Comments on: Dreaming in French

By: Kerry Dexter

Kerry Dexter — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:38:56 +0000

I always find I understand far more of languages I haven’t used in a while than what I am able speak ,which at least is good for street signs and newspapers…

By: Cindy A

Cindy A — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:27:00 +0000

How you say it? Sacred Blue!

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:26:54 +0000

Me Talk Pretty One Day.

By: Christine Louise Hohlbaum

Christine Louise Hohlbaum — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:40:48 +0000

Ruth ~ I am so glad you have returned safely. And yes, it is the most humbling experience to speak another tongue. I’ll never forget the first time I dreamed in German. “Wie geht’s?” and the rest was history.

Looking forward to seeing you at the New York Public Library Mid-Manhattan branch Thursday, 10/29 at 6:30 pm. May we embrace the slow, sweet solace of the spoken and written word together!

By: MarthaAndMe

MarthaAndMe — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:21:22 +0000

Bravo (or is it brava?) to you for retaining enough French to order in Brussels. I always found reading French was much easier than listening to it. I always bombed the oral exams in my French class in college.

By: Roxanne @ Champion of My Heart

Roxanne @ Champion of My Heart — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:39:31 +0000

Ah, yes, the masculine/feminine trouble with French. I remember it well. My thing is that I was always much better at reading French than speaking it or hearing it correctly. I wish I’d started learning it earlier and stuck with it. I’m so jealous of my nieces who are learning foreign languages in elementary school.
Once on a trip to Mexico, we stayed at a resort full of mostly Europeans. It was SO nice NOT to hear English. I found it relaxing not to understand or need to process what everyone around me was saying. And the staff was super nice about our terrible Spanish. As long as we tried, they met us halfway (or more) with their English.

By: pamela nelson

pamela nelson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:25:39 +0000

Ruth, I guess your NYC purse worked in Brussels. I don’t hear any West Texas in your speech, but perhaps I can’t detect.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:07:22 +0000

OMG, Ruth, what timing. It’s big news in Dallas right now that the Police have been ticketing some Hispanics for being a “non-English speaking driver” which, by the way, is not even a law! I have gone through the embarrassment of knowing I was butchering at least 3 languages on my trips abroad, and the people were always most gracious. Will we never learn?

By: Kate

Kate — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:41:10 +0000

Absolutely! I took years of Spanish in high school and some in college. I’m still terrified to open my mouth and speak when I need to. Humbling indeed yet invigorating when you try and suceed (even partially).
By the way; your new website is fabulous, Ruth!