Well, I am back in Winnipeg and now starts the hard part. Learning Michif while living Michif was one of the most valuable experiences of my life and I sincerely hope that I can keep it up. Keeping Michif while living in Winnipeg surrounded only by English speakers is already posing a challenge
I was asked to keep up the blog, because as boring as I think my life is, Michif language is not. I remembered that this Michif language acquisition, immersion and revitalization is not a "on-off" project. There should not be an end to learning and using Michif. As far as language in my life go, I could maybe afford to stop using pig-latin and maybe my walkie-talkie lingo and still survive, but I really do not think I can afford to lose Michif.
So here it is, the life of a single, urban, indoor-plumbing using, Winnipeg Métis woman using and learning Michif. The trials and tribulations of cabin life and learning the language has now transformed into the trials and tribulations of finding a Michif speaker in the city.
Just when I thought I was going to have to lean only on my Elders - with a growing long distance bill - I spontaneously inaugurated a new student today. My former graduate studies classmate, misery-loves-company, dear friend Sharon Humphrey was just reflecting on how she wished she used the Cree she learned years ago a little bit more.
Too late; I heard her; she couldn't take it back. I pounced.
She is now the somewhat-willing recipient of my Michif conversations. Knowing my dear friend Sharon spent her "formative" years living in Montreal acquiring her "more-than-just-swears-and-drink-orders" French as well as her Cree skills make her my new urban Michif buddy.
I promised her lots of talking - in Michif - about people behind their backs and that sold her.
In all honesty, though, Sharon has one valuable resource that I do not have. She has a young 5 year old son. I secretly hope he will not only be arriving to kindergarten in September with a backpack full of hot wheels cars, but a little "Taanshi kiya" too.
I was asked to keep up the blog, because as boring as I think my life is, Michif language is not. I remembered that this Michif language acquisition, immersion and revitalization is not a "on-off" project. There should not be an end to learning and using Michif. As far as language in my life go, I could maybe afford to stop using pig-latin and maybe my walkie-talkie lingo and still survive, but I really do not think I can afford to lose Michif.
So here it is, the life of a single, urban, indoor-plumbing using, Winnipeg Métis woman using and learning Michif. The trials and tribulations of cabin life and learning the language has now transformed into the trials and tribulations of finding a Michif speaker in the city.
Just when I thought I was going to have to lean only on my Elders - with a growing long distance bill - I spontaneously inaugurated a new student today. My former graduate studies classmate, misery-loves-company, dear friend Sharon Humphrey was just reflecting on how she wished she used the Cree she learned years ago a little bit more.
Too late; I heard her; she couldn't take it back. I pounced.
She is now the somewhat-willing recipient of my Michif conversations. Knowing my dear friend Sharon spent her "formative" years living in Montreal acquiring her "more-than-just-swears-and-drink-orders" French as well as her Cree skills make her my new urban Michif buddy.
I promised her lots of talking - in Michif - about people behind their backs and that sold her.
In all honesty, though, Sharon has one valuable resource that I do not have. She has a young 5 year old son. I secretly hope he will not only be arriving to kindergarten in September with a backpack full of hot wheels cars, but a little "Taanshi kiya" too.
9/18/2007
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