Find Francophones Across the Atlantic

European French is Beautiful and so are other Francophones World Wide

Photo by Dana DeVolk on Unsplash

My journey with the French Language came at a tender age. I was enthralled with Madeline— The little French girl who used to explore the world with her dog Genevive. If you’re familiar with Disney Channel cartoons of the 1990’s you will probably recall this little adventurer. I loved to watch her interact within her French community with her classmates, the policemen, and her dog. I guess I took that with me into high school when I signed up for French class I and II to fulfill my foreign language requirements for college and continued to study French throughout my BA in Mass Communication.

I learned a lot about the original French culture. I realized, you never really visit France if you never a least once go to see the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower. However, the rest of France has so much more to offer with quaint Lille, German-Influenced Strasbourg, Fancy Winery in Bordeaux, and the Beachy Breezy Marseille and Montpellier.

Photo by Daniel J. Schwarz on Unsplash

However, as soon as I began to study France I realized that there are so many other cultures in the mix. There are lots of other Francophone countries that influence the French mainland including African countries like Senegal and the Middle Eastern Morocco. What more does French have to offer across the Atlantic in the Caribbean including Martinique, St. Martin, and Guadeloupe? North America’s Canada and St. Pierre and Miquelon. Where South America includes the French Guiana and in the Pacific French Polynesia.

I was especially intrigued by dishes not commonly shared across the famous French Cuisines like Croissants, L’escargots and Ratatouille. You’d be surprised to learn that Aligot is a comforting dish that resembles mashed potatoes stretched in meters of a mouth-watering cheese pull.

France also has a great musical selection with Pop and Hip Hop culture. I won’t fail to mention my personal favorite artists including Jérémy Frerot, Natalia Doco, and Le Grand Corps Malade. I like getting my ears used to the nice bass drops in French Hip Hop as it brings me through beats I find familiar in American Hip Hop and Spanish Reggaeton. It’s not something I listen to often but sometimes I need a nice juicy bass to quench my thirst for bravado, haha.

There is obviously so much more that France has to offer. If you ever visit France, the locals like for you to consider other places besides Paris. It really is a beautiful country rich in foreign cultures and influences. You’d miss out if you didn’t take the time to explore all the other flavors of la Francophonie that the French language has to offer.