I left Paris 4 weeks ago, stopped past New York for an amazing ten days. I joined meetup.com to keep practising French and I’m amazed by the wide range of people I have met already. I started my own French meetup group in Melbourne, for french nationals or Aussies wanting to improve their language. It has been a rewarding experience so far. I met a French girl from Bordeaux and together we brainstormed to do a French cuisine teaching workshop for the French foodies out there on Meetup.com.
I imagine Australians would be excited to learn about French cooking, from a French girl of the south-west, a region famous for its gastronomy. Attendees should just be charged a small fee to cover the cost of the kitchen hire, the food and a nice couple of glasses of wine. The first theme for the meetup may be appropriately cuisine of the south-west. So dishes of foie gras, nice red wine and perhaps a chocolate tart…
French movies. I was pleased to watch Les Intouchables again in Melbourne with English subtitles, for the first time. This was the third time watching it, however the other times were in France. I understood most of it the first time, the second time was better as someone explained details for me. The third however, revealed a couple more intricate details that I initially missed.
The movie was a success at the box office, with the highest number of box offices sales in France, after Bienvenue chez les ch’tis. It’s a timeless story that can appeal to all, how an unlikely friendship forms between two men from completely different walks of life. A millionaire paraplegic and a poor man from the Parisian suburbs, who by some stroke of his luck, creates a lasting impression at a job interview and ends up working with this man.
Monsieur Lazar, another great film originating from Quebec this time. The story of how a classroom comes to learn and react about their classroom teacher committing suicide. There is a twist to watch out for, only revealed towards the end of the film. This sad and beautiful story is sensitively told.
I miss Paris, meeting French people and immersing myself in the French language. But, it’s nice to know that I can keep exploring the culture and language from Melbourne, and in better weather!
A Paris Diary 
Les Intouchables certainly was a sensitive movie, interesting to know it was so popular in France.
Yes it did exceptionally well at the box offices in France, one of the best sellers in fact. ‘Bienvenue les ch’tis’ was another big hit at the box office, i recommend buying this one if you can.
Love to hear how you are back in Melbourne and that you are keeping the up the french lifestyle. Want to hear more about the french cuisine teaching workshop. Hope all is well back home.