The Linguist

INTRODUCTION OUR TEAM

Names & Languages: French: Alexandra Charalambidou, William Hargreaves, Anika Mehra, Alice Landerholm, Arabic: Mahra Al Khouri, Liyan Mustafa, Rawdha Al Khouri Spanish: Latifa Al Ahbabi

Portraits by: Deevya Swain

CONTENTS Preface

1

Les Actualités Musicales Pendant la Pandémie

2

Le Tour de France

3

Continúan los problemas en Barcelona

4

‫ﻋﯾﺎل زاﯾد‬

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This article covers a few of the most significant occurrences and developments in the French music world in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, and more generally how the industry is adapting to unprecedented circumstances This article covers the world famous Tour de France Cycling Competition, describing its history and founding as well as its presence and future. It also links back to the UAE and the importance of unity and investment into the future This article provides an overview of the situation in FC barcelona, and most importantly what has happened between the club’s captain Lionel Messi and the club This poem is about the pride that floats in the air and the faith that has been instilled within the people of this country

‫ﺷﻣوخ اﻟﻌﻠم‬ This poem is about the beauty of the UAE flag and how it reflects the great change this country has gone through in the last 50 years

‫إﻣﺎراﺗﻲ‬ This poem describes the unity and beauty that all the Emirates foster

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Δημόσια Σχολεία Κυπρου-Ελλαδας εν μεσω πανδημίας

9

Green Chicken Souvlaki

10

Our UAE Ambassadors

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The Interview

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This article provides an overview of how the public school systems in both Greece and Cyprus operate, as well as how they have been dealing with the issues of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic Delve deeper into the Greek cuisine by exposing your palate to one of its delicacies - the Souvlaki!

Monsieur Davies discusses what life is like in Bordeaux to how students should immerse themselves within the culture of the language with William Hargreaves and Anika Mehra

PREFACE EDITOR’S NOTE Dear Reader, It is with great pleasure that I inaugurate the first Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) Magazine in our school’s 50-year history.

As a French A-Level student, I have witnessed the power of culture and language firsthand and I strive to spread this message across the school. I believe that in a day and age where large scale conglomerates look to recruit individuals fluent in at least two Languages, and 60% of the planet is bilingual, these skills are incredibly important in a real world context. Moreover, speaking another language also helps expand one’s memory and broaden one’s views on the world, be that reading about the Covid-19 pandemic in France or watching a Barcelona game with Spanish commentary.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg: knowing a Modern Foreign Language in the globalised world of today is more important than it has ever been.

From my interview with Monsieur Davies, featured at the end of the magazine, exposure has been highlighted as the key ingredient for the acquisition of language and this exposure is precisely what this magazine hopes to provide to students.

So, what does this Edition Contain? Articles written by our own A-Level MFL students in French and Spanish, handwritten poems in Arabic written by some of our Sixth-Form students along with a Greek article and recipe. This edition also comprises of the aforementioned exclusive interview with MFL Head of Department, Monsieur Davies, where he discusses life in France and how students can expose themselves to different languages.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people responsible for the publication of this magazine. This edition would have not been possible without our dedicated A-Level students who spent hours researching and writing their articles to the best of their abilities and our wonderful Creative Designer, Antonia, who brought this magazine to life with this wonderful aesthetic.

I urge you to immerse yourself into the myriad of dialects within these pages and expose yourself to the different cultures around you. I would like to conclude with one of my favourite quotes:

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

Nelson Mandela Happy reading!

Anika Mehra Editor in Chief

1

William Hargreaves ‘Les Actualités Musicales Pendant la Pandémie’ Le Monde a l'Arrêt…

Malgré les 220 d’euros promis par le gouvernement, il y a un sentiment général en France que le monde de la musique est sur ses dernières jambes.

76% des concerts programmés entre septembre et décembre ont été annulés. Ainsi, le 21 septembre, 400 entrepreneurs et un groupe d’artistes se sont réunis à Paris pour discuter des mesures à prendre pour assurer la sécurité financière de l’industrie musicale française et de ses travailleurs. Bien que la plupart semblent déterminés à améliorer la situation, il semble également y avoir une certain hésitation si le soutien à l’industrie de la musique est une priorité. Cependant, le gouvernement prend de nouvelles mesures pour créer des conditions dans lesquelles des concerts peuvent avoir lieu - en limitant la taille du public et en incorporant de distanciation sociale. La situation est désastreuse, il y a lieu d'être optimiste.

Une ouverture!

L’orchestre national français a fait ses débuts avec son nouveau directeur, Cristian Macelaru, 40 ans, avec un concert sur la radio le 24 septembre.

Cette nouveauté est un changement bienvenu par rapport à la monotonie de ne pas jouer, les masques et la distanciation sociale étant une nécessité. Le programme a rendu hommage aux compositeurs et artistes français les plus influents de l’histoire, tels que Debussy et Vivier. La nomination du Roumain a surpris tout le monde, bien que Macelaru ne soit pas le premier ressortissant non français à occuper ce poste, et il a été soutenu par l'appréciation unanime des musiciens d’orchestre.

ManiFeste - Le Spectacle Doit Continuer a Paris!

Bien que le festival ManiFeste, une vitrine de 15 concerts contemporains et installations artistiques, aie été initialement annulé en juin, IRCAM (l’Institute de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique) a relancé le spectacle du 31 août au 13 septembre a l’immense joie des amateurs de la musique. Un moment fort a été le concert d’ouverture au Centre Pompidou, organise avec les mesures appropriées prises en considération, qui été accueillie par tous. Frank Madlener, le directeur de l’IRCAM, a annonce que, “Il s’agit d’un retour à la vie, au vivant, a la voix.”

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Alexandra Charalambidou & Alice Landerholm ‘Le Tour de France’ Le Tour de France est une course cycliste masculine annuelle à étapes multiples où la majorité de la course se déroule en France, l'itinéraire s'étend même brièvement aux pays voisins. Il se compose de 21 étapes réparties sur 23 jours. C’est un de trois grandes tours majeurs de cyclism au monde, avec le Tour d’Espagne et le Tour d’Italie. Cependant, cette compétition est le plus ancien et le plus prestigieux entre les trois. Les cyclists doivent traverser la France, pour un duration de 23 jours et tout au long de compétition, les cyclistes sont fournis avec seulement 2 jours de repose. Chaque année, il y a presque 200 participants, mais dans le plus récent, il y avait 176 participants professionnels en 2020.

La première édition du concours de vélo a eu lieu en juillet 1903, ce qui signifie que le concours a maintenant 117 ans. Cependant, il n'y a eu que 107 éditions, c'est parce qu'il a été annulé pendant 10 ans des deux guerres mondiales.

Maurice Garin a été le tout premier vainqueur du concours. la tournée a commencé pour promouvoir un nouveau quotidien sportif, “L’Auto” en signe de protestation contre “Le Vélo” (aujourd’hui le premier journal sportif français) en raison de son soutien à un soldat qui vendait des informations classifiées aux Allemands.

Cette année, le tour a commencé le 29 août à Nice Moyens Pays, après presque un mois de retard grâce à la pandémie de Covid-19 c'était la seule édition du Tour qui ne se tient pas au mois de juillet. Le fin était le 20 septembre à Paris, dans le rue Champs Élysées, avec une route totale de 3,482.2 kilomètres. De plus, il y avait 22 équipes avec 8 cyclistes dans chacune, avec un totale de 176 participants au début mais seulement 146 arrivants.

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Qu'est-ce qui fait que l'édition 2020 est importante pour nous? En tant que habitants des Émirats arabes unis, nous voyons cette année Tadej Pogacar, 22 ans, de l'équipe émirienne remporter le prix global. Ce n'est que 3 ans après que les EAU ont investi dans le cyclisme, le reste de la région et le Moyen-Orient y participent également, avec des équipes de Bahreïn et d'Israël également.

Il est passionnant de voir l'intérêt pour le cyclisme augmenter aux EAU. Les ventes de vélos ont augmenté pendant la pandémie COVID 19. Cela est probablement dû au fait que les restrictions imposées aux résidents de Dubaï ne limitent pas la nature et l'exercice, de sorte qu'ils trouvent le vélo comme une bonne alternative lorsqu'ils veulent quitter leur domicile. Les entreprises de vélo sont en plein essor, il y a même eu une augmentation de la location de vélos.

Avec la baisse des températures, cette tendance se poursuivra probablement et un jour nous verrons peutêtre les enfants faire du vélo dans les rues des émirats au Tour de France.

Latifa Al Ahbabi ‘Continúan los problemas en Barcelona’ Barcelona ha sido muy decepcionante esta temporada y por primera vez desde 2008 se quedó sin trofeo. Con el cambio de entrenador en enero, los ‘cules’ esperaban un nuevo equipo con espíritu y un nuevo estilo de juego, desafortunadamente el club sigue decepcionando. Con la pérdida de la liga, el club esperaba tener una última oportunidad de ganar un trofeo, la liga de campeones y con eso llegó la vergonzosa e inesperada derrota por 8-2 ante el campeón de europa Bayern München.

Este inesperado y vergonzoso resultado mostró la pésima gestión de la directiva del barcelona y las horribles e idiotas decisiones que tomó la directiva de invertir en viejos jugadores que no encajan en el estilo del club, esta planificación a corto plazo es la que llevó a la caída.

Después del partido, todo el mundo estaba anticipando lo que Messi iba a decir, sin embargo, estaba claro que tenía suficiente y no quería hablar con la prensa, lo que preocupó a muchos aficionados del Barcelona.

Aunque el tercer capitán piqué dio unos interesantes comentarios tras el partido que aclararon la clara mala gestión en la junta directiva barcelona y comentó cómo el club necesita cambios y esto es lo que decía. Estos comentarios indican acertadamente los claros cambios necesarios en el club que incluso los jugadores lo piden. El hecho de que diga que esta no es la primera vez que el club se avergüenza claramente muestra los profundos problemas que tiene el club, dentro y fuera del campo.

“Vergüenza, no puedo decir otra cosa.

No es la primera ni la segunda vez. El club necesita cambios de todo tipo” “A reflexionar todos, el club necesita cambios, no hablo de entrenador, ni jugadores, no quiero señalar a nadie" Cuando todos esperaban que las cosas se calmaran, llegó la noticia de que messi quería irse del barcelona. el jugador envió su comunicado a través de un burofax indicando que quiere activar su cláusula que le permite salir gratis al final de la temporada. Esto causó mucho dolor a la afición barcelonesa que se dirigía al estadio para protestar por la dimisión del presidente y para Messi quedarse en el club. Después de muchos días, el club respondió afirmando que tiene una cláusula de rescisión de 700 millones y que debe permanecer en el club un año más y que su cláusula que le permite irse gratis terminó en junio. Sin embargo los abogados de Messi decían que por el covid 19 su cláusula termina en agosto y por lo tanto debería irse gratis pero el presidente Bartomeu insistió en no dejarlo ir y esto provocó una guerra entre el presidente y el jugador.

Pasados unos días Messi decidió romper su silencio y contar al público sobre su situación.

Messi reveló todo sobre la mala gestión del presidente y sobre las decisiones equivocadas consecutivas que ha tomado. Además reveló cómo lo traicionó el presidente, el hombre que traicionó al mejor jugador de la historia.

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Latifa Al Ahbabi ‘Continúan los problemas en Barcelona’

El presidente le dijo que la única forma que podía salir era en la cancha y Messi dijo en la entrevista que nunca iría contra el club de su vida en la cancha y que en este año dará el 100% y tratará de ganar en Barcelona.

“Hace tiempo que no hay proyecto ni hay nada, se van haciendo malabares y van tapando agujeros a medida que van pasando las cosas”

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“Ahora voy a seguir en el club porque el presidente me dijo que la única manera de marcharme era pagar la cláusula de 700 millones, que eso es imposible” “El presidente siempre dijo que yo al final de temporada podía decidir si me quería ir o si me quería quedar y al final no terminó cumpliendo su palabra”

‫‪Mahra Al Khouri‬‬ ‫’ﻋﯿﺎل زاﯾﺪ‘‬ ‫ﯾﺎ ﻋز دار ظﻠﮭﺎ ﻋﯾﺎل زاﯾد‬ ‫ﻓﺧر اﻟﻐﻼ واﻟﺣب واھل اﻟﻌﻘﯾدة‬ ‫وام اﻟﺷﯾوخ اﻟﻲ ﺑﻐﻼھﺎ ﻧزاﯾد‬ ‫زادت ﺣﻼ دار اﻟﻘﻠوب اﻟﻔرﯾدة‬ ‫رﺑوا ﺷﻌﺑﮭم ﻓﻲ ذرى ﺣب زاﯾد‬ ‫ﻻﻧﮫ ﺑﻧﺎھﺎ ﺑﻘﻠﺑﮫ ﻣﺎ ھوب اﯾده‬ ‫داري ﺗزﯾن ﻛل ﺟﯾد ﺑﻘﻼﯾد‬ ‫واﻟﻔﺧر ﯾزھﻰ ﺑﺎﻟﺷﻌوب اﻟﺳﻌﯾدة‬ ‫وﷲ ﻟو ان اﻟﺧطب ﻟﻠﺷﻌب ﻋﺎﯾد‬ ‫ﻻﻧﻛﯾد ﻛل ﻣن ھو ﺳﻌﻰ ﺑﺎﻟﻣﻛﯾدة‬ ‫ﻟﻛن طﺎﻋﺎﺗﻧﺎ ﻟراﻋﻲ اﻟﻌواﯾد‬ ‫ﯾﺎﻣر ﻋﻠﯾﻧﺎ واﻻﻣر ﻣﺎ ﯾﻌﯾده‬ ‫واﻟﻔﺧر ﻟﻠﻲ ﺗﻘول اﻧﺎ ﺑﻧت زاﯾد‬ ‫ﺑﻧت اﻟﻛرﯾم اﻟﻠﻲ وﺻوﻓﮫ ﺗزﯾده‬

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‫‪Rawdha Al Khouri‬‬ ‫’ﺷﻤﻮخ اﻟﻌﻠﻢ‘‬ ‫إﻣﺎراتٌ ﯾطﯾبُ ﻟﮭﺎ اﻧﺗﻣﺎ ُء‬ ‫ح ُﺗﮭْدى‬ ‫ﻟﮭﺎ اﻻﺷﻌﺎ ُر و اﻷروا ُ‬ ‫ﻟﮭﺎ ﻋﻠ ٌم ﯾرﻓرِ فُ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺳﻣﺎءِ‬ ‫و ﯾَﺧْ ﻔِقُ ﻋﺎﻟﯾﺎ ً ﻋِ ًّرا و ﻣَﺟْ دَ ا‬ ‫ب‬ ‫و ﯾﺣﻛﻲ ﻟﻠﺟﻣﯾﻊ ﻣَﺳِ ﯾرَ ﺷﻌ ٍ‬ ‫ﺳﻌﻰ ﻟﻠﻣﺟد إﺻرارً ا و ﻛَدﱠ ا‬ ‫ﺳﺗﺑﻘﻰ ﺷﺎﻣﺧﺎ ً ﺣ ًُّرا أﺑ ّﯾًﺎ‬ ‫خ اﻟﻣﺟ ِد ﯾﺎ وطﻧﻲ اﻟ ُﻣﻔَدﱠ ى‬ ‫ﺷﻣو ُ‬

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‫‪Liyan Mustafa‬‬ ‫’إﻣﺎراﺗﻲ‘‬ ‫ﺗﻼل ﻣن ذھب ﺑﺣﺎر ﻓﯾﮭﺎ اﻟﻌﺟب‬ ‫ﺗرﺑوا ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻛرم ﻓﺄﺻﺑﺣوا أطﯾب ﺷﻌب‬ ‫ﺑﻧﺎھﺎ ﺷﯾﺦ اﻟﻌزة زاﯾد ﻣﺎ أرھﻘﮫ اﻟﺗﻌب‬ ‫وﺳﺎروا ﻋﻠﻰ ﻧﮭﺟﮫ ﺷﯾوخ ﺳﮭﻠوا ﻛل ﺻﻌب‬ ‫ﺣﻔظ ﷲ إﻣﺎراﺗﻧﺎ ﻣن ﻛل ﺷدة وﻛرب‬

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Alexandra Charalambidou ‘Δημόσια Σχολεία Κυπρου-Ελλαδας εν μεσω πανδημίας’ Το σύστημα μάθησης Κυπρου-Ελλαδας είναι σχεδόν το ίδιο. Παρόλο που η Κύπρος έχει δική της ομιλούμενη διάλεκτο, ο γραπτός λόγος είναι ο ίδιος και είναι τα Ελληνικά. Η Κύπρος και Ελλάδα ξοδεύουν κάτω από το 10% του προϋπολογισμού τους. Τα σχολεία χωρίζονται σε Δημοτικά (6 χρονων και άνω), σε Γυμνάσια (12-15 χρονών) και Λύκεια (16-18). Η φοίτηση είναι υποχρεωτική και εντελώς δωρεάν, και τα ωράρια είναι 7.45-1.35 περίπου. Οπως λοιπόν σε όλες τις χώρες, η πανδημια αλλαξε τα συνηθισμενα. Σιγά, σιγά όπως άρχισαν να ανοίγουν οι επιχειρησεις ανοιξαν και τα σχολεία.. Οι συνθήκες όμως δεν βοηθούν. Οι τάξεις των δημόσιων σχολείων είναι οχι μονο παλιες και μικρες αλλα και χωρίς κλιματιστικά και οι θερμοκρασίες φτάνουν μέχρι και 42° βαθμούς κελσίου. Οι μαθητές αναλογούν 25 σε κάθε τάξη και οι μάσκες είναι υποχρεωτικές. Καταλαβαίνετε κάτω από ποιές συνθήκες πρέπει μαθητές και δάσκαλοι να κάνουν μάθημα. Επίσης, τα θρανία, δεν μπορούν να έχουν τις κατάλληλες αποστάσεις λόγω μικρών αιθουσών και οι αποστάσεις δεν μπορούν να κρατηθούν όπως θα έπρεπε. Θα ήθελα επίσης να θίξω το θέμα των παιδιών που είναι σε ευάλωτες ομάδες και δεν μπορούν να παρουσιαστούν στις τάξεις. Δεν υπάρχει δυνατότητα ζουμ ή κάτι ανάλογο γι'αυτά. Δυστυχώς, υπάρχει έλλειψη προσωπικού και δεν μπορεί η δασκάλα/καθηγήτρια να προσφέρει διαδικτυακά το μάθημα. Υπαρχει και νόμος που δεν επιτρεπει καμερεσ στην ταξη. Ακομα ενα προβλημα ειναι το θέμα του διαδικτύου που δεν υπάρχει στις τάξεις.

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Επίσης, τα θρανία δεν μπορούν να έχουν τις κατάλληλες αποστάσεις λόγω μικρών αιθουσών και οι αποστάσεις μεταξύ μαθητών και δασκάλων δεν μπορούν να κρατηθούν όπως θα έπρεπε. Τέλος, θα ήθελα να αναφερθώ στο γεγονός ότι η κυβέρνηση δεν παρέχει γάντια ή μάσκες στα παιδιά ,να μην ξεχνάμε ότι ένα κουτί μάσκες μπορεί να πουληθεί μέχρι και 25 ευρώ, σχεδόν 100 ντιρχάμ οπότε κάποιες οικογένειες με πολλά παιδιά δυσκολεύονται οικονομικά. Καμία χώρα δεν ήταν προετοιμασμένη για τέτοιο φαινόμενο όμως η κάθε μιά προσπαθεί με το δικό της τρόπο να αντιμετωπίσει και να προσφέρει ότι μπορεί για το εκπαιδευτικό της σύστημα. Κανείς δεν προέβλεψε τι συνέπειες μπορεί να δημιουργήσει στο εκπαιδευτικό σύστημα και ίσως να είναι και μια ευκαιρία να φτιαχτούν ορισμένες καταστάσεις οι οποίες έχουν αγνοηθεί στο παρελθόν.

The Menu

Greek Chicken Souvlaki What is Greek Chicken Souvlaki?

Like Kabobs, the word Souvlaki simply means “meat on skewers”. But, Greeks also use it to describe the actual meal—warm pita, loaded with perfectly marinated grilled meat and topped with Tzatziki sauce. Other fixings are typically included, and even a handful of fries are tucked into the pita.

The origin of the word Souvlaki: The word souvlaki is a diminutive of the Greek souvla (spit), itself borrowed from the Latin word subula. But the origins of souvlaki date back to ancient Greece. It was known with the name obeliskos (dim. of obelos –spit)

RECIPE

Method The secret ingredient in this recipe is the brine! ●Preheat oven to 180* C (350* F) Fan. ●Add all of the ingredients for the brine in a small saucepan. ●Stir and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and set aside for 1 hour. After 1 hour, strain into a bowl. It should have cooled completely. ●Chop the chicken into small bite sized pieces and add them to the Poultry Brine. Let them soak for ½ an hour to 1 hour. ●Drain the chicken pieces and dry off with paper towels. All of the moisture needs to be drained.

Thread chicken onto skewers. ●Add a small amount of olive oil to a very hot pan.

Brown the chicken on the skewers on all sides, about 3-4 minutes. ●When they are browned, cook in the oven for 5 minutes. ●Place the pita bread in a baking pan. Drizzle with a very small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 5 minutes. ●Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. ●Present the chicken souvlaki on pita bread and serve with chopped tomatoes, lettuce and sauce.

You can also try it with the tzatziki sauce!

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OUR

UAE AMBASSADORS Liyan Mustafa - My name is Liyan, and I’m delighted to be a member of this year's UAE ambassadors committee. I moved to BSAK from Al Bateen Academy, and although this year hasn't exactly been what we were anticipating there are many ways we can work our way around certain obstacles that we will face in these unprecedented times. My interests range from playing the guitar to tennis and swimming, I am also looking to pursue a career in politics and international relations. At BSAK, we are a very diverse and multicultural community. Personally, I really value my culture and think it is crucial to embrace who you are and educate other people about your background.

Yasmine Akasha - My name is Yasmine Akasha.

I’ve been at BSAK since FS1 and I am currently in Year 13. I love traveling to many counties and exploring distinct cultures. I’m Emirati and have been inspired to be a UAE ambassador as I wish to bridge the cultural gaps between communities. I believe school is the first step in creating more understanding and tolerance for a better and brighter future. I’m looking forward to meeting many of you during this academic year.

Shamma Al Mehairi - My name is Shamma Al Mehairi and I am a proud member of the UAE Ambassadors. Community service is something I am extremely passionate about and in my free time, I like to sketch. I have had the pleasure of being a part of this team ever since it was introduced. The UAE community is one that encompasses many beautiful traditions and it's unique culture is what we love to share with all of you. As an Emirati student at BSAK, the sense of community created and the merging of different cultures produced a home that I am so grateful to be a part of.

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Zayed Al Ketbi - My name is Zayed Al Ketbi and I’m a UAE Chancellor with many hobbies such as football, gaming and travelling. I’ve been in BSAK all my life and see it as my second home if not my first and it’s an honor to give something back in my last year here. What draws me to the UAE ambassador committee, set by Mrs Kadhum, is the passion they have for making a difference and having a say in the school and also allowing all the students and members of BSAK to acknowledge the beauty of the local culture.

Aisha Al Ketbi - My name is Aisha Al Ketbi and I have been lucky enough to be a part of the UAE Ambassadors both this year and last. In my free time, I use painting and music such as playing the guitar as an escape from the real world. Being an Emirati, I feel the need to educate younger students about our ravishing and distinctive culture which I could achieve in this position.

Mariam Al Dhaheri - My name is Mariam Al Dhaheri and I am honoured to be a part of the UAE ambassadors. This opportunity allows me to be a role model to younger Emiratis and lets me educate the school’s international students about Emirati culture and traditions. I am a patriotic individual and I take pride in this position and I am committed to build a bridge between the Emiratis and non-Emiratis. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family and playing the piano.

THE INTERVIEW with Monsieur Davies

“So I taught English as a foreign language to the French students

And I felt leaving Bordeaux as I felt when I first got there - almost like a reversal of homesickness.

The first 4 days before school started, I was homesick. I cried most days and most nights because I was homesick. And this was before Skype, before zoom - this was back in 1990. The first few days it was like ‘fight or flight’. Either I stay here, or I go back. I was the only person from my University who was in Bordeaux. I was on my own.

So one day I decided to go to a little bar near the bus station. It was like the Western films with the Saloon doors, and when I walked in, the bar stopped. I felt like a complete stranger. When I started talking, people knew who I was because my French at the time wasn’t Fantastic. It was good, but it was no way near fluent.

I became fluent in French within 9 months. I also became quite fluent with slang. When I started speaking to my tutor, who was a lovely guy, he started to laugh. And when I asked what was wrong he said it was my accent.

“You must be the new teacher…”

“Oui, oui, je suis le nouveau professeur d’Anglais, ici au collège” I sat down with a bunch of guys my age and started talking about Football. And this was when Marseilles had Chris Waddle - a very famous English player who played in the World Cup. So it was a really really good time to be an English football fan in France since one of the best players was playing there for 3 years.

And then that was it. Within a matter of 2-3 hours I had made several friends, all my age. Within 4-5 days I went from being really homesick to having friends that are still friends - even 30 years later.

I spent my entire University life in France with French friends. I would go and see my English friends in Paris occasionally - but I didn’t see many of them.

“What do you mean by my accent?”

“It’s beautiful, it’s authentic, it’s like I’m talking to a Bordelais - who has lived in Bordeaux all his life”. I really embraced the French culture and that’s what helped me improve my French.

So, I really acquired a very deep cultural sense of France since the time I’ve been a Francophile. But you only get that from totally immersing yourself within that culture. You can’t get that from being a student spending your entire time going out and partying.”

So do you think you will give a lot of credit to living in Bordeaux to acquiring French as a language? Like, do you think living there has helped you become as fluent as you are today as opposed to just being a student studying French?

“Yeah. Parents ask me about Sixth Form A-Level French, “Will I be fluent in it?” and I say no. I don’t think you can be fluent in French or a language from only having 12 hours a week of French tuition.

Unless you have a tutor at home and you totally live in a French speaking environment, you cannot be fluent. As in, I don’t have some of the nuances as a Native would.

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THE INTERVIEW I can go to France and speak to anybody at any level and read or write because I’ve had exposure.

So you only get that by diving really deeply into that kind of French culture; you can’t get it by just doing it part-time. So it goes back to my first point, you’ve got to fight or flight in these situations. I am a pretty confident guy, I don’t normally get phased by things but I get a bit shy sometimes and I was very brave to go in there - I did it and I felt better for it.

I spent my mornings with my landlady and her family, I spent my weekends with my mentor, I went skiing to the Pyrenees with the school rather than going home for a week, I spent my evenings ratner at home watching French TV, or, with my neighbours or newfound friends playing football, running or training.”

So you walk into that Saloon, doors fly open, you’re the fastest draw in the west, ready to immerse yourself in this culture as you say. Your language isn’t great, your accent isn’t fluent - is that a gradual process you could feel of picking bits up here and there or was it just a moment where it clicked? Like, I’ve got it now!

“Yeah, I was holding conversations, I had done my A-Levels of course, at the end of 1987, I had a gap year after school where I did some traveling around and work.

Like A-Level, we had French lessons of course, University is all about seminars and lectures so you learn a few words from those guys. If you go and hang out with people outside the University premises, you end up acquiring the language but not necessarily fluency. You might pick up a few slang words here and there. I went to France at 20, I could hold a conversation, don't get me wrong but it was always limited. I didn’t have that finesse, didn’t have that ‘je ne sais quoi’.

I went into that bar asking for a beer and a bit of food and stuff and I was still rusty. What happened was over the period of the next few weeks and months I would go training, I would play football with these guys and I would pick up a few football instructions and learn some things.

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And then you go home to a friend’s house, and you learn a few more things and you find that you are speaking all the time. And so when you spoke all the time, my friends would correct me - rather than using classic french, you would take some shortcuts. For example, ‘je ne sais pas’ becomes ‘je pas’. I picked up those fillers. I would buy ‘Le monde’. I would watch films and read books and I embraced the cuisine as well; from oysters and mussels to sea snails and sea urchin. I acquired a real thirst in French and that’s still with me now.

So what I am saying is that you have to have that total immersion. But when did it become fluency? I guess it just came. I really bought into it. I guess I was probably aurally fluent quicker than I was verbally since I listened to so much French. I can’t pinpoint a moment when the fluency came but after being there for about one term I certainly felt as though I got this now.“ As you mentioned earlier, it’s very important to submerge yourself in the culture as much as possible, what advice would you give for a GCSE or A-Level student with the constraints of traveling abroad right now to actually have that immersion to help them get really connected to the culture.

“You can do what I couldn’t do 35 years ago. You have the exposure. I keep saying to people that you have social media now so why don't you just change your phone to French, you have got netflix films, you can change your language to French.

You have French films, you can listen to music - I couldn’t do that. I had to go to a record shop and buy a Vinyl or buy a Cassette whereas you can do it now. We study music in French as part of our A-Level course now, so you can discover musicians beyond Stromae. So, listen to an artist, break that down, watch a film, go to Carrefour, anywhere they have magazines in French. On social media, you could just change those FaceBook settings, or on TikTok, to French. Change your PC or your MacBook or ChromeBook to French. So all you’re doing in the morning is that you wake up and you look at your chromebook screen which is all in French - and that’s your exposure. You won’t be able to go overseas for a weekend in Cannes but

THE INTERVIEW you still have the way to immerse yourself in the culture. Things like duolingo and languagenut are great. Any exposure is good exposure. Use the FRANCE 24 website or live TV. Whereas, in my days, there was nothing around like this. In my opinion, there are no longer any excuses for not being exposed to the French or Spanish or Arabic language. In order to acquire uency, in my opinion, you need that total immersion.�

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“Avoir une autre langue, c’est posséder une deuxième âme.”