Don't Mind Me

It’s 100 days until the beginning of the 2011 le Tour de France, which means in 116 days, I will be in France getting ready to travel around the country for the last week of the tour! I get a little more excited each day, and also a little sadder – after all, one day closer also means it’s one day closer to the end of the trip.

I went to Barnes and Noble this past Friday because I had a gift card and a Groupon to spend. The Groupon was set to expire on April 1 so I wanted to spend it before then (obviously) and my friend Maria got me a gift card for my birthday. I didn’t have anything particular in mind and set out to peruse the store and see if anything struck my fancy.

While looking around, I found a “Drive and Learn French” two CD set for $9.97 and decided to buy it. I bought some French language software late last year but haven’t spent much time practicing with it. I mean, who really wants to sit around and practice French all night long when there are TV shows to watch and books to be read? The “Drive and Learn French” CDs takes common phrases and puts them into song, which works really well for me because I am able to retain songs better than anything else. After all, I learned the French National Anthem in high school and can still sing it word for word! I have heard that learning through song is one of the best ways to learn things so I took the $9.97 plunge and bought the CD set.

So far I have loved it! I put it in my car Saturday and have continually listened to the first CD ever since then! Since I took French in high school and college, I know a lot of phrases and just needed a bit of a refresher and this CD set has been perfect so far. The tunes are catchy and I have caught myself singing them even when not in the car. I haven’t listened to the second CD yet – I’m trying to master the first CD still. The set also comes with a small book which has everything written out in it. This has been great for me because when I see and hear the words at the same time it makes things a whole lot easier.

So, if you happen to see me driving down the road and it looks like I’m talking to myself, just ignore me. I’m probably repeating something from the CD and if I happen to greet you in French, just go with it. Hopefully by the time July rolls around I will have retained enough language to get by for a couple of weeks anyway!