Cynthia Makokha is an international student from Kenya, currently completing a double degree in Business and Commerce from the University of Newcastle. Cynthia chats to us about accomplishing something on her Bucket List… doing AIM Overseas’ Intensive French Program in France!
Hi Cynthia! Tell me why you chose this course. I chose to do the Intensive French Program in Vichy, France because I’ve always wanted to study French in France. Although French was being offered as a subject in our university, I thought it would be great to do it in France. I was introduced to AIM through a leadership program in my school called iLEAD. AIM Overseas helped me with all aspects of getting there – they were very helpful!
How long had you studied French prior to this program? I had studied it in high school in Africa for five years. I didn’t study French for A levels though because I had to take other subjects to help me get into university. I only managed to get a new fresh start again with my French studies when I went this year in January.
Was this your first time in France? Yes, this was my first time in France. I had always wanted to go there – it was on my Bucket List. Through this course, I got to go and travel and I also got to learn French at the same time – it was like killing two birds with one stone! And I got to meet new people and learn so much about French culture – it was more than just an experience!
What was a typical day like for you on the program? I don’t think I had a typical day because every day there was something new and different! I guess I’d start the day by going to classes from 8 to 12, then there’d be a break for two hours, then classes would continue from 2 to a quarter to 4. After that I’d get a coffee with some friends, we’d chat, then I’d go back home and go on Facebook and catch up with people back home. Then I’d have dinner with friends. During the week there were also all sorts of excursions that the school organised, which was great!
Tell me about something that you discovered about France or French people that you found interesting or surprising.
The fact that they were all so friendly! I mean, you often hear people saying things like, “French people are mean,” or “French people don’t like English-speakers.” But I found this to be a big lie because, from the moment I arrived, I felt very welcomed by the French people.
I had some problems at the beginning of my trip: my flight had been delayed so I didn’t end up leaving home the day that I was supposed to. I couldn’t get in touch with CAVILAM [the French school] because it was the weekend, so I sent an email to Jooliet from AIM Overseas who passed onto CAVILAM that I’d be late. Then when I got to France, it turned out that the workers at the airport were on strike and my bags had not arrived! So I had to contact the lady at CAVILAM to let her know that I’d be late again! And then I didn’t know where to go to take the trains – it was all so crazy! But every single person I asked helped me out. At one point, someone actually helped me carry my bags to the train station. Even on the telephone, when I was trying to fix my SIM card, the lady on the phone was talking to me in a really friendly way, asking me how long I was going to be in France and so on.
That’s when I just realised that a lot of what you hear about countries are just rumours. You have to experience it on your own. I think, so far in my life, French people have been the most polite people I’ve ever met!
Do you have a funny story about your time in France? Well, during my first week in France, I went to a French bakery and I was trying to buy a sandwich. I said to the guy behind the counter, “Okay, I’ll have this sandwich,” and he replied, “Okay, that will be 1 euro and 50 cents.” But I couldn’t understand him because he was speaking French so quickly, so I assumed that he was saying, “Do you want the sandwich toasted?” So I replied, “No.” And he didn’t understand what I was doing, so he kept saying to me, “1 euro and 50 cents,” and I kept on responding, “NO. Thankyou.” This went on for quite awhile; until finally I understood what was going on… and it was so embarrassing!!! *laughs* I turned around and saw all these people looking at me, probably wondering why this girl was refusing to pay one euro and fifty cents for the sandwich. To make things worse, I realised that there were these really good-looking guys to my left who had seen the whole incident as well! After getting my sandwich, I went and hid in the corner for awhile… *laughs*
So did you French level improve a lot by the end of the course? Oui! It really made my French a lot better. If I’d stayed for another six months I’d probably be very fluent by now. The teachers were very good and very specific on what they wanted you to learn. When you’re in class, you’re not allowed to talk in English – you’re not even allowed to ask questions in English, you have to do it all in French. If you don’t understand something, someone else in class can help you – in French. We were all learning together and teaching each other – with the teacher correcting us when we were wrong. C’etait tres tres bon! [It was very very good]. I’d really like to go back to CAVILAM one day and stay for a longer period of time to improve my French.
How has this program changed you? It really made me appreciate different cultures. I had to learn to adapt to a different culture and a completely different environment. Some people [in English-speaking countries] get so frustrated with other people who don’t speak English; but I think going to a foreign country and having to speak a foreign language really teaches you to be patient and makes you understand that it takes time to learn a foreign language.
What would you say to someone else who is thinking of doing this course? I can only say one thing: you should go and experience it yourself. You shouldn’t listen too much to what somebody else says about it as everyone is going to have a different experience of how France is. For me, it was great! It was fantastic! It is a place I would go back to! So I would say – go for it!
Cynthia with her French teacher and her classmates from around the world at CAVILAM
Cynthia congratulating herself after a hard day's work [note: Soldes is French for 'Sales'.]
A photo taken in Clermont, France
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