I started my adventure with the French language as a freshman in high school. As a lover of history, I've always been fascinated by the French culture and the French language.

Some great reasons to study and learn French:

1. French is spoken 300 million people worldwide, a very large majority of whom are under 30 years old

2. French is the 5th most spoken global language after Mandarin, English, Spanish and Arabic

3. French is the official language of 32 states and governments

4. French is spoken in Canada, just a few miles away from Milwaukee

5. French, alongside English, is the only language spoken on all continents

6. French is the 2nd most taught foreign language after English across the 5 continents

7. French is the 2nd most used language in diplomacy

8. French is the 3rd most used language in business

9. French is the 4th most used language on the internet

10. French is both a working language and an official language of the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, The International Olympic Committee, the International Red Cross and international courts

I started with French 101 last summer. The class was offered on Zoom, and there were less than 7 students in the class. It was a great refresher and I was surprised at how much I recalled from my high school French classes. There were also a few topics I didn’t know, like ordering in a restaurant, telling time, etc.

In September, I decided that I would try taking French 102 in person at the Alliance Français that is located here in Milwaukee. My instructor was fluent in 4 languages (which boggles my mind, as someone who sometimes feels like I have problems with English, haha) and I really enjoyed learning from her. She also paid me what I would consider a very high compliment - she said that she could tell I had taken French in the past because my knowledge and pronunciation were much better than what I would have learned in just French 101.

A secondary aspect of learning French from instructors who not only are passionate about teaching French is learning more about the French culture. Almost all of the instructors who work with AF Milwaukee currently live in a French speaking country or have in the past.

January 8th I start my next course - French 103- and I am so very determined to become proficient so that (fingers crossed) if I live in France at some point I will be comfortable enough to communicate with anyone I encounter. #futureexpatvibes

Do you speak multiple languages? Would you ever move out of the country you were born in to live somewhere else?