Sink or Swim in Class

Our class

We wrapped up our first trimester of class a couple weeks ago with a week of exams.  Each day we had a different part of the exam in the morning and afternoon.  We had grammar, reading, dictation, oral & written comprehension, and oral & written production.  Yes, a whole week of testing.  It was actually very nice.  With the testing spread out through out the week, it gave Micah and me extra time to study and review everything we've learned since January, that is to say, everything we haven't had time to revisit because we desire to take time to care for 3 little ones when we aren't in class.

Learning a language with a family is not easy.  Some might say it's insane.  Some meaning me.  I don't think the cultural change or the language barrier has been that difficult.  Yet, the transition from being a stay at home mom to a full time student and yet still a mom has been crazy hard.  The first couple weeks of class I studied every minute I could to try to stay on top of everything we were learning.  I quickly realized that I couldn't keep that up.  I wasn't getting nearly enough sleep staying up past midnight and then waking up through out the night to feed a 3 month old and getting up for the day at 6:30am.  I wasn't spending much quality time at all with my kids and they were starting to let me know through their behavior.  I finally realized towards the end of the second week that I couldn't do it all.  I could not possibly learn it all and be there for my family.  So I've been trying to convince myself that it's okay that I don't have time to study everything.  Of course that's easier said than done.  Every day I struggle with wanting to learn everything and be able to speak French as well as my peers.

Towards the end of the trimester I was starting to drown in class.  I was falling so far behind that I couldn't understand our teacher and I wasn't able to think fast enough to say anything in French.  I have so much in my head, but I can't seem to pull out what I need fast enough to form a sentence.  I was ready to stop taking classes and be a stay at home mom again.  I was pretty much convinced of this after talking with a few other moms who are finding alternative ways to learn French.  Surprisingly, it was during exam week that I started to swim again.  I finally had a chance to study without having more water (information) poured on top of me.

After exams I was still fairly certain that I wanted to stop taking classes, because I knew that if I continued I would start to sink again and eventually drown with all the new information.  However, our teacher talked me into continuing on.  She completely understands my situation with kids and everything.  But she can also tell that I'm understanding concepts and that I just don't have time to study and memorize those concepts.  She thinks I should keep with it and at least get what I can out of it.  Even if I can't quite utilize everything I'm learning yet, it will be a lot easier once we get to Africa to apply it, than if I stop taking classes.  I agree with her, I learn best in a classroom.  I would get a lot more from class in a week than I would on my own in a month, maybe even 2 months.  Especially considering back in the states I would always fall asleep working with Rosetta Stone.

So, here's to 2 more months of classes for me!  They won't be easy, but they will be worth it in the end.  We will still be here through the end of July, as Micah will be going on through July.  I'm pretty sure I'll be drowning again by the end of June though.  I think that it would be best if I get out before I completely drown.  This will also give me time to accomplish last minute tasks and care for the household before going to Togo in August.