1- Decision to come to France
Chris Williams is a 32-year-old biochemistry researcher from New York; he applied to Montpellier as part of a PRC (Hubert Curien Partnership) on the advice of his wife Clara, who visited France several times in her youth with her parents. She used to visit her “Uncle Stan,” as she still calls him in reference to Uncle Sam. Stan moved to France a little over fifteen years ago. He married a French woman whom she only saw at their wedding ten years ago, as she has not returned to France since.
Chris’s application was accepted.
He is coming to meet the team at the institute where he will be working in Montpellier.
He also wants to discover as much as possible about the culture and the region during his short stay and get a feel for studying French.
These are the reasons why I am welcoming Stan, who has never learned French but speaks Spanish.
His contract does not allow him to have a “reconnaissance visit” as American expatriates sometimes call it, but he has treated himself to this trip to make sure not only that he is making the right career choice, but also that he is happy with the location of his expatriation. He does not want to reduce his life to his career. His living environment is also very important to him.
2 – Arrival in Montpellier for an immersion program
Arriving in Montpellier can be surprising because the airport is only a few kilometers from the sea.
As you come back down to earth during landing, you discover a modest-sized airport. Meeting up at Montpellier airport is easy. All you have to do is wait for travelers at the only entrance to the arrivals hall with a sign bearing their name and a smile to accompany the meeting.
« Bonjour Stan et bienvenue. »
“Hello, bonjouuuuuu”
Language immersion upon arrival happens gradually, little by little. There’s no point in launching into long speeches in French that won’t be understood.
I prefer to speak English: my accent leaves something to be desired, and I have many gaps in my vocabulary, but the goal will be achieved: to make myself understood.
Little by little, I will deliver a few sentences in French after saying the same thing in English.
ournée et intégrer au mieux le décalage horaire. Son secret pour intégrer rapidement le décalage horaire ?
Les micro-sommeils qui lui permettent de récupérer rapidement de l’énergie quand la fatigue se fait sentir !
3. Welcome home for an integration stay
« Are you tired ? » Es-tu fatigué ?
I’ll start right away with “tu” because in his professional environment, it will be used all the time. Later, I’ll teach him the polite “vous” to use with people he doesn’t know and outside of a friendly setting.
Stan replies, “Yes, exhausted.”
“Yes, oui in French! So let’s go home; you can have something to eat and drink, take a shower, and have a rest! It’s only a 20-minute drive.”
“Ok, merci,” replies Stan.
