“An eye-opening experience”

Buyslam, 25 years old, South Korean
was enrolled in General French (3 months)

“Even though I lived 19 years in Korea, 2 years in America, 2 years and a half in Italy, and 8 months in France, I do not see myself as an international citizen like the famous French writer Amelie Nothomb. Instead, I feel very Korean. I feel most comfortable when I speak Korean. Korean language is a rich and beautiful language with so many untranslatable words and sentences.

When I was in high school, I felt kind of depressed from time to time. But when I listened to French sentences, it was like a beautiful music and it made me feel better. So I always thought if I have time, I will learn this mysterious language. However, as I was more used to English, I studied English literature in university.

While I had to learn English, I chose to learn French. When I was a student, I discovered a novel which really touched my heart. It was a novel by the French writer, Romain Gary. I felt some kind of connection with this writer. His works were funny and serious at the same time, and I loved how he makes the readers laugh. He was an immigrant with a complicated cultural identity like so many people in France, and I could relate to it.

Perhaps, I want to learn French also because I like the French values. I admire values such as liberty, equality, fraternity, tolerance, solidarity, and the manifestation culture, etc. I really appreciate small talks and discussions in cafes as well. I’ll never forget the time when my friends and I used to talk about anything that is interesting such as food, culture, life and politics over a coffee.

I very much enjoyed the cultural activities in Alliance Française de Lyon as well. I could get to know people and learn new things by attending events like the short film festival, wine tasting and the festival of Epiphany etc. Some were an eye-opening experience which enriched my life in Lyon.“