January 23rd

Today was my first official day of classes (according to me FLE doesn't count) which was pleasantly easy. The first class of the day was Lexicology or the study of words to put it simply. This class should be interesting for three reasons:

           

            -First, it is the lexicology of the English language.

            -Second, its lectures are in a mixture of French and English

            -Lastly, I am taking it with Jessy and Kate.

           

Talk about craziness a class shared with those two! Kate and I have had classes before with one another and are not too distracting. Jessy however is a natural distraction, a hilarious distraction, but a distraction nonetheless. He is a French friend of mine and very charismatic in just about every manner. He is useful though when it comes to the French section of the lecture. If I don't know how to spell a word or am unsure of what the teacher just said Jessy helps me with his notes. I do the vice versa for him making it a nice balancing act.

I was rather proud of myself during this first lecture. During the second hour of class my professor began to explain the parts of speech in English. She stated that there were nine (including articles) and wrote them one by one on the board. I had all nine down on my paper before she hit the third one. Jessy did not believe my work and was convinced that I was wrong. Heh, it is never wise to challenge me on a subject I am familiar with. I will fight tooth and nail for my answer even if it is not fully correct, I don't care. My pride and stubborn attitude always refuse to let go. Plus I'm an English major with a grammar book; the parts of speech are basic for me.

It turned out that I was 100% correct; my answers matched the professor's perfectly. Then happened an exercise which I also dominated. The teacher wrote five sentences that used the word "round" in five different parts of speech. They were if memory serves,

                        A round. (noun)

                        A round shape. (adjective)

                        Round your Lips. (verb)

                        The wheels of the bus go round. (adverb)

                        He sailed round the world. (preposition)

                    

Guess what audience? Mary answered/guessed all the correct responses. That's right go me! Sorry to be obnoxious about this minor victory/win but it is nice to know that some knowledge actually does stick with you. Moving on.

After lexicology came nursery rhymes. It is exactly what it sounds like a class all about nursery rhymes. The teacher (an animated Welsh woman) asked if there were any Anglo-Saxon students in the class rather early on. I raised my hand; my hand happened to be the only one in the air. First though, oh joy. She was pleased as punch to see a hand up and asked for my name. I knew that if I answered then I would forever be the teacher's helper and perhaps dubbed her "pet" as well. Whatever, a pet usually receives good grades. Throughout the class she would reference me on several parts of her lecture. For example she asked me if I knew who an egg-shaped doll represented. I answered, not surprisingly, "humpty dumpty." Apparently the

French don't know who Humpty is which is somewhat of a shame. A dumb egg falling off a wall is always funny. Once I answered she threw the doll at a student, who wasn't exactly aware, which caused the entire amphitheater to erupt into laughter, except for the Humpty Dumpty victim. She is going to be one fascinating professor.

That was all I had today. On most weeks I will have three classes on Wednesday, but my creative writing class with Mama Duck does not start until next week. Such sorrow! Once classes were finished I grabbed some take-out panini sandwiches and bought two cartons of orange juice for Kate. Poor sweet Kate was sick today with a forceful cold. She asked if I could nab some extra papers for her as well as some orange juice. I did both of course (part of the whole friendship and being a decent person thing) and even gave her some Nyquil to help ease the symptoms. Hopefully she will feel better by the weekend. Colds here suck because there aren't too many sunshine filled days. Fresh air is necessary for a speedy recovery and Le Havre's molded rain gust tend to make matters worse. I'm crossing my fingers for some strong sunlight tomorrow, Kate definitely needs it.