This post will be shorter because I am very weary and still have homework to do before tomorrow morning. To begin with, I will give you a brief synopsis of yesterday. To prepare for my first day at school, Patricia my host, kindly offered to accompany me to the city centre (centre ville) to ensure I knew the tram route and the school location. Bless her heart because it made this morning's excursion relativley stress free. She also took me to the Information Centre (l'Office de Tourisme) where I picked up a map and several brochures of things to see and do at a later date. She then left me to wander about the old city for several hours admiring the beautiful buildings, exploring narrow alleyways and taking a number of photos. I've attached a few so that you can see why people love old Montpellier. To top off a lovely afternoon, I stopped at an outdoor café on the Esplanade and enjoyed a glass of vin rouge and a late déjeuner.
Today, I had to be at ILA by 8:00 a.m. for a presentation by one of the professors in French. Basically, she told us about some of the school rules and regulations and I was surprised that I could follow some, if not most of what she had to say. Before 9:00, I was ushered off to another room with a group of 5 others for the A2 Standard Course. These students were from Spain, Japan, England, Norway etc. We had a couple of journalists, 2 lawyers and a musician. I was the oldest and the only one who was no longer working. Actually, that's not true ... one or two are presently unemployed.
Our professor, Pauline is very kind, patient and animated. Professors speak only in French and may resort to drawing or actions if they cannot explain a word or concept. Three hours whizzed by as we participated in four different activities including grammar, vocabulary, group discussions, working in pairs, watching a short film, asking questions etc. After the class, Gemma, the girl from Spain asked if I wanted to join her for a coffee before we went on the afternoon's excursion. She will be moving up a level because her French is much better than the rest of the class. I think she wanted to join me to learn more about Canada and opportunities for employment in our country. It was a very pleasant, but short visit. The excursion led by another professor,Angelique, taught us about some of the history and peculiarities of some of the buildings in the old city. I only caught some of what she had to say and Gemma translated some of the bits I couldn't understand. I wasn't going to go initially, but then figured, the more I expose myself to listening to the language, the more I will be able to understand it.
In my next entry, I will share some of my observations about some of the people and things I've noticed to date. I'll even come up with some personal insights. Stay posted.
Patricia in front of Les 3 Grâces statue fountain at the Place de la Comédie
Le Théâtre la Place de la Comédie
My School ILA
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