Pardon me while I bust a gut.
Not to suggest that I was bad at French in high school. In fact, I was pretty good. But I am certain that I am not sufficiently prepared to take a 300-level French class, particularly considering the fact that returned missionaries usually go straight to 300's level classes when they get back to BYU. I guarantee I am not qualified to be jumping into a language class with a bunch of RMs who have been speaking, essentially fluently, for at least a year of their lives and living among native speakers.
Naturally, I assumed that the reason I got such a high score was because I had guessed really well, so I took it again. And got a 389 (haha... I WAS RIGHT), but that still bumps me up from 102 to 201, and so I have to change classes today I think. Which isn't really surprising to me, I mean they were going over the futur proche and the passé composé, which I have had down pat since like sophomore year. And in a month or so, they're going to talk Le Petit Prince, which I also already know pretty well. I just can't decide if I want my 201 class to have the same book as my 102 class or not. I mean, I've already ordered it, and I'd have to return it, which is a pain, but if the new book were to be cheaper (and I don't know if it is) then that would be okay. I just don't know how I feel about this...
I had talked to a girl who had taken French all through high school, and she said that 201 was too hard for her and that she had to move down to 102. I figured, well I don't want class to be TOO difficult for me, so I should probably just sign up for 102. I didn't really think about the fact that the intensity of my French classes sophomore-senior year was WAY above the intensity of other high schools' French classes. So who do I have to thank for the fact that I'm moving up to a more difficult French class? I know exactly who to thank——Madame Stennett. Now, I admit, French kind of was a pain to me, and I didn't always appreciate the class, and there was quite a bit of frustration that I experienced in connection with that class... But the fact is that, compared to most students who took French in high school, I am far more prepared and far more knowledgeable about the French language, and it's thanks to her. I have a better (although still atrocious) accent because she was a stickler for pronunciation. I read better, I listen better, I write better ... and it's because she made her students practice those things instead of having us play vocabulary games all of the time, or watch films with English subtitles.
I don't know if I'll feel quite up to speed with French 201 in the coming weeks, but I know that going into my 102 class, I didn't feel behind in the slightest (in fact, I felt far ahead of my classmates), and it's thanks to her excellent, albeit firm and high-expectation, teaching. Madame, today I am sincerely grateful for the hard work you put into teaching us, for the fact that you did us a favor in preparing us properly for university level French, for everything you did that, although it made me grumble at the time, has made me as proficient as I am. Thank you :)
In other news, today I ate the top off of a blueberry muffin and felt quite sick afterwards. Perhaps I ate it too quickly? Perhaps my body is telling me to stop having blueberry muffins for breakfast (I've had them every day since getting back to school)? Or maybe it was a bad muffin (but oh, it was delicious)?
Otis ... you are cruel to me.
Anyways, I had written all of this stuff before lunch, and now that I've actually gone to 201 ... I'm a little intimidated. Like, I can't decide if I would rather be at the tippy top of a super easy class, or if I would rather challenge myself. I mean, I just don't want French to be a nightmare, or something that I dread going to, especially in light of the fact that it's an every single day sort of thing. But then again, I don't want to be wasting good scholarship money on a class that's solid reviewing. That's absurd!!!
Well, anyways, randomness ... I think I want to learn Hebrew. Maybe it's because I think Mirah, the Jewess in Daniel Deronda, is one of the most admirable characters in all of literature. Maybe it's because I love Prince of Egypt. Or because ♫ I'm in love with a Jew-man ♫ doo doo doo doo doo doo ♫ hahaha. Just kidding. I don't know ... I think it would be cool. Also, someday I want to go to Jerusalem. Dude. I want to be Jewish. Okay. Not really ... I just think Judaism is super cool. That's the end of it. I'll stop being weird now. I have way too much homework to do ... :( Also, a new freaking textbook to buy tomorrow. Bummer deal, eh?
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