From Salsa to Savanna

Exactly one week after we arrived, I started French lessons at the Institut Français du Congo . It's about a five-minute drive from home. The classes take place three times a week, two hours each, in the late afternoon. It costs 125,000 FCA (approx. €192), plus 27,000 FCA (approx. €42) for books, if you choose to buy them. The teacher is a Congolese woman who also works as a kindergarten teacher at the French international school, as well as a private tutor. She's funny, creative, gestures a lot, and cheers you on every time you try to speak French. It doesn't have to be correct -it's the way she encourages you that makes you speak French without hesitation. Most of the people who study with me came here to work and are from countries such as Peru, Nicaragua, Syria, China, Nigeria, Ghana, and Angola. They work in a variety of fields, ranging from construction to embassies and the WHO. I started from the very beginning, so it was fairly easy at first, but definitely not ...