Bonjour from Ballarat. A French Tale of Cheese, Chat, and lots of Chateaus.

“A different language is a different vision of life.” – Federico Fellini

After two weeks navigating metro stations, devouring endless baguettes, and being mercilessly quizzed on my French vocabulary by 16 amazing students, I can safely say, France changed us all. And no, not just because my jeans are now tighter thanks to an aggressive cheese-eating campaign I may or may not have led.

Travelling through Angers, Amboise, Saumur, Saint-Malo, and finally Paris, our days were filled with discovery—and our mornings? Well, they were a mix of bleary-eyed students and teachers trying to decipher what the plans were for that day and how we were going to get to our destinations. Mr Augustin somehow always looked composed (we suspect secret French ancestry), while Mrs Myers and I often looked like contestants on The Amazing Race: Fromage Edition. I have to say, though, our Tour guides were fantastic, and we were blessed to have them with us.

This trip wasn’t just a tick-the-box tourist trail, and it's not about the fabulous sites we saw...and believe me, they were extraordinary. It is about the immersion, a beautiful deep dive into French life, language, and yes, their sacred daily ritual: the two-hour lunch. You’d think 16 teenagers would squirm at sitting down for that long without doom-scrolling on social media, but they embraced it. As did I. It made me realise just how much of my own life is lived at a gallop, food scoffed between meetings or on the run. In France, we learned to pause. We learned to talk. And we learned to listen, not just to each other, but to the rhythms of a culture that cherishes connection over convenience.

There was one evening in Paris when I confidently told a French waiter, “Je suis plein” thinking I was saying “I’m full.” The look of horror she gave me told me I’d said something wildly inappropriate. (Hmmm, I later learnt that phrase actually means you’re pregnant. You're welcome.)

Each morning, without fail, my students would test me and correct me on my French phrases. It became a game: “Mr Pillai, how do you order a coffee?” “How do I say, I have sore feet?” (An important one after 20,000 steps a day.) My confidence in speaking grew with each interaction, and I noticed something beautiful: the locals were patient, encouraging, and truly delighted when we tried. Even the cranky ones softened with a “Bonjour, monsieur!”

The truth is, learning a second language isn’t just about vocabulary and verbs. It’s about empathy. It’s about understanding another way of life. It’s about fumbling through a new phrasebook and still being met with a smile. In this year of “Respect”, this is all too poignant.

I’ve come back with a fuller heart, an appreciation for long dinners, and a newfound desire to keep learning. I can see that in our students, too. They’ve returned with stories, confidence, and curiosity and possibly some videos of Mr Pillai dancing... “cringe”. But their commitment to their French classes has doubled. They've seen that French is not just a subject, it’s a passport.

So as we consider our subjects in Term 3 for 2026, consider continuing in a language you’re choosing electives or encouraging your student to “stick with the language”, think of our French tale. Think of the friendships forged over raclette and the thrill of ordering your first crêpe in perfect French. Think of the world that opens when you learn to speak another’s language.

Because in the end, we didn't just come back from France with souvenirs.
We came back with perspective...And maybe...a few extra kilos of camembert.