French woman, science, wit and "bonheur"

On June 8, the Alliance Française de Chicago will re-create a “Salon parisien” inspired by a significant woman of her time Émilie, Marquise du Châtelet. Zoé Moore tells us more about it;

Student Spotlight: Lauren Jones

I had two short but amazing experiences in Paris that started me on my French language-learning journey. I loved the city, food and culture and wanted to go back for a longer stay to see what else France had to offer if I could explore it more on my own.

Fashion of the Belle Époque

The Belle Époque period lasted from 1871 to 1914, the end of the Franco-Prussian war to the beginning of WWI. It is also known as the Edwardian era and the Gilded age.

Thomas Robert Brashler

Thomas was a fantastic student, an avid Francophile and an even better person to be around. We feel lucky that we got to know him and interact with him on so many occasions, always with a smile.

Indulge in some French comfort food

Comfort food is an almost universally known concept. You have a hard day, you come home and you eat a gallon of mac and cheese and maybe you just feel a little bit better.

How to plant your thyme seeds!

If you want instructions on how to grow your thym (thyme) seeds from Earth day, you’re in the right place! Thyme is excellent for container planting inside and outside. If you do plant outside, it is very attractive to bees which is great for the rest of your garden and the environment.

Verlan your French! How can your French sound more like a native speaker?

If you have ever learned a second language you probably have had the experience realizing that the language you are working so hard to learn might be very different from the way that language is actually spoken.

La francophonie behind the scenes

During the entire month of March, we at the Alliance Française de Chicago have hosted a variety of events as part of our Festival de Francophonie. By the end of the month you’ll have had the opportunity to learn about Russian and French cultures influencing each other, hear about books from around the world, eat amazing food, and see films that explore a variety of Francophonie experiences.

Student Spotlight: Lisa Kinney

What was it about the Alliance Française that first interested you? I was interested in the Alliance Française because of its reputation as being one of the best French language schools in the world.