Day 24 - Université Du Québec à Trois Riviéres - Day One

COMMENCEMENT CHAPTER DEUX

My head is spinning from an intense day of french instruction of which I understood about 20%. Je ne comprend pas! Don’t ask me to do the accents etc. Way to much to process! We did a placement test this morning. I know know that Jenny scored 42% and she is now in Group B with me so heaven knows what I scored. I do know that in a multiple choice where there are four possible answers a monkey can score 25% or higher. Its just a matter of odds. I think I scored about 23%. 

It’s not surprising since the last time I took French was in about Grade 8 at Rooks Heath High School in England. Mr Mularo was an Italian who taught French. His French was probably quite good but I was too immature to even notice. I do recall him being a meticulous man with the cleanest desks in the school (no graffiti scratched in with compasses) and he was obsessed with boys having straight ties. Yes, I wore a tie to school.

As soon as we had the option to choose courses, French was the first to be dropped.

So here I am, 32 years later trying hard to understand what very important information our instructor is giving us. The French Rule - if you get three red cards you are off the course! What? ‘Jen, what did she say? We can get kicked off? We just arrived.

It turns out there are quite a few people here on government grants that this rule applies to. If THEY are caught speaking English at any time they can be given a red card. Three red cards and they are OUT! No questions.. BAM. Please pack your bags and go back to wherever you came from.

Even though this does not apply to us, as we are paying customers, we do not want to be the cause of someone else getting kicked out just by asking’ is this the way to the washroom, sil vous plais?’

Our apartement is tres fantastik (notice the incorporation of French words - I’m learning so much!). We have four bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and two bathrooms. Better than home and a thousand times better than our sad little trailer (no offense Trilly). 

List of service work and repairs pending.

• Weld the support frame back on
• Replace the faucet - stopped closing off in Gananoque
• Fix bike - sheared off peddle, busted gear cable, ground down tire and tube (the bike may be a right off)
• Replace the trailer tires - showing excessive wear on the inside tread
• Service the van - brakes, oil etc to ensure a safe drive home

Our class consists about 30 adults, mainly teachers, and about 26 kids. The adults have been split into two classes, A and B. The kids are in their own program and we drop them off at 8:30am and don’t see them again till 4:30pm.

At the end of the first day they had a great time and there is tons to do this week.

I’ve rented a bike since mine is out of commission so we are off out right now... au revoir.