I woke at 6.00am to the intense sound of the birds singing, there was no other noise. ECOLE DES TROIS PONTS is set back from the road so there is no noise of traffic, and the garden tranquil. It was not going to be until 8.00am that the dining area was open for breakfast, and although I had been told of the code to enter and that coffee/tea was available anytime, I did not feel comfortable helping myself.
At 8.10am I collected my bag, complete with phone and water bottle and headed for the kitchen. Five students were already seated, and all greeted me with a joyous “bonjour”. We then started to repeat a lot of what had been said the previous night, reminding each other of our names and home countries. At 8.30am, Valerie, The Director breezed through the space, pile of papers in her hand, and headed for the lounge, but not before reminding us all that we needed to be “interviewed” in about twenty minutes time. I ate my yogurt in silence, looking at the home made jams and marmalades on the table.
I was the third student to be selected for the interview, which in retrospect was not at all stressful, just a five minute conversation over why I wanted to LEARN FRENCH and what my hopes for the next couple of weeks would be. By 9.20am we had all been interviewed and then each of us was told which classroom we needed to be in. Six students in one class, four in another, while two remained in the lounge area as they had chosen a more PERSONAL FRENCH TUITION as were “debutants” – the polite way of saying beginners. I felt some sense of relief knowing there were others who were more beginners than me.
In the class my fears were laid to rest as the teacher was so warm and understanding and funny. She wanted to make us feel at ease and did this by asking us all again to tell our classmates about ourselves. Note-books were distributed and we were informed each morning class would begin at 9.15am, that there would be a 15 minute “repose” around 10.45am for coffee, and then the class would recommence until 12.15pm. Lunch was at 12.30pm. Two afternoons there would be additional tuition from 5.00pm – 7.00pm, for those who were not doing a SPECIAL PROGRAM such as historical visits, hiking, Pastry or Cooking. There were no classes on Wednesday afternoon, but each Wednesday an EXCURSION was arranged, which was detailed on the notice board, and which students signed up for.
By lunchtime I felt my stress level dissipate. My class had bonded, which meant that eating the wonderful quiche and salad, followed by a selection of cheeses was thoroughly enjoyable. We all conversed in THE FRENCH LANGUAGE, no one cared how fluent you were, nor how many mistakes were made. It was very welcoming. Afterwards I sat in the garden with four other students and despite the fact there were no staff to demand we all SPOKE FRENCH we all did, accepting that if we were to gain the most from this school of FRENCH IMMERSION, this rule needed to be followed.
Later I returned to my room, completed my homework, then spoke to family back home, enthusing over how enjoyable I had found my first morning and how stupid I was to stress over the first few hours at ECOLE DES TROIS PONTS.
I heard the bell ring for dinner at 7.30pm. A teacher I did not know was joining us that evening, and about four conversations were taking place around the table. As the evening progressed the noise increased. The food was fantastic as was the wine. After the main course there was a presentation by The Chef of the four cheeses we were to taste, and everyone was invited to guess which region they originated from. I found this nightly tradition immensely informative. By 9.30pm the dinner was over and the plates cleared away. Some students stayed on in animated conversation, but I was exhausted and went to bed, falling asleep, as soon as my head touched the pillow. Very content.
Jayne Seagrave is a British Columbia Best Selling Author. The ninth edition of her book Camping British Columbia, the Rockies and the Yukon was published in 2023. Over 60,000 of her camping books have been sold. She also writes fiction, non-fiction, freelance articles and occasionally teaches writing and publishing courses. She has attended Ecole Des Trois Ponts on four separate occasions. See: www.jayneseagrave.com
