Today was my fourth and final day of Formation Civique. I had chosen the socio-culturelle option and we were told to bring a packed lunch so I was hopeful it would be some sort of field trip.
There were 18 of us and we started off by talking about culture and words in our native languages that were used in French.
We then learnt some words used in Lyon:
- Gones – kids
- Gache – place
- Vogue – funfair
- Cagnard- hot
We did some quizzes on history, gastronomy and politics and then it was time for lunch.
As it was a lovely sunny day, I ate on the banks of the Saône and enjoyed watching the rowers – les rameurs – go past. Then – joy of joys – a martin pêcheur landed on the branch of a tree in front of me.
After lunch we went on a trip to L’Ile Barbe – a beautiful island in the Saône which once had one of the oldest monasteries in France on it. The Revolution put paid to that.
When we returned to the classroom there was a spot of karaoke as we sang two songs by Charles Aznavour – well, the rest of the group did. I couldn’t join in as I didn’t know Emmenez-moi or La Boheme. And then, just like that, my formation civique was over. Four days of training which means you can stay in France longer when your one-year visa runs out. It also helps if one day you want to apply for French citizenship.
I now know to call the paramedics dial 15, the police 17 and les pompiers 18.
I’ve learnt that France is 672m square kms with a population of 67m. I’ve learnt about the number of regions (18) and departments (101) and Communes (35,000). A bit about Clovis I and Francois I and Henri IV.
Not sure that should have taken four days but hey-ho, it’s done now. C’est terminé.
Today’s bird count: 1 kingfisher, 2 yellow wagtails, a buzzard, 2 cormorants, 2 black-headed gulls.
Thrown to (the) Lyon 