![\"JourneeDeLaFrancophonie\"](\"http:\/\/www.une-sen.org\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/JourneeDeLaFrancophonie.png\")
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By Karl Lafreni\u00e8re<\/i><\/p>\n
Each year, my grandmother spends the greater part of the winter in Florida. For a few years now, I\u2019ve been driving her car there so that she has the ability to run errands once she\u2019s there. The first time I did that long drive to the Sunshine State, I travelled with my brother.<\/p>\n
We stopped pretty regularly, picking up snacks for the road. One stop I\u2019ll never forget was in South Carolina. It was late at night and we needed to get fresh supplies for the road ahead. When we entered the corner store, my brother and I were speaking French while we discussed what we intended to purchase. Once we made our way to the cash register, the cashier greeted us with a \u201cBonjour\u201d and asked us, in French, if we had found everything we had been looking for.<\/p>\n
My brother and I were surprised to hear this person speaking French to us, with a strong accent; we replied in English, as a means of accommodation.<\/p>\n
The cashier was quick to tell us, once again in French: \u201cNo, please speak to me in French. I never have the chance to practice this great language, so when I have the opportunity, I take advantage of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
We happily finished our conversation in French.<\/p>\n
Once we arrived in Florida, my brother and I decided to recount our corner store adventure to our grandmother. We were soon even more enthralled to learn that my grandmother\u2019s friend had recently made a presentation to a conference held by the Alliance Fran\u00e7aise de Sarasota.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m proud to know that my language is sprinkled around the world; in the most unexpected places.<\/p>\n
There is even an organization that represents Francophones across the world: the International Organization of La Francophonie. Created in 1970, its mission is to<\/a> \u201cembody the active solidarity between its 80 member states and governments (57 members and 23 observers), which together represent over one-third of the United Nations\u2019 member states and account for a population of over 890 million people, including 220 million French speakers.\u201d<\/p>\n Its members share the use of the French language and the values of “La Francophonie”, which includes working in solidarity to promote the French language, as well as cultural and linguistic diversity, democracy, human rights and education.<\/p>\n But even if someone doesn\u2019t identify as Francophone, this doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re not genuinely interested in our language. And it\u2019s up to us, as Francophones, to foster that interest.<\/p>\n So, if I may, in conclusion, propose some friendly advice to my fellow Francophones: when someone attempts to speak with you in French \u2013 even if they struggle – don\u2019t switch to English. We too often do this to be helpful, but I believe this isn\u2019t helpful at all. We should embrace their efforts and provide them with a unique opportunity to practice our cherished language.<\/p>\n Karl Lafreni\u00e8re is the regional vice-president for the Outside Canada region and a member of our francophone committee. This article was written as part of our union\u2019s <\/i>member journalism program<\/i><\/a>. If you\u2019d like to find out more, <\/i>click here<\/i><\/a> \u2013 to pitch a story or for any questions, please send an email to <\/i>communications@une-sen.org<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Karl Lafreni\u00e8re Each year, my grandmother spends the greater part of the winter in Florida. For a few years now, I\u2019ve been driving her car there so that she has the ability to run errands once she\u2019s there. The first time I did that long drive to the Sunshine State, I travelled with my … <\/p>\n