Accueil des Villes Françaises (French
Cities Welcome) is an organization operating all over France designed to
welcome people who have just moved to a new city. I heard about AVF from
another assistant when I arrived, and most of us have since joined. It offers
different classes and activities like painting, cooking, and language practice.
I’ve been participating in the weekly French conversation club, which has been
a great way to improve my French (especially given that my job requires me to
speak English all day at school).
The conversation club is really nice: it’s
run by a French woman, Francine, who welcomes a group of us to her apartment
for a few hours every Wednesday. In addition to helping us with French,
Francine serves tea and cookies in the middle of the session, which is always
lovely. Sometimes we just chat informally in French, sometimes we review
specific grammar or vocabulary questions, and sometimes one of us gives a mini
presentation about our home country. My
presentation was about environmentalism in the United States – unsurprisingly,
I had to look up a ton of new vocabulary for that!
AVF also has occasional receptions to
welcome new members and gather existing members together. One of these was last
Friday night in Saint-Quentin’s town hall, which turned out to be very
beautiful inside. The reception was pleasant—a few people spoke about the
organization, and afterward everyone schmoozed and nibbled hors-d’oeuvres and
desserts. I’m looking forward to participating in more activities through AVF in the weeks to
come.
~ Assistants at the AVF welcome reception ~
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