Entry # 5: Cultural encounters (Dec. 5 - Dec. 12)

Cultural observation

In James Lyng High School some posters and some paintings are on some wall. They

are done by students, I think. I don't hear a music and I don't see the people read a

newspapers. I don't know for holidays like: St Jean or Thanksgiving day but for Christmas

the students and the teachers feel so excited to relax during two week. I know some people

will just relax and other people will go to see their family. I don't hear something very

precisely about your celebration Christmas. I have been exposed to vary culture

like; Hispanophones, Haitien or Francophone.

Type of English I have been exposed

I hear an informal language by student but it was very vulgar language. I don't want to

repeat this words. A time I writing a letter for parents or tutors of students. My host

appreciated that. No, I don't had oppurtinity to use some idioms from my class notes.

 

 

 

 
 

Words, expressions or structures

In my internship I learn some words like office. The Anglophones don't say an administration

like the Francophone. They say an office. I learn too the word mark. It's signifiant a notes in

a report of student. In French we say a note but in English he don't signifiant the same

things and I learn report too. It's a bulletin in French. Last word I learn it's binder. It's a

classeur in French. This words can help me in future because I want to work in a desk then

the words are most of time to use in desk.

Rewards and challenges

In my internship I had most difficulty with my accent. Because when I speak in English I

have difficulty to speak very well and with the good prononciation. I have difficulty too with

the names of students. Sometimes I need to go in class and call a student but most of time

the people don't understand the name I call. My best part is when I am with the teachers.

Because I can talk with them and I can see how High School is.

Entry # 4: The world is my classroom (Nov. 28 - Dec. 5)

My interaction in English

Sometimes when my host doesn't understand what I say, I do some movement and she

does the same thing when I don't understand. Because sometimes she speaks very fast or I

don't know what the word means and with the movement I can understand more




English learning


Yes, I am little bit able to acquire language without a traditional structured classroom setting

because I am not again habituate to do an immersion like that. The challenges for me it’s to

talk in English in front a class and to respond to some question because the people use

some expression or talk fast.



Words, expressions and structures

I learn some news words like; survey (sondage), scrounge (emprunter), computer lab (it's

not like in French because in French if you do a translation words by words it's the computer

but in English you say computer lab), Miss (you say always miss for a girl it's a politeness

same if a girl is young or old), room (because in French you say local but in English it's not

the same meaning) and school outings (sortie d’école) that means an activity with the

school. I hear this new words more with my host and others teachers. The context it’s just

because sometimes I don’t know some words and I ask my host how I can say that or that?

The words can be useful for me in the future because it’s some expressions we don’t say

that in French because they don’t have the same meaning and sometimes the people

blends. This interaction contribute to my progress because this push me to speak in English

and because the people talk little bit in French but they like more to speak in English and if I

want something I speak in English to practise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entry #3: Diving in! (Nov. 21 - Nov. 28)

 

 

 

 

 

My interactions in English

For the body language, the people talk with movement then help me for understand. When I

have difficulty to communicate because I don’t know the word or how I can say a sentence,

I try and I do some movement so they can understand. The intonation are the same in

French, I don’t observe a difference. I use the polite language like; thanks you or please and

I don’t observe a new polite language. This interaction contribute so much to my progress

as a language learner because I am obligate to speak in English if I want something or if I

want to know what I can do and the people help me so much and they are patient with me.

Sometimes, when I am in High School, of course, I can hear some expressions by

the students and it's hard for me because I get used to hear English very easy. I can

observe they talk very fast sometimes.

My observations of Anglophone culture


In High School, I find it’s different of French High School in because the supervisors and

students don’t talk like in French. I find these more relax. The class aren’t exactly the same

like in French High School. The people say: Hello, how are you? To greet each other. They

use their last name or tittle like: Miss or Sir. Everyone is polite and I don’t observe a different

humour it’s just express other way. Until now I have never saw someone disagree with

someone else. Yes, they drink some coffee or tea and eat for lunch like everyone.

Words, expressions and structures


I learn new words like; far, fold, arrange, classify and file. This new words will

be useful for me in the future because I will probably use this words in my future career.

Entry #2: First Impressions

The first thing struck me it’s how the people are so friendly, so welcoming. When I am

entering in the school immediately a person ask me for help me. Some people helped me

for the direction in the school, for example for to find the desk of my host.

• The linguistic observation I can observe it’s everybody talks in English. Some people talks in French too like my host and like that I can know if I have a big problem I can know she speaks in French but she prefers to talks in English obviously although I try my best to speak English to practice.
• For my cultural observation I observed various different cultures. It’s very interesting for me because I love to know more about the others cultural and in my internship I need to talk more in English than it’s a advantage for me.

I learn more about the day of week because I am very bad. (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday) except that I don't learn more new language. I

don't have my first internship because my host is very busy and I wait for she gives me a

date and hour.

Yes, I have mistaken with my host. Because I am very bad in the day of week when

become time for say to my host when I am available it's become so confused. But we are

explicit all that and finally we have understand. After that, I learn more the day of week

and I am more good and that.

Entry #1: Writing prompt

In my internship I want to accomplish more things but firstly my spoken. I hope this

experience can give me more confidence for speak better in English. I have for goal too

it’s to enrich my vocabulary.



For realize my goals I will use some strategies learning like:

• Repeats of myself some words I want to learn for remember them after
• I will try to talk my best with the students at James Lyng High School and that can help me for to know the pronunciation and maybe I will be fewer shy.
• I will watch more the television in English for to know again the pronunciation

For my first meeting, it was all great, I went with Marisa, and like that it’s fewer

stressful. I went Thursday, 15^th November at 2:30pm. The road is very easy and it’s not too

far to Cegep Andre-Laurendeau. The host, Miss Allannah Murphy is very pleasant and with
her I will be bed pad because I know she don’t judges me and she is very comprehensive.


I think, I will love this internship because when I went Thursday, I see the people and the

customers and everybody are sympathetic and if I have a big problem and I can’t be to

understand by others people because they don’t understand, for example, my spoken, I

know some people talk in French.