You might be familiar with our Member Spotlight on our blog where we get to know our members of the Center better. Today we invite you to get to know a few of our staff members at the FCC! Read on to learn more about some of our staff, their connection with the French language and culture, and where they want to travel to next!
I would love to be able to go to Rwanda so that I could learn about its history and modern-day culture. And, of course, I wouldn't be able to resist visiting the coffee farms!
-Amy, Library Assistant
I've really been enjoying Hoopla, a resource Amy included in her recent resources blog post. It has some of my favorite French TV shows from the library available online, like The Women on the 6th Floor and Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie, and others that I've never seen elsewhere like Détectives and Chic! (which feels like a take on The Devil Wears Prada). These have been a really fun way to distract myself and keep up with French!
- Ingrid, Center Librarian
French Polynesia. De belles plages, et le jour ou je serai riche, j’irai dans ces magnifiques hôtels hors de prix.
-Maude, Teacher/Events Coordinator
I truly enjoy the classes even though I am at the beginner level. Our teachers are very patient and make the class fun. I also enjoy meeting other students; they inspire me!
-Joyce, Director of Development
I have a really strong memory of being a little girl and sitting in bed on a Saturday morning with a book from the local library trying to teach myself French. Little did I know how much French would shape my life. In college, French classes were the ones I did for fun and being slightly lazy, I switched my major from Chemistry to French. Although I was not able to go abroad as a college student, I was fortunate enough to do two summers at the Middlebury French School instead. I did not get to France in person until graduate school at UPenn when I was sent to Lyon as a lectrice. Once I arrived in the hexagone, I never wanted to leave! I spent five years teaching English in Lyon and doing a maîtrise and D.E.A. in lettres modernes. When I did return back to the US to do a doctorate in French, it was with a French husband in tow. Since then, my life has been balanced between Paris and the US and enlivened by so many delightful adventures: working as a museum guard in summers, two research years in Paris as a young mother, summers in Paris or in Burgundy or the mountains, long hours at the Archives nationales et de la Marine, countless hours in specialized libraries, as well as trips chaperoning student groups. Now, with my son in Paris studying to be a dentist, as a much older mother, I split my time between the two countries, teaching French studies at UMass Dartmouth, doing research in Paris, and recently, studying law at Paris 2-Panthéon Assas in their online program.
-Michelle, Receptionist
I would like to travel to the Seychelles. I went there when I was 10 years old with my parents. It has been one of the most amazing trips of my whole life. I remember the white sand beaches, the transparency of the water, the tremendous number of colorful fishes, the spiciness of the food, the marvelous fruit juices, the kindness of the population. I would like to share all of those incredible memories with my husband.
-Clémence, Cultural Events Coordinator
If you could travel to any Francophone country, what would it be and why?
I would love to be able to go to Rwanda so that I could learn about its history and modern-day culture. And, of course, I wouldn't be able to resist visiting the coffee farms!-Amy, Library Assistant
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE RESOURCE YOU ARE USING TO CONNECT WITH FRANCE/KEEP UP YOUR FRENCH AT THIS TIME?
I've really been enjoying Hoopla, a resource Amy included in her recent resources blog post. It has some of my favorite French TV shows from the library available online, like The Women on the 6th Floor and Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie, and others that I've never seen elsewhere like Détectives and Chic! (which feels like a take on The Devil Wears Prada). These have been a really fun way to distract myself and keep up with French!- Ingrid, Center Librarian
If you could travel to any Francophone country, what would it be and why?
French Polynesia. De belles plages, et le jour ou je serai riche, j’irai dans ces magnifiques hôtels hors de prix.-Maude, Teacher/Events Coordinator
DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE CLASSES OR EVENTS THAT YOU HAVE PARTICIPATED IN AT THE CENTER?
I truly enjoy the classes even though I am at the beginner level. Our teachers are very patient and make the class fun. I also enjoy meeting other students; they inspire me!-Joyce, Director of Development
WHAT IS YOUR CONNECTION TO THE FRENCH LANGUAGE AND/OR FRANCOPHONE CULTURE?
I have a really strong memory of being a little girl and sitting in bed on a Saturday morning with a book from the local library trying to teach myself French. Little did I know how much French would shape my life. In college, French classes were the ones I did for fun and being slightly lazy, I switched my major from Chemistry to French. Although I was not able to go abroad as a college student, I was fortunate enough to do two summers at the Middlebury French School instead. I did not get to France in person until graduate school at UPenn when I was sent to Lyon as a lectrice. Once I arrived in the hexagone, I never wanted to leave! I spent five years teaching English in Lyon and doing a maîtrise and D.E.A. in lettres modernes. When I did return back to the US to do a doctorate in French, it was with a French husband in tow. Since then, my life has been balanced between Paris and the US and enlivened by so many delightful adventures: working as a museum guard in summers, two research years in Paris as a young mother, summers in Paris or in Burgundy or the mountains, long hours at the Archives nationales et de la Marine, countless hours in specialized libraries, as well as trips chaperoning student groups. Now, with my son in Paris studying to be a dentist, as a much older mother, I split my time between the two countries, teaching French studies at UMass Dartmouth, doing research in Paris, and recently, studying law at Paris 2-Panthéon Assas in their online program.-Michelle, Receptionist
If you could travel to any Francophone country, what would it be and why?
I would like to travel to the Seychelles. I went there when I was 10 years old with my parents. It has been one of the most amazing trips of my whole life. I remember the white sand beaches, the transparency of the water, the tremendous number of colorful fishes, the spiciness of the food, the marvelous fruit juices, the kindness of the population. I would like to share all of those incredible memories with my husband. -Clémence, Cultural Events Coordinator
Natalie Collet
Former Membership Manager
From the Midwest, Natalie is a Francophile at heart. Her interest in French started when studying ballet and the language and culture entranced her through her student years. She became involved with the - Alliance - in the suburbs of Chicago after she spent an unforgettable year teaching English in a French high school near Bordeaux. She is happy to join the team in Boston and work with the members to provide them with unique opportunities, quality programming, and a community through French!
