Front door of the Inflexyon, the language school of not only French but several other languages |
Patty and I are taking classes at L’École Inflexyon, which is near the Hôtel de Ville (a central part of the city) on Leynaud Street and near La Croix Rousse. Every day, Monday through Friday, we climb some solid and ancient steps to our second floor classroom.
There are
18-20 students in my class. Most of them come from Asia—Japan, Korea,
Taiwan—and most of them speak English. We also have students from Colombia,
Italy and then there’s Patty and me who are the only ones from the USA. This surely is an indicator of what the next generation sees as important: all things global!
We have
grammar and speaking classes in two sessions from 10-11:30 and 11:45-12:30 with
an hour off for lunch. In the afternoon we have oral practice from 1:30-3. On
Tuesdays and Thursdays there is an option for tutoring from 9:15-10. In this
session we can ask for help on anything having to do with grammar or
pronunciation. The nice thing about it is that we get another opportunity to
learn the details of grammar, including some points that we may have
misunderstood or forgotten from the past.
Here's the faculty office. Natalie is on the left with Hèléne and David in the back and Alizée in front and behind her not in clear view, the professor from Mozambique. |
Our teachers
rotate the classes so we get new ones every day. It is interesting to see that
we have teachers from France, of course, but also Mozambique, Poland, Brazil.
All instruction is conducted in French, so we are forced to listen and learn.
The teachers have us explain words in French or they do it. Of course, there is
a lot of flipping through dictionaries/cell phones for exact meanings.
some wicked stairs to climb -- keep to the right to avoid falling |
The school
also offers various events. During the first week, we had a two-hour tour of La
Croix Rousse conducted by the director of the school and a Mardi Gras party
where students were to wear costumes. The faculty really promoted the party. I
went on the tour—all conducted in French—but skipped the second because I had
something else to do that night.
To get a look at the La Croix Rousse tour, click on this link.
To get a look at the La Croix Rousse tour, click on this link.
Leynaud Street where Inflexyon resides |
Sounds like a great experience.
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