Episode 331 : Le Grand Prix

francophonie (noun): An international organization of politics and governments with French as the mother or customary language, where a significant proportion of people are francophones (French speakers), or where there is a notable affiliation with the French language or culture.

* * * * *

'Monsieur, nous avons gagné un prix pour le slogan de la francophonie', I said to him.

'We won a prize for our slogan? Are you serious? ' he asked incredulously.

'Oui, incroyable non?'

'Totally, and dude I know we study French but I'd rather speak in English now!'

* * * * *

'I am calling from Alliance Francaise de Bangalore. Is this Edward Hyde?' a female voice asked me.

'Yes' I said, thinking the call was to confirm that I had finished my B1 successfully and to know when I would pay the fees for the next level.

I waited, expecting her to continue when suddenly she began talking in French, and rapidly. 'Why is the receptionist speaking in French?' I wondered when I caught the words "francophonie", "concours", "slogan", and "prix".

Huh? We won a prize? Would it be possible for me to collect it in the evening? Is she serious?

I do not know how I managed, but I conveyed to her that I would ask the others if they could collect the prize in the evening. I clearly heard her suppress a giggle when I said my equivalent of "I would enquire" in French.

* * * * *

A few days before, the teacher had instructed us to submit a slogan for the Francophonie event since none of us actually wanted to do anything like that. After the class was divided into groups of 4, the four of us who usually sit together, put our heads together to think of a slogan using at least 3 of the given 10 words.

Of the twenty minutes or so that we took, we must have giggled and laughed for more than fifteen, which caused the teacher to rebuke us that we weren't being serious. Finally, we thought differently and decided that it is the way to enrich our soul. And formed a slogan around it.

* * * * *

It was the year 2011, and the Alliance Francaise of Bangalore was conducting its annual week-long Francophonie festival. I had taken a break between levels, and found myself at sea when I was among other French students. The awards for various competitions were being given away, and I felt a twinge of disappointment for not participating. When will I ever win a prize again, I asked myself.

* * * * *

We won the second prize. The first prize went to another slogan that also exhorted us to think differently.

So much for thinking differently.