This ain't your high school French

I decided several weeks ago that I wanted to whip my waning French skills back into shape. So, I went to the Alliance Francais de Chicago (part of a worldwide system of alliances dedicated to sharing the French language and culture) and took a verbal/written test. Shockingly, I remembered more than I thought I had from high school and one year of college French. I signed up for level 4 twice a week. And has it been hilarious/nervewracking/really great. In school, French class revolved around workbooks, pop quizzes, bad French-Canadian music videos ("Bonjour la police!" anyone?), sing La Marseillaise in front of the class, and cultural videos where everyone wore clothes made popular sometime in 1983. Now, everyone, for the most part, are working adults with very different goals - we've voluntarily signed up and paid for classes. Some come just to enjoy another language or to improve their business skills, and for myself, I'm working for my French language certification. As a result, the classes are smaller, students seem more creative and open to making mistakes, and the conversation varies wildly. In the last three weeks, in various tenses, we have discussed prostituting oneself to pay for vacation, the lack of attractiveness of Madeleine Albright, and how Coco Chanel was a Nazi symphathizer. I sincerely don't remember these topics coming up before. And covering major questions like "Qui est le chacal?" during our movie discussions. And, while some of my friends can't fathom why I want to return to the classroom twice a week on top of a full time job, for me these few hours a week are a respite from reality and a chance to delve into a beautiful culture and language and to bond with my fellow students who otherwise would have been strangers. Viva la difference!