My post about my week in Spain will come soon enough.
But in the meantime, more about France:
It occurred to me one afternoon this week as I was watching French television with my host family that I understood everything that was being said.
I know that my French skills suffered a little bit after not speaking it or hearing it at all (except for eavesdropping on the occasional French tourists in Italy and Spain). So this point of nearly perfect comprehension must have happened before I left, without my even realizing it.
Remember when you were a little kid and you learned how to read and you started reading everything in sight, like street signs and advertisements? Well that is me, with listening comprehension in French. This week I have loved watching TV, listening to people talk on the street, and talking with my host family. I always enjoy these things, and of course I still don't understand everything. My vocabulary is less than perfect, and one or two words can sometimes be crucial to an entire conversation. But since I realized that the speed of talking does not trip me up anymore, my ears simply cannot get enough of listening to French.
My ears also cannot get enough of the chirping birds, and my nose cannot get enough of the lilac smell that is floating through the air everywhere in this city. French people love flowers, and they love their gardens, and spring has sprung in Angers! My stuffy nose and watering eyes are not the happiest of all, but other than that I am in pure bliss.
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