Sunny office available to sublet!

Sunny, affordable office conveniently located just off West Main Street near L'Etoile and the Amtrak station. Suite is offered to sublet at $355/month and includes 1 parking space, electricity, water, heat air, shared bathroom and kitchenette. Plenty of natural light and wooden flooring.

 Available to sublet from July 15-September 15 and a yearly lease is available after that.
Sq. Ft. -- 350
Rent -- $355 per month (Includes utilities except phone and Internet)

If interested, please contact director@afcville.org.

Annual Report & New Cultural Calendar Just Published

Salut tout le monde!

The new Cultural Program and Annual Report have just been published! They are currently in the mail and members should be receiving their copies soon.

The Cultural Program outlines all AFC events from July-December 2014. It includes all normal events as well as new ones for this year. Be sure to check it out and mark your calendars for some fun and enriching events! The program is also included in the AFC Cultural Calendar on our website which will always have the most up to date information on events as it will reflect any additions or changes.

The 2013-14 Annual Report has an overview of the developments at the AFC in the 2013-14 year. If you have not yet received it, click here to read or download a copy of the AFC 2013-14 Annual Report.

France in the World Cup: How are they doing?

This year's World Cup in Brazil has proven to be an exciting one! 32 teams qualified this year for the month-long soccer tournament consisting of 64 matches across 12 different cities in Brazil. The tournament started on June 12th and will end on July 13th. At almost halfway through, how is France doing in La Coupe du Monde 2014?

So far, France has played in 2 matches against Switzerland and Honduras, both of which they have won, scoring a total of 8 goals. France's striker, Karim Benzema, has received special attention during this year's world cup, having scored 3 of France's 8 goals so far. To read more about Karim Benzema in this year's World Cup, click here. 

Tune in for France's next match against Ecuador Wednesday, June 25th at 5:00 pm local time.

For even more information about World Cup 2014, check out coupedumonde2014.net! 

All information for this post from www.fifa.com and en.wikipedia.org.  

Federation of Alliances Francaises, USA, Inc.'s Volunteer of the Year Award

The national network of the Federation of Alliances Françaises in the United States would not what it is today without the hard work of our chapter members and volunteers. In order to recognize this important asset to the organization, the Federation of Alliances Françaises is giving out a Volunteer of the Year Award, for an outstanding member of a chapter who has shown an outstanding effort to promote French language and culture. The recipient will receive the award and be recognized at the convention and annual meeting in October. In order to receive the award, the recipient must be a member of an Alliance Française chapter. The award will recognize both the volunteer member and their chapter, splitting an prize of $500. There are four categories under which a chapter member can be nominated:

a.     Administrative support in the Member Chapter which can be documented

b.     Committee involvement in an Member Chapter fundraiser

c.     A leadership role in any recruitment of funds for the Member Chapter

d.     Recruiting volunteers for Member Chapter’s (fundraising) events

Do you know of a member of our Charlottesville chapter whose volunteer work has been an asset to the organization? Is there a member who has truly made a difference through their time and dedication to French language and culture? If so, we would love for you to nominate them! This is a very exciting award that AF C'ville would love to see one of our members win! Please download the entry form on our volunteer page and send the completed version to media@afcville.org. The deadline for any submissions is September 1st. Bonne chance tout le monde!

L'expérience de l'invité : Les États Unis et la France

par Caleigh Erickson, stagiaire à l'AFC
Quand on voyage dans un autre pays, on voit plusieurs différences entre les deux en ce qui concerne la mode, l’architecture, le comportement, la nourriture, et beaucoup d’autres aspects de la société et de la culture. Ces différences rendent un pays unique et sans pareil. Cependant, il est difficile de ne pas comparer l’un avec l’autre, et de ne pas trouver les différences « bizarres » ou de penser qu’il y en a un qui soit mieux que l’autre. Surtout quand on voyage, on se trouve quelque part comme invité. L'expérience de l'invité est une des valeurs culturelles qui caractérise les deux pays. 

Cette idée est liée à la valeur de transparence dans le monde public. Par exemple, aux États Unis, on a l’adage, « faites comme chez vous » concernant les invités et la maison. Nous ouvrons nos maisons aux autres et il est normal de leur montrer toute la maison. Il est aussi normal pour l’invité d’aider de débarrasser la table ou de faire la vaisselle. En revanche, les Français protègent leur vie privée. S’ils invitent quelqu’un à la maison, il n’est pas « chez soi » donc il est considéré seulement comme invité. Il n'est pas normal de partager beaucoup d'information personnelle comme les sentiments ou la structure de la maison avec des personnes qu'on ne connait pas bien. La vie privée a une valeur qui est très importante. 

Bien sûr, il y a des aspects positifs dans l'expérience française et celle des États Unis. Surtout, on doit respecter les différences culturelles entre notre pays et un autre. Il est parfois difficile de comprendre une autre culture, mais il faut être ouvert et avoir une attitude positive. Cette attitude est la clé pour un séjour agréable dans un pays étranger. 

Back in the U.S. - Easy ways to keep French in your daily life

by Caleigh Erickson, AFC intern

No matter your level of French, anyone who has spent time in a francophone country has experienced that sudden improvement in speaking that comes with being immersed in a foreign language and being challenged to communicate with other French speakers. However, that fluidity and quick thinking tends to rust and wear over time once we are once again surrounded by our native language on a daily basis. Even if we continue to speak French in classes or periodically with other speakers, it is never quite the same as that complete immersion. This may sound grim and discouraging, but fortunately there are many other ways to continue to practice French that are easy to do and much less expensive than a transatlantic plane ticket! Try a few of these methods to keep French a part of your daily life:

-One very conventional way to continue listening to French is to watch French movies and listen to French music. While consuming music and films actually made in francophone countries provide a cultural and linguistic experience, most American films can also be watched in French with dubbed voices selected in language settings. Add the subtitles too for double the exposure!

-Label things around your home. Place Post-it notes on objects around the house, and note how many you can name without looking at the Post-it. Looking up new vocabulary and putting it in mundane places makes learning new words an effortless part of your day, even if you don't purposefully read them all the time.

-There are many typical board games that can be ordered online in French. Taboo, for example, is a great word description game that is entirely verbal, and challenges you to not only comprehend vocabulary, but also explain it to others! Playing board games in French is a fun way to practice with other people.

-Another way to insert French into everyday life is to change the language settings on your computer, phone, or social media sights. It makes a small difference but will allow you to read French every day while doing online activities you already do on a daily basis.

Try some of these out and keep your French skills sharp in the States!

Où est le centre de la France?

par Nicole Yancey, Alliance Française de Norfolk

Regardez sur une carte la route qui de Bourges s'achemine vers Saint-Amand Montrond (où je suis née...).  Une pierre monumentale, coiffée du drapeau tricolore est érigée à l'entrée du petit village de Bruère-Allichamps.  C'est une borne milliaire qui marqua pendant plusieurs siècles le cimetière.  

En 1797, le Duc de Béthune-Charost, assisté d'un ingénieur, fit transporter la pierre là où elle se trouve maintenant, dans le but de marquer le centre géographique de la France.  Cette situation centrale est contestée: Alain-Fournier cite Epineuil dans son roman "Le Grand Meaulnes"; d'autres

Saulzais-le-Potier ou encore Vesdun.  Mais pour d'autres encore, il serait à Saint-Amand-Montrond, Rue des Soupirs, entre le campanile de l'Hôtel de Ville et le clocher de l'église.  Sous le pignon ouest de ce bâtiment se trouverait le vrai centre de la France... C'est aussi le siège du Centre Régional des Impôts ! (J'ai verifié !)

Quoiqu'il en soit, cette borne milliaire a indiqué jusqu'au 4ème siècle la bonne direction aux 

légions romaines.  C'est la seule borne connue qui atteste d'un "trivium" ou carrefour de trois routes; celle de Bourges (Avaricum), Château-Meillant (Mediolanum) et Néris.