Merci beaucoup

On Saturday, I took the TEF, the Test d'Evaluation Francais which Canadian Immigration recognises as proof of language proficiency. Ha! I was pretty shocked when I did the first mock test a couple weeks ago and landed a CEF B2. When I registered for the test, the assessor told me I needed at least B1 to get any points. I had estimated myself to be A1/A2.

So I spent the better part of two weeks swotting for the exam, learning as much as I could in this short space of brain. And I also began to appreciate the language more. Yay! I really love French. I have lost the barrier in my brain that kept me from enjoying it before. I can do anything I put my mind to!

And that's more valuable than any number of points for Canadian immigration. Yay! Hugs for Haiti.

Oh yeah, the test was harrowing, but okay. I'll get more points from it than I need. Thanks to M. Hohwald and his colleague Catherine who invigilated and did my orals with me.

Jetzt kann ich tatsächlich etwas mehr Französisch. Hurra. Ich habe in den vergangenen Wochen für den TEF gepaukt. Und wie. Aber es hat sich gelohnt. Ich liebe solche Ziele, die so klar abgegrenzt sind und wo es ein objektiver Maß für den Erfolg gibt.

Deswegen habe ich wohl die Schule gemocht. Ich habe was gelernt, habe es bei der Prüfung wiedergegeben, und voila! Einige Tage später die Zensur. Schade, dass das Leben nicht sonst so einfach und klar ist. Oder, ist es doch?

Creed VI/ Eid VI

Promise yourself
to be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

Hugs for Haiti!

Verspreche, soviel Enthusiasmus für den Erfolg anderer aufzubringen wie für die eigenen Erfolge.

Irgendwie läßt mich heute alles kuhl. Und ohne Feuer kann ich niemanden inspirieren. Aber manchmal ost es gut, still zu sein.
Schönes Wochenende!

Know Thyself, Be the Best

Know who you are and why. Only you can set the criteria for your measure of success.

I don't fit well in categories. It takes me hours to do those multiple choice personality tests. Then, when I revise them, the answers which seemed slightly better than the rest, no longer seem to apply. I am what you call mutable.

People who prefer things black and white find me irritating. That's okay because it's my job, as a grey zoner. It doesn't matter what others think. I know what I'm about and what I have to do. When the next step comes, I take it faithfully, living my best life step by step.

You are the only expert on being you. Sure, we all benefit from outside impulses. But only you can put them together, distil the essence and come up with your own unique brew. And if the world didn't need what you have to offer, you would not be here.
Best wishes on the journey!

Ich weiß, weshalb ich hier bin. Und du?