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Putting the Fun into French at Alliance Française in Siem Reap

Learning French can help Cambodians and other nationalities not just to engage in a different way with French speakers here in Cambodia, but also to open the space of French-language speaking parts of the world

There are changes afoot at the Alliance Française in Siem Reap with the appointment of a new director, a fresh new website on the way and a huge range of language and cultural classes and activities to choose from. The coming changes are designed to make French more approachable, learnable and fun, helping students to connect with one another and with French language and culture and to build their skills in ways that will be, quite practically, unforgettable. So if you’ve ever thought about learning French through Manga, photography, Crossfit, yoga, cooking, and more, or by direct application to your profession, this is for you.

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Taking first things first, Nathalie Pinol will soon be taking over the reins as Director. She is in fact already a familiar face at the Alliance which she joined in May this year as a pedagogical coordinator. In that capacity, and subsequently as course director, she has already overseen a huge range of changes at the institution, administratively, professionally and also for the breadth of courses and services they offer. The public will notice a refreshed media library and roof terrace, French lessons given via Manga classes for example, and a host of activities. This promotion will allow Nathalie to develop her ideas even further, and really build on the Alliance’s strengths and ability to reach out and offer something fun, interesting and engaging.

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Rather than focusing on dry language learning classes (though they are available too! Some people like it that way), the Alliance is building on the energy, dynamism and motivation built up by people’s interests in specific subjects and the role this can play in keeping them engaged and helping to do the hard work of imprinting a language’s million intricacies on the brain. Languages are best learned when they are actually lived.

Learning languages opens doors to a wider world of knowledge, experiences and perspectives. Learning French can help Cambodians and other nationalities not just to engage in a different way with French speakers here in Cambodia, but also to open the space of French-language speaking parts of the world. Then there are the possibilities for jobs in French businesses in Cambodia, and also a potential route to French-speaking universities, which tend to offer far better value for money than Anglo-saxon ones.

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Nathalie highlights the importance of university cooperation agreements that have been developed with the French Embassy, particularly in the medical and legal sectors. Thanks to these agreements, Cambodian students can access quality training in France, and Alliance France serves as a springboard for these students also thanks to support from the French Embassy in Cambodia.

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To support this new approach, the Alliance is also reconfiguring its website, and we’ll have more on that in November.

In the meantime, check out the new schedule below, including prices. Please note that potential students who are struggling financially may be entitled to claim help to cover the cost of materials.

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French as a Foreign Language (FLE) ($30/month):

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12pm to 1pm, then from 5pm to 7pm (depending on the students’ level);

Every Tuesday and Thursday from 5pm to 6:30pm.

New and Unseen at Alliance Française

General French classes for Franco-Khmer children: every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4:30pm to 5:30pm.

Workshops other than FLE/ (35$/month)

Khmer classes: every Monday and Wednesday from 1pm to 2pm.

Every Tuesday:

  • Francophone discovery class: from 4pm to 5pm;
  • Crossfit class, from 5pm to 6pm;
  • Manga workshop: from 6pm to 7pm;
  • Photo workshop: from 6pm to 7pm;
  • Yoga class according to B.K.S Iyengar: from 6pm to 7.10pm.

Coming soon (Tuesdays):

  • Khmer Culture Discovery

Coming soon (Thursdays):

  • Cooking workshop from 4 to 5:15 pm.

To find out more, including details of how to enrol for the course of your choice, take a look at the Alliance Française Siem Reap Facebook page

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