En Francais, S'il Vous Plait

Recently, I decided to dust off my French and try to level up my fluency. Mike suggested that I put my study into practice by reading an accessible book. A lot of consideration went into my choice, and I finally landed on this:

I chose to read the French translation of To Kill a Mockingbird because it's a text that I'm super familiar with. I've read it at least ten times because of teaching it so many times and because I love it. In the future, I'd like to do more with French literature, but for now my focus is simply putting the language in a context that helps me gain confidence.

My copy of the book arrived (shipping from England, oddly), and here's what I've gathered.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird is just so incredibly good. I am so excited to read it again. I have always enjoyed the book, but now I have a stockpile of memories of sharing this book with students. This book changes lives, and I'm so grateful I've gotten to witness that so many times.
2. Initially, I thought that I would have a lot of remembering to do, and that with time it would be a relatively easy read. That's not really the case. There's a lot of unfamiliar vocabulary and structure, so I'm spending a lot of time with a dictionary. However, I do feel like things are getting easier as I go.
3. I have so much to learn! My goal is to internalize the language a little bit better. I hope that will help me to be a more fluent speaker. And then, of course, I hope to have some authentic communication opportunities, like when I finally get to go on my dream vacation to Europe!
4. It's exciting to learn! So often, the "to do lists" of life get in the way of making time for learning. It feels wonderful to be stretching and expanding my capabilities.