Blog post #8: Overall Reflection

My goals were:

I want to learn more about the jewish culture.

I want to be able to use idioms currently.

Make sure this internship will be a positive experience.

Do my tasks efficiently. (with less possible errors haha, well no one is perfect.)

I want to speak with a decent accent in english.

I want to correctly learn how to pronounce the "th" sound. I guess that by hearing other people use it, I'll eventually learn how to do so.

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I did learn more about the jewish culture. I learned a lot more than I thought. Mostly about what they do at Christmas since they don't really have a Christmas tree etc.

I couldn't use idioms in my everyday life. Mostly because, I don't speak a lot with people around the hospital. I rarely speaks with my supervisor or anyone from my department. Also, that's hard to find an idiom to the right situation.

My internship has his bad and right sides. Overall, I think it's a great life experience and it was helpful.

When it comes to the tasks , I think that the best person to judge about this isn't me but my supervisor. Let's say that I'll see this later on my evaluation paper. Though, I did gave myself a nice auto-evaluation. I never had a real job or anything so it was a nice experience on this point too. I'm hoping to put this in my CV.

My accent definetly got better after every day over there at the hospital. I didn't get to speak as much as I want but I'm a good listener and I think that this helped a lot too.

Like I said in another blog post, I'm getting better at pronuncing the "th" sound. That was one of my main goal and I can almost do it.

Stategies: At first I wanted to use guesses. I really wonder why!! I never really used it. The main strategies that I used and that truly help me is repetition. When I encountered a new word, I made the person repeats it again. Sometimes two or three times. I also asked to spell it to note it down. Like I said, I gave up on guessing. That's not a good idea in this kind of environment. Because if your supervisor tells you to go to a certain place and that you did not understand, I don't think that guessing will help.

Language: I think that I have less difficulties to use verbs. It's just more easy to say it in a sentence without thinking about it. I also less difficulties with my accent but I guess that this doesn't really count in the language part.

Growth: I learned to be more self-confident about myself. I'm less shy to speak english or even to speaks with strangers. I'm not the kind to start a random conversation with someone in the elevator but when the other person starts talking to me, I'm more comfortable than before. I just answer then and joke around if they seems ok with it. Not only am i less shy to speak in person, but I got a little bit over my fear to speak on the phone. I always hated to speak on the phone but I recently had to make english phone calls. It's less stressing than I thought. Of course, I still do mistakes but it's not like the person is going to yell at me or anything so I don't bother anymore.

The internship: I learned more about the jewish community which was one of my goal. I'm glad about it because I hate being ignorant about a subject. It's the kind of situation that you tend to judge without really knowing them but they are very nice people. Other than that, If I had to do it again, I would probably change the environment. I like the place where I'm doing a stage but I don't like being in an hospital more than 2 hours. I'm a little bit scared of bacteria and all that stuff. Also, I wish I had done translation or something related to language. All I did was posting stuff around the hospital. 

Gratitude: I haven't finish my internship. My last day is next tuesday. I never thought about this but I'll probably thank her verbally and everyone else in the department. I'm going to thanks them for their warm welcome that they gave me.

The placement: This place is great if you are thinking about working in an office later on. You do a lot of office work and if you are comfortable with moving around the hospital and talking to patient, I recommend it. As for me, I didn't like doing office work since I was hoping to do translation. 

Blog Post #7: Practice makes perfect

I decided to choose to write a dialogue about a phone conversation that I had with the proxim pharmacy that is situated in the hospital. My supervisor told me to call them, to ask the owner of the place and then explain the situation.

In my head , I already had a little idea of what I wanted to say:
It did not turn this way at all. It looked more like;

Me: Hello, I'm from the volunteer... Err.... I mean, I'm doing a stage in the department of communication and... Ok, i'm sorry , I'm stressed talking on the phone in english.
The lady: That's ok, take your time.
Me: Ok well, I need to talk to "x".
The lady: He isn't here right now.
Me: Oh ok, bye.



Let's just say that I hate talking on the phone but I called afterward and talked to the manager. It went better than I thought.

In the future, I'll try to write a short dialogue of what can happen but next time, I want it to happen this way:

Me: Hello, I'm an intern from the General Jewish Hospital and I'm working in the communication department. May I speak with "X"?
The lady: Sorry, he's not here today.
Me: Oh well, can you pass me your manager?
The manager: Yes hello?
Me: Hi, I'm an intern from the GJH. I'm from the communication department. I'm calling to inform you that some of your signages are broken and needs to be replaced.
The manager: Ok, thank you for telling me.
Me: My pleasure. Have a good afternoon.


3. I heard one of the guy that work in the communication department talks with the boss. The conversation was very formal because the employee was saying stuff like "Ok, sir." Other than that, I don't see a lot of formal conversation. They are very close people, almost like a family so they often laught together etc.

4. I heard my supervisor speak with two of her collegue. I knew it was informal because it was not work related. They were talking about discounts that they saw at a shoes store. It was quite funny to heard them talk about stuff like this on their break.

I learn from these experiences to be more formal with my collegue since I'm younger. Also, the "you" can be polite but it depends on how you use it. As for me, I started using "sir" when I speak with someone so I make you that they don't think I'm being rude.

Blog post #6: Breaking it down

How has your English improved so far during your internship?

My listening comprehension has definetly got better. Even if the person speaks fast or with an accent, I understand without any problem. I admit that sometimes I doze off sometimes. So, I have to tell the person "I'm sorry, can you repeat?". Other than that, no problem on this side. Since i've been listening to lot of movies in english, it's never really been a problem.

When it comes to my accent, I still have problems with my "H" but other than that, I don't have anymore problems when it comes to say the "s" at the end of words and better than that. I'm getting better at pronuncing "Th"!! It took me a lot of time to figure out how to do this sound. There's just one problem. When someone speak with me and if the person has an accent, I tend to copy it. I spoke with a patient who was british. It's pretty funny to hear me speak with a british accent. 

Fluency: I wouldn't say that I became more fluent but I am definetly not stressed anymore when it comes to speaking with someone. Even better, last week, I was speaking on the phone in english! The easiest subject to talk about are definetly stuff that I speak with my friends everyday. Recently, my supervisor has become more relax and more friendly with me. We started talking about publicity around the hospital (This is about the chores I have to do. It's kind of hard to explain) and we were joking around. It's refreshing.
The only problem is that I tend to avoid some words that I know that I can't pronunce. For example, the word can/can't. When I say it, it's sounds the same. I also avoid saying the word three. This is the most complicated thing to me. At least, people knows that I'm not speaking about a tree!

Humour: Probably the most awkward situation ever. Amanda told me to call some compagnies and ask them about their publicity signage for windows and walls. I do what I have to do and so on, I call all of them. At the last compagny, I was supposed to ask with who they were working. The woman on the phone told me that they work with "Gaylord". I'm speechless and I'm like "Uhh... Gaylord?... Can you spell it? After that the woman spells it, I realised that I did heard well. After that, I had to explain to my supervisor about the compagny. I guess that it was weird after all. My supervisor was also speechless. This is a long story, but I also had to do a research about it on the internet. At least, i didn't get weird websites !

Accurary: I still have to practice the ending of some words. Like, when to pronunce the "ed" and if it should sounds more like a "t" or a "d" etc. For now, this is one of my main goal but like I said, for "s" , I don't have any problem. 

Select 5 new words, expressions or structures

Signage: My boss told me to search for signages Idea. At first, I didn't know what she meant but I had my cellphone (I have a dictionnary inside). After that, I searched for the word. Signage is signs for identification, warning or direction. I'm guessing that if I get a job soon, I will probably reheard this word if I'm working in a place that uses lot of publicity.

Familiated: Well, the context of this one is quite special. There's many teens hanging around the hospital and I heard one say "familiated". At first I was like "this is not a word? Is it?". I thought it was weird to hear that and so I decided to note it down and search for it, at the end of the day. Just like I guessed it, It's not a real word. It's more like a slang and it means someone that is being humiliated by a family member. I don't think i'll use this word but it's always fun to have a large slang vocabulary.

Eargasm: Yes, eargasm. Well, I knew this one but I think it was still funny to actually heard it in a conversation. I was moving around the hospital to give out some papers. There was this girl with her sister (or her mother. I'm not sure) and she said "this song, oh my god. Eargasm." I don't know what song she was talking about, but let's hope that it wasn't Justin Bieber!!!
Eargasm is a word to describe that the song you are hearing is so good that you get chills.

Redneck: There this old lady that I often see when I go to the hospital on tuesdays. Last time, I wanted to get in the elevator and she was there. She just started mumbling "freaking rednecks". Maybe I heard wrong but I found that the situation was quite funny. I definetly won't use this word in the future because I don't think it's a nice word. Rednecks are generally uncivilised, uneducated, racist and love outdoor sports (Hunting, fishing...). 


I actually don't hear many new words or expression so I'm trying to go with what I have and sometimes words/expressions can be quite weird.

Blog Post # 5: Cultural Encounters

Make cultural observations and compare your experience with Quebecois culture 
Last tuesday, when I entered in the hospital, I realized that there was Hanukkah things pretty much everywhere. I sometimes forget that my internship is in a Jewish Hospital. I was kind of curious so I looked how the candles that you are supposed to light for Hanukkah works. I couldn't get the name of the thing so I will call it a chandelier for now! They also celebrate christmas because there are a lot of mini christmas tree, in my department.

Last tuesday, when I was finishing my tasks, i heard someone putting music in the background.It was "Die young- Kesha". Not my kind of music but it's always better to work with music.

There's a lot of newspaper in the conference room of my department. All of them are Jewish newspaper. I've got to read them a while ago since Astrid (A girl in my department) asked me to search if there was anything about the hospital in it. I'm kind of surprise to see that the jewish community is this big, in Montreal. It's nice to learn more about other culture in your own country.

I didn't get the chance to ask them about Holidays since they are often busy but like I said, they do celebrate holidays like Christmas or Hanukkah. They are also doing a party for christmas. I'm currently helping them do organise it.

Describe the types of English you have been exposed to
I did heard slang since there's also a lot of teen wandering around the hospital. I sometimes listen to their conversation when I am passing by. Not that I want to spy on them but I want to learn new expression! 
I actually heard someone say "Bloody Hell" and I couldn't stop laughing since I knew this one and It is not american at all. If I am not wrong, this is British. 
Also, I hear someone say "Double-double" took me some times to realized that it was an expression about coffee. In case you are wondering, there's a second cup in the hospital. 

I didn't write anything right now, but I did some reading. I read the newspaper once or twice.

Sadly, I didn't get the chance to use idioms since I'm moving around the hospital. It would be funny to use an idioms while talking to an old lady, isn't it?

Select 5 new words, expressions or structuresWrite down:

• Screen(My supervisor were showing me the decoration for the holiday party and I didn't know the english word for it) : a movable or fixed device, usually consisting of a covered frame, that provides shelter, serves as apartition, etc. If I see one, I'll know the word for it.
• prospectus (While placing some magazines, someone asked me if those were prospectus.): a document describing the major features of a proposed literary work, project, business venture,etc., in enough detail so that prospective investors, participants, or buyers may evaluate it.
• Hashtag (someone in my department were talking about it): (on social-networking Web sites) a word or phrase preceded by a hash mark (#), used within amessage to identify a keyword or topic of interest and facilitate a search for it
• Menorah: The menorah is a seven branched candelabrum lit by olive oil in the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem. 

Rewards and challenges

• What has been the most difficult aspect of the internship for you so far?

Definetly to create link with people. Since I'm speaking in english, I don't get jokes or feelings the same way as I do in french.

• What has been the best part about the internship?

Wandering around the hospital is the best part of it. Because I get to talk to different people. 

Blog post #4

Describe interactions you’ve had in English and what you learned from them
Since I'm in an hospital, you get a lot of different interactions. Last week, I had to place some magazines in rack and place many posters on billboard at multiple place in the hospital. I clearly know that I'm the girl with no sense of orientation but it was still fun to ask people where to go. I also had small conversation in the elevator on my way to my quest (Yes... placing posters on a billboard are now a quest!!)
Other than asking my way and conversation in the elevator and with my supervisor, I don't think I had that many interactions, but it is still nice to see how much people are kind and patient, over there.

I try to not use "faux-amis" but look like i'm not the one using them. One day, when I arrived earlier , one of the man that work there told me "you can go ahead and read the journal." Isn't it funny coming from someone who's anglophone?

Other than that, I think that the english community is not that different from the french one. Maybe that they don't make as much as joke as I'm used to (Even though, I think it's more because they are busy ) and they always say sorry! 

How is learning English different in your internship than in a classroom?

It is very different because , compared than being in a classroom, in an immersion you don't really get the time to think of your answer so you have to be very spontaneous and that sometimes make the conversation a little bit awkward (just a little bit...)

Also, let's say that my host is not as smiley as my teacher! But more seriously, you have to be very independant and make sure to understand what they ask you do it. Mainly because I don't want to look irresponsible.

In other word, that's the real life!

For now, the two only strategy I got to use was the gestures ( Even in french, I use a lot of gestures) and the "talking out loud". When I learn a new word, I make the person repeat so I can say it and make sure I pronounce it well.

When it comes to challenge, I definetly had trouble finding my way in the hospital. Poor people that I had to stop on their way haha. I stopped probably twenty different person to ask the same question but, I'm persistant and in the end, I found my way!

Select 5 new words, expressions or structures

-Lanyards

-Billboard

I didn't really learnt new words.

Blog Post # 3: Diving in

Describe interactions you’ve had in English and what you learned from them
In my internship, I don't talk a lot with my supervisor but I do talk a lot with people around the hospital and that is probably my favorite part of my internship. I often wander around the hospital to place poster, magazines and information sheets. Also, I get lost most of the time since this hospital is huge! I always end up asking directions and where is x room or y place. I realized that I probably look weird to an anglophone person when I speak english. I tend to do a lot of gestures to explain simple things. As long as they understand me!
I did not learn any new expression, though. Like I said I don't talk a lot with my department since most of the time, I'm walking around the place to do some tasks. But hey who knows! I might learn a new expressions from an old lady.

Describe your observations of Anglophone culture
I don't want to generalize but in my department, people are not very punctual. They are supposed to start at 9 and some person arrive thirty minutes late, sometimes. I was kind of surprise by that since I always want to be on time. I had a hard time to ajust my schedule to theirs since that I was always 1 hour earlier than I was supposed to. I always try to kill time or else I end up doing over work! 
I don't think that people have a big scale of politeness. I know that they say sorry a lot, for pretty much nothing. Other than that, they call themselves by their first names all the time. I think it is because my department work together since a long time. In the morning, when you enter you can always see someone saying "good morning" to another one and they welcome everyone. Same when it comes to leave. Everyone says goodbye to everyone else.
I actually never saw them do jokes. Not that they are not funny but once again, I'm always on the first floor or the RC.
I'm having a hard time to dress like they do. When I asked my supervisor for the dress code, she told me "No joggings". I said ok and I always wear jeans. I think it's funny to see a girl wear a skirt or a dress in winter but the girls in my department still do it. My health pass before my style! Though, I'm still trying to look elegant since it is important to them.
When it comes to breaks, I never had one and that would be stupid anyway since I only work 2 hours and a half. That would be useless to have a break. I never saw my supervisor take one either.

Select 5 new words, expressions or structures
-Zionist: I was reading the newspaper. Someone asked me to read it to find if there was information about the JGH and I came across this word.
-Pavillion: I thought "Pavillon" was also pavillon is english.
-Raffle: I had to cut paper for their Christmas party.
-"Lick someone's boot": While placing stuff in the hospital, I heard an old lady say this.
-"break your back": I don't quite remember if this expression is right but I remember that someone said something similar to this because I was doing tasks since 8:30 while I'm supposed to start at 9.

So today, I went for my first day of internship at the Jewish General Hospital. The day wasn't planned like it was supposed to. Look like my host was too busy to show me the hospital. Oh well, next time, I guess!
It looked like it was a busy day in general in the communication department. There was lots of meetings.

• What struck you on the first day?

What struck me the most was probably the kindness and "welcoming-ness" of everyone. As soon as I entered, when people saw me they immediatly introduce themselves to me and welcome me. That was nice of them. 
When it comes to the linguistic observation, well I'm not sure if this could be considered linguistic but they say "sorry" a lot. I knew it was present but not that much ! People are so well mannered.

• What new language did you learn? Begin your language lexicon (2-5 new words, expressions, structures)

Sad thing about today is that I didn't get to talk a lot. Probably what frustrated me the most. I wanted to talk but I got the impression that my host was too occupied with other stuff. Well, I did the inventory of some gift they plan to give for their holiday party. Why I'm telling this? Well I learn a new word haha. I now know what the word "lanyard" is. Trust me, after five hundred forty five of them, that word is stuck in your head the rest of the day. Worst than a song haha.
Doing inventory is the only thing I've done today. That is why I'm a bit disappointed. 
But oh well! Next week, I'm sure it's going to be better.

• Did you have any misunderstandings? What can you learn from your mistakes?

I didn't have the chance to talk much but yes, there was one. I arrived early (way too much) and then there is Mister... I forgot his name (I'll ask him again!) But yeah, he said something so fast that I couldn't understand and I was feeling bad to make him repeat (Yes, I know, I should make him repeat again! Promise I'll do next time) So I just nodded my head and said yes. That's when he started to speak french haha. I'm proud of myself though, I kept talking english!