Parlez-vous francais?

So even though the father of the child is miles away hidden in the French capital, I'm learning the language and I'm loving it. If I'm able to master as much as I can before the baby is born, I can teach it whatever I can in French before it goes to school - meaning I still have some six years to go to make it happen.

I must admit that although I have lost part of my brain to the pregnancy, the other part works quite well mand makes lot of connections between the languages I already know, so it won't be long before my French becomes good enough. 

Baby's Dad is not interested but I think it'll be good nevertheless for the baby to know something about the culture of the other side - sometimes I think I will tell it that the dad died in the French Revolution and that's why he can't be met or seen, for that matter but he was a great hero and a good man. At least a child will be able to fantasize about the hero and not think about a scared adult. Which way I will go, I don't know. I know that today is Sunday, so much for concrete planning. But yes, France and French culture, and the language. So, I'm studying. I'm using all my free time to read and listen, and remember all those beautifully sounding words and phrases. 'La voiture' is still one of my favourite words but there are many more coming along. I have also started reading "Le Petite Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Knowing the story, the book is easier to follow and I understand a lot. I've always wanted to read it in French and voila! - now I have a very good reason to. I've also discover the whole new world of newspapers, radio and music when being on the project French. I'm especially keen on the music and my karaoke has been enriched by few songs by Garou, Celine Dion and Zaz.  On top of that I have found some real gems in the French '80s music. Singing is a wonderful way of learning a language though I don't know what my neighbours think about it. Oh well, soon they will have to listen to the sounds of the screaming baby and then they will beg Garou, Celine and Zaz. 

As I'm working my way through new verbs and nouns, I've started reading a book by Benny Lewis "Fluent in Three Months." I discovered Banny when I was doing my DELTA and preparing a lesson about learning languages. He is from Ireland and speaks fluently eight self-taught languages as different as Hungarian and Chinese Mandarin. So Benny is my language coach, though as a language teacher I know some of these things already. But knowing and doing is another story. Now, it's for me to try out some of the tricks he prestens in the book to hack French and be able to use it when the time comes. And I have a deadline. Four and a half months. That's my deadline to reach the CEFR B2 level and take my first exam in the French Institute. Yay, another exam! The baby and the situation are forcing me into challenging myself and that's just the beginning. So by the time I will be delivering, I should be able to call the ambulance in French and ask them to take me to the hospital. Yay! I'm not expecting that I will learn French perfectly but at east I will have some solid basis and be able to work on later when the baby is here. I hope it'll like the sound of the language as we will listen to it a lot. Writing this, it's time for me to get down to work.

A tout à l'heure!!!

Give Myself a Break

Becasue I have no idea whet else I should do, I am vowing now that for the rest of the week I'm giving myself a break and I will not do the following:

1. I will not listen to any more posdcast, radio programmes nor will I read anything more about sinle parenting or abortion.

2. I will not beat myself up and call myself 'stupid' for making a decision of having a child by myself. I will forget till the end of the week how difficult it will be.

3. I will not fall asleep and wake up in tears.

Instead I will:

1. I will try to sleep  normal hours, just like used to.

2. I willl try to be my best friend and give myslef a big hug before faling alseep.

3. I will go back to the gym and in the pool.

4. I will read and listen to things that give me pleasure and comfort and not induce more panic and dread.

5. I will think of my child who is there and who is growing and imagine that we can make it and we will be fine. I will imagine that I am a good mom. I will imagine us on a sunny day by the sea building sand castles or in a park kicking a ball.

6. I will breath and will be aware of this breathing so that it takes me back to the now and not allow me to get lost in the future, which can be anything.

7. I will eat well and mindfully too.

8. And finally, slowly but surely, I will learn the language of Olivier, the father, so one day, when the time comes, we can meet again and I can face him in French. Apart from that, French is a beautiful language.

Of course, hormones are difficult to control, so it all might not work at all but al least I will try.