Thursday, October 31, 2002

I spent the rest of my day relaxing, watching snooker on EuroSport television.  Not the whole day; I did finish Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" tonight, and I really enjoyed it.  I previously lambasted the book as being pop science, and I shouldn't have; I got a lot out of it and have even more respect for the author than before.  Lesson learned. I located the house in which I will be living next year, and did some test commuting to get a feel for how long it takes.  At evening rush hour, it is less than 15 minutes each way; I used a shortcut found by my roommate Markus.  The house itself looks beautiful, though I didn't go it.  I noticed a satellite dish on its roof, which I assume means that we have good TV.  No broadband, though; I'll have to think about how to solve that one.   8:03:07 PM    comment []

This morning I went over to CALV to find out the results of my French exam, and (ostensibly) to take the Spanish test.  I knew, though, that I wasn't going to take the Spanish test unless I failed the French one. I passed with a level IV.  According to the Insead Language Policy this means that I have the "ability to conduct business".  Level V means "ability to interact in a foreign environment in any circumstance with the near-ease of a native speaker".  Level VI is "mother tongue". Insead also accepts language certification from state-certified cultural or commercial bodies.  For French, it is the Alliance Français; for Spanish, Instituto Cervantes.  The Language Policy details which tests correspond to which levels, and it is here that I believe that improvements can be made.  For example, the Level IV which I awarded corresponds to the DALF, while last week I only took the DELF (which is significantly easier).  It seems that in this case, the external exams are much more difficult than the tests administered by CALV.  I will comment on the Spanish correspondence after taking the DELE next Saturday.   7:55:33 PM    comment []