Bonjour mes amis! I can't believe that I have been in Villefranche for a week already. It's gone by so fast. I have been having such a good time and been so busy that it has been hard to find time to stop and write about it.After school on Wednesday I went to get a drink with some other students from school and by the time we went for a walk along the water and had dinner it was 10 pm when I got home! Thursday night we all went on a boat trip to Monaco and Friday night there was a party at the school so it's been quite busy.
The boat trip to Monaco was great but I felt sick after a while. The sea was very choppy and the boat wasn't that big so I enjoyed about the first third of it and then wanted to go home! The view was extraordinary and on the way back I literally saw a red sun setting behind Villefranche. I have never seen anything like it - a huge red sun. I tried to take a photo of it but the camera couldn't pick it up and it didn't last long but it made the sea sickness well worth it.
The people on the course are great - a diverse group of people from many walks of life, mostly older than me. There are a few younger people here but I would say the average age is 50. On the first morning we all took a test and our name and age was on the front page and on a quick glance around my table of 8 people, there were four women in their 60s. There is one man here who is 80 and the youngest would be a girl who I would guess is in her early 20s. There are 10 people in my class incuding myself. Two women in their 60s, one man in his 50s, 2 men in their 40s, 2 women in their 50s, one woman in her 40s and 2 of us in our 30s. I noticed that they all seem to have considerably more experience with the language after a couple of days and I asked the teacher at the party last night if I was in the wrong class! She said that my initial test showed I was more Beginners 2 level but that there is no Beginners 2 class this time so they put me up. She said that she could see I was picking things up quickly and that she would have put me down to Beginners 1 if she was worried so I am lucky! I want to learn as much as I can so I'm glad to have the opportunity to get a good headstart.
I'm sad to say there are no hot men around, well, none that aren't married. One of the teachers is gorgeous, I can imagine all the girls fall in love with him (see right). The teachers are all very funny and it's amazing how much we all laugh and understand what is going on. I think the teachers must be trained to speak with the simplified vocabulary and they are all entertainers. Some of the translation issues are hilarious. We were discussing our favourite cuisine and one woman mispronounced 'Francaise' and said 'Francois', which is a boys name. The teacher said, 'you like to eat Francois??? Ooh la la!' and proceeded to back away slowly, it was hilarious. 
Some things are normal, like the state of my apartment. As Dad would say, 'it looks like a bomb has hit it.' I've been having too much fun to tidy up! So here I am in Villefranche on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, writing in my blog, replying to all my emails and cleaning my bedroom! I will update my blog when I can but it takes me a long time to put one together, maybe an hour? Sometimes more. Anyway, I shall leave it at that for now and post more when I can.Hope you are all happy and well. :)
M. x
Sweetness! Xx
ReplyDeleteMel, I was so pleased to come across your blog because I am busy preparing to leave on Friday for Villefranche and my month at L'Institut. Are you still enjoying yourself? Are your pleased with your progress in speaking French?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear your impressions now that your program is drawing to a close.
Merci!
Kathleen
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ReplyDeleteThank you M for making this blog. I just signed up for Cohen, submitted my blood results and expecting my meal plans in a couple of weeks. I'm scared and excited at the same time.. but mostly scared because i really want to stick to this and lose weight but im not sure if i can do it. All i know is that, a LOT of people i know think i can't do it (even my own parents) but i know deep down that i can and i really wanna prove them wrong.
ReplyDeleteI've been working out for the past 2 months so hopefully i can still keep my workout regime when I start cohens, and eating better so when i start cohens, i wont shock my body. My real problem is the cravings and portion control. :(
Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for keeping this blog to help me stay motivated!
Irene
Kathleen, I loved it! My French improved so much - I bet you've found that already. :)
ReplyDeleteBbbanannie - I've commented on your blog. :)
Irene - you go girl! You can do it. After the first week your results will be that good that you will want to keep going! :)