As many of you who are studying in France at a language school like ILA will know there are times when we have to say goodbye to people who have come to the end of their stay in Montpellier. It is sad of course as these people have been part of our daily lives and we have been helping each other to learn French and enjoying all the wonderful experiences France has to offer during your language course. Often they might be the first people you have got to know from a certain country and so they have fascinated you with all their insights into their home countries. This is one of those weeks for me. I’m losing a whole team of Swiss that I have loved getting to know over the last month and it’s unfortunate that a bunch of them are leaving at the same time. So we decided that we would have a nice lunch together for our last day, one last chance to trade stories, practice our French together and reminisce about their favourite moments during their language stays in France.
Meet my Fellow French Students from the ILA French Language School
There were 4 of us out for lunch and we had all been in the same French lesson at the immersion school. 3 Swiss and myself.
Basil was a chemist in his thirties who had simply come to learn French in France for the pleasure and as part of a career break he was taking. He was sandwiching his time in Montpellier with some touring of the rest of Europe, which he had told us all about in our French classes, and a bigger tour of south east Asia which he was doing with his girlfriend. She was leaving her work too but a bit later in the year so Basil had some free time to spend. I think he has made great use of this opportunity.
Nadine was from Zurich and was here with a more serious intention. She was preparing for her DELF exam with intensive French classes and was intending on using her language skills in a more professional context. I had been very curious about the structure of her French lessons and wondered how they differed from the standard course I was taking. It sounded like a substantial amount of work but also very comprehensive. There were extra subjects like business French and she spoke very highly of the system and the teachers in particular.
Finally there was Romona who was from Berne. I had grown particularly close to her as we had been sat together in lessons and often partnered up for speaking exercises which normally ended up with us in stitches, normally at my terrible pronunciations. She was an accomplished chef who had decided to move into more general hospitality work.
Where can Some French Students get a Nice Lunch in Montpellier?
We decided to treat ourselves after a good month of studying French with a meal at one of the restaurants right in the middle of the city on the ‘Place de La Comedie’. We went to ‘Le Yam’s’ which looks out at the beautiful fountain opposite the grand library so we had a lovely view to enjoy with our lunch.
The food was lovely and I will dedicate another article to this wonderful restaurant at a later date as it’s a great atmosphere and not expensive.
We were mostly talking about what the Swiss were looking forward to when they got home. Fondue seemed to be a very popular candidate; most of them had arrived to study French in Montpellier before the season for the cauldron of cheese was in full swing. Now the air was fresher and this winter warmer was in high demand.
One of the main things a lot of them were talking about was their hopes to utilise everything they have taken in whilst learning French in France. They were already planning weekends to the other side of their multi-lingual country and the possibility of doing another immersion course here in France. Although none of them had met before coming to the ILA French language School I think they will be friends for a long time after they have left Montpellier and I hope that we can all stay in touch.