Explore Day 26: 24 Hours in French

Definitely gonna miss these girls. <3

[NOTE: This post was delayed several days because I was waiting for photos. I think today is actually Day 31...]

Day 26. There’s just a bit over a week left.

Yesterday was the hyped-up “24h en Francais,” which means that you can sign up to voluntarily immerse yourself in French: talking, writing, reading, listening to music, watching movies… everything has to be done in French. I personally find that having a special French day is a little ironic, since technically the entire program is supposed to be like that, but considering that there’s way more English spoken here than there really should be, it’s good to have one day of complete immersion.

At Chez Victor, one of Quebec's most famous restaurants.
(I'm on the left.)

The bizarre thing about spending a day in French was how easy it was. It barely inhibited my communication at all. It probably helps that by now my friends and I know each other well enough to understand each other even when our French is terrible, but even so, there was only once where I couldn’t get my point across and had to give up.

                                                                        

The most difficult part was not using Franglais. I’ve gotten so used to speaking French interspersed with English whenever I don’t know a word, but yesterday we wouldn’t even let ourselves do that. Luckily, I’ve got my basic vocabulary down, and if there’s something I don’t know, I can normally describe it enough for someone else to supply the word. Sound effects and actions also help a lot. :)

It's always a party at Chez Victor! :)

It was really satisfying to talk French the entire day, even when I was out at dinner (gourmet hamburgers at Chez Victor) or sitting having tea with my friends. By the end of the day French was completely automatic; if someone asked me a question I’d immediately respond in French, or if I wanted to say something, I’d just start speaking in French. My mind would also always try to word things so that I’d use the vocabulary I do have, rather than stumbling over the words I don’t know.

We don't really 'walk' anywhere....

It was almost depressing to start talking English again with my friends today. While it was definitely a relief to be able to ask questions or tell stories without constantly pausing and trying to conjugate verbs in my head, talking in English felt just a little bit boring. 24h en Francais was definitely a challenge, but one that I really enjoyed.

I'm Going to Scotland!

I’m going to Scotland.

Let me repeat that, with the proper emphasis.

I’M GOING TO SCOTLAND!!!!!!!!!!

It’s still seven months away, and it’s been a long process so it all feels a bit surreal now, but the fact remains: in September I will head off to St. Andrews and spend a year there.

Let me tell you how this happened…

The picturesque town of St. Andrews

I’ve always wanted to go to the UK. One of my dreams has been to go on a “literary pilgrimage” across the British Isles visiting all the places that my favourite authors have lived. I could see a play at the Globe, visit Milton’s house, have a drink at the pub where the Inklings met… my only problem was having enough time to do everything!

In early December an email arrived in my inbox advertising a scholarship opportunity for studying at St. Andrew’s for a year. Since I was just at the beginning of my Christmas break and had very little else to do, I was able to devote plenty of time to the lengthy application. I had to fill out 18 paragraph questions (detailing everything from my volunteer experience to my future career plans), send official transcripts, and write an essay about the famous golfer “Bobby” Jones (the scholarship was provided in his memory). In the beginning of January I got back in Ontario, dropped off my application, and waited.

Coat of Arms

A couple weeks later, I got an email informing me that I was selected for an interview. An interview? I had no idea an interview was involved. I was nervous, but also excited, and waaaaay overthinking it. Eventually January 28^th rolled around and I went in for my interview… and I think I can quite frankly say that, aside from the enormous stress, this was the most fun interview I’ve ever had. All six interviewers were pleasant and friendly, and I felt comfortable from the instant I walked into the room. As it turned out, several of them even liked Doctor Who, and chatting for a minute about David Tennant made for a lovely icebreaker. J

At the end of the interview I was informed that I would learn their decision by Wednesday at the latest, which was yet another shocker, as the website stated that decisions would be made my Mid-February. For the next twenty-four hours I obsessively checked my email until finally, on Tuesday afternoon, in the middle of class, I got the message: “Decision letters are available for pickup.”

Imagine the stress! I had to sit through the remaining twenty minutes of class (apologies to my professor for paying very little attention), before dashing out to catch the bus to the Exchange office. That half hour was quite possibly the tensest time of my life. I arrived at the office at the same time as another girl, and we both picked up our envelopes.

One of St. Andrew's lovely old buildings

I opened mine, and the first word I saw was ‘Congratulations!’ I could barely refrain from jumping, and I definitely couldn’t stop smiling. I just repeated “Oh my God, thank you!” over and over all the way back to King’s. Then I pestered everyone for the rest of the afternoon showing them my acceptance letter… J I’ve got to thank all my Facebook friends for being so supportive and excited for me; it really means a lot. I plan to keep blogging more often over the coming year as I learn more about the exchange. Sometime over the next week I’ll post again about what exactly St. Andrew’s will be like.