Day 10 - mardi

8 fevrier 2011

This morning, I woke up before the alarm went off, so I did some reading (in English). Because Michele is still asleep, I don’t want to make much noise, though very little can be heard from room to room.

After a shower, I needed to wash out by hand all the little things that I had so that there would be some hope that they would dry during the day. I am trying to keep my use of the washing machine to a minimum.  Speaking of minimums, here I am being well reminded of the abundance of things that I own – much more than any one person could use in a month, much less in a year. What I’m experiencing with Michele is a sparseness that I have not considered for a very long time. It will make me reconsider what I have at home, I’m sure of it.

After breakfast is the time for studying this week since my classes are all afternoon until 6:10 pm. More and more words are accessible. I really need to practice number recognition.

Today’s lessons were naming body parts and understanding directions. Maybe we in the class understand more French than a one year old, but maybe not. What I am noticing is that I’m catching more words now. Not phrases yet, but lots more words.

When I got home by 6:20, I made a quick supper of a packet of basmati rice and eggplant. It was quite good overall. Michele was hungry for a Galette de Roi – an almond pie. She mixed it up and baked it. What a picture! With it, I had my first French coffee – that was a lot better than I expected.

Going back to last night, we watched The Truman Show (with Jim Carrey) in French. Now I can’t say I have seen the show more than once before many years ago. What a hoot to hear it in French. Unfortunately, the cable box memory was full, so we did not get to see the last half hour or so – Truman (try saying that with a French accent, please) was just making his escape from all the cameras. We’ll have to try to catch the rest of it another night. By then, I might even understand more of the nuances of the language.

Here’s wishing you a pleasant evening, Dear Reader.  Bonne soirée!