That’s true! That’s one legendary art of France that Alliance Francaise does not teach you as it gets you to talk the talk in French!
Alliance Francaise is over 100 yrs old with the first centre opening in Paris in 1884. Its Mumbai centre where I studied was started in 1935. (no no! I am not that old!) I became a devout member in the year 1998.
What is Alliance Francaise ?
(From now on to be referred as AF due to extreme bouts of laziness the reviewer faces and lovingly embraces from time to time!)
AF is a Government of France recognized institute that teaches French across the world. India itself boasts of over 20 cities which have AF centers. They have 5 basic levels starting from Level 1 – Diplome 2 (that’s how French spell diploma! And pronounce it as diplom with the I being stretched to sound like E! like deepa!). They teach you how to read, write and most importantly speak French or should I say right French!
Whats so different about AF say vis a vis studying French in school and college?
Like I said they teach you to SPEAK French! So apart from getting your grammar right and teach you abcd, AF teachers refuse to speak in any other language but Francais! They will draw pictures, mimic till you die of confusion or laughter, but they do not speak anglais or Hindi (indee) ou Marathi (marath) or any such language you claim to understand. AND if you speak in any of the above mentioned languages instead of French, theres a fine of 5 bucks for every time you break the rule of “On va parler seulement en Francais.” So after initial few days of confusion, you actually pick up the language much better than you would ever anywhere else!
How different is the teaching method?
You haven’t seen what interactive is TILL you have studied at AF! I mean theres so much that happens in the class to make it interactive. You make presentations and you have jeu de role (role plays) involving you along with other classmates that you think on, write and then present in front of the class! The teachers hardly seem to teach in the truest sense of the term. I mean they teach you the grammar, then give you a very practical exercise to do and make sure the concept becomes pucca!
What else do we learn?
Apart from studying the language, theres a lot you learn about the French culture, their mindsets and their habits. They have an awesome bibliotheque (library) with books as well as magazines which you have an access to as a student or a member. The have an audiotheque also where you can hear French cassettes and learn the right accent.
Some other cultural activities?
Oooh Yes! That’s the best part about AF. They have regular movie screenings, cultural shows of artists from France, plays and all that jazz! They also have days where you can put up plays of your own and have reading competitions etc! We had done Wizard of OZ in French and what fun it was! I was the Scarecrow! Geez! And some sweet gal actually commented that “Oh! You don’t even need any make up!!” That bh! Hehe!
How much dough do you need?
The courses aren’t cheap, but they aren’t too expensive either! At that time they used to cost 2500k per level and then some examination fees since the papers are sent to France for them to be checked! I wish they would send us there to write the exam too! ;)
The best part is yet to come! AF is an awesome breeding ground for super people who have an uncanny ability of becoming very good friends! I found my core group of friends at AF and we are still thick buddies.
And the super best thing that happened to ME at AF??
I found Mayunk! Need I say more?
So they might not teach you to French kiss, but someone to do it with! ;)
Voulez vous parlez francais?