There is something simply incongruous about returning home from an exam (French) to which I gave all of my energy for two months, to hear that Paris is under attack. My thoughts and prayers today are with Paris and France as they face this nightmare and future challenges.
On the drive home from Chicago, the test and anything it might mean melt away and the next hours are spent checking in with family members and friends in Paris on FB and email, and wondering what the hell happened to the world.
I am still wondering this morning. All family members and friends are accounted for. But such horror and bad will? And that it means more of the same on both sides? Harder to reconcile.
As for the test: fast and furious; 35 minutes of oral interpretation into a microphone. Done. Brutal. I gave it a good run, and the results are a little irrelevant. I won't know until the end of December or so, and by then, I will have forgotten to worry. The truth is, I have become a better interpreter for all of the practice and vocabulary-building. The skills I worked on make my job easier and are good for the clients' well-being on both sides.
Learning should always be like this. There may be a big, scary exam at the end of the tunnel...or not. Either way, submersing yourself into a topic fully for as long as it takes is a trip you want to take. Does it cost anything? Yes; time, focus and, if you are not passionate enough, will power. If you take on a topic you love, it can still be hard to let the other choices sit on the roadside while you give this one your attention, but it will be all-absorbing, thrilling and rewarding...pass or not.
Thank you to the good and helpful friends and family who helped me find extra study time and listen to me as I went through yet another affidavit or opening argument. You are loved and appreciated! Many blessings upon you!
My chere France: You are a wonderful, beautiful country, full of intelligent, insightful people and leaders. May the best of you guide you towards a peaceable solution. Love from Iowa, Angela.
Thinking of you today! I am so glad that all your friends and relatives are okay. We have relatives in St. Cloud, but I have not heard that anything happened to them, so I do think they are okay. This is just so scary and sad.
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