Suz Learns @ Behind the Postcard

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13 comments on 2 janvier 2018. Mot de la semaine or Word of the week: Espérer / To hope.

2 janvier 2018. Mot de la semaine or Word of the week: Espérer / To hope.

IMG_4665.JPGBonne année mes amis!  Quoi de neuf?

Aujourd’hui est le deuxième jour de janvier.  Cette année j’ai beaucoup à faire et à apprendre.  Alors, j’ai besoin de continuer mes études de français.

En 2017,  j’ai beaucoup couru et j’ai étudié le français un peu. En 2018, je vais travailler dur pour apprendre le français et courir un peu.

I haven’t sorted out my running goals for the year but am leaning toward shorter distances with focus on speed.  After last year’s 50 miler, my body needs to relearn to run shorter distances.  It’s a whole different game.

Thriving on change, I’m so excited as we enter the new year.  My new books have arrived and I have a sense of clarity I haven’t felt in years.

New this year will be an occasional blog post focusing on the word of the week relevant to the month, season or my mood.

An opportunity to work on vocabulary and sentence structure while attempting to be creative.

J’espère apprendre beaucoup de français cette année.

Bonne Année,

Suz

 

 

 

 

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suzlearnsfrench

Hello My name is Suz, and I’m addicted to France and all things French. What you’ll find here is a quiet eclectic space, with a focus on entertaining while informing via trivial information only somewhat relevant to the topic. I truly hope it makes you smile. Bienvenue Suz!

13 responses to “2 janvier 2018. Mot de la semaine or Word of the week: Espérer / To hope.”

  1. Osyth Avatar
    Osyth

    Bonne Année à toi même …. meilleurs vœux et surtout le santé! I look forward to jogging along with you (I will be training for some 5, 8 and 10 Kms later in the year) and sharing your journey to further fluency in French. Which books did you get? X

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    1. suzlearnsfrench Avatar
      suzlearnsfrench

      Bonjour et Bonne Année.

      I’m very excited to get back to these distances. You’ll have to share your runs with me – I’d love to follow along.

      As I never feel I progress past a beginners level I bought a new series of books starting again with my level 1. The series is called Totem. I’m starting (again) with Totem 1. The local alliance français school just switched to this series. In the spring I might attend a class there – I like the classes there but it’s an hours drive each way. And I actually learn best by doing / writing / interacting – hence the writing.

      As you know I’ve left my full time job (I’m substitute teaching part time – no I’m not a teacher lol – it’s just filling the void while I take some much needed time to re charge my batteries). This also allows me to study French more or at least watch more French movies.

      2018 is going to be a great year. I’m hoping to host an exchange student in June or July and if all pans out – visit France in October (or may 2019).

      Please let me know how the running goes.

      Suz

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      1. Osyth Avatar
        Osyth

        Suz, I most certainly will. I had to stop running in 2016 when I double broke my leg and the ‘exploded’ femur caused a severed perineal nerve resulting in drop foot. Fortunately my wonderful physician got me into an Allard brace (if you don’t know about them, do look it up …. it was incredible – one minute I couldn’t walk and then hey presto bongo, they fitted it and I could walk again). I actually did four organised 5 kms in New England before I came back to France that Christmas. But, being here in Grenoble I have not been keeping up with it. This has to change so having a ‘buddy’ in the virtual space alongside will be really welcome. Alliance Français are excellent – I hope you can get to classes too (for the interaction). I’m sure the books (and the extra time to devote) will really motivate you forwards. And an exchange student would be fabulous not to mention a trip to France to test it all out!

        You can if you will …. it applies to French as well as running 😉

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      2. suzlearnsfrench Avatar
        suzlearnsfrench

        Wow on the injury – that’s a big one. Amazing that you can run again – the brace sounds amazing.

        I really want to hear about your runs in France 🇫🇷 – I think I mentioned before that I did an 8 km race in France in 2012 in St. Palais sur mer – it was Fantastique ! And the French run quite well – I credit their awesome running with their awesome food supply and wine.

        When is your first race?

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      3. Osyth Avatar
        Osyth

        I’m hoping to do the 8 mai run which here commemorates the resistance. You have the choice of a 5 an 8 or a 13km. Depending on how well it is going I will do the 5 or the 8. It was quite an injury and my physician is quietly my hero! The French take running pretty seriously as you know (and I am always the scruffiest kid on the block … they are generally SERIOUSLY coordinated whereas I am generally wearing a mismatch of things that I feel comfortable in and that I have assigned some sort of superstition to! The food must help. The wine, in my head is always a help!!!

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      4. suzlearnsfrench Avatar
        suzlearnsfrench

        Wishing you well – hopefully you’ll have some good weather soon to train. It’s hard to chose on the distance – for the 5k you’ll want to push and run faster and then on the 8K you’ll be able to slow down but you run farther. Just don’t injure yourself – that would make for a horrible year.

        AND yes, they are seriously coordinated – but aren’t they always.

        I plan on running the Louisville Half Marathon at the end of April – so we can share our training ups and down here online. AS SOON as it warms up here – we are not getting the horrible snow the north eastern states are getting – but we are freezing. I will run in the cold – but this is toooo cold.

        Suz

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      5. Osyth Avatar
        Osyth

        Your weather is making headlines here …. le vortex polaire and les États Unis congelé so stay in, stay safe and stay warm for now. Soon enough you’ll be on your way to that halfie!

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Kiki Avatar
    Kiki

    What lovely goals you have Suz. I wish for you to go for them and …. get them! Running is not one of my goals, I’ve been running all my life long – and now I must take it easy(ier). But I greatly admire those with this sort of goal and wish them every success. I see the runners on all the marathons (1/4, 1/2, full or whatever in between) in Paris, I see them in Jardin du Luxembourg and in my surrounding, huffing and puffing, I always feel sorry for them and at the same time I am deeply envious…

    Je te souhaite bonne chance aussi pour ton français, ainsi que pour la Nouvelle Année en tout ce que tu démarres. Je voulais utiliser le mot ‘entamer’ mais il ne me semble pas parfait pour cette phrase….

    And yes, just like Osyth I’d like to know about which books you’re talking. I was ill over the past few days and although I had a violent headache, I couldn’t NOT read and I went through an excellent title of one of my favourite writers: Liane Moriarty. I think I’d read the telephone directory if she had written it 🙂

    But for 2018, mostly, I wish you love, courage, peace, joy and the pleasure to greet every day as THE new day to live through.

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    1. suzlearnsfrench Avatar
      suzlearnsfrench

      Bonjour Kiki – yes running is such a crazy sport – I always say “I love to run…when I’m done” LOL

      The books I ordered are another set of level 1 French books. I’m forever starting over – it’s so hard here in the states – no one speaks French.

      I did order a few children’s books to read to my grandchildren – one is a Dr. Suess book – it’s helpful. I’m always looking for creative ways to learn French – I’m not one for formal classes – and my brain doesn’t seem to care about all the grammar – it just wants to talk.

      I know 2018 is going to be a great year!

      À plus tard

      Suz

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      1. Kiki Avatar
        Kiki

        OK, let me tell you ONE important thing about languages: You DO NOT have to bother about grammar, SPEAKING and DARING are the two words you need to care about! So, Suz, you’re on the right path – talk, talk, talk, ask to be corrected if it’s a terrible gaff and just go with the flow. I’m in the same league: I’m not afraid of making a total fool of myself with my foreign languages but at least I say something….. You’re doing great!

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      2. suzlearnsfrench Avatar
        suzlearnsfrench

        Thank you! I so agree. It takes a lot of guts sometimes to speak out loud – it always sounds better dans la tête. What languages are you working on?

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  3. Kiki Avatar
    Kiki

    I just realise we never continued our talk on languages. Know that I worked for Alliance Française in the Southwest of England and I’m still totally in contact and friendship with my former ‘boss’ who left England only a few months before Hero Husband and me to open up another language school in Western France (Bergerac). He is now well beyond normal retirement age but as he is so incredibly enthusiastic about life, teaching, learning and culture, he will do that – I guess – until he drops dead. In fact we just made a ‘date’ during our upcoming short holiday IF we all four can manage to get the time for a get-together….!
    I didn’t teach, when working for an AF you MUST have a French teaching diploma and I went to AF simply for the fun (at first). My husband is a French spoken Swiss, we lived together in the UK and his then company asked at the AF for an ENGLISH teacher for Hero Husband…. that’s how Is got to know them and within no time I was working for them for free but took lessons in return – a done deal for them because money ALWAYS was terribly tight and I didn’t mind NOT getting paid because I had so much fun….. My first language is Swiss German, my first foreign language ‘donc’ High German (the written German, very different to our Swiss German), followed by school French, English, Italian. Portuguese is on my ‘wish list’ for at least 10 years already and three years ago I was on the brink of throwing everything for a 4 weeks intensive course in Lisbon. THEN our personal future changed so totally that it became impossible and now the future AGAIN looks like changing 100% – we are hoping and planning to return to Switzerland for good after 11yrs in France. So, should you know anybody with very good taste and a bundle of money in dire need of a beautiful ‘meulière’ outside of Paris, let me know!!!!! 🙂

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    1. suzlearnsfrench Avatar
      suzlearnsfrench

      Hi Kiki – so nice to hear from you. I’ve never spent time in Switzerland – it as well as Portugal are on my wish list. I’d love to do an immersion stay – but you know – life, job, just keep getting in the way. We will visit France for 2 weeks in September and quench our thirst for a bit – meanwhile, I read and dream and practice French. Best wishes for you on selling the house. Suz.

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