Une Vie Compliquée: Language Nerd and Study Abroad

Monday, February 13, 2012

Language Nerd and Study Abroad

You probably need to know French to understand why this is funny.

Basically, the French have a weird and overcomplicated way of counting.

france: ten

france: twenty

france: thirty

france: forty

france: fifty

france: sixty

france:

france: sixty ten

world: france what are you do—

france: four twenties

world: france stop it

france: four twenties ten

world: france that doesn't even make any sense

france:

world:

france:

world:

france: hundred.

I'd still gladly take French's quirks over German's horrid word-order and inconsistent assigning of genders to nouns (so bad....). #languagenerdproblems #iknowthisisnottwitter

In other news, my study abroad application is due tomorrow and I'm currently in freak out mode. I got my passport style photos taken today, got my dean to sign off on my course list, and all my paperwork except for editing my personal statement is done. Oh my god this is actually happening.....

JP

5 comments:

K.C.February 13, 2012 at 9:30 PM
Dix, vignt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante, soixante-dix, quatre-vignt, quatre vignt dix! I remember getting tongue-tied when I learned how to count up to a hundred en francais. But I found beauty in it. My favorite number was 1999: un mille, neuf cent, quatre vignt dix neuf.
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naturgesetzFebruary 14, 2012 at 10:14 AM
Good luck with your application.

I didn't apply for junior year abroad because I couldn't even think of missing some of the courses I had planned for my major (Government). For example, History of Political Thought ran for four semesters, two each year. It didn't occur to me until now, but there are probably some majors and some areas of concentration where a year or semester abroad works better than others.
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WayneFebruary 14, 2012 at 6:10 PM
Sometimes other languages are more sensible. The French say 'the house green' instead of 'the green house'. Isn't it more logical to present the subject and then describe it after? I agree though that the French numbering is cumbersome lol. You'd better get that application through soon though if you are going to meet KC over there! - Wayne :)
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Mr. UrsFebruary 19, 2012 at 1:17 PM
The French speaking people of Switzerland invented septante, huitante and nonante. Theses words make things easier...

Good luck with the application.
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learn-frenchFebruary 29, 2012 at 11:15 AM
French course in Nice-ESL’s partner language study center in Nice offers not only world class language education but it provides some incredible facilities that distinguish it from other schools. Taking a French course in Nice can be a memorable experience for you if you book through ESL Language Studies Abroad. ESL’s partner study center in Nice is well equipped with world class facilities and amenities so that students can learn French in a comfortable and supportive environment.
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Glossary

Some people I mention in this blog:

Maria - My best friend since kindergarden, I know almost everything about her and she about me. She was the first person I came out to and has been the rock ontowhich I go to when things get rocky in life. She's the only person I can actually speak completely open and frankly with. I don't know what I would do if I never met her all those years ago.

M - A girl I became friends with freshman year of high school, we've become very close friends and continue to be to this very day. We are surprisingly similar personality wise and value each other's opinion very highly. I can talk freely to M almost as much as I can with Maria. She currently attends an ivy-league university up north; I'm really glad we met all those years ago and can only imagine how my high school years would have turned out if we never met.

Miss X- Foodie, blogger, photgrapher, one of my best friends, and someone who can have a delightfully dry sense of humour. We met early on in high school and have been friends ever since. We often go on adventures accross NOVA with our little circle of friends which are occasionally recounted here on this blog.

Christine- Friends since we could barely ride half the roller coasters at theme parks, Christine is a magical being who is one of the few people I could and would talk about anything with for hours on end. She's currently spending much of her time in NYC though we still see each other very often. Her dramas sometimes make my drama seem like childsplay.

Mark -A former dorm mate, and now former crush. He came out as bi to me and Maudry one night which he has been increasingly comfortable with. He's tall, has short brown hair and used to play football. He's ambitious and looks to make a big impact in the world of Politics in the future. I have had a crush on him and we've gotten together a few times. I thought our relationship could have been something more, but in the end it will end up staying as a friendship. I hope only the best for him.

Liz - One of best friends at school. She's funny, charismatic and is someone who I can tell almost anything to. She's friends with Maudry, Mark and is part of the first floor crew who I love and frequently visited during my freshman year, we're still great friends today.

Matt - My now former love, hate, drug, everything. I met him back during my Sophomore year and the crush I developed on him that stuck for the longest time. He's tall, has brown blond hair and the rare but desirable "serious but funny" personality that makes me melt. He also has probably one of the best smiles of any guy I know. He was one of the captains of my high schools cross country team. For quite some time I've tried to end this obsession over him but everytime I seemed to make progress, I'd relapse. He's a great guy but in all liklihood he's straight.

Southern Charm (aka SC) - A guy on the crew team who had moved up from Florida during my senior year. He's charming, tall, and slim with brown slightly wavy short hair. When I first met him I got the thought that he might be gay, a thought I quickly suppressed. Since then, we had become pretty good friends. My friend Jess has a crush on SC. One evening on a car ride home, my friend Dutch told me she thought that SC might be gay, something I had repressed in my mind for months, but was pushed to the front of my mind again. He's now a freshman and is study engineering and comp sci in university.

Ben - A guy I had the pleasure of knowing for one of the best weeks of my life during a cruise over the summer. He's a bit shorter than me but was also a senior who runs cross country. We got to know each other pretty well and had many conversations during that week that I will probably never forget. He has brown hair and the most beautiful light brown eyes. I'm pretty sure he's straight but i couldn't help but get the feeling he could have been bi. He's mostly in my summer 2009 posts.

Dutch - My friend who I met during my junior year on the crew team. She's a fun great person to be around and is someone I could talk about anything with, especially during the private car rides back from practice. We both know of all the crew drama that goes on.

My Family - A network of people who I love with all my heart despite their nuances, quirks and often ridiculous practices. Apart from my mom, I haven't told anyone I'm gay and probably won't for a while. They're not ready for that and don't need the added stress.

Various Single Lettered Friends (L, T, K etc)- Friends I got too lazy to actually come up with an alias for (I gave up after five, how sad haha). They are usually someone from my close group of friends some of which I have come out to. We have a very mutually supportive relationship that fosters great bonds between us as a group.

**Names Changed to Preserve Anonymity**

Monday, February 13, 2012

Language Nerd and Study Abroad

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