Bonjour !
France enjoys a rich and vibrant network of clubs and associations. They’re a great way to practice your passion, meet new friends and most especially contribute!
These organizations are perfect for any newcomer in France. And they are happy to have you! C’est parti !
Et toi ?
Do you belong to an association in your country?
Which one would you like to join in France?
Bonne journée,
Géraldine
Bonjour Geraldine,
Je suis une membre de L’Alliance Française, en Cairns, Australie, vous quelle mention en un videos, était je cherche pour eux afin apprendre Français: Nous rencontrer le Samedis pour un café et parler un peu de Français et Australienne. Mon Français est grandement améliorée, mais je ne toujours utiliser le traducteur (google) tous les 5 mots pour me aider ne pas sonner comme un idiot! Sur Mecredis j’étudie Francàis à L’alliance Français à Cairns, Allez-vous offrir débutants ou de nouvelles leçons bientôt? Que je suis incapable de voyager pendant quelques mois à Cairns.
Ouais!
That was hard for me as i used all my resources, my french lesson books, my memory and translator. This bit is in english as it would be a complete Google translate and i feel thats cheating! I hope my french is not too confusing, i know i get a headache sometimes trying to work it all out! I would like to continue my lessons but am unable for a few months and just know i will forget it all. Although i have the lesson books but no one to correct my mistakes!
Je parle beintôt !
Lisa
Tu portes les lentilles de contact maintenant? Ca te convient!
Salut Géraldine!
If I got you right association is a certain group of people who meet regularly to reach some goal on good will basis. It seems to me that in my country Ukraine this sort of movement is just arising. There are many communities a bit like those in France but they aren’t very common among people.
As for Médecins sans Frontières je le sais malheureusement. Ma ville natale est située dans la région ukranien pas calme, Donetsk région, et j’ai vu l’eau potable gratuite marquée avec Médecins sans Frontières at Ukrainian block post. Merci, la France.
Bonjour Véronique,
Tu as bien compris. Mais ce ne sont pas forcément des objectifs de “good will”, ça peut être un club de lecture ou de sport également.
Je te souhaite beaucoup de courage et un peu de chance pour traverser ces périodes troubles.
J’espère que ça va vite passer et que vous parviendrez à retrouver la paix.
Merci, Géraldine, pour tes bons paroles.
Salut Geraldine une video tres interessante. Je n’ai pas su cette aspect de la vie Francaise. En Angleterre je suis un member de une association pour nettoyer une fleuve locale.
Merci Géraldine. Quelle très bonne idée !
Est-ce que possible d’adhérer à une association si on n’habite pas en France ? Je reste quelques mois chaque année dans la même ville mais je loue une maison, je ne suis pas propriétaire.
Bonjour Keith,
Je pense que oui. 🙂
Bonjour Geraldine,
Je adherer a une association dans mon secteur du logement, mais je ne suis pas actif.
Bonjour Géraldine,
Mon epoux et moi, nous vivons en France depuis trois ans. Il a un très bon niveau de français, moi pas si bien! Après notre premiere an nous sommes devenues bénevoles au secours catholique. Maintenant nous les aidons dans sa boutique solidaire et nous faisons un atelier en langue anglaise, que m’aide beaucoup avec mon français aussi. J’ai des leçons en français avec la Croix-Rouge et mon epoux chant avec 3 choeurs! En resultat de ça nous avons fait beaucoup des bonnes amies et nous pensons que nous avons bien integré dans notre nouvelle vie en La Belle France 🙂
Merci pour tout votre aide Géraldine
Cordialement
Gillian
Je suis dans une association de tenis, jouer avec les amis et rivaliser avec d’autres associations.
Excellent, Gillian !
Bonjour Géraldine
this really is such a helpful lesson, and
joining a club or association is an excellent
way to make friends and open your life up
when you’ve moved to a new place. I know
because I’ve done it a few times myself,
both abroad and in the UK .. my home
country. I think the key thing is that it
joins you up with like minded people,
and so that common interest glues
everything together and moves it all
happily along.
I used to do a lot of sports scuba
diving in the UK, and then made
contact with a diving club in St Malo
in France to go diving with them.
When we went out on the boat they
wanted to know about the reserve
air on my diving cylinder .. I told them
that I didn’t have one !! Shocked faces
all around .. and laughter 🙂
It turned out that in France they used
a reserve “lever” on their cylinders,
whereas in UK we used a contents
gauge to tell us how much air was
left …….
Problem solved. We all went diving,
nobody drowned and I made a lot of new
friends that day ..
Merci sincèrement Géraldine
your lessons are always so well
thought out, and so encouraging ..
salut ..
John
Ouf !
I learn so much about France that I didn’t know from you.
I am a member of the American Women’s Group Paris ( we accept all English speaking women,) where I have gotten to also know the most lovely Parisians.
I am inspired now to try and branch out to theFrench organizations !
Let me know how it goes, Lynn. 🙂
As well as joining the village choir and being assistant secretary of the 3éme age club (OAP’s) I also help voluntarily in the village school with the Homework club (Aide aux Devoirs) .Doing this I not only got to know the village children but also their parents.I have done it for about 16 years and the children,now grown up, still come to talk to me.
Merci pour la Lecon . Oui j’ai inscribe a 3 – le village retraites , Meridian Green pour les Lecons franchise, Cancer support dans ma region et Deux fois pour la Lecons en Francais au bridge.
Wonderful video, Geraldine! I joined a group at my village library, called “Speaking Coffee”. It’s a group of French/English, who meet once a week for a couple of hours of chat and coffee and cake, using our opposite languages. I’m one of three bilingual members, so I help translate between the two languages, which gives my brain a great workout! Through the group I’ve made friends, and developed a social circle, and it has led to me teaching English and French privately to some members of the group, as well as volunteering with the local after-school group to teach English to little ones. It really has made my move from Toronto to small-town France much easier! Thanks for a great video!
Il-y-a trente ans que je suis bouddhist pratiquant et en Angleterre j’y avais plusieurs associations et attaches importantes dans ma vie. Ici en Normandie Basse j’ai ete assez prudent car je pense il soit hors de propos en faire mention de mes convictions auquelles personne n’interessait point. Mes recherches d’autres gens bouddhistiques dans le departement Manche revelaient rien. Mais c’est comme ca! Occasion de nombrilisme?
Bonjour Peter,
En effet, les croyances sont considérées comme assez personnelles en France.
Mais si des gens autour de toi sont intéressés, je suis sûre que tu auras beaucoup de choses à raconter !
A part Google, je n’ai pas de recommandation pour t’aider à trouver d’autres pratiquants…
I am a member of my local U3A/University of the Third Age [Université de troisieme âge] where I am a student, a teacher and an office volunteer. It has been a wonderful, rewarding experience being part of this community of lifelong learners … I am also a member of my local masters/veterans athletics club where I do racewalking. Both of these associations are run entirely by volunteer effort [and would not exist without it]. When I was in Cannes in October 2014 I visited the local ’foire des associations’ … there were so many clubs and societies to choose from, extra-ordinaire! If i was living in France, I would join the local branch of the FFRP [Fédération Française Randonnée Pédestre] who do wonderful work maintaining the country’s extensive network of walking trails … thanks Géraldine for another captivating and interesting video! a la prochaine, a bientôt ????????????????????
You are getting SO French, Bronwen. 🙂
When I am at our holiday home I meet some ladies in the next village where we either knit or sew. It has been a good way to meet people and they help me with my french conversation. They even brought in an english/french dictionary to help us all.
I am also in english/french choir which meets weekly and during the summer does a few concerts in the local church and also at nearby chateaux.
It is important to integrate with the french community and can be very rewarding.
‘Join a club’ has long been one of my top tips for people moving to another country. My husband would be even more specific and say ‘buy a classic car made in the country you are living in and join the owners club’. That’s one of the things we did and it gives you contact with an enormous variety of people of all social levels. We also belong to our local history society and I belong to the local botany and mycology club. All are incredibly welcoming and supportive. They organise great days out, club meals and lots of opportunity to practice French in a completely non-threatening environment. I’ve seen things I would never have found on my own as a result, and made friends.
That’s extraordinary, Susan. 🙂
Bonjour Géraldine,
Oui je suis une bénévole pour une association ici qui s’appele Comité d’Animaion de Salignac Eyvigues qui montre les vieux metiers du passé. Je recontre beaucoup du gens avec cela.
Je vais aussi a un autre Bouger dans ta campagne ! C’est pour la danse africaine.
Bonne journée.
we sing (badly) with a French choir. One other English couple and everyone else is French. We sing in French, Spanish, Creole and English, and while the French help us with our pronunciation, we can help them with the English ones!
We belong to a walking club, club des randonnes, affiliated to FFR, here in France. It is a brilliant way to meet people and discover the countryside, and even the country as they organise a weeks holiday each year. Some cycling clubs do likewise I believe.
Great, Phillippa!