Getting off to a good start is obviously good for every new endeavour but there are a few key reasons as to why it is particularly useful for your new French immersion course in France. In this article I’ll tell you what to expect from your first day at the Easy French language school and share a few insights into how to get the most from it.
Get a Good Breakfast In You Before Your French Course Begins
It sounds obvious I know but it is surprising how many French students come to the first lessons under-nourished. You may think that will not happen to you but a mix of jet-lag, not having made the commute to the French language school before or not being able to find your pencil case (which you know you packed!) etc. can combine to leave you against the clock. So what gets chucked? The good balanced breakfast, traded in for a single banana or worse; a lot of coffee. Many people who go to work on this amount assume that you won’t have any problems but a French course in France is different. Your mind will be almost completely engaged, out of necessity, from the very start and grappling with concepts that can be both complicated and numerous requires your mind to be as sharp and agile as possible. Although you might not get hungry, if you don’t have enough energy stored your mind will get sluggish and your learning will become more of a chore and less of a pleasure.
Know the Route to the Easy French Language School
If you are staying with one of the wonderful host families in Montpellier they will have agreed to take you on the first day so you know the way. So rest easy but give yourself plenty of time. If you are at a student residence in Montpellier you are likely to be only a short walk away from your French immersion school so why not do a dummy run the previous day? You’ll feel more confident about getting there on time if you have already tested the waters, failing that any of the map apps tend to be pretty accurate but a 15 minute buffer always helps.
Be on Time or Better Yet be Early
Sometimes despite our best intentions things happen that leave us lacking that most precious of things, time. If this happens when you’re due to start your French classes don’t panic, the staff is very understanding, flexible and will make things work. You’ll get to know these wonderful people over the course of your French immersion stay in Montpellier. You’ll often see them flowing through the corridors, relentlessly grafting to go above and beyond for the students and you’ll soon understand they’ll do whatever they can to enhance your experience.
Being on time for your French language course is more for your benefit. The earlier start on your first day allows for an initial presentation which is done by the French teachers and other faculty and you will be in different groups then your actual classes. So it’s a great time to meet other students of the Easy French school that you might not spend much lesson time with for the remainder of your stay. Having a few extra minutes to exchange ‘hellos’ in a multitude of languages is great and goes a long way in terms of making friends, networking or just meeting people from countries you haven’t had much contact with. Although it often has the side effect of making you want to learn every language you hear! This sometimes un-utilised window is a little gem and can lead to unique relationships that you rarely have the opportunity to create. I came to study French in Montpellier with one distant connection to South America but now I know that if I ever wanted to visit Columbia I would have a close friend waiting to meet me in most of its major cities.
Welcome to Montpellier – Initial Presentation
The first hour at the Easy French language school in Montpellier is completely devoted to new students so everyone there is in the same boat. When you arrive you’ll be given a slip with some useful info on it and directed to a room where your fellow students await and one of the faculties will run through a few administrative things but will mostly tell you about all of the extra exciting stuff you may not have heard about yet. They’ll talk about the different cinemas nearby, the special deals students get (museums, galleries etc.) and the legendary ‘Monday Night Happy Hour’ at the Australian Bar. A part I love is that the faculty members always have their own personal secret tips that give you a native’s insight into the city. Don’t be late and miss some of these pearls of wisdom!
After that you’ll be separated into your actual French classes which we’ll talk about in the next article, so read on! Hopefully you’ll have got a glimpse of how diverse and an exciting place the Easy French language school in Montpellier is and what an educational and fulfilling experience your French immersion stay in France will be.