“I loved learning French in France”

Thanks to this language and cultural stay, Olivia made a lot of progress in French 

Winner of the competition organized by the Alliances Françaises of Lyon and Shanghai (China) with support from the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region, Olivia finishes her linguistic stay at the Alliance Française of Lyon.

With a smile and sparkling eyes, she tells us in excellent French: “I have realized a dream! I started to learn French in 2010 after coming back from a professional trip to Cannes (Olivia works in the film industry). From that moment, I dreamt with the opportunity to live in France…”.

In 2015, while attending courses at the Alliance Française of Shanghai, her friends encouraged her to participate in the competition awarded with a one-month linguistic stay at the Alliance Française of Lyon. Inspired by the story of the Lumière brothers, Olivia then wrote a tale involving these two men from Lyon, emblematic figures of cinema.

Between two General French classes, Olivia says: “I love learning French in France: I have made a lot of progress and, for the first time, I feel comfortable speaking French. I have also learned a lot about myself, something in me has changed, I feel like I have grown up!”.

For a long time addicted to France, Olivia is now addicted to Lyon: “the gastronomy, the rivers, the swans, Lyon is a city where life is good!… I love the secondhand book market on the quays of the river Saône. I will leave Lyon with a suitcase full of books!”. Olivia hopes to return to Lyon soon… Why not for the Lumière Festival?