I can't speak French anymore O.o

So this is rather frightening.

As you may or may not know, I'm studying double honours French and Japanese at UEA, but am currently on my year abroad in Kyoto, Japan. Before that, I was working in the South of France, trying to improve my French. But that kind of seems like a wasted effort now.

Last weekend, I went camping with OEC, a group of people at the University who arrange activities where Japanese students and exchange students can meet and interact. One of my friends who always attends these events is a lovely Japanese girl called Eri, who is currently studying French. She has only been learning for one year, but is already better than nearly everyone I know after they had studied five years of French. Whilst trying to have a little conversation with her, I found myself tripping over my French, trying to put Japanese words into my sentences, and generally failing at communication as a whole.

I know my brain gets confused when three languages are floating around in it and I try to use them all at once, but it really was a struggle trying to get even simple French out.

Now I know that I'm probably over-reacting. My French is a little rusty, and I probably just need to read a few books or articles, watch a couple of videos and have a chat with someone in French for it to "all come flowing back" or something like that.

But the thing is, I don't want to. At least not at the moment. I'm at the point with my Japanese now where all my Japanese friends are marveling at how 'good' I have gotten at Japanese. I feel like I really need to push further before going home, and I'm hoping I can hit a jump and increase my level before I return to the land of Yorkshire Puddings and poor language skills. I don't want to slow down my Japanese by trying to improve or even just refreshing my French. But at the same time, I have to go back to University in England in just over four months, and I'm going to be sitting in classes with people who have just spent a year in France boosting their language to what might be a close-to-fluent standard.

I guess I will just have to push forward with my Japanese, and do an intensive refreshing session when I land in England a month before the new term starts.