Le cours commence

French III began this morning. The course will last five and a half weeks; it will be followed by French IV in the same format. Initially, I was concerned that my skills would be dangerously dull after a year off. I spent a few hours reviewing my old textbook over the weekend.

The drive into downtown Austin was easier than I expected. Because the class begins later than my classes did last summer, I was afraid that I might have problems with morning traffic. That fear, it seems, was unfounded. Parking, however, is harder to get, since many students arrive on campus before I do.

I strolled across the street to buy my textbook, then picked up my parking permit at the campus police office. With more than an hour to go before class, I found an alcove near the classroom and sat down to scan the opening chapter of the textbook. I was relieved to find not only a thorough review of introductory French in the first unit, but also continuous review of the concepts in French I and II throughout the text.

When class started, I found that most of the students will need all the review they can get. There are several people in the course who have not taken any French in years; a few have no hope of survival at all. The bright side of this situation is the fact that I will not feel inferior or inadequate in any way.

I was flattered, in fact, to find that both my current teacher (with whom I also took French II) and my old teacher from French I, M. Prévost, recall me from last summer. "I remember you!" M. Prévost exclaimed when he saw me. "I remember your grades, too." I grinned. We'll see whether things go as well this time.

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