BY BEN MANTEL AND ISABELLA LELAND
The Post and Courier
Park West seems to be the Wisteria Lane of Mount Pleasant, with its picture perfect houses and sparklyclean cars — an ocean away from Corinne Mills’ original hometown of Annecy, France.
Yet, after 30 years, Mills fits in perfectly, welcoming her guests in a perfect American English. Unlike on “Desperate Housewives,” no margaritas and gossip tonight. Mills, a French teacher at Wando High School, and her friends are getting ready to play bridge. But instead of the casual American hug, they greet each other with French kisses –a kiss on each cheek.
The Post and Courier
Park West seems to be the Wisteria Lane of Mount Pleasant, with its picture perfect houses and sparklyclean cars — an ocean away from Corinne Mills’ original hometown of Annecy, France.
Yet, after 30 years, Mills fits in perfectly, welcoming her guests in a perfect American English. Unlike on “Desperate Housewives,” no margaritas and gossip tonight. Mills, a French teacher at Wando High School, and her friends are getting ready to play bridge. But instead of the casual American hug, they greet each other with French kisses –a kiss on each cheek.
“We taught Americans the French “bise,” and now everybody, American or European, does this,” says Mills. The “provençale” tablecloth disappears under the ratatouille dish, the French cheese, bread and bottles of wine. When Marie-Laure Arnaud, president of L’Alliance Française de Charleston, comes in, her faint French accent further adds to the French atmosphere.
Bridge gatherings are one of the ways the Alliance tries to include French culture and its art de vivre. The results are often a little bit of Toulouse and Lyon, hometowns of Gigi (short for Geneviève) Sireyjol, executive director of the group, and Arnaud, its president, in the introduction of Americans to France and the language and culture it conveys. Also, if you are French and feel “Lost in Translation” in Charleston ,the Alliance is there to help expatriates not feel displaced, just like for Mills when she arrived in town in 1976.
Today, the Alliance brings together some 304 members. That figure is likely to grow as a result of the joint efforts of Arnaud, who joined the Alliance in 1982, and Sireyjol, who has been involved in it for three years. Indeed, “French citizens account for 40 percent of total members,” Arnaud says. With a relatively important proportion of French members compared to other groups in same size cities in the nation, Sireyjol and Arnaud consider themselves lucky.
Those French expatriates find the group is a good way to keep in touch with their homecountry. For instance, since it’s been quite hard to come across French movies here in the United States, it gives them a chance to enjoy quality French films selected by the local Alliance. The social events are a way to keep old good things on their mind.
Bridge gatherings are one of the ways the Alliance tries to include French culture and its art de vivre. The results are often a little bit of Toulouse and Lyon, hometowns of Gigi (short for Geneviève) Sireyjol, executive director of the group, and Arnaud, its president, in the introduction of Americans to France and the language and culture it conveys. Also, if you are French and feel “Lost in Translation” in Charleston ,the Alliance is there to help expatriates not feel displaced, just like for Mills when she arrived in town in 1976.
Today, the Alliance brings together some 304 members. That figure is likely to grow as a result of the joint efforts of Arnaud, who joined the Alliance in 1982, and Sireyjol, who has been involved in it for three years. Indeed, “French citizens account for 40 percent of total members,” Arnaud says. With a relatively important proportion of French members compared to other groups in same size cities in the nation, Sireyjol and Arnaud consider themselves lucky.
Those French expatriates find the group is a good way to keep in touch with their homecountry. For instance, since it’s been quite hard to come across French movies here in the United States, it gives them a chance to enjoy quality French films selected by the local Alliance. The social events are a way to keep old good things on their mind.
“Eating crêpes together reminds them of their childhood,” says Arnaud with a smile. As for their American counterparts, who make up the majority of the membership, they simply appreciate French civilization. Many of them are drawn toFrance because of pleasant memories of visiting France when they were young, which they strive to keep alive. They gladly get involved in all activities, “par amour pour la France,” as Sireyjol points out.
Even though the French government insists that the 135 Alliances Françaises in the U.S. teach French, the French population in Charleston and their Francophile American co-members don’t really need a school. Teaching French remains the No. 1 priority, but in a more convivial than scholastic way.
Other regular activities include French cuisine lessons, cine club, knitting, pétanque tournaments and reading sessions. “Entertaining group activities and a French atmosphere is what members are mostly looking for,” Arnaud confesses. A catching enthusiasm it seems: “People who come to play bridge when we are short of one player often end up joining the alliance,” Mills says.
Larger events also help boost membership applications. “We do not want to be a French club. We try to actually be part of the community,” Sireyjol says.
Even though the French government insists that the 135 Alliances Françaises in the U.S. teach French, the French population in Charleston and their Francophile American co-members don’t really need a school. Teaching French remains the No. 1 priority, but in a more convivial than scholastic way.
Other regular activities include French cuisine lessons, cine club, knitting, pétanque tournaments and reading sessions. “Entertaining group activities and a French atmosphere is what members are mostly looking for,” Arnaud confesses. A catching enthusiasm it seems: “People who come to play bridge when we are short of one player often end up joining the alliance,” Mills says.
Larger events also help boost membership applications. “We do not want to be a French club. We try to actually be part of the community,” Sireyjol says.
For instance with Bastille Day, what used to me a members-only reunion has now turned into a community gathering. As for Beaujolais Nouveau, if you miss edit last year make sure to check it out this November. Same for the French Film Festival, which will take place next March during la Semaine de la Francophonie.
But managing the Alliance Française is not always “La vie en rose”. Sireyjol and Arnaud have to cope with a limited budget and a lack of premises. The Alliance lives off the $25 annual membership fee, and funds collected through special events. Sireyjol is thus the only member who can afford to volunteer her services for the Alliance full time.
Despite such a time consuming schedule, the events calendar for this year is fuller than ever, with the Alliance’s first trip to France, and the opening of a French school for children to attend after classes.
Sitting inside the French restaurant Le Mistral, Arnaud explains that the owner is French, and runs the restaurant with her American husband.
But managing the Alliance Française is not always “La vie en rose”. Sireyjol and Arnaud have to cope with a limited budget and a lack of premises. The Alliance lives off the $25 annual membership fee, and funds collected through special events. Sireyjol is thus the only member who can afford to volunteer her services for the Alliance full time.
Despite such a time consuming schedule, the events calendar for this year is fuller than ever, with the Alliance’s first trip to France, and the opening of a French school for children to attend after classes.
Sitting inside the French restaurant Le Mistral, Arnaud explains that the owner is French, and runs the restaurant with her American husband.
“When they arrived in Charleston, they had a hard time establishing the habit of offering a real meal for lunch. People here tend to just grab a sandwich. But Le Mistral serves actual courses for lunch where you have to sit at the table.
“See it’s the same for the Alliance. The point is not to hasten people to change, not to evolve too fast. Change takes time. Finding balance is essential. We have to bear in mind that the Charleston Alliance assembles a lot of diversity within a small amount of people,” Arnaud concludes.
Sireyjol and Arnaud learned to adapt when they moved to America. It has been 10 years for Sireyjol and 30 years for Arnaud, enough time for them to witness the ups and downs of French-American relationships.
Sireyjol and Arnaud learned to adapt when they moved to America. It has been 10 years for Sireyjol and 30 years for Arnaud, enough time for them to witness the ups and downs of French-American relationships.
For instance, when the French government opposed the war in Iraq in 2003, “while French window shops were egged in Boston, and the Greenville Michelin factory was the target of hostility, things remained quiet within the Alliance and in Charleston in general.”
So no French fries-freedom fries dispute here?
Arnaud shrugs it off. “L’Alliance Française is not political. The core of the Alliance is friendship.”
Now how about a game of bridge with a glass of French wine?
So no French fries-freedom fries dispute here?
Arnaud shrugs it off. “L’Alliance Française is not political. The core of the Alliance is friendship.”
Now how about a game of bridge with a glass of French wine?
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