A Memorable Experience- Two Weeks of Bliss!
What would you do if you had the opportunity to travel to France and be a part of an institution there to learn French?
Attending classes everyday at university, some days looking forward for class and other days just wanting it to end so you could go back home to sleep, go out, have lunch, or anything else. Mostly, it's the same routine every day.
However, imagine on one of those days your professor walks into class and announces that one of the students in that class you are in, has the opportunity to go to France and become a part of an institution to learn French.
Well, that’s what my French professor, Joseph Fiannaca, had announced. We were asked to write the reason he should pick us and why we would like to go. I thought why not go for it?! I went back home, wrote a letter, and gave it in during class. That's what several girls had done.
After probably a week or two I was told that I had been chosen! It was surreal! I was absolutely excited and thrilled! I started imagining all the things I will do in France, the people I'm going to encounter, the places I will visit, I also imagined myself coming back from France being able to speak French fluently!
Later on, my mum and I went to l'institut du Français in Jabriya (previously known as Institut Voltaire) in order to choose an area in France to stay in and an institution in that area. We ended up picking Paris! The chosen institution was "Elfe École de Langue Française" which gained a worldwide reputation in teaching French as a foreign language to adults in small groups of 6 people maximum. Madame Sadia, the institution's director, helped us pick a place and was helpful in facilitating some matters for us.
I disliked the idea of staying with a host family therefore my parents and sisters decided to come with me to France. Who would want to miss out on such a trip anyway?! Even though we've been there several times, one definite thing is that one never gets bored or used to going to France. That’s how stunning this country is!
On the 7th of July we arrived to what is known as the "City of Lights," Paris. Although it was the summer, the weather was far from that. It was freezing! I was preparing myself for the next morning; papers I had to take, pen, outfit, etc. I had all sorts of emotions and thoughts crossing my mind. I was excited, scared, and worried about how it was going to be like and how the people I was going to meet were going to be like.
On the 8th of July, my first day at the institution, my mum and I woke up very early to look for the institution. The fact that my mum spoke French made matters go smoother and easier. We asked for directions and took the metro. My institution was on the street Montmartre, which I found beautiful. My mum and I entered the institution and I was placed in a room with several people. We were spoken to individually to determine which level we should be placed in. The professors working there were very sweet. After we were all placed in the levels we were supposed to be in, classes started. My classmates were very friendly and kind. Yoshiko, Makoto, and Reika were from Japan, Yeray was from Spain, and Ting was from China. They all wanted to learn French for different reasons. I loved my class a lot and constantly looked forward to going. I really liked my French professor, Marianne.
In addition, the 101 and 102 courses that I took with Professor Joseph Fiannaca made me capable of understanding the French language more. But when I started taking classes at the Elf institute and interacting with French speakers, I felt that I can respond better when being talked to in French because everyone around me spoke French only.
My mum only went with me the first 3 days, after that I had to depend on myself. I learnt how to go to the institution alone. The best thing about using the metro was it made me feel like the citizens who used it for their everyday life. It is an efficient way of moving around France.
I went on a couple of excursions with those people who joined the institution the same day I did. We walked a lot! For hours actually! At the time, however, I didn’t feel like I walked a lot. The weather was so beautiful and so was the environment and people around. We went to the Louvre using the RER (a train a bit bigger and faster than the metro), Centre Georges Pompidou, and walked around Rue Rivoli (a street in Paris).
On one of the days I went to the excursion, the instructors in charge left us in the middle of nowhere and I had to find my way back home. Surely it was frightening as I had to look for the nearest metro, but once I got to the metro I recognized some areas plus luckily I had the skills to ask for directions and I understood what they said. Because of that, I was able to get back home on time. When I arrived I felt like I accomplished something immense! I was proud of myself!
The students I was with were all from different countries: Belgium, America, Switzerland, Germany, Britain, and Spain. I truly loved them all despite the short amount of time I knew them in. I was asked about Kuwait and how it was like living in it and about Muslims and the "hijab"- headscarf worn by Muslim women. I didn’t think they were racists at all. They were nothing but sweet and the two Belgium boys I had met were educated 17 year olds who read the newspaper and had some information about the Arab countries. They were not close-minded or ignorant at all towards the Islamic religion or towards the Middle-East like some people think they are.
I also visited several places with my family such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Sacré-Cœur, Moulin Rouge, walked around the famous street, Champs-Elysees, and went to other places as well.
On my last day at the institution, I received a certificate. This trip was one of the best trips of my life. It was truly one of the greatest experiences ever. I loved the fact that I met different people of different ages, countries, and backgrounds! It was the best French scholarship experience ever and I'm extremely thankful and pleased that I had the opportunity to go and that I went for it and wrote the letter to Professor Joseph. I would do it all over again! It is one of those times I would want to rewind and go back to!
