C’est l’été! À moi la plage, les robes soleil et les cocktails sirotés au bord du lac! Every year, I get super excited about the summer holidays! It is especially exciting for me this year as it is going to be a very busy summer of travels around the globe to see my beloved Canadian family and friends and […]
People often ask me why I love languages so much. Well, I think the main reason is because I really like to travel and to discover new cultures and ways of thinking. Learning and improving a new language is the key to better understanding other cultures. Speaking another language definitely expands your horizon and help you […]
One of my students recently asked me if I had some tricks to help her feel more comfortable in social gatherings in French. No matter how well one speaks a foreign language, it is always nerve-racking to enter a room full of strangers who seem to already know each other. I still get butterflies in my stomach […]
Many say that la musique est le poumon de notre société (music is the lung of our society). I truly believe that we need art and beautiful, inspiring music to breath better, every single day. As some of you already know, aside from teaching French and English, I also love… singing opera! I am delighted to announce that […]
The first of May is a bank holiday in several European countries as it celebrates la fête du travail. For me, 1 May will always be associated with the birthday of my beloved paternal grandmother. My father’s mother was from Paris, where she spent half of her life before moving to Montreal, Canada, in 1966, […]
You survived yet another week and it is time to celebrate the upcoming weekend! Et si on allait prendre l’apéro? (How about going for after-work drinks?) Oh oui! You totally deserve this alcoholic treat! On your way to the bistro, you realise that half of the people there will be speaking French… Pas de panique: I’ve got you […]
One of the things most expats learning French are afraid of is… to speak French! Do you fear to be ridiculed or misunderstood when you try to speak la langue de Molière? (For those who wouldn’t know, he was the French Shakespeare!) That is absolutely normal and part of the challenge of learning a new language. Good news: there […]
Have you ever said something in French which provoked the opposite reaction of what you were expecting? You most probably committed a slight faux pas, which literally means ”wrong step” in French! We discussed that embarrassing/hilarious topic at one of our French Fridays. The lovely participants and I realised that it is perfectly normal to make […]
January 2017: I am soooo going to improve my French language skills this year! April 2017: Je ne parle pas français, désolé(e)! Some might feel discouraged or disempowered after a few days, weeks or months of giving French a try. That is absolutely normal! I felt just the same when I started learning English, German, and Italian. There will inevitably be moments […]
“Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies.” John Q. Tullius Are you tempted by the chocolate bunnies smiling at you in every shop at the moment? I must confess that since I moved to the country of Toblerone, Lindt and Läderach, I now turn my nose at Cadbury and Hershey’s chocolate bars… But quality over […]