When I made the move to France, I assumed that I would have more time to write regularly like I always wanted to. The problem is that I have to learn French and since I’m no spring chicken, the discipline, effort, and time required from me to learn is that much greater.
This is where my age REALLY shows. When it comes to language acquisition, youth really pays off. It is said that the oldest optimal age for learning a new language is between 14 to 17. I will be 39 in August, so it’s pretty obvious that the horses have already left the barn on that one.
My advanced age isn’t my only handicap. As a native English speaker and sometime “survival Spanish” speaker, I have a lot of ingrained habits that are hindering my French education. My way of pronunciation is very direct, which is typical of American English and American Spanish speakers. Because I have been talking this way for almost 4 decades, you can imagine how difficult it is for me to pronounce words in the French way. The r’s in particular have been giving me the most trouble.
So far, adjusting to life in France has been pretty smooth. I love it here, and I can’t see myself leaving unless war breaks out (heaven forbid). Unfortunately, the free time I have is directed to studying French. At this point, I really have very little to show for it as I am barely above baby level.
I’ve made peace with the fact that I will always speak French with a very heavy accent. Anyway, this is still a poor excuse for the content lag. My apologies for trying anybody’s patience.
Letters from Globistan 