Oui, Oui, Je Speak Franglais
Culture

Oui, Oui, C’est VINdredi, Oublie Tes Soucis

There was truly magic in the air this past 14 juillet at Central Park in NYC to feel the heat but even more so, the performances of Magic System, Laurie Darmon, IAM, among others that brought the heat.

La nuit began with Les Cadets Lafayette singing La Marseillaise and continued with some of their Afro-Cuban hits, such as Noix Coco, they really seemed to love their noix de coco!

Then there was certainly magic in the air when Magic System represented L’Afrique surtout La Côte d’Ivoire singing their back to back hits — Akwaba, Premier Gaou, Magic in the Air and many more.

Their set was followed by Laurie Darmon who made us fall in love again and think about calling that ex, don’t do it!

We chatted with a couple of Frenchies,

Et puis we hip to the hop with IAM from Marseille!

We partied a bit, bah oui, we had too!

It was just a night of joie de vivre, chansons et danses- all great ingredients that make up a formidable fete!

And as our new Consul General, Cedrik Fouriscot of France in New York sums it up…liberté, égalité, fraternité.

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Oui, Oui, C’est l’automne

Wow! It’s octobre, fashion week and ze city of lights is now ze city of punaises. Oui, Oui, bed bugs have invaded Paris. But do not fret too much, we have compiled images to make you ” fall in love” with Paris again!

La grande dame basked in the hues of automne. picture : gogojungle
Jardin Luxembourg and its iconic chairs. picture by lola0479
You can never go wrong with a terrace view seating. picture by emily taubert

Le serveur taking une pause. picture by french blessings
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Oui, Oui, Turns 10 Years!

C’est déjà 10 ans ou is it 11 years already?

Moulin Rouge’s Can Can Girls

Well, actually Oui, Oui ‘s Facebook page was launched 10 years ago and Facebook is a great reminder of how far we have come with a community of more than 160, 000.

Bastille Day NYC with ‘Cat the Mime’

However, I had launched Oui, Oui, Je Speak Franglais in 2009 after I had applied to le programme d’assistants de langue and ended up in Lille. I literally remember pacing around trying to come up with names, that were witty, fun yet easy to role of one’s tongue et voilà, the name Oui, Oui, Je Speak Franglais came to mind.

Very First Meme on Facebook

Oui, Oui, started off as a campaign because I wanted to inspire my students in Lille, France to speak English because learning a target language has its challenges. Before then, my path was clear just as any university graduate pursuing their life’s dream in tv production and marketing. After two years of working in those sectors back to back I lost my job and that was a catalyst that taught me about life and change. Moreover , deeply understanding that change is the only thing that’s constant.

Now, Oui, Oui, is more than a campaign but a bicultural and bilingual lifestyle company. I have curated many programs, initiatives, met people from all walks of life and shared countless memes on social media… I am looking forward to do more!

So simply put … whatever you want to accomplish in la vie, you can do it whilst afraid; however, you must be consistent and always do it with conviction. If you do get tired on your journey, learn to rest and don’t quit.

Merci mille fois for being a part of The Oui, Oui, Je Speak Franglais Community!

And remember each day is the perfect jour to vivre, être, parler franglais!

p.s: What’s your favorite thing about being bilingual?

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Netflix and Voyager

Nowadays, there are very little options to entertain so we tend to binge on Netflix. While others may love the notion of Netflix and Chill , I would like to introduce Netflix and Voyager– oui, oui, –watch and travel. So the film that inspired me to write this article is Netflix’s, The Old Guard.


[Spoiler alert] The Old Guard starring Charlize Theron, Kiki Lane and Chiwetel Ejiofor has a group of immortal mercenaries globe-trot through time and places such as Sudan, Afghanistan and Francophone cities in Morocco and France, while saving humanity.

Although, The Old Guard was only filmed in two locations-England and Morocco– which you would not know just from the pure genius of set designers … we thought , we’d create a bucket list for those who would want to travel to the Francophone cities/towns featured in le film.

✈︎ Marrakesh, Morocco

What to do: Get lost in the Medina- There’s no other way to have a lens through local life than at the Medina, with bustling noises, beautiful colors and eclectic wares.

Medina market/image via :medinamarrakech

Where to stay: El Fenn Hotel ( actually featured in The Old Guard)

✈︎ Goussainville, France

What to do: Goussainville is an abandoned old town in the outskirts of Paris. Since this town is directly in the path of the Charles de Gaulle airport and also a ghost town, there’s not much to do or see.

Facade of a building in Goussainville/image via : tripadvisor

Where to stay: There is a list of hotels; however since this town is not quite touristy… many may book hotels in its environs since it is close to the airport.

✈︎ Val d’Argent, France

What to do: Adventure off into the ancient silver mines of Parc Tellure.

Parc Tellure/image via : val d’argent tourisme

Where to stay: Chambres d’hôtes du Val d’Argent —

Landscape of Chambres d’hotes/image via booking.com

✈︎ Paris, France

What to do: It takes more than days, months, years to discover Paris— it takes a lifetime. But we’d recommend you to explore the off beaten path of the architectural gem of the Gare de Lyon’s Le Train Bleu.

Le Train Bleu Restauart at Gare de Lyon/image via le train bleu

Where to stay: Hotel Splendid Etoile

So get your Netflix and Bon voyage!

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Mona Lisa can be your host for a night

So Airbnb is tired of you sleeping in people’s maisons so instead they are offering travelers a chance to win a *sleepover for one nuit in one of Paris’ famous attraction, the Louvre.

This contest is a part of Airbnb’s “Night At” franchise, a series of organized stays at previous locations such as Dracula’s Castle, Shark aquarium and a Lego House.

” We know that many people would love the opportunity to wander alone at night through the Louvre and want this to be a magical and unforgettable experience,” said Anne-Laure Béatrix, Louvre’s deputy manager. “With Airbnb’s partnership, we hope to encourage more people to discover how truly accessible and inspiring the wonders of art can be.”

*La Joconde’s guests will partake in:

Toast to Mona Lisa with a cozy Renaissance inspired apéro while relaxing and listening to sounds of French music on vinyl records.

[Translation: Listening to French words which are unpronounceable].

Venus of Milo, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, will then “host” an extravagant feast in a pop-up dining room.

[Translation: Eating a never ending French meal that lasts for hours and hours].

image via :360brain

Finally, guests will be treated to an intimate acoustic concert in Napoleon III’s lavish apartments and retire to their *chambre under the Pyramid.

Translation: Guest will continue to listen to unpronounceable French words and the Louvre are not trying to have guests steal anything from le musée, so they will have guests sleep where they can be seen].

So like any potential house guests, we have questions…

  • Will we sleep on 1,000 count Egyptian cotton?
  • Will there be people at our beck and call?
  • Will there be cameras… cuz we are ain’t trying to show our goodies?
  • Is there *une salle de bain?
  • Can our girl, Mona, finally tell us why she doesn’t smile?
  • Are there ghosts and will they be paying a visit?
  • When do we have to check out by? –We like to sleep in late sometimes.
image via:classicalfuck

To enter, log onto airbnb.com before 12 avril 2019, by 23.59pm (CET) OR 6.59 pm (EST) and answer why you would be the Mona Lisa’s perfect guest? Like Mona isn’t tired of the 10 million visitors yearly!

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