On
Wednesday, September 25, I attended a French conversation table at the Blue
Moon restaurant in Shepherdstown, WV. I heard about in my French 101 class, and
I found it interesting because I enjoy the language and I want to learn more of
it.
Ever since I
visited Quebec last year, I’ve always been intrigued by the French language. I
took 3 years of Spanish in high school, but I really didn’t enjoy it. Since
then, I wasn’t really into learning a new language. I decided to take a French
class because I needed one more elective, and French was the only class I was
remotely interested in that didn’t block any other courses.
Since the
semester started, I have enjoyed the class immensely. The teacher knows what
she’s teaching, and she has fun doing it. You can really tell that she has a
passion for the language, and she really wants us to immerse us in the culture.
That’s why she hosts these conversation tables.
On
Wednesday, I met a lot of the students and Dr. Jarman at a table in the back.
She arranged the tables so that I would sit next to her (because I’m her
favorite student), and she just started talking. I caught a lot of words that
she said and was able to figure out most of what she was saying. Other times
she would have to translate into English for me and a few other students who
were listening. I learned about how the French have very, very long meals,
often ending with 7 different courses. And they have a different wine for every
course. I find it very interesting.
We all
spoke in French for the first half hour, but after that, we ended up speaking
in English. We were discussing how American culture is influencing the rest of
the world, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, so I asked Dr. Jarman for her
opinion on whether or not foreign culture influences the US. She said not at
all, unfortunately, and went off on a tangent that lasted almost 20 minutes. It
was pretty much a lecture and a half.
In all, I
had a very fun experience, and I learned so much that I wouldn’t have been able
to in a regular class. I met a lot of new people and made some new friends. It’s
definitely something I will do again very soon.
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