FAQ: Are you fluent in Creole?

Q. So, you're fluent in Creole, right?
A. Um... no. I am still very much learning the language. As far as speaking goes, I can generally express the basic version of what I want to say, but I'm often corrected. But that means they understood what I wanted! If I have time to think about what I want to say, the conversation goes much more smoothly. But if I'm put on the spot, then I forget my Creole and make a mess of things.

My listening skills are getting better, but there are still a lot of things I don't understand in Creole. I'm probably the best at understanding school related conversations, but I'm also getting pretty good at figuring out the sermon on Sunday too. If I know the verse or theme of Sunday's message, I can normally get the gist of what's being said.

If I were a serious student I could probably understand a lot more than I do now. But my students love to translate for me at school, and normally either Arold or Beth is with me when I go out. I have a bad habit of letting them talk for me at the first word I don't understand. Maybe someday I'll be brave enough to flounder on my own.