sorry, I'm racking my brain and I cannot think of what I did at that time. The translation is "Pleasure of love" or "love pleasure"... and I know I didn't do anything sexual while at camp.
18h45 Présentation du repas - Another skit!
19h00 Dîner - Literal translation: Dinner!
20h00 Pause - A few announcements, and a handing out of awards to those who speak a lot of French (I'll go into deeper detail about that soon)
20h15 Veillée - An after-dinner activity with the whole camp
21h15 Feu de camp - Goin' back to le pavillon (cabin) to sleep
Wow, now that I look at it, my schedule is a lot longer than it is on my name tag.
Well I would like to point something out before I elaborate on anything else. It says that people wake up at 8:00AM? Well, I always woke up at 7:30AM to take a shower. Just gettin' that out of the way.
I have to ask. What in the world is wrong with the USA? WHY do we have "AM" and "PM"? Why do we go up to 12 twice, instead of 24 once? The rest of the world is doin' it! Yeah, the rest of the world also goes to school and listens to their elders and everything, I know... but changing from a more reasonable, sensible, and simple way of telling time to AM and PM just complicated everything, and made it harder for other people to understand the time if they were to go to another country. Thanks a lot, whoever thought that up.
I really didn't like the Activités, unfortunately. They were all really boring, and unlike Odyssée, they (the counselors) would babble in French, and expect everyone to understand. And when we didn't, they might get a little irritated, but just blow it off... then we'd play a really easy and boring game. Sometimes we'd even play it in English, for the Counselor's benefit (a few of the counselors don't speak English very well, as it turns out).
It's sad how, even here at Lac du Bois, where people are paying to get in, almost half of the kids still don't want to be here. They'd constantly be complaining about being there, and being away from their computer, and MySpace, and their iPod, and their dog, and their friends, and--... geez. I ask them "Why are you here?!" They reply, "My dad thought it would be cool if I could speak French," or "my aunt teaches French, and my mom wants me to speak it with her," et cetera. All of the sad "they wanted me to" stories.
Anyway. My favorite counselors were Odessa, Morgane, and Anaiis!! They're great, I love 'em so much. Morgane and Anaiis were my first Odyssée teachers. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, some of those people who don't want to be here or learn French, or put any effort into learning it at all... a handful of those people were in my Odyssée class. (Odyssée classes were sorted by language experience and level.) A lot of the kids (if not all) didn't know French. Including me, of course, but my willingness to learn and endless effort came to my advantage. Sometimes, while everyone would be practicing how to say "salad" (with is "salade" by the way, big yippie there) one of the teachers would step away to explain grammar and speech with me! About separate stuff, not salads.
Most of the time we would be speaking of negations, and "which word is masculine, which is feminine?" It may sound kind of boring or simple, but I learned a lot from them, especially with the masculine and feminine. The nouns are always masculine or feminine, but some adjectives change, depending on which noun they're describing. Sometimes they're neutral! I found that really interesting, how nouns are the superior and reigning word, while the adjectives will change their spelling and pronunciation depending on which noun it is! Then my Odyssée class switched, and... well, I was used to the amazing classes, and the new ones were just as bad as the le Activité.
Okay, I've typed a lot so far today, so I think I'll cut it off as the End of Part 1. I'll tell more about it later! See ya!
Well I would like to point something out before I elaborate on anything else. It says that people wake up at 8:00AM? Well, I always woke up at 7:30AM to take a shower. Just gettin' that out of the way.
I have to ask. What in the world is wrong with the USA? WHY do we have "AM" and "PM"? Why do we go up to 12 twice, instead of 24 once? The rest of the world is doin' it! Yeah, the rest of the world also goes to school and listens to their elders and everything, I know... but changing from a more reasonable, sensible, and simple way of telling time to AM and PM just complicated everything, and made it harder for other people to understand the time if they were to go to another country. Thanks a lot, whoever thought that up.
I really didn't like the Activités, unfortunately. They were all really boring, and unlike Odyssée, they (the counselors) would babble in French, and expect everyone to understand. And when we didn't, they might get a little irritated, but just blow it off... then we'd play a really easy and boring game. Sometimes we'd even play it in English, for the Counselor's benefit (a few of the counselors don't speak English very well, as it turns out).
It's sad how, even here at Lac du Bois, where people are paying to get in, almost half of the kids still don't want to be here. They'd constantly be complaining about being there, and being away from their computer, and MySpace, and their iPod, and their dog, and their friends, and--... geez. I ask them "Why are you here?!" They reply, "My dad thought it would be cool if I could speak French," or "my aunt teaches French, and my mom wants me to speak it with her," et cetera. All of the sad "they wanted me to" stories.
Anyway. My favorite counselors were Odessa, Morgane, and Anaiis!! They're great, I love 'em so much. Morgane and Anaiis were my first Odyssée teachers. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, some of those people who don't want to be here or learn French, or put any effort into learning it at all... a handful of those people were in my Odyssée class. (Odyssée classes were sorted by language experience and level.) A lot of the kids (if not all) didn't know French. Including me, of course, but my willingness to learn and endless effort came to my advantage. Sometimes, while everyone would be practicing how to say "salad" (with is "salade" by the way, big yippie there) one of the teachers would step away to explain grammar and speech with me! About separate stuff, not salads.
Most of the time we would be speaking of negations, and "which word is masculine, which is feminine?" It may sound kind of boring or simple, but I learned a lot from them, especially with the masculine and feminine. The nouns are always masculine or feminine, but some adjectives change, depending on which noun they're describing. Sometimes they're neutral! I found that really interesting, how nouns are the superior and reigning word, while the adjectives will change their spelling and pronunciation depending on which noun it is! Then my Odyssée class switched, and... well, I was used to the amazing classes, and the new ones were just as bad as the le Activité.
Okay, I've typed a lot so far today, so I think I'll cut it off as the End of Part 1. I'll tell more about it later! See ya!
2 comments:
I love your perspective on the time thing... here, the 24 hour time keeping is considered *military* time, which tends to turn me off from using it :) I think that's specifically European, as Mexico uses the same am/pm numeration as us. What about French Canada? hmmmm :D
See ya tmw!
Abbi, I am a reader of your mom's blog who came here to learn more about the Robin Hood guy.. I read and read and read about lots more than just Robin Hood (can't wait to rent that now). I love your blog.
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