MANNERS AND OTHER MATTERS

Language schools are notoriously difficult to choose. Does one want an intensive learning experience, an experience which offers a range of opportunities to complement language with culture, a school which offers a style of teaching which suits the adult student,  a school which encourages the modern vernacular of the chosen language, and immersion? When I was selecting the language school with which I would invest my time, and money, all of these considerations were paramount for me, no one more important than the other. The Institut (photo LP 2013) My research led me, via numerous internet bypasses, to the   Institut de Français  and I have been a student now in the four week immersion course for two weeks.The program is unique in its approach to language learning...writing notes is discouraged, and speaking freely without fear of mistakes is encouraged. Grammar is incorporated, rather than being the primary target of the learning experience. I...

Villefranche-sur-Mer (photo LP 2013) As I mentioned in my last post my time in France, and in particular,  Villefranche-sur-Mer,is going to be an opportunity for me to experience a different culture...and an extraordinary language learning opportunity at the Institut de Fran ç ais . After three days in this town on the "Riviera", and out of peak tourist season which I understand completely changes the atmosphere of this tiny ville,  I have been welcomed by the locals. The flight from Australia was over a period of 26 hours from Perth via Singapore and Paris to Nice.  And then I had the  discovery of my petite apartment in a 16th century building,  my new home for a month. My house in Perth is considered huge by European standards;  my apartment in Villefranche is tiny in comparison. In Australia my home is surrounded by large gardens and lawns;  here in Villefranche I live in five rooms, surrounded by other ancient buildings which...