Ever since I was a little girl, I have had a fascination with France and all things French. This certainly wasn’t a result of my initial experience of the language which was badly taught in a rural country school by a teacher with a strong local accent! If anything, that would serve to put anyone off as I experienced none of the beauty and melody of the language until my first visit to France at age 15.
I stayed with a French family, my mother’s pen pal from her own schooldays, and that first time my older brother was with me. We made friends quickly and played French street games and went along to classes at the Lycée for a week. I quickly learned that my knowledge of French was pitiful in comparison to French students’ English. On my return to England, I eulogised about the French way of life: it was so much better than England! I had my first real taste of freedom and a more exotic way of life.
The following year I returned in preparation for my French oral exam. This time I was alone. Despite the fact that my hostess taught English, I was only allowed to speak French. This had the effect of dampening my usual chatter but after three weeks I began to feel more confident. It taught me that a total immersion in the language, even over a relatively short period, could work wonders, even with a very shaky, rural taught basis!
I was to return to France for many holidays with my own family over the years and eventually made friends with a French family who welcomed us into their home. This was so different to the gîte holidays where we had been able to taste aspects of French life but never really felt we were living it. That overwhelming hospitality which is so common amongst French people never ceases to amaze and delight me.
And now I find myself in my early forties. My family are almost grown up and becoming more independent every day. I start to look to my future. Life seems to get ever more frantic here in England; costs rise day by day. The morning commutes to work take longer and longer. My thoughts return to France.
Why? This is probably the hardest question to answer and the easiest way is to perhaps ask instead: why not? If I stay within my comfort zone for the rest of my life I may be comfortable but how much will I learn? If I live in France, every day I will learn something new. Not only will my ease with the language grow and grow but I will learn to adapt to a new way of living. It is impossible to generalise, I know: France is vast. Each region is very different; each with its own unique flavour. Maybe that is part of the allure?
The food though…the food…. Even the thought of it evokes images of crisp fresh salads, juicy steaks, wonderful seafood, crusty fresh bread and a choice of cheeses to make the eyes, as well as the taste buds, water. France is a country where food is taken seriously and the consumption of it is not just something to be squeezed into a busy day but something to be appreciated, savoured and shared with friends. The wine too adds to the sense of occasion felt at mealtimes.
I am a dreamer and probably always will be. Yet I do know that living and working in another country will be a far different reality to that of holidaying there or staying with friends. However, how much more pleasant it would be to live and work somewhere where the pace of life is slower, friends’ company can be enjoyed over lingering meals of superb food and delicious wine, and life can be lived more outside…
Every day, advances in technology bring people closer and closer together even when they are far apart geographically. Improved transport links make it easier and easier to be at someone’s side in their hour of need, quickly. The cost of communication gets less and less.
I can start building now towards the future I dream of. Start making links with the help of the Internet and friends I have who are already living there. I can continue to improve my French language skills, again with the help of the Internet. And then, when the time comes, I’ll be ready to leap outside of my comfort zone; ready to embark on the next stage of my life and continue learning.
And what If it doesn’t work out? It’s not so far to come back…
By Megan Oliver
