The English Trap.

My time in paris is ticking away, and I don't quite feel like I've been speaking french as much as I would like. For the most part, I only have conversations in french with my host family and in class. My host family is great in that they only speak english to me if I forget a word or something, which doesn't happen too often. They help me when I say something wrong and are very patient. They've complimented me a few times on my accent and vocabulary, and my host mom once said (in french) "You speak french better than many french people speak english". That was a big win for me, since I was always nervous about speaking prior to this trip. I can feel my french get better, and it feels great!

Then, something awesome happened. While at the Lizard Lounge (awesome place, check it out) with Lena for her birthday, I ended up having a short conversation with the bar's cook in french. We didn't talk long, and the conversation wasn't terribly interesting. But it felt amazing to be able to communicate with a stranger in another languge.

However, I'm still speaking primarily in english. The only friends I've made here are DePaul kids. And while I adore their company, it's extremely easy to just do an activity with them without having to speak any french. As someone who has a lot of difficulty putting herself out there and making friends, sticking with what's comfortable saves me a lot of anxiety. But as hard as it is, I love meeting new people. And this is sort of the time to do it, right?

So how am I going to fix this situation? I suppose I could go out more, but my wallet and my liver can't do it every night. I could try to find communities that match my interests. But probably the best way of solving this is to keep trying new things, and to try not to not fall into any sort of restricting routine.

Are you guys also finding yourself in the english trap? How do you manage?