Re: PM’s French Re-entry into the Matrix - Phase 1: 500 Hours Extensive Reading

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PeterMollenburg
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Re: PM’s French Re-entry into the Matrix - Phase 1: 500 Hours Extensive Reading

Postby PeterMollenburg » Wed Jul 22, 2015 12:03 pm

After a brief foray into Arabic and Dutch, and still realising I’ve not reached C1, a renewed course mission begins on P147:
2019 course revival mission

PM's 1000 hours of French in 254 days to C1 (and maybe C2) exam in November 2018 begins on page 111

2018 officially begins here on page 105
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On page 90:
My French C1 Mission Begins
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The 2017 component of my log begins on the bottom of page 55:
2017
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My 2016 log starts bottom of page 16:
2016
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This log is a continuation of my log from HTLAL:
HTLAL 2015
HTLAL 2014
Last edited by PeterMollenburg on Tue Mar 22, 2022 6:41 am, edited 83 times in total.
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rlnv
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Re: PM's TAC 2015 crazy? French course mission

Postby rlnv » Thu Jul 23, 2015 12:17 am

PM, I suspect when you say "hours on the low side", you are still putting in a consistent, respectable amount of time. If I may say so, you are a machine. :D
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Re: PM's TAC 2015 crazy? French course mission

Postby PeterMollenburg » Thu Jul 23, 2015 12:59 am

rlnv wrote:PM, I suspect when you say "hours on the low side", you are still putting in a consistent, respectable amount of time. If I may say so, you are a machine. :D


Hey rlnv, great to (see/read?) you! Thanks for the 'machine' comment, I think? ;) Lately I've not been so 'desperate' with my French due to other priorities (French/France still invades my thoughts continously). I've managed to land myself a new job. I'm doing what I never thought i'd do- going to work in an Emergency Department. After some deliberation post watching les actualités sur France 2 one day in which a French nurse was shown doing 'intérim' work as a theatre nurse I decided that despite the uphill battle trying to work as a nurse in a French speaking environment (ie country, hopefully France) as a nurse, that I must make myself more inviting to French employers and part of this involves developing important skills and skills that are in particular shortages. Thus I decided that both emergency nursing and theatre nursing are important. Emergency (which I've always been a little reluctant/scared of) for skills and shortages and (operating) theatre (which I tried in the past and disliked it, but willing to try again) for shortages. So for now it's development of skills with emergency (accident and emergency, A&E/ED whatever you want to call it) which I'll begin in a couple of weeks time in the same hospital I do acute ward nursing in. Same hospital, entirely new role.

So I've taken it upon myself that any learning I need to do in relation to to this new position will be in French. I have a very thick French anatomy and physiology book I bought some time ago. Good thing is I have the American version as well. I own the American 9th edition and the French translated 8th edition. Upon comparisons they are very close (ie minimal changes between editions as almost 100% of the illustrations are the same as an example). It shouldn't be too hard to follow as both English and French medical terminology is taken from Latin predominantly, so most words will be cognates, not to mention being already familiar with the English versions of the medical terms. If needed I'll buy some other texts also, but I think I have sufficient for the time being, with a kindle book as well for emergency nursing in French. If I steer the ship to point in the direction of France it will be more likely that I'll be able to dock there. If it turns out i'm rejected on the grounds of my Australian qualifications, well I'll live with it/try to work around it. Nevertheless, from what I've read, the better my French is, the more sought after my skills are, and the more chance of 'aceing' a French nursing exam, then the better chance I stand of not having to do as much to enter their system. No harm in trying, but if that eventuates it could be a long time away yet.

Thus my (desk) study plan of late is a four hour rotation of studies that goes like this (some days I might only get one hour done) :

1 hour :
15min SRS flashcards
45min Assimil New French with Ease

1 hour:
15min SRS flashcards
45 min extensive reading

1 hour:
15min SRS flashcards
45min Fluenz French 4

1 hour:
15min SRS flashcards
45min reading of French medical/nursing material

General observations
I feel more comfortable with my approach to flashcards now. My advancing through my courses is slow. Having re-read some of emk's background on French learning I really do need to step up reading having only logged 1000 pages on the SC, but that's an ongoing battle with trying to advance through my big collection of courses at the same time. I have read a lot more than that in general (websites etc). I feel incredibly comfortable with my 'intermediate' French pronunciation now. What I mean by this is that when I repeat/shadow sentences lately with say Assimil, or Fluenz or Rocket French I"m incredibly grateful to myself for being such a stickler/ perfectionist with my pronunciation, because I really feel like I sound incredibly close to a native if not the same. This is of course limited to words and phrases I am familiar with and repeat a few times, not at all in relation to my wirting production or my conversational skills on the fly. I'm very glad for working my pronunciation to death (which has slowed me down immensely up to this point, but is progressively disappearing as I feel the need to focus on pronunciation is required less with my pronunciation 'settling'), but know all too well that perfectionism has held me back too, being far too picky with wanting to enter every single word (even cognates) into my flashcard deck. That issue seems to be fading as I trust myself more and more in the learning process. On a side note- I have been speaking French to my 1 year old daughter since she was born 99.9% of the time. It's not perfect, but it's going well and it's something I intend on continuing. I also read to her in French when my wife isn't reading to her in English at bedtime.

PM
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Re: PM's TAC 2015 crazy? French course mission

Postby rlnv » Thu Jul 23, 2015 3:23 am

Just to be certain, I meant that in the sense of how the post office feels about delivering the mail though rain, sleet or snow.

In some ways we are in a similar situation, with respect to living in an area with few native French speakers. I recall in your log when you described passing the B1 test. I was in awe with how you did that give very little time spent working on spoken interaction in French. That was a good accomplishment, and you have kept up the pace though busy times. There is a reward for that consistency and effort.

I've personally taken the track of just consuming French more that "studying" it. Who knows, maybe hour for hour consumption might produce better passive comprehension, but I suspect your approach would provide better active skills for the time spent. One thing is for certain, there is no doubt that good things come to those that don't slow down or stop. One road or the other, they lead both to the village.
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Re: PM's TAC 2015 crazy? French course mission

Postby Arnaud » Thu Jul 23, 2015 4:32 am

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Re: PM's TAC 2015 crazy? French course mission

Postby PeterMollenburg » Thu Jul 23, 2015 6:27 pm

Arnaud wrote:Time to watch Dr House and Urgences in french (House and ER).
Did you ever try ?


Salut Arnaud,

No, I hadn't actually thought of that, but it's a good idea! Thanks :) I will keep it in mind. I must say though, that I have so much in the way of French materials that I don't know where to fit it all in, so i'm kinda reluctant to shove that into my chest of drawers that's almost at the point of bursting and collapsing like a precariously built deck of cards... I do indeed really like the suggestion though... it's one to keep in mind :) Actually that makes me think... I did like the series Scrubs a little. I know it's not exactly serious, but i'm sure it's got a sufficient amount of medical terminology too.

Like, seven, yeah thanks,
PM
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Re: PM's TAC 2015 crazy? French course mission

Postby PeterMollenburg » Thu Jul 23, 2015 6:36 pm

rlnv wrote:Just to be certain, I meant that in the sense of how the post office feels about delivering the mail though rain, sleet or snow.

In some ways we are in a similar situation, with respect to living in an area with few native French speakers. I recall in your log when you described passing the B1 test. I was in awe with how you did that give very little time spent working on spoken interaction in French. That was a good accomplishment, and you have kept up the pace though busy times. There is a reward for that consistency and effort.

I've personally taken the track of just consuming French more that "studying" it. Who knows, maybe hour for hour consumption might produce better passive comprehension, but I suspect your approach would provide better active skills for the time spent. One thing is for certain, there is no doubt that good things come to those that don't slow down or stop. One road or the other, they lead both to the village.


Thanks for the really positive comments rlnv. I have so many courses I will apparently be "studying" it for some time, but i'm sure the "consuming" component will grow and perhaps overtake the studying side of things, who knows. I'm finding it increasingly challenging of late as more and more other aspects of my life demand more time. Some of it fair, some of it I just have to deal with. We'll see how I go in the face of that challenge. One extra challenge also to throw into the mix of late is that more and more i will be studying in the evenings- a time when i really don't like studying. Lately i'm feeling almost overwhelmed and a little sense of just wanting to STOP is creeping in, but i know that if things get really 'bad' then i'll just opt for much more achievable daily targets instead of giving up because i can't do the ideal that my perfectionist mind has it's heart set on. I"m also realising that adding other languages is a LONG way off. I'd be much more satisfied now I've decided to reach a C2 in French than stop at B2 and add more languages. I want to do this thoroughly and i'm in it for the long haul no matter how many times i might feel tempted to throw in the towel.

rnlv, how is your French learning going of late? (a link to your log would suffice, or comment here if you like)

PM
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Re: PM's TAC 2015 crazy? French course mission

Postby rlnv » Thu Jul 23, 2015 9:18 pm

PeterMollenburg wrote: Lately i'm feeling almost overwhelmed and a little sense of just wanting to STOP is creeping in, but i know that if things get really 'bad' then i'll just opt for much more achievable daily targets instead of giving up because i can't do the ideal that my perfectionist mind has it's heart set on.


If it’s time to stop for a bit, there is nothing wrong with that.

I basically abandoned my log at The Real HTLAL late last year. Three things led to that, 1) I was feeling a bit guilty for not consuming "massive" enough quantity of input, like I was falling behind, 2) I was going through a period of "real live", and was having a hard time keeping my pace up, and 3) most importantly I was burning out. So I missed a day of studying, which became two, then three, and soon I was not doing anything with French. I'm guessing it was about 2 months with nothing done at all. From all in to nothing, overnight.

Now prior to taking that break I had been studying close to a year. From about 3 hours a day of studying, reading, watching, and obsessing about French, to nothing. I started to feel a hole in my life, like I had lost an old friend. I felt I let myself down, and had an intense need to get back and start studying again. So I started back and told myself no pressure. I chose something easy and fun. I did a full circle and went back and finished levels 3 and 4 of Fluenz (I had previously left off half way through level 3).

I learned something from that break. French is now a part of me. It can never disappear. That would be impossible. I highly suspect it would be impossible for you as well. So what I'm saying is if you need a break, there is no harm in that. If you need to slow down and go from massive effort and time to minimal effort for a while, there is no harm in that. A break can have an energizing affect and the time to reflect can put things in perspective and actually be a gift.

PeterMollenburg wrote: I'd be much more satisfied now I've decided to reach a C2 in French than stop at B2 and add more languages. I want to do this thoroughly and i'm in it for the long haul no matter how many times i might feel tempted to throw in the towel.

rnlv, how is your French learning going of late? (a link to your log would suffice, or comment here if you like)

PM


That is my path as well. I want the absolute highest level of French achievable (for me), versus having more than one language at lower levels. I don't know if I'll ever write the C2, but getting to that level is something I definitely aspire to no matter how many years it takes.

I'm not doing a log right now. I'm still in my no pressure faze of just enjoying my time with French.
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Re: PM's TAC 2015 crazy? French course mission

Postby PeterMollenburg » Thu Jul 23, 2015 11:24 pm

rlnv wrote:
PeterMollenburg wrote: Lately i'm feeling almost overwhelmed and a little sense of just wanting to STOP is creeping in, but i know that if things get really 'bad' then i'll just opt for much more achievable daily targets instead of giving up because i can't do the ideal that my perfectionist mind has it's heart set on.


If it’s time to stop for a bit, there is nothing wrong with that.

I basically abandoned my log at The Real HTLAL late last year. Three things led to that, 1) I was feeling a bit guilty for not consuming "massive" enough quantity of input, like I was falling behind, 2) I was going through a period of "real live", and was having a hard time keeping my pace up, and 3) most importantly I was burning out. So I missed a day of studying, which became two, then three, and soon I was not doing anything with French. I'm guessing it was about 2 months with nothing done at all. From all in to nothing, overnight.

Now prior to taking that break I had been studying close to a year. From about 3 hours a day of studying, reading, watching, and obsessing about French, to nothing. I started to feel a hole in my life, like I had lost an old friend. I felt I let myself down, and had an intense need to get back and start studying again. So I started back and told myself no pressure. I chose something easy and fun. I did a full circle and went back and finished levels 3 and 4 of Fluenz (I had previously left off half way through level 3).

I learned something from that break. French is now a part of me. It can never disappear. That would be impossible. I highly suspect it would be impossible for you as well. So what I'm saying is if you need a break, there is no harm in that. If you need to slow down and go from massive effort and time to minimal effort for a while, there is no harm in that. A break can have an energizing affect and the time to reflect can put things in perspective and actually be a gift.

PeterMollenburg wrote: I'd be much more satisfied now I've decided to reach a C2 in French than stop at B2 and add more languages. I want to do this thoroughly and i'm in it for the long haul no matter how many times i might feel tempted to throw in the towel.

rnlv, how is your French learning going of late? (a link to your log would suffice, or comment here if you like)

PM


That is my path as well. I want the absolute highest level of French achievable (for me), versus having more than one language at lower levels. I don't know if I'll ever write the C2, but getting to that level is something I definitely aspire to no matter how many years it takes.

I'm not doing a log right now. I'm still in my no pressure faze of just enjoying my time with French.


Wise words rlnv,

I must clarify that the 'overwhelming' sense I"ve been getting lately is not really my language learning... it's really everything else. I've just got so much juggling to do now to get decent amounts of language study done on many days of the week now. Although, I would argue for myself that it's the one thing I say I "must do" - it's a liberty that I have that many others in the world don't because of poverty and so on, and thus it really is a luxury despite it being a "must do". Many other things are in reality higher on the priority of needs chart indeed. Were I learning English (unfortunate - think globalisation) I could argue differently for the doors it opens. Still French doors are nice, and I aim on continuing to gradually open them despite a few stones and sticks threatening to jam the door while trying to open fully.

Your words make a lot of sense and you speak from experience. I don't think night shift is helping me either- i went to work last night REALLY REALLY not wanting to be there. Night shift has a tendancy to make people feel depressed (imo). It's not natural. We are meant to be in sync with the Earth, and for me our bodies are of the Earth and a part of it. I"m getting off track slightly... rlnv your advice is sound. I shall utilise it if this train threatens to derail. However, in the meantime I'll attempt to give the tracks and stations an overhaul in small time windows, so the train can move full steam ahead once again.

It's nice to be sharing the journey with someone using very similar shoes, backpack and tent.

PM
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Re: PM's TAC 2015 crazy? French course mission

Postby Mohave » Fri Jul 24, 2015 11:57 pm

PeterMollenburg wrote:Le retour de Pitœʀ Guerre


:lol: :lol: :lol: Thanks again for the recommendation of this movie! I really enjoyed it, and found it thought-provoking - particularly since it is based on a real-life, 16th century identity theft in France. I plan to watch it again, and probably read the book.

PeterMollenburg wrote:I've managed to land myself a new job. I'm doing what I never thought i'd do- going to work in an Emergency Department. After some deliberation post watching les actualités sur France 2 one day in which a French nurse was shown doing 'intérim' work as a theatre nurse I decided that despite the uphill battle trying to work as a nurse in a French speaking environment (ie country, hopefully France) as a nurse, that I must make myself more inviting to French employers and part of this involves developing important skills and skills that are in particular shortages. Thus I decided that both emergency nursing and theatre nursing are important. Emergency (which I've always been a little reluctant/scared of) for skills and shortages and (operating) theatre (which I tried in the past and disliked it, but willing to try again) for shortages. So for now it's development of skills with emergency (accident and emergency, A&E/ED whatever you want to call it) which I'll begin in a couple of weeks time in the same hospital I do acute ward nursing in. Same hospital, entirely new role.


Congrats on the new job!!!! Awesome! What is even more awesome is that you found it in area that will further develop your skillset and make you more marketable with French employers - another step in realizing your dream of living in France! I wish I had your accent. I've noticed that as my listening skills improve, I notice that I really have some work to do here. You are doing a great job as always, Monsieur Pitœʀ "PM" Guerre!

rinv - Not to hijack PM's log, but it's great to see you posting again. I am glad to see you are still studying French.
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