Language Classes, Monday, Oct. 17

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

Hello.

I hope you enjoyed the movies on Friday. It's nice to have some diversion before the weekend.

Today, we are resuming our lessons from Wednesday.

Classics Students: You have a quiz on Hebrew today. The quiz consists of 15 vocabulary questions, a passage to translate, and a two-minute conversation with me in Hebrew. Approach me at my desk when you are ready for our conversation to begin.

Languages of Asia:We are continuing our work on Cantonese Chinese. Please review this audiotape and write a brief script using structures from it and your worksheet on Wednesday.

Comments

Re: Classics, 10/17

[janet_fraiser]

Janet signs in and takes her quiz. She passes with a better-than-average, if not excellent grade. Her eyes are red and watering, and she keeps sneezing and blowing her nose with tissues from the very large box of kleenex she's brought into class this morning.

Every once in a while, she pops a candy and chocolate-coverered espresso bean in her mouth.

Re: Classics, 10/17

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

Dream beckons her to his desk and begins speaking in ancient Hebrew.

//Hello. Are you ill?//

Re: Classics, 10/17

[janet_fraiser]

"Allergies," answers Janet in English. She doesn't know the Ancient Hebrew word for allergies--if it even exists. She stops and sighs. "Many flowers," she says in Ancient Hebrew. "Make me sick."

Re: Classics, 10/17

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

Dream nods.

//I am sorry to hear that.

Do you take ...he gropes for a word simple enough that it might be part of the class vocabulary...drugs to cure this?//

Re: Classics, 10/17

[janet_fraiser]

Janet nods--and sneezes again. "I take--" After this, she was looking up the word for 'medication' in Ancient Hebrew. "--drugs." She shrugs and blows her nose. "Many, many flowers. Drugs stop--" She pauses as she tries to remember how to conjugate properly. "Drugs not work now."

Re: Classics, 10/17

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

Dream looks genuinely sympathetic.

//Perhaps the school's [there's no word for clinic]health-care place would have better drugs.

How are you otherwise?//

Re: Classics, 10/17

[janet_fraiser]

Janet's smile is somewhat bleary. "Needs time," she says with a shrug. "Time--no flowers," she clarifies, mentally chastising herself for forgetting a simple conjunction.

There's no word Janet knows for 'life continues to suck as normal,' so she substitutes something else instead. "Same." She suppresses a frown. "Boy problem." She decides she needs to clarify, and searches her memory for something approximating 'thick-headed, oblivious, academic nitwit. Naturally, nothing comes to mind. "Boy is stupid. We talk. Will be--" 'Okay' is slang, 'all right' is escaping her right now. "--fine. Later."

She has got to study enough to gain something resembling at least an adolescent's level of fluency in this language.

Re: Classics, 10/17

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

Dream furrows his brow, trying to follow what she is saying.

//Love is hard.//, he says, not adding Even for me, and I am much, much older than you are. //I hope you do talk to your friend.//,

Re: Classics, 10/17

[janet_fraiser]

Janet wracks her brain and finally comes up with the past tense. "We talked," she says. "We will talk more." She sneezes, then shrugs. "Love is very hard."

Re: Classics, 10/17

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

Dream gives her half a smile.

//I wish you luck.

Thank you for talking with me, Janet. Do you have any questions I could help you with?//

Re: Classics, 10/17

[janet_fraiser]

Janet smiles wryly and sneezes again. "Thanks, I'm fine," she says.

Re: Classics, 10/17

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

Dream steps back, nodding. Good.

I will see you Wednesday.

Re: Classics, 10/17

[janet_fraiser]

Janet smiles and goes back her desk.