MANNERS AND OTHER MATTERS

Class of 1973, CCGGS, Canberra, Australia An invitation to attend the 40th Reunion of the Class of '73 at the Canberra Church of England Girls' Grammar School has recently arrived, in a very modern manner, via a closed group on Facebook. For the "girls"with whom I have already spoken, it had been a surreal moment in time...is it really 40 years since we left school.? We all know we have changed, have had major life experiences along the way, and so why is it that we all feel so much the same? I have been thinking about the concepts and realities of friendship. I met my first girlfriend on my first day at school in 1961 at Loreto Convent Kirribilli, in Sydney.  We were seated next to each other and when we emerged from our very first day at "big school" we found our anxious mothers standing beside their cars speaking with each other.  For both of them it was the first day at school for their first born...many years later I was to empathise ...

The Dalai Lama in  Melbourne (photo Justin McManus, The Age)  It has been a fortnight in which bad manners have unfortunately had front and centre stage. These manners have not only been exemplified by our politicians, readying for the battle of a looming Federal Election, and some of the journalists who report on their campaign;  they have also dominated the headlines of the newspapers about the battle for appropriate behaviour on Western Australia’s public transport system. And I use the word “battle” cautiously.  It seems as if so much of Australian society, from the top down, is in “battle” mode.  Common courtesy and considerate gestures seem to have no place in this “lucky country” .  Unlike most of the world, while Australia endures some economic turbulence, we have nothing of the scale of Europe, for example. I have been interviewed a few times this week about manners in our society.   Tomorrow, following on from an in...

I am a tourist in Monte Carlo (photo a fellow tourist 2013) Three days ago, I returned to Australia after a seven week sojourn in France, during which I completed a four week French language immersion program at the Institute de Français in Villefranche-sur-Mer. I have written about my observations of the wonderful Institut in recent posts. Jet stream from aircraft sending a "kiss" to my apartment in Villefranche-sur-Mer (photo LP 2013) The course was followed by a two week mother/son “road trip” firstly through Provence, and then through the wine growing regions of Bordeaux. My son and I,  both “foodies”, challenged ourselves by attempting to emulate some of the beautiful meals we shared. While visiting the fresh food markets in the little towns and stocking up on provisions,  I practised my French with the stall owners while he chose the various vegetables, fruits, fish, fruits de mer,  poultry and meats with which we would try and reconstru...

Villefranche-sur-Mer, as seen from  Cap Ferrat (Photo LP 2013) After almost seven weeks my sojourn in France is ending in a few days.  Having spent short holidays in France over the past 30 years, I wanted to stay for a longer period and to have the opportunity to live like a local, albeit a transient one.  My month long course at the Institut de français in Villefranche-sur-Mer enabled me, for five weeks, to mix within the welcoming community of that ville...to share their market, their boulangerie, their boucher, their inclement weather, and their daily greetings as I would commence my walk up the hill to my "school" each morning.  The teachers and administration personnel at the Institut were, each and every one of them, encouraging of we students, even while they corrected our language and at times laughed with us over our mistakes.  The two teachers who conducted my class, Intermediate 3, over the four...

Villefranche...the restaurant strip beside the water (Photo LP 2013) After four weeks in Villefranche-sur-Mer,France, I have settled in and feel a little like a local.  My regular contact with the people in the little boulangerie, the nearby small supermarket, the butcher,  the Tabac and the small shops I pass each day on my way to and from  Institut de Français  has resulted in a familiarity which I would not have expected.  The regular " bonjour, ça va?" as I pass, or when I visit the market each Saturday morning, has made me feel at home.  When I have mentioned  that I am a student at the Institut the local people immediately smile and encourage me to speak in French, which was awkward in the beginning but as I have improved my confidence and my ability to speak in their language, these "locals" have encouraged me with their compliments, week by week. I am going to miss each and every one of them when I leave. My first meal inVil...

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...