The Institute

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 boring. You're constantly learning new words. After a while, she gave us a test, and I did well enough to move up to the A2 level. That's when things got a bit trickier, especially with le passé composé.

Later on, I realized how much easier it is to translate from Spanish into French rather than from German. At the beginning, I was waiting for the conjugation and looking for the German translation, but that made things more complicated, since Spanish and French are more similar. 

I've been learning German for the past 12 years, so starting a new language now sometimes feels strange and unfamiliar.

Another thing I've noticed when I try to speak French is that everyone says, "C'est pas grave, ça va venir" (no worries, you'll get there). Family members, friends, taxi drivers -it doesn't matter who, they all say it. That's really positive and encouraging. And even though I don't like making comparisons, I can't help but think back to when I first started learning German - I don't remember getting nearly as much support.

The institute also has a large library, offers many cultural activities, and even has a cinema that shows movies for kids - which, of course, is very attractive to my eldest child.