Learning French
Despite having more than enough on my plate to do on a daily basis I always find myself drawn to learning foreign languages. I’ve put in many hours off and on for years into learning Mandarin Chinese and it has paid off. I’ve made some progress albeit less than I would prefer. However, I’ve always been drawn to learning French. Years ago in middle school when I had the choice between learning Spanish and French I chose Spanish and ever since regretted it. Not that Spanish is not interesting, it just doesn’t interest me. I’ve never had much interest in Spanish or Mexican culture, therefore learning the language has never really satisfied me.
I’m not sure exactly what has always drawn me to French. It could very well be that granddad’s side of the family hails from Quebec or that I just like the sound. I believe that it’s a combination of various factors. It’s culminated in my putting my Chinese partially on the shelf and taking a stab at learning at least basic French. I already own a Francais/Anglais dictionary and took out a few things from the library. So far I am enjoying myself and it’s a much easier language to learn (for English speakers) than I previously thought.
So far my favorite and most educational resource has been Michel Thomas French for Beginners. I spent about an hour each evening for just over a week listening to and interacting with the program. It’s my first experience with the Michel Thomas method and I have to say that it is by far the best resource for learning a new language. I look forward to trying out the Mandarin Chinese CDs.
The Michel Thomas method is pretty simple, but very effective. There are a total of 10 discs and are basically a recording of Michel teaching two people how to speak French. He explains some basics about the language and then immediately starts to teach you the most basic words and concepts. English is largely based on French so there are many French words that an English speaker already knows, he just has to learn how to pronounce them. That and a small set of phrases gets you started. He repeatedly asks somebody how to say something. Your job as a listener is to pause the recording and answer as best you can. You have to think it through without guessing and then listen to the response. Michel corrects and guides as necessary and always follows up with the correct answer and/or pronunciation.
Michel continues to teach new words and concepts and continually asks the listener how to say some particular phrase. The goal is not to memorize or remember, but to learn. It sounds simple, but it is very effective. By the end of the program I felt overwhelmed by the amount of information. I believe I would have done better at the end if I wasn’t losing sleep to do the program. Lack of sleep can get to you after a week.
Now that I’ve made it (most of the way) through the series I feel I have a good grasp on various phrases and concepts. Just doing this one series gives you a solid basis to start your French learning. It certainly isn’t possible to cover enough topics in 10 hours to make you a fluent speaker, but at times you feel like you are. 
I plan to take some days off, but do plan to get back to learning both Chinese and French somewhat simultaneously. They are distinct enough not to interfere. If all goes well I’ll have sufficient French to feel comfortable on our next trip to Quebec. I felt totally lost when we went there a couple years ago. It’s uncomfortable to be approached by a local and not have any idea what they are saying. I’d like to make a good impression and feel comfortable on our next trip. It’s not set in stone yet, but I’m planning a trip. If I can talk Sue into it I would like to take a road trip from Niagara Falls, through Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. I also would like to trek up to Quebec City for the Winter Festival.