“That's all for now, my dear. You may go." My mentor smiled at me and gave me a little shove. I was learning French, and I loved it. However, never did I have a session with my teacher that I didn't leave without my mouth dry and aching.

We had been at it for a year and a half. I knew thousands of words, conjugations, and rules. The hard part was just beginning. Now that I knew much of the grammar of French writing, it was time to elaborate further on what makes a language truly a language: everyday speech.

As I walked away, I practiced as always, whispering under my breath the conjugation of the verb "faire" present and past tense. Learning French was my new determination. I can learn French. I must! I will!

My high school French teacher was my idol. I wanted to be just like her; she took a semester in Paris her junior year. She could speak fluently with no thought to which adjectives went before or after the verb. Yes, this was my goal; there was nothing stopping me now.

I found myself dreaming in French, but I couldn't understand what I was saying. I replaced English words with their French counterparts, but that was just my trying to impress my friends. I wished for a vacation in Paris, the city of lights "la ville lumiere." I found myself studying on the weekends the culture segments of my textbook. The photos of Paris enthralled me. There was nothing more that I hoped for than a trip to that magical city.

Then it happened; my parents proposed a voyage to France for the Thanksgiving holiday. I about had a heart attack.

Everything was settled, and before I knew it, we were there. I had thought that I knew French, that the only thing I didn't know was how to speak it. Unfortunately, I never realized that you must know how to speak it; there is no other way. The French talked so quickly that I only caught a word here or there, certainly not enough to understand anything.

I came home downcast. I didn't know French; I never would. It was a goal out of my reach, unrealistic.

When I saw Mlle Granger back at school, I was rather embarrassed. What was I thinking going to her before and after school for extra lessons?

"Vous avez fait une bonne route?" Her perfect pronunciation brought back my desire to be like her. If she did it, I can, I thought.

"Mais oui." I could tell by her voice that she had confidence in me.