How time flies! It is now Saturday and I finally have some time to catch up on a few blog posts. Once again, the weather this week-end is cool and overcast so I'm not going to venture far from Villefranche. This week has been very full, just like the rest. On Tuesday, I did my exposé in French in front of my class. The subject of my exposé was my blog and I am so grateful to my step-daughter, Robin, who not only inspired me to write a blog, but also took the time to patiently teach me how to do it. My blog is really a personal account of my journey to learn French as an adult and my experiences and adventures along the way. Despite being nervous, I think it went fairly well. Now that all the students in our class have had a chance to present their exposés we have begun a series of debates which will conclude the final day of school. Topics range from wage disparity between men and women to issues around immigration. All students have to contribute to the debate using appropriate verb conjugations etc. and we take turns being monitor of the debate. The following day, as with the exposés, Bruno, gives us feedback and corrects our mistakes.
I continue to take advantage of the extras such as the morning news segment, restaurant outings and cinema club. This week we watched a film called "Sur les Lèvres". It was a bit violent in parts so I had to avert my eyes a few times. The film had French subtitles which really helped me follow the story. As usual, Julen's synopsis also filled in some of the blanks. When I return to Canada, I am going to make a point of watching more French films.
Each afternoon, we participate in a class called "Séance Pratique". The classes have been taught by a variety of profs and the subjects are meant to assist us with everyday situations including vocabulary (standard and familial) and customs. For example, we have learned how to greet people on the street, how to make a telephone call, book a plane flight etc. These sessions are generally a lot of fun as students take turns role playing different scenarios. This last session was a bit different. Intitially we were all given chef hats to wear. Then we learned how to make crêpes, but in doing so, we also learned the vocabulary for kitchen utensils, common ingredients and recipe methods. At the end, Neil, one of students came to the front and prepared the recipe alongside Julien. We were all offered a crêpe and a glass of cider. Once again, the school proved to me that it is a "class act".
"Jay" and "Jo-Jo"
Julien and Neil, le chef du jour.
Neil enjoying his cider. His crêpe is already eaten!
Friday afternoon, we heard there was going to be a fund raising event this week-end to raise money for restoration projects in Villefranche. This event features artisans, music, and food and drinks to purchase. Several of us thought it might be fun, so we headed down early. As we were looking about for the precise location, we happened to run into one of our former classmates, Viveca and her friend, Kia. They were sitting on a park bench outside of a beautiful apartment building. It turns out this was the building where she was renting her apartment for the month. She kindly invited us in for a glass of wine and a chat. If all goes well, she hopes to purchase an apartment of her own in Villefranche in the very near future.
Viveca and Kia on the left; Dania, Lynn and Douglas on the right.
After a most pleasant visit, we continued on our mission to find the music, artisans, food and drink. Sure enough, we heard the same swing/jazz group that we had seen on Tuesday. By this time, more people were coming to the square. We wandered about for a bit and then went into the restaurant La Belle Époque for dinner and conversation. By the time we finished dinner and returned to the square, quite a few of the other students had joined in the festivities. We stayed for a short while, but the long week and subsequent fatigue had taken its toll. Up the hill and home to bed we went.
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