Petit a Petit – A New French Club in Gwangju
“It is when I went to the GIC Day last year that I realized that interesting things could be done.”
Lauréline Claeys, French professor at Chonnam National University since September 2014, has created the first French Club in Gwangju.
Originally from Bordeaux, France, Lauréline is now dedicating her time and efforts towards promoting the French culture and language in Gwangju.
After graduating with a Master’s Degree in French Linguistic Sciences, Lauréline started her career by teaching French as a Foreign Language for four years in China. Due to the pollution in her school’s city, which triggered her asthma, she needed to return to her home country, where she taught French to foreigners, literacy to international residents, and French Literature and Culture to French students.
It was during those three years spent in France that she realized how much she missed Asia. “I could not return to China, so South Korea, and more particularly Gwangju, seemed to be the perfect destination for me.”
Soon after arriving in South Korea, she discovered that the French culture and language were not well represented in the City of Light. “There was a gap regarding the French language and culture in Gwangju,” Lauréline said.
The necessity of creating a French club became obvious to her. “I decided to create a way for people to know about what is happening in their city. I wanted to bring Gwangju closer to the French culture.”
The project first started in October 2014 with the creation of a language exchange workshop at Chonnam National University. Advanced students in French gathered together with Lauréline and shared their thoughts and comments about the news and other related topics. After discussing with six volunteer Korean students about her project of creating a better way to gather the community together, Lauréline decided to turn this workshop into a larger Club, that more people would join, and through which events could be organized. The Club Petit à Petit (쁘띠 따 쁘띠) was created.
The name – with its English translation as being “Step by Step” – refers to her wish to allow people the chance to learn about the French culture with an easy and enjoyable process. According to Lauréline, the cultural differences between France and Korea are wide, so time is needed to approach this European culture quite gradually.
“Students should be culturally curious and unconcerned about mistakes to progress effectively,” Lauréline encouraged. Petit à Petit is a way for both Koreans and international residents to meet, along with serving as a way for the French-speaking community of Gwangju to gather; and for Koreans to practice the language and learn about the culture from native French speakers. Meetings are in a café near Chonnam Back Gate, and the Facebook Group page promotes every event related to the French culture or language happening in Gwangju (www.facebook.com/groups/petitapetit/).
“Gwangju is growing culturally. I would like to be part of this growth and I think it is the good time to promote the French culture in Gwangju. The gap needs to be filled […]. I am very optimistic about the growth of this project.”
To contribute and support the actions of Petit à Petit in Gwangju, you can either participate in the meetings for 3,000 won, or become a member of the Club for 10,000 won. Membership will allow you to participate in any of the French meetings for free, as well as receiving promotions on drinksas well as other events. The Club will meet on – Friday, April 10; Saturday; May 2, Friday; May 15 and Saturday; May 30, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. – to discuss the news, French culture and history and many more topics. A music festival will be held on Friday, June 19th to celebrate the end of the semester with music.
For more information, please contact:
petitapetitchonnam@gmail.com
010 9804 1082
You can also find Petit à Petit (쁘띠 따 쁘띠) on Facebook : www.facebook.com/groups/petitapetit/