The Start of Something Strange

Hello again.

I am starting to get the swing of things here in Lyon. I was talking with my "résponsable" which is a fancy French work for advisor of my program. She works here at the university with us and has been with the program for over 20 years. Anyways, she was comparing learning a foreign language to being a baby who is learning to walk. A baby learning to walk stands up on two feet, walks for a few feet, and falls back down, ready to crawl again. But the next time that baby stands up, he or she walks for a little bit longer before he or she falls back down again. Over time that baby learns to walk and falls less and less. Learning a language, she said, is like that. There are days when everything flows out of your mouth easily like butter, and then other days when you are choking on a piece of chicken. I've definitely experienced both ends of the spectrum, but I feel myself walking a little longer each time. I have successfully called a phone company, ordered my dinner (and my various other food escapades), grocery shopped, been asked for directions, and the greatest of achievements: had a real conversation with French college students. I haven't understood every word of what people have said but enough to understand what is happening, and when talked to directly, enough to respond somewhat intelligently. At dinners, I have begun to understand more and more of what my host family is talking about amongst themselves.

The good thing, my résponable told me, is that one never regresses. One can only move up or stay where one is, one can never fall backwards down the hill. So I am very optimistic. I look forward to the day when I am able to completely understand my conversation partner and when I can understand overheard conversations on the tram. But for now, I am happy to mime out the words I don't know (like broom) and manage to describe the rest with the words I do. The process feels hard but it gets easier everyday the less self-conscious I am. I have also noticed something. The more I trust God, the more I dwell on the good of a day–the blessings of that day and not the struggles—the more I ask for help, the more comfortable I feel. Again, it is a lot like a child learning to walk. When I forget to trust in God and forget to breathe in the good that I have, I tend to fall, but slowly I feel myself walking. I am walking longer and longer on two feet. Soon, I will be a regular marathon-runner. Well, I might be getting a little ahead of myself there…..but you get the picture.

Have a happy day everyone. May the sun shine (or rain fall, whichever you prefer) on your life today and everyday to come.