Over the last week, people have started to mention that my
time in Poitiers is nearly up and I’ll soon be going back to England, which
really isn’t something that I wanted to hear. My French is still not up to the
standard that I’d like it to be, and the thought of not being constantly
surrounded by it worries me – how on earth am I going to keep it up?
On the
one hand, in October I’ll be back at University, with essays, classes and
lectures all in French. Obviously, this is not the case for everybody and it
will only be so for me for the next year or so, so what on earth do real adults
in the real world do to keep up language learning?
In my
dream world, there is a plethora of bilingual book clubs, coffee mornings, clubs
etc., but a quick Google of my local area has not come up with the goods. There
is an encouraging amount of activities for children, such as playgroups and
Saturday schools, but precious little for their parents. Naturally, for many of
them (the parents), English will be their second language, so chances are that
their maternal language won’t need much practice. However, surely there must be
an opening for socialising in their native tongue, with the added benefit of
helping out those of us who want to become fluent in it?
But
sadly, the search goes on. If, in my post-university life, I fail to find any
of these groups, I will definitely be at the helm of a new one myself.
