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FRENCH LESSONS
143
January15
with Amélie Recroix
By Verne Maree;
photographs by Ken Tan
Just in time for the new year, here’s the inspirational
story of 20-something Frenchwoman AMÉLIÉ RECROIX.
Disallowed from pursuing in Singapore the profession
that she’d trained for, she courageously embarked on a
completely different career. Now she’s the founder-owner
of French Studio in Katong.
Parlez-vous?
“I first came across French
Studio about five months
ago, while looking for
lessons to improve my
conversational French
before a trip to France.
A web search quickly
brought up frenchstudio.sg, so I did the online
test to identify my proficiency level, admitted in
an email my crippling self-consciousnesswhen
it came to actually speaking French, and soon
embarked on a series of ten 90-minute private
lessons with the brilliant Sara Hdiguellou.
“I’m not the easiest of students. But Sara
proved to be an outstanding teacher –
keeping me in line, recognising my strengths,
identifying my weaknesses and, best of
all, revealing how French people
actually
converse with each other, rather than how
grammar books say they do.”
– Verne Maree
Where are you from, and what brought you to Singapore?
I’m from Metz, in the east of France. After high school, I studied in Paris
and Marseille to become an optometrist. I’d just qualified as a specialist
when my then-boyfriend Kevin (nowmy husband) was offered a six-month
work stint in Singapore. As the idea of travelling appealed, we took up
the offer. That was five years ago; we never left!
How did you find Singapore?
It was beautiful, but it’s hard to arrive in a place where you don’t know
anyone. Kevin worked all day, and I found myself waiting for him to come
home. I was only 22, too young to be just a housewife; and once we knew
we’d be here for longer than six months, I had to find something to do.
Unfortunately, my degree was not recognised here.
Another big problemwas that I spoke no English at all. So I took classes
at the British Council for two months; after that, I continued to learn on
my own, talking to friends and others every day. My English is still not
perfect, but I get by, and – most importantly – I can work.
Sara Hdiguellou