Lucy gets arrested in Paris
All our languages plus Spanish, very funny and so authentic! Only the German is a bit weird while wrong – as usual!
How do I help others? – Culture shock 5
One of the main sources of culture shock – or, as we like to call it, cultural annoyance – is mis-perception. Even though I may think that I know and understand a lot about the culture I’m living in, when something goes wrong, I find myself caught off-guard. I feel disoriented, helpless, out of place.…
Now for Real – Living in Aix 4
For five weeks now we’ve been back in Aix in France in a conference centre. We’re chipping in with all sorts of practical jobs to help polish our French. If we thought we knew France before, we were mistaken: only now we are getting to know it for real. For here we are totally immersed…
Language barrier, one of the many
As we have to deal quite often with French and French culture this here is amazing:
Why I DO NOT Like it – Learning Tunsi 6
We are entering phase 2, according to the method. This means that we are using small picture books, little stories, to talk. For example, we start with the story of a bear who finds a shoe in a wood. He loves it and manages to put it over his left foot. Later he finds a…
How do I prepare myself for the inevitable – culture shock 4
I know I am going to stay in a foreign country for longer. I know what to roughly expect. I am excited and happy but also nervous. That is normal. But, how do I prepare myself for the inevitable culture shock? How do I stop any emotional irritation? Do I do a lot of reading…
A Picture Goes Around the World – Living in Aix 3
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Anna sometimes felt she had missed something because she’d never been at university. Le voilà, as the French say, what do you know, then it happened: Anna is sitting at her desk and writes her first thesis on Guy de Maupassant’s illnesses. And take an expert’s word for it: that was certainly university level,…
Struggling with phrases – Learning Tunsi 5
I am talking! That’s already something. But, of course, the sentences are very simple, very basic and sometimes very stupid. And it’s very rare that I manage to get some kind of noise out of my mouth that my friend doesn’t have to correct. There is always something that is different from what he likes…
How to deal with culture shock? – Culture Shock 3
We already emphasized: Shock is the wrong word, irritation is better. The internal control of our behavior is disturbed. You have to re-learn what is right and wrong, how to behave in certain situations, what is polite and what is not, how to greet and say good-bye, how to mourn with others and how to…
Struggling with words – Learning Tunsi 4
I have started speaking! Wow, what a change! It’s quite a different feeling. Of course, I was already speaking in some situations every day. I have to greet people and say good-bye, I have to tell taxi-drivers directions, though they often understand some French, but with Tounsi, I am sure they get it. But, there…