Last semester, I decided to take up basic French at University.
Up to today, I still don’t know what fuelled this decision. As evidenced from my struggle with Mandarin for the past two decades, I’m pretty inept at picking up languages. There was also no concrete reason for me choosing to study French, nor was there any practical reason for me to do so (let’s face it, the only way I’ll ever make it to Paris is if the 1997 movie Anastasia somehow happened to me).
Either way, French happened. And boy, was I in for an adventure.
If my French tutor was a Pokémon, his signature knockout move might be ‘Charade Confusion’. Right from the start, he displayed his prowess boldly through the use of wild, dramatic gestures coupled with his rapid-fire explanation of new French vocabulary. Relentless, this continued throughout the semester.
Naturally, I was left slack-jawed and confused. “What just happened?” was the thought that popped into my head at the end of every lesson. Several times during the semester, I was overcome with the strong urge to burst out into laughter. Yes, it’s that special kind of laughter reserved for when all hope is lost.
But let me inject a note of optimism here – I did enjoy learning French.
Despite the fear of being picked out of the sea of faces in class to recite a passage or share an answer in French, lessons were rather laid-back and casual. We were immersed in a fixed classroom setting, something reminiscent of the times in Secondary School.
We were immersed in games to aid our learning. What I really liked about these in-class activities was that it required us to get out of our seat and socialise with others around us. It definitely helped me to get to know my classmates better. In no time, I found a group of friends (who assured me that they were as clueless as I was).
Despite all the difficulties of picking up a new language, I definitely felt a sense of fulfillment at the end of the day. I effectively spent three hours per week on French. While this seems like an absurd amount of time as compared to the workload of other modules, time flew by as I genuinely found pleasure in what I was learning.
Scientifically speaking, studies have even shown that thinking in a new language can affect the way one thinks and behaves, and could greatly benefit your brain.
So if you are contemplating learning up a new language, this is your sign: Do it.
I survived, and so can you.
Submitted by Winona Tang.