| For many of us who learned a new language for | | | | 1. I bought a language learning software from the |
| a specific purpose, it's possible that once that | | | | web and occasionally take one of the included |
| event is over, we never had use for the | | | | tests there once a week. |
| vernacular again. This was true for me when I | | | | 2. I watch French TV on cable and (I'm pretty |
| learned French as a preparation for my two-year | | | | ashamed of this one) try to parrot the words |
| deployment to our branch office in the France. | | | | that the lead actors say. |
| While I gained a working use of the language | | | | 3. I can also read French pretty well, so I |
| there (and probably got better than I ever | | | | subscribe to some blogs in that vernacular on my |
| expected), I've been back in the US for over five | | | | RSS reader. For instance, I love reading about |
| years now. As such, there are very few | | | | technology and design. There are actually tons of |
| opportunities for me to try and use it in order to | | | | French blogs that cater to those markets so I |
| keep the skill fresh. | | | | subscribe to a select few of them. Since I'm going |
| Even though I don't see myself returning to | | | | to read news anyway, I might as well brush up |
| France soon, I'd like to be able to keep what I | | | | on my French while I'm at it. |
| have learned of the language. After all, it's a skill I | | | | 4. Anytime I meet French speakers, I always beg |
| burned eyebrows for over many long nights. As | | | | them to speak with me in the language. It can be |
| such, I do a few things to keep up my familiarity | | | | pretty funny, especially when it's a French guy |
| with French, all while I rarely use it for | | | | trying to practice his English - I'll be talking in his |
| conversations here at home. | | | | native tongue while he churns out words in mine. |