Memories Through Membership
Being a member of Alliance Française means being a part of the French and French-speaking community and having a place you can go to surround yourself in the French culture. It means meeting new people who share similar interests and passions to your own. It means getting access to top of the line education and cultural opportunities.
Although French by nationality, I didn’t have a French community around me and I was really craving immersing myself back in French and French-speaking culture. I love being part of the Alliance because I love hearing the French language spoken so regularly and being with people who not only appreciate but are also deeply engaged in French culture, cuisine, etc.
So far, my favorite memory has been the grand opening of the Joly Center. The building was packed, there was good food, and good music. People were really excited to see the amazing space we’ve created. I think the Joly Center will make it easier for all of us to come together to celebrate French and French-speaking culture and the grand opening was the first day of really seeing that. I also love Bastille Day because I cannot stay away from the crepe stand!
The biggest benefit has been creating a network with other members within the Alliance. I’ve met the most fascinating people and learned so much about them and life through their experiences. The Alliance brings together such a wide range of people who are all coming together to celebrate French culture and that’s really fun to be a part of.
It is really important to have a strong membership base at the Alliance because it allows us to further grow the French and French-speaking community in the Twin Cities. The French culture has so much to offer and being part of the Alliance provides access to classes, events, and celebrations, all surrounding this culture and community. It is a great way to meet other members who share an affinity for the French community.
Last year, I joined the board of the Alliance and it has been such a fulfilling experience. Seeing what’s to come at the Alliance over the next few years, furthers my excitement and passion around this organization and the work we are doing to advance French and French-speaking culture in our community.
- Sofia Terzic - Alliance Française Member, AFMSP Board Member
I was a French major in college, studied extensively in France and worked hard to become fluent. My first wife was French. As young parents, we spoke French exclusively at home so our two Franco-American daughters could speak the language. But despite my passion for the language, culture and literature of France, I became a corporate lawyer and law professor, and never used the language during my 40-plus year career, except for holiday trips to Paris. A few years before retiring from law, I joined AFMSP and started taking literature classes. It was like Marcel tasting the tea-soaked madeleine crumbs! All the joy and passion of a distant past came surging back. I loved it. And I loved being part of a community that shared my joy and my passion.
I wanted to get more involved in the AFMSP community. I joined the board, and one year later became board chair. It was my great privilege to serve as chair at a time of breath-taking developments for AFMSP. We acquired our beautiful new home at the Joly Family Center for International Understanding, remodeled it to suit our needs, sold our old building and carried out a multi-million-dollar capital campaign to pay for this bold move. I was able to use my professional skills and experience to serve my passion and the community I loved. Quelle chance pour un vieux retraité!
Christina and her staff are incredible. The teaching faculty is superb. The members, including my colleagues on the AFMSP board, are warm and fascinating people who are deeply devoted to the organization and unbelievably generous with their time and financial support.
I am so grateful for the AFMSP and those who make it such an educational and cultural gem. Marcel said it best: “Soyons reconnaissants aux personnes qui nous donnent du bonheur ; elles sont les charmants jardiniers par qui nos âmes sont fleuries.”
- Bryn Vaaler - Alliance Française Member, Former AFMSP Board Member and Former AFMSP Board Chair
My experience with Alliance Francaise began in 2011 when I was leaving my job at the university after many years. A friend suggested that I attend Petit déj. Not knowing what it was and not speaking French, I still thought why not. That simple decision changed the direction of my life and presented me with so many new opportunities.
At this event I heard about our sister city in Tours , France and decided to join their board. I then decided I needed to learn French and registered for French classes, attended all foundation classes, many conversation, cooking, topic classes and workshops.
What I love about Alliance Française is that it is not just a language school but a cultural center. Through its many programs, we are introduced and experience French and Francophone cultures. In our world today, we need more people who are familiar with other cultures and respect people and their differences. Watching small children attend French classes and camps and participating in events, gives me hope for a better future for the new generations.
Through Alliance Française I have met so many amazing people, and joining the board and working on several committees later gave me the opportunity to work with an exceptional group of people who love and care for this organization. Christina Selander Bouzouina and her leadership along with the committed and exceptional staff are the reason for the success of this amazing organization. During the first weeks of COVID I watched as they so quickly transitioned all their classes online and continued teaching without missing a week. This is an agile organization.
Over the last 10 years, the organization has grown so fast, continually adding new classes, new programs, a fabulous library, travel opportunities, movie nights, concerts, and events like Bastille Day, the Fall Fashion show, our gala, and of course our very unique Boutique. Our latest additions, Le Café and the teaching kitchen offer French cooking classes with great Twin Cities chefs. I am continually amazed at the growth of this organization.
Alliance Française is a very special organization for me. I enjoy attending classes and events, visiting the center and working with the staff. Alliance Française is my Happy Place.
- Simin Hickman– Alliance Française Member and Gala Committee Member, Former AFMSP Board Member
What does it mean to be a member of an organization?
To be a member means you are part of something bigger than yourself. You have made a choice to support and stay involved with the mission of the organization and it means something more to you than just a business or company. You care about the organization's future, and most importantly you have the opportunity to build relationships and memories through your membership.
Memories Through Membership
In December 2021, Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul reflected on Memories Through Membership, what being a member of the AFMSP means to us, and how by becoming a member, you start your own journey of creating memories to last a lifetime. Read the Memories Through Membership stories from December 2021, here! We are continuing to share member stories by reviving Memories Through Membership in 2022.
In the beginning, I joined the Alliance so I could take French language classes from native French speakers. I had a tradition of getting a haircut whenever I traveled so I could sit in the barber’s chair and hear all the local news. My first time in Paris I went to get my haircut and it didn’t work as planned because I couldn’t speak French and my barber didn’t speak English. So, I decided that the next time I went to France I would know enough French so I could have a 15-minute conversation with the barber. I was so pumped that a few years later I was able to do it!
My first AFMSP teacher was Sophie Toner, Beginner 1. I spoke no French and she dove right in with French the very first day. I think there were maybe five sentences in English for three hours, and that was it. It was so challenging and exciting. I loved learning that way from her. To this day I have a special bond with her and my classmates from that shared experience.
My friend and professor, Damian Sadrant is also a very experienced sailor. He grew up in Bretagne, taught sailing and raced off the coast of France. He had not yet sailed on Lake Superior, but I had for years. So, we spent a long weekend with another sailing buddy sailing around the Apostle Islands all the while, learning the French sailing terms and dining like kings. We had some pretty high seas for a good part of the trip and loved it!
Because of my membership I have new friends, I’ve learned a ton, and I have taken advantage of opportunities to serve. I had the privilege of serving on the AFMSP Board of Directors during the years that we decided to move. We realized that our mission and support was limited in or beloved building on North 1st Street. I am so excited to see what future growth and expansion of AFMSP’s mission will happen in our new bigger home.
It’s easy to meet new people at any event at the new building. The grand opening for the Café and Teaching Kitchen was very enjoyable. I also took a cooking class there and enjoyed that, would highly recommend, and plan to take more of them.
What we have at the AFMSP is special. It’s one of the most active and vibrant Alliances in the country. In the new larger building, there is so much potential for expanding and serving the community even more. If someone in this region has any interest in French language and culture, please give it a try. You may find it to be as meaningful in your life as it is in mine.
- Scott Stangeland - Alliance Française Member, Former AFMSP Board Member
After leaving my full-time position at the University of Minnesota many years ago and starting my part-time consulting practice, I had space in my life to pursue other interests that I had. One of my lifelong goals was to be a fluent French speaker. I had taken French back in my high school days, and one class in college, and loved it! I found the Alliance, started out in Beginner 3, and never looked back. I’ve taken at least one class every session since – haven’t missed a session! The Alliance Française has become so much more than the place that I take French classes. I have gained wonderful friends, I served for six years on the Board of Directors and as the Vice President of the Board as well as currently serving on the Capital Campaign Committee and the Gala Committee. I currently serve as chair of the AFMSP Real Estate LLC, and was on the committee that searched for and found our new home…the Alliance Française quickly became and is very central to my life! I am grateful for the many wonderful relationships, love the challenge of the French classes, and enjoy the many cultural events and opportunities that are available through the Alliance Française. The annual Galas are always a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Alliance Française and I really enjoy those gatherings. I also love the Bastille Days celebrations. But I think the things that I treasure most are the friendships I’ve made, the wonderful teachers and staff, and those sweet moments when I’ve had an “aha” in my French language learning or felt that I could genuinely see, hear, and feel real progress in my French. I cannot say enough about the incredible environment that the profs create in the classrooms and how wonderful my fellow camarades de classe are! The Alliance Française is such a rich, dynamic organization with so many things to offer. Whether you want to learn French, learn about French cultures around the world, take a cooking class, travel with the Alliance Française on one of the wonderful trips that are offered, understand different perspectives regarding politics, culture, education, art, etc. from around the world…why would you NOT want to be a member??
- Karen Zentner Bacig, Alliance Française Member and Former AFMSP Board Member
Like a lot of the best things in my life, I was led to the Alliance Francaise by my French wife. An instructor at the AF MSP when we first moved to the Twin Cities, we enrolled our daughter in a class and I trailed along so I wasn’t left out on Saturday mornings. That’s when the fun began; a first literature class on Proust led to other enlightening and challenging literature classes, which led to another Proust class. And another. So much Proust. Like his wonderful and interminable sentences, the Alliance is an organization that simply keeps giving and giving and giving. For my family and I, it has given us a way to connect to a culture and a language and an identity that is deeply important to us. It has given us the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. It has given us a way to learn and teach and enrich ourselves. And in a world where distance and isolation and a pandemic seem to rule, the Alliance Francaise gives proximity and closeness and community. For these reasons and so many more, I’m proud to be a lifelong member of the Alliance Francaise.
- Jim Wallace – Alliance Française Member and AFMSP Board Member
Share Your Memories Through Membership Story
If you would like to share your story of why you became a member of Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul and what the Alliance means to you, please fill out this form. We would love to share your story with our community! Merci beaucoup !