French and i...

Despite being in france for nearly 3 years,
my french sucks.
It seems like french is oil
and I am water,
we are never going to mix together perfectly.
I dont think French and me love each other so much...
Its not helping that Im working full time in english environment
I felt that French is slipping away faster than before
I remembered times where i could speak more fluent french
and now it seems even harder to do so as before.

Initially the plan was me being unemployed 
and french classes to start in mid september,
however, i started work full time
and classes got started too.
Its crazy that im working OT daily,
which is uncommon in France,
if im a french, im supposed to threaten to sue my company
or go on strikes,
till they pay me the extra hours that i worked.
Sadly, Im not french
and i want to be employed more than threatening my company,
so im the perfect employee to be exploited, haha

I tried to attend class once last wed..
I didnt knew that there was different level of classes
and accidently went to the basic class
because i managed to left work early 
and wasnt half dead yet.
Despite class starts at 8pm and i end work at 7pm,
it was a good 12mins walk from the station/my home to classes
I never expected the class to be so basic,
that we were learning a,b,c and 1-10!

Anyway, the teacher realised im above this level
and looked totally dead and bored,
oh, im the only one working in the class,
and i guess working full time is rarer,
she recommended that i go for the Tue and Thu level 2 class instead.
The class ended at 945pm and i reached home at 10pm.
The next day, i felt like a zombie 
and didnt force myself to go for the level 2 class.

Class is supposed to start officially in October
and i hope ill be able to survive this...

Love-hate relationship with french classes - 5

I unofficially terminated my french classes

I cant find an easier way to explain what happen

except by a timeline:

9 dec - first day at new school with all the drama

10 dec - no school

11,12dec - MC

15 dec - Despite being sick, i went to school

i think i was sounding really bad

or feels like im trying spread my virus to others

that the teacher say i can leave class

after signing my attendance

which was done first 30mins of the class

but i stayed till 12pm

Had difficulty to catch up in class

16 dec - the day before,

teacher told me that i can stay home if im still sick

so i stayed home

17 dec - no school

Received a text from classmate N

there will be a level A2 test

the next day

is normal to have a level test to make sure we understood the level

before the end of the course

considering how many days i missed,

how yucky the previous teacher was,

i know i wasnt apt for the test yet.

18 dec - I was sure i will need to retake this level in 2015

and that im going to miss 3 last days of the class

because of christmas holidays

which means i wont complete enough hours to get the certificate of completion

i decided to stop attending the class

So, unofficially, i stopped attending my class.

And im glad i did it

at least i appreciate the time to recover,

to prepare for christmas

and enjoy the last bit of holiday

before work restarts in January.

Just to follow up on my class buddy's story.

After her 1 week holiday (which the previous teacher approved),

she tried to contact the teacher but she didnt reply.

When the teacher finally replied by text,

how professional huh,

she told class buddy that there is no more vacancy in the new school,

she will need to retake the level A1 in January 

and to pay on her own 

since gov funding is only for 2014.

Eh, in the first place

at the beginning of the course,

class buddy told them that she cant attend the course

because she has a 1 week holiday

but the school was desparate for money

that they told her is fine to go for holiday

as long as she attend the rest of the course

now they simply kicked her out,

because she went for holiday???

All of the sudden, it became her fault

I missed class 2 days for my trip to bordeaux too

but lucky for me,

that happened in the old school

where the previous teacher dont mind

I am speechless.

Anyway, i guess since we are going to be paying customers

we will definitely not choose this school 

to repeat the course.

I guess I really appreciated my first course

that helped me to improve my french

but for this second course,

I am glad that it is over...

 

Love-hate relationship with french classes - 4

Luckily or unluckily
i fell sick and need to see a doctor
and ended up with 2 days MC
So, i didnt went for class.

First, i receive a text from classmate N (lucky 4)
that she was alone, 
none of us came
so i told her i will be back on Monday

then, i receive a text from classmate T (unlucky 2)
that her name is not in the class
so she is leaving and to find out what to do

after, i received 2 calls from the school
asking why im not in
and i explained that i have 2 days MC
both calls reminded me to return to the new teacher class
on monday
i guess that means i definitely can continue my class
in the new class and teacher
and shall see how it is

im worried for my class buddy
because she is away for vacation this week
and will only be back on Monday
I am unsure what her arrangement will be
because unlike our teacher 
who claims this class is not required
and we can go for vacation
the new school is super strict
like checking whether i really have a MC

I really felt that we are abused
no explanation
last minute changes
although the classes are free
i guess the governement pay the school
and i think we deserve better
not sure how its going to work
since i wont be able to attend class after 23 december
i wont be in paris for the week
husband and i think that we may need to write a formal email
to complain and request that i can continue in January
frankly, after all these dramas,
im not sure whether i want to continue the class here
oh well,
i hope all will be fine on Monday....

love-hate relationship with french classes - 3

Since my friends were here from Singapore
I tried not to be bothered by the drama
and just wait for the call / text
but till 7pm,
i received nothing
whats new right?
i texted our teacher for the location and hours for thursday
and now she insist that nothing is changed
im to go for class with the new teacher
WTF??!!

The crazy thing is i received a voice message 
from our replacement teacher 
that i can join her class in the afternoon
and she will text me the address
which she did not.

But its totally crazy to expect me go to point A to have class at 9am
and at 1pm to go to point B to have class
so i text our teacher what am i supposed to do
then she claimed that she couldnt contact our replacement teacher 
so i just go back to the new teacher
so much for being responsible and organised huh!

Next my classmates started texting me
because they didnt receive any calls or texts
so i just told them that our teacher asked us returned to new place
nothing is resolved again
and we are back to square 1
No idea when our class will end
and not sure how long we are to stay in this class..

And i shall see what happen the next day...

love-hate relationship with french classes - 2

Husband thought its wonderful i get more hours
but anyway,
i woke up super early on Tuesday
and was happy to see my classmates
because we have no idea which class we will be in
Initially, we waited outside the class of our level
and i realised there were 7 of us!
Must be the effect of changing teacher
haha

After 10 mins,
we were informed that the class is full
it is impossible for all of us to attend the class.
I guess our teacher didnt check it before sending us here
and we returned to the waiting area
where i think our presence totally freak out the receptionist
and this wait became a wait of 3 hours!

Our teacher was uncontactable
she claimed she is in class and will call
finally she called and explained the situation
to the receptionist
but it was not helpful
because the class is full!
Ended up it felt more like a class gathering
than a class

At 11am,
some of us were thinking to leave
and our teacher finally text us to wait for her till 1130am
finally, a ray of hope!
I guess we didnt mind whether there will be class for the day
but we just want an explanation
then till 1145am, there was no sign of her

at 12pm, she texted again to say wait till 1230pm.
I dont know whether is because im sick
But i was really pissed off
At 12.15pm,
the receptionist informed that we are to split up into 2 classes
for me, i was among the lucky 4 to be in the same class
for 2 of my classmates, 
they are to attend moning class with group A and teacher A
and attend afternoon class with group B and teacher B
which i feel is totally unfair and bad for learning!

As the receptionist rushed us to join the class
since it will be lunch time soon
I called our teacher, and guess what?
She said she wont be coming and she want us to go to the class now!
WTF?!
It means from 11 - 1230,
she was never on the way??
We will simply waiting for someone to come up with a solution?!
Despite my explanation that is unfair for the 2 and the split up issue,
she simply tell me that she will call us to explain.
I WANT A FACE TO FACE EXPLANATION
NOT BULLSHIT AGAIN!!!
Which till today, i didnt have it...

By the time, we went to class,
it was lunch time so we need to wait till 130pm.
And the 2 classmates left because they want to call our teacher
and clarify what is happening.
I was a little worried about the class
becaue im unsure whether we are of the same level
especially when my classmate spoke to the teacher
before the class,
and the teacher insisted that she should be in class A1
and not A2 because her french is not good enough

Lucky, all was well in the class
except my terrible headache
which i think was worsen by the morning drama
apparently the class started a week after us,
so we are about the same level
but then the news came,
the class is to end on 31 december!
which means it is going to screw up my christmas holidays
because initially my class was to end 23 december..
WTF

But the class was nice 
and after we did the usual self introduction
the lessons started
and i think this teacher is better than our teacher
in terms of her ability to explain and engage
so, it seems great that i can finally stay in the class...

i have no choice but to text our teacher
to ask when is our end date
now, she claim she will be checking with our usual replacement teacher
to take us in from Thursday onwards
and we can end the class by 23 december, 
so all we need to do is wait for her call on Wednesday

And as usual, shit continues...

love hate relationship with french classes - 1

Despite the usual post-holidays blues
I returned to class on monday
sadly, the usual shit is still shit
there is no heater in class,
apparently the building didnt pay.
there was only 4 students,
including me.
Before you start thinking is great
to be in a small class
I must say I hate this class to be small
because we finish more assignments
since we do it faster
but end up we are constantly 
Responding to the teacher
that I felt I have no time to think
before it was my turn again
or another topic.
then again,
I dont know why the rest are not coming
maybe because no one really like the teacher

New happenings...
the toilet lights dont work
the electrical sockets dont work
and no toilet paper
-.-"

By noon,
another classmate decide she was leaving
she felt cold and 
that she wasnt learning
So the teacher decided to end the class
instead of 3pm
she decided that class is too small
and room is bad
that we should go to another location for class
that she will text us by evening
of the new address

End up no news from her
and she finally called after I texted her
talk about being responsible
-,-"

So new changes,
apart from changing location
Which will take me 45mins to go,
the hours will be 9-5
And days to be mon, tue, wed, fri
and a new teacher!
I was pissed at the last minute change
the hours are longer than before
and I am lucky that I took off from work
cant imagine if im still working..
and my friend was coming
I planned to meet her on wed,
which I cant because of the new schedule
but the teacher assured that 
our group will be together
and I can inform the new teacher about wed

I guess the idea of a new teacher
sounded so good
that I decided to try the new place..

Thats when the nightmare starts..

My first french exam - part 2

After a short drink
We returned to the exam halls
We will put in waiting rooms randomly
There are 7 examiners
Who went to the rooms and search for candiates
I guess they can reduce search time
If they have made us sat in certain order
Oh well

My appointment was 1130am
And i was called at 1140am
All was done by 1150am
It was really fast!
Unlike trial tests,
The examiner dont ask much,
Dont ask you to stop,
Or give any response
So you are to babble on
Till you say you are done for the question

I dont know is it im nervous
Or the question is hard
My grammar was all over the place
And i was struggling to continue to speak
I was really glad that it was over...

Since i need a total of 50/100 
I guess i should have no problem passing it
Even if i did badly for my oral
Oh well, shall see the results in january
By the way, in age of internet and rapid post,
We need to go down to collect our results..
Sigh

Anyway is holiday!
currently enjoying our short weekend
At bordeaux
Visiting grandparents
And stuffing ourselves with awesome food!

My first french exam - written

Finally the time came
For my first french exam
Well, the only compulsory one
For my visa.
I was feeling quite confidence
After scoring 93/100 on my trial test 
And now in class A2
Which is 2 level above the exam
But i knew that oral will be tough
Because i will be super stress.
Anyway husband helped me
To practice the oral questions
And i did 2 more trial tests at home
Thats all for revision!

For most of my classmates 
9am written exam at place A
4pm oral exam at place B
Lucky for me and class buddy,
We are having both exams at same place 
And before noon for oral
Means can get it over in 2hours!

As usual,
french admin never fail to surprise me
We were reminded to arrive early
So we arrived at 840am
We were asked to go to the respective rooms
Indicated on our letters
The room opened at 905am
We were asked to find our seats

The tables and chairs were placed so close
That i only have the width of the chair
Between 2 table
Basically the table is pressing on my tummy
And not because i have a big tummy
Oh and my row of lights were not working

After the examiner mark the attendance
One by one
And we waited till 9.30am 
for latecomers
Finally, the exam starts at 935am

I guess there are some students
Who are really not ready for the exam
Be it unable to understand the instructions,
Or not listening well,
For whatever reasons,
Is sad that the examiner was so impatient
Or maybe just being french
Opps

But she is like saying 
- you understand nothing, why you are here?
- i repeated 5times, all of you cant understand french?
Added by her impatient tone and look
I think she increased the anxiety
Of the students

But i guess she really want everyone to pass the exam
Because she is constantly repeating
The instructions
The questions
Sometimes even the answers
But to the last moment
When the next question was starting
So i found it so distracting

Anyway i found the questions
A little more difficult
Than the trial test
But im sure that i attained the 50/100
To pass even before the oral
The exam ended at 10.40am
So class buddy and i went for tea
While we wait for our oral exam...

School and Work

So officially on Monday,
I completed my required hours for my french class
Before i can enjoy my holiday
i received a call on Wednesday from my previous teacher
and she informed that we can continue for level A2
for 150hours for free!
and i was to attend the orientation on thursday

So after the orientation, the following was mentioned:
basically, all the foreigners are to attend free french classes
sponsored by the government (immigration dept)
after we attend the required hours, 
we are to pass the required exam
thereafter, if we want we can continue for higher level of classes
however, the gov only fund for a physical year
for me, it means only for 2014
anything after, i will need to pay on my own
so initally, im quite sure that i will be paying for future classes
since i will only sign up for classes after i receive my results
and after our trip back to SG

but apparently, the school was so keen to help us
which i think is more an attempt to take money from gov
the school requested for gov to fund us 
to continue the higher level of class
to the end of december 
I am definitely keen to continue the classes
but there are 2 concerns

first, the level A2 is much more difficult than what i attended
the teacher emphasized like 24541234654321 times
and we will be having the same teacher
ehh.. the one who never seems interested in teaching
and i never really learnt much since she took over
despite my classmates' complaints
it seems we have no choice

secondly, the class will require 4 full days per week
in order to complete 150hours by end of december
or rather before christmas
this reinforce my idea that the school just wants money
because they insisted that level a2 is really difficult
and after some calculation, 
i realise it is impossible to complete 150 hours before christmas
The classes will be 9am to 3pm
on Monday, tuesday, thursday and friday
since i will be working on tues and thurs
i can leave the class at 2.30pm.

However, i am really concerned my ability to work 
after a long day in school
well, the youngest girl under my care
still treats me like i killed her father
and im still getting super stressed up at the thought of seeing her
yes, im trumatised by a 3 year old girl
during my previous class,
i end class at 1pm and get to rest a little before my work
and i was still exhausted
so, how is it possible for me to attend a longer and more difficult class
and go straight to work?

I guess there are 2 choices
i quit my job or the class
and definitely the class is more important than my job
i admit im really happy if i can quit my job
and this seems like a good excuse
opps

so last evening, i told their mum
that i may not be able to work 
from monday to end of december
and to my surprise,
she offered to give me a month off from work till Jan!
She is such a nice boss 
when im just trying to quit my job...

i told her that it is unfair for her to be without a babysitter 
for a month
and i understand if she needs to hire a new babysitter 
to replace me
but she assure me that it may be alright
that she will speak to her husband
and confirm with me on monday

although, it seems i didnt get the chance to quit my job
and i will be stuck with the girls
im still looking forward to being just a student 
till the end of the year...

End of my french class

Today is the last day of my class
Is strange how I was kinda looking forward for it to end
because it is quite tiring to be in class daily
from 9am to 1pm
and 9am to 4pm on Mondays
But it did felt like 105 hours flew pass
without my notice

Before my class,
I had self-studied french with husband's help
i thought i was doing well
since i have quite a good memory 
but it was really difficult for me to use form sentences
be it to write or speak
i guess i was able to form a few phrases of less than 5 words

I guess i benefitted a lot from the classes
it really boosted my confidence to speak,
increased my vocabulary,
improved my writing,
and made a new friend!
Well, is no joke to be drill in french on a daily basis.
i guess it really helped me to be in a structured learning..

It is great to be surrounded by people of the same situation
I dont feel stupid if i speak bad french
or i have no idea of what is being said
and i do enjoyed the accompany of my classmates
from the different parts of the world
and im really thankful to meet my new buddy!
It is really nice that we enjoyed each other's accompany
be it for shopping or meals
and both of us are putting in effort to meet up after class
Even as the class comes to an end,
I hope the friendship continues....

alright, my teacher was really great!
I really appreciate her humor, 
expressive body language
and her ability to explain in french.
Husband and I noted that i was able to converse in french
within a week or 2 of classes!
Sadly, 2 weeks before the end of the class
she had to return to administrative work
and we had a replacement teacher for the last 2 weeks.

With the new replacement teacher,
my learning seemed to stalled.
Maybe because the previous teacher learnt french as her 2nd language
she was able to teach at a speed and way
that helped us understood well.
I have problem even listening to the replacement teacher
and i get the feeling that she doesnt wants to be here
as much as i dont want her to be here
haha

Thankfully i had a great teacher for more than half of my required hours
and i have improved more than what i expected
We had a trial DILF A1.1 exam in class
and I shocked myself by scoring 93/100
which means i should have no problem in passing the required exam on 2 december
since only 50/100 is required.

Like i mentioned in my previous post,
I am in the class of level A1
but the exam required for my visa is DILF A1.1
which is a level lower than my current class
anyway, the teacher made us go through the trial exam for our level
and i double shocked myself by scoring 95/100
I must be a weirdo who score higher for a more difficult test
nevertheless, it is a big boost to my ego.

For now till the 2 december,
i guess i shall try to be discipline to self-study
and continue to improve my french!!

funny article

10 idioms only the French understand:

1. Est-ce que je te demande si ta grand-mère fait du vélo? | Mind your own damn business

Translates literally as, “Do I ask you if your grandma bikes?” This is a rather funny (though not for the person receiving the insult) and sarcastic way to tell someone to get lost.

Example:

A: Is your divorce procedure with Ginny coming along, John?
B: Est-ce que je te demande si ta grand-mère fait du vélo?

2. Avoir un poil dans la main | To be lazy

In France, those suffering from chronic motivational deficit are said “to have a hair growing in the palm of their hand.” If it’s reached the thickness of a ponytail and you can braid it, you probably need a good coup de pied au cul (kick in the ass).

Example:

A: Can’t Teresa do it?
B: Forget it, she’s got a poil dans la main the length of a cooked spaghetti noodle.

3. Chier une pendule | To make a big fuss

Be warned! It’s a pretty rude way to tell someone to calm the freak down, but you ought to admit that “pooping out a clock” is a rather creative and effective way to describe an overblown situation.

Example:

A: Oh my God! What happened? What did you do?!
B: Jeez, you’re not going to chier une pendulejust because I totaled the car, are you?

4. Se faire poser un lapin | To be stood up

Yeah, if you’ve been waiting at the café for an hour and the guy you met at the club last night still hasn’t shown up, you were probably “given a rabbit.” Move on. He must be a dink.

Example:

A: Aren’t you going to meet the blond you were grinding with last night on the dance floor?
B: Nah, man, I’m too busy pumping iron at the gym. I’ll probably lui poser un lapin.

5. Avoir une araignée au plafond | To be not quite right in the head

In France, we like to think if you’re one sandwich short of a picnic, you “have a spider hanging from the roof of your skull.” How delightfully childish of us to explain insanity by describing someone’s head to be as empty and dirty as an old attic!

Example:

A: You know the girl from Safeway, the cashier? She told me I looked like Ryan Gosling!
B: Yeah, she’s got une araignée au plafond. Didn’t you know? Sounds like it got worse over the past week, though.

6. Ne pas attacher son chien avec des saucisses | To be cheap

In France, if you “don’t tie your dog with a sausage line,” you’re cheap. We’ve got high standards for our canine friends.

7. Se faire rouler dans la farine | To be cheated

The French have trouble stepping away from food for too long, so even when we’re being cheated, we’re being “rolled in flour” like a wholesome loaf of bread in the making.

Example:

A: I slept with Rocco last night, you know, the pizza chef from La Cucina Ristorante.
B: Nice! Are you guys dating?
A: No, he hasn’t called back even though he said he would. I think I just got roulée dans la farine.
B: Quite literally…

8. Être une bonne poire | To be naïve

If you really think Rocco, the womanizing pizza maker, ever meant to call you back after last night’s events, there’s no doubt, you’re “a ripe pear.”

9. Aller faire téter les puces | To go to bed

Here’s something that’ll make you want to stay in a hostel in France! “To go let the fleas feed on you” is one of the many ways French people explain they’re going to hit the sack. You may want to check out the sheets before crashing.

10. Courir sur le haricot de quelqu’un | To piss someone off

This is one of my personal favorites. My mom uses it all the time when she wants me to stop nagging her (now, what does that say about our relationship, I wonder?)

I always picture a little person, breathless, “running on a long green bean” 

Joke aside, back in the day, un haricot was a slang term for a toe. Now it all makes sense — if you’re running on someone’s toe, they’re likely to get annoyed, indeed.

This article made my day!!!

bisous..

updates on my life!

So life had become busy
after the lims left.
my class started last thursday
and im really enjoying it!
its nice to be in a structured class,
opportunites to practice (write, speak, listen),
meeting people with similar french level,
and not feeling stupid to speak bad french..
hehe

According to husband,
I improved alot with the class,
but I think is just because of the practice,
more confidence
and less shy to speak french
oh well, I definitely need to improve
and pass the exam in december!

Anyway, my class has about 15paxs
mainly from southeast asia!
and I managed to befriend china lady
who is a singaporean pr
and speaks more singlish than me!
School is really the best place to know friends,
im glad to be able to find people
who understands my loneliness in paris
and the daily struggles in French!

Thankfully the class is 10min walk from home
I have classmates who travel 30mins daily
to attend class!
I cant imagine if im in the same situation
to travel so far for 9am class
on monday to friday
for 6 weeks!

However, it is tiring to be immersed in french
for 4hours/day
Lucky, the teacher is great!
she is very expressive and funny
despite that, she is not to only use french in class
im appreciate her expressive body language!

Im sort of in the medium level in class
so the class is managable
but definitely french overload at times..

Apart from class,
work continues every week
but I am only required to work
2 afternoons per week
I cant imagine if I have to work daily
after class..

Things have been better at work
im still trumatised by the 3yo
but her mum understands is not easy
so she helps out in any way
that I need not be alone with 3yo
definitely less stressful for me
and the 3yo

although I still get the occasional 
"go away"
"dont come"
"i want mummy and not you"
but definitely has become better
that I need not be alone with her
and the other 2 girls are fine with me..

From a housewife
to my current life,
I definitely do enjoy the current lifestyle
but I miss sleeping in
haha, humans are never satisfied!

Update: Free French Classes

Finally, 2 months after my appointment with the immigration office
I am due to go for my linguistic test at a school nearby
From the official website, 
it states that the free classes can be up to 400hours
From the various expats forums, 
it sounded like 200hours was the max

However, I am not too keen to have 200hours
Initially, the plan was to make full use of the free classes
to get as much hours as possible
but with my part time job
and forum indicated that everyone of different level is in same class
It doesnt sounds really good for my learning
And i guess with 4months of practice, 
I do hope I will be able to do slight better than 200hours

The week before the test,
I did some french proficiency test online and did badly
added with my bad prononciation,
plus i dont understand questions
I am doom to fail
According to google, the test should be made up of:
- Written (MCQs, comprehension)
- Oral interview 

The school was located in a strange area
that i thought i was lost when google map asked me to walk behind a block of apartment
The morning did not start well
when the receptionist asked me tons of questions in french,
i shown my "im an idiot" look,
and she gave the "you are idiot" look
Sometimes i wonder why people in service line 
or customer service are so impatient with non-french speakers
I really wish to throw them into English speaking world
and laugh at them...
Okay evil thoughts...*WAHAHAHA*

Apparently, I was supposed to bring the folder from the immigrations office
just to prove that im sent by them
ehhh but i have the appointment letter?!!
Anyway, she just zap what i had and my passport.
A filipino lady was behind me and we end up in the same test room
and i made some small talk with her
She has been in france for 11 years but claims that she does not speak french!

Thereafter, I was asked to go into a test room
all instructions were given in french
A lady requested for the instructor to explain in english
but the instructor claims that she is not supposed to speak in english
to test our level of french
so i agar agar try to understand

So, we are provided 30mins to complete the written test
thankfully, its easier than those i found online
- connect the correct words to pictures (lucky is simpler to english words)
- Anwer few questions based on a poster
- write an email!
- Write an opinion! (should kids have handphone?)

Anyway, i didnt managed to have time for the opinion
I have no idea how to write it too
Then i was asked to go for the interview
thankfully, the lady was so patient
and dont mind repeating slowly
when i have my idiot look

The questions were mostly about personal information
which husband helped me to memorize
and she marked my test paper on the spot
quite happy that all mcqs were right
finally, my results is....level A1!
I did well enough to avoid the elementary level
and is assigned 105hours of classes

Since I am working,
my classes will be 9-1pm, mon-fri
Which means only 5+ weeks of classes
and thereafter, to go for an exam for a certificate for basic french

Since my sister and family is here this week,
I requested for classes to start after
and thankfully, I can start in october
Now is waiting for the letter to know where and when school will starts!

Free french lessons?!

As part of the assimilation process
for foreign spouses
france provide free french, cultural and history classes
up to 400 hours of french classes!
it sounded so good
that i didnt take any french classes back in singapore
or to plan for classes in paris
since it is quite expensive about euro 200 per week

the procedure seems easy
at least on paper :
- arrive paris
- send documents to immigrations to inform my arrival (within 3 weeks)
- appointment with them
- sign a contract of agreement for classes
- medical check up
- class starts!

as usual;
france administration amazed me..
I arrived paris in april, 
sent them the documents within 1 week,
received their acknowledgement
and wait....
and wait..
and wait...

after 1.5 months,
still no news!
i blamed the end april's public holiday
and the may's public holidays (3xthursday holiday = 3 long weekends)
for the slow processing of my documents

since the husband and i are trying to plan for our singapore trip and wedding
we need to know the frequency of the classes and can i take 2 weeks off for singapore
and whether i can join my sister's family in geneva in september...
so we called the immigration and received bad news!

a) ONLY 1.5 months wait?
apparently 1.5 months is not a long wait
according to their criteria
i am to wait up to 3 months 
just to get the appointment
which makes me wonder how many foreign spouses is coming in a day
-.-"

b) no details of the classes
we will only have information at the appointment
but with summer holidays coming (school is closed from july to september)
I guess my classes will start in september
which may mean i will have problem going geneva????

c) classes can be postponed
since we do not know the frequency of the classes
missing a day's class may be a 2hour or 8hour of class
if we are to leave for singapore for 2 weeks
we need to tell them at the appointment
and they will postpone the start of my classes
after the singapore trip
which means more waiting?!

initially we planned that i can learn french for this year
and not worried about jobs etc
but with the waiting and delay,
*i guess the classes will spread over to 2015

arrrrrggggh
hope for good news soon...