After finally connecting with Alliance Francaise and meeting some really cool people, learning French language, why not?
So, this evening was our first class for French Language Level 1 at Alliance Ethio-Francaise (aka Alliance Francaise aka Alliance) Dire Dawa. I was able to half-convince two of my Filipino colleagues, Lizel and Luzzette, to register as well, but I came alone this first day to scout the scenes...
Anyway, this class is just the first contact, as Mr. Souffian puts it. No lessons yet, just the preliminaries, introducing the course outline, class schedule, etc.
Interesting classmates, I was the only farenji that day, and stepping in late, I was embarrassed that Mr. Souffian had to repeat some of his earlier points in English, just for me. (So I am even more obliged to convince Ma'am Lizel and Luzzette to join in.) But a very good bunch of habesha French language learners, meeting new people, the change of scenery from the tedious uni life, is already good enough reason to have enlisted in this class.
I even already made one a friend in class. Nice lady, Frehiwot. The kind that approaches you after class, introduces herself in perfect English, and tells you, she's lived in Europe, you see. This is getting to be fun already.
After the first contact class, as if pre-arranged, we were invited to the opening of The Timbuktu Manuscripts Exhibit. The Timbuktu Manuscripts is a blanket term for the large number of historically important manuscripts that have been preserved for centuries in private households in Timbuktu, Mali. The collections include manuscripts about art, medicine, philosophy, and science of the late Abbasid Caliphate, as well as priceless copies of the Quran. The number of manuscripts in the collections has been estimated as high as 700,000.
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| Good (looking) crowd. |
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| And there's refreshments! |
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| Exhibit booklets... |
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| New classmate/friend Frehiwot, Francois and Andy. |
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| Injera after the exhibit! |
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