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The Satellite Pages - Issue 5

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SATELLITE MEMBERS’ PAGE

%* Mon pays ce n’est pas un pays, c’est I’hiver!
My country is not a country it is winter! *

Lyrics from a song by Gilles Vignault-French
Canadian music icon

By: Joelle Rabu

Brrrrr...that’s butter in French!
Greeting folks!

Another glorious summer has come and gone, and if you are like me you'll feel that it came and went far too
quickly! After spending a very hot, sublime summer in Nootka Sound, the chilly mornings and early nightfall that
now welcome me are a constant reminder that | live in NORTH America. It is also a reminder that | will soon be
donning my woolies and heading over to the Centennial Building in February where the Maple Sugar Festival will
once again eliminate my winter blues and lift my spirits with great music, great food and great people. Volunteer
recruitment has already begun because, as proven in the past, it is these dedicated folks who make the festival a
success and have people from all over returning year after year. Call the AFN (250-729-2776) to put your name
on the volunteer list for February. There are many positions available for both French speaking and Non-French
speaking people, so don’t be shy, come and enjoy the Maple Sugar Festival while offering much needed support
to this high caliber community event!

Seeing that most of the winter activities are spent indoors in BC, this is a perfect time to create new projects and
discover new friends. This brings to mind a little thought I'd like to share with you. As members of Nanaimo’s
Francophone Association, not only can you take advantage of the many resources available at our Bowen road
office (library, computers, video rentals, French lessons, home-work assistance) but you are also encouraged to
create your own activities or groups which enhance or assist learning the French language. For instance, how
many of you like to play cards? How about organizing a group who meets weekly to play cards while trying out
their French conversational skills? Or weekly swimming ‘rencontres’, where after a good water work out, your
group meets for a ‘café’ at the Aquatic Centre’s coffee shop? Perhaps a walk around Westwood Lake with your
‘chien’ is your thing, what better way to learn a few extra French words then with a French speaking guide who
also enjoys ‘une petite marche dans les bois’? For the music lovers, how about a group who meets to simply listen
to the many selections of ‘musique francaise’? From Berlioz to Brel, Dion to Dufresne... you are bound to add a
few more sentences to your French repertoire and put Frére Jacques away for good!

Many of our Satellite members don’t speak French. Some have children in French Immersion classes and wish to
have some knowledge of the language or access to extra resources, some have an interest in the culture because
their great-grandma’s name was LeBlanc, some are married to a Francophone and wish to know more about their
spouse’s heritage. Some simply wish to support another part of their multifaceted community in which they live.
Whatever your reason, the Francophone Association of Nanaimo is very proud to have you aboard. Now...what
can we do for you? Bring forth your ideas and we'll do our best to offer the resources required to create projects
‘en francais’! So, put on your winter ‘manteau’, ‘marche’z into our ‘bureau’ and start the ‘baile’ rolling! You are
always ‘Bienvenue’.

Beurre, it’s cold...see you in February at the 5" Annual hot hot hot Maple Sugar Festival!

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