Saturday, March 2, 2019

Succeed in DELF B2 Exam November 2018 first time with excellent mark and within 8 months !! HOW did i do it?

Hello everyone,

              Before I start telling you guys some tips and advices how did I succeed the DELF B2 exam, I will let you know my background a bit first. First of all, I am Indonesian (nationality) and I was aiming to get a scholarship in France for my Master Degree which most of you have known that this country required you to speak at least basic to survive the daily life there which i am sure it is not wrong to learn a language that you are interested in and definitely it will become helpful whenever it is needed. Communication is always the key to solve a problem, isn't it ? ;)

              So before taking the exam, I did attend intensives courses of French language for total of 8 months (From A1 to B2) which is really crazy if you ask me how was the progress, but yeah it was satisfying at the same time cause in present, I already have my Instant DELF B2 certificate which of course without doubt i am very proud of it ;) I am certain that you guys have heard that regularly people who had taken the DELF B2 exam did not pass in one batch especially when they just learned the language for some time (let's say less than a year). And yeah, I am totally new to this language and I GOT the certificate in 9 months (TOTAL) !! Which is WOOOHOOO~ (Despite of my hardship and sleepless night I got during the learning time, lol!) It does feels amazing when I set this goal at the beginning of the year as a resolution and by passing this, it just makes you relieved and even will work harder in the future. (BTW, I am not trying to exaggerate myself, my point is i do really study hard and make it happen).

               On early November of 2018, I took DELF Examination B1 & B2 levels. Luckily it was held on different days, just one day difference though. It was very nerve-wrecking actually especially when there were so many rumors were going on such as "You will never get more than 10 right answer in your Comprehension Orale for your first delf b2 exam", "There are always person who didnt pass in one batch of examination", "Delf B2 is a nightmare" and so on. The reason why i took B1 & B2 at the same time was because I am afraid just in case I did not pass the B2 to apply for a master degree at least i can use B1 to apply License 3 (L3) because DELF examinations are only held three times a year (at least in my country) hence if ever i didnt pass the November, I will have to take the upcoming March next year which will surpass the deadline of my master degree's application.

                Now, now.. I am sure now you are very curious then how the way I do it ? Well, French is a language where it is similar when you learn other languages such as German, Spanish or any other languages in the world. 3 Main keys to follow :
1. CONSISTENCY
2. PRACTICE (paper based)
3. PRACTICE (oral based, can be listening too either music, movie,etc)
And Voila~, C'est tout! OUI OUI, C'est tout !
Now now, you will think that I did not explain it on detail. But yeah, whatever methods, books, movie, games for learning French you do (read,listen,play) but if ever you missed these 3 steps then, you will never learn...Trust me,....In anyway, do not take it too hard, this is my style, it might be different than yours, you might be more intelligent and might not need one of those 3. As for myself, I practiced those 3 main keys and I succeed, so..It might be your way too ? :)

                 Based on my learning, personally, I read French language learning BOOKS such as Version Originale A1,A2, Tendances A1,A2. These books are used during my course too in the French language Institute in my city. Then, I also look up on the internet some past DELF exam questions and case where I practice it one by one to enchance my French language. I also use the DELF ABC book, it let you practice case by case for every elements that are tested in the DELF B2. As for Indonesian and other Asian, I am pretty sure that most of us have difficulties in CO (listening) and PO (Production Orale) but again, it is stereotype coz as for myself, it was different. I have difficulties in CO and CE. In order to succeed CO, there is no way than to practice it constantly and get used to the conversation which means you will need to repeat until you understand most of the sentences those had been communicated. PO, you will need to practice with someone else (friend, professeur, anyone) and if you dont have much friends to practice, you can do it by yourself by facing the mirror or record your own voice and listen to them. CE & PE, definitely easier as you just need to do the case that provided by the methods. However, keep in note all of these elements, you must enlarge your vocabulary. Do not use the beginner's slang, unformal words, and low lexical words. Keep in mind that the DELF B2 exam required you to be a professional and formal so all words spoken must be high lexical and sounds polite. Not to mention, if you have passion in French, like enjoying their novels, listening to music, watching the French news or talkshow, it will absolutely comes in handy during your exam. (TRUST ME, cause I loved some French's music and It helps me a lot). Oh, if you ask me who is my favorite singer, I will mention Anggun first as She is the first Indonesian who pursued International music career in France and succeed in the old days (1998) by her breakthrough single, Snow on the Sahara :D hehehe..

Last but not least to prove you that I passed my DELF B2 exam! Here you go ~
My DELF B2 certificate
Who says it is impossible ? No one, I have proved it is possible and so can you ! :D
Thank you for reading this post till the end and I wish you luck if ever you are taking the DELF any level coming soon !!

Oh, if you have any question, you can ask me on my personal ig (check on my profile).

Greetings with Love,
Steven

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Those memorable moments in Germany with my Amazing Friend

Hello guys,

            Apologize for not showing up lately. I was kinda retiring from writing for a quite long time surely. However, do not worry as for now I decided to come back coz writing makes me happy and I really like to share all these beautiful experiences of mine to the world. I believe the universe gives to those who share.

           In anyhow, Today I will talk about my last year holiday in Europe (Germany mostly) for 14 days. I spent 14 days in total from Christmas 2018. Thanks to my amazing friend, A German, I successfully gained the Schengen visa to visit her country and of course, West Europe (Netherlands, France and Germany).

            Generally, I have a very impressive and positive impression during my visit in Germany. How could it not be ? Basically, they have a very systematic and 'ontime' public transportations from Bus,Tram,Train, etc and so on. Roads are very clean, access to park and greeneries is super easy, Fresh air is everywhere even in the city (It is not going to happen in my country especially in the big city, lol). You can also drink water during shower, drinking from the tap and yeah, fill water in the toilet which is so uncommon for European themselves (Except for myself ;p lol). At first thought before I came to Germany, What was in my mind is that Germany is a western country so food must be very unhealthy like hamburger,pizza and so on. In contrast, they are really healthy !!! High quality crops and meats are very accessible and cheaper than other countries I visited in Europe (France & Netherlands), Dairy products ? CHEAPEST as well! You definitely not able to purchase yoghurt for 20 cents in Asia !! Not to mention, they always have this promotion decks where all the products are on sale!

             Since my friend live in Stuttgart, I managed to travel the cities around this city such as Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Oberstdorf and Heidelberg. In my opinion, they are all amazing and unique. If you like skyscrappers view, go to Frankfurt. Stuttgart is more like modern city but not too sophisticated.. you can still feel some traditional and modern life mixed together which makes it comfortable. Heidelberg is more have traditional feeling regarding the architecture like old 1800-1900s eras, however not all it's just most. Darmstadt is very peaceful in some place and cool in the city center with a lot of stuffs.

            As this is a flashback series, I cannot seem to remember all. But I was fond by the architecture, cuisine (I tried many type of sausages from brown to white) in instance pastas, vegetables, salads, steak. I recalled myself finishing the tremendeous pork knuckle in Oberstdorf (Thanks to my dad's recommendation). Food is very natural I would say in Germany, they do not use much MSG and just high quality and natural products to cook which I really like cause I love healthy and natural food.

                One thing though, I think I won't survive much without my friend's help.. Services is good however people seem to be cold and direct at first sight. Of course, out of this stereotyping there are still some kind people who left like an old mate who greeted me in a church out of nowhere in Stuttgart. And main thing is people do not really speak english here and prefer to speak in German which is very understandable for those who do not have English as their first / mother language.

             In resume, I will leave you guys some pictures of mine which is very memorable and wonderful ! Thank you for visiting and reading guys ! Till next post ;)

In Amsterdam

Near my friend's house

In one of the best university in the world

The park, 10 mins from my friend's house
Forest access from the tram to the city


The Fernsturm Tower, Stuttgart

Stuttgart City Center

Mercedez Benz Museum, Stuttgart

With Yasmin, my amazing German friend

Posing together in Oberstdorf

With her and her mom

Oberstdorf !

Reunion with my friend who studied in Thailand together

Frankfurt Centerville

Oberstdorf Castle

Heidelberg, Germany

Darmstart Museum

Review for International Students : Residence Olympique in Montpellier, France by CROUS RESIDENCE

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