I had found this French organization here in town and noticed that you can take lessons from them for a nominal fee. When I decide to get serious and I can get the time, it is a extremely valuable asset. You may want to check to see if you have one of these French groups near you.

Meet up/French Lessons

Thanks for the suggestion, but I am interested in going abroad and not study french in my hometown. Moreover, the school in Aix-en-Provence is included in the Swedish school system so there is no fee - I just have to pay for the accomodation.

So, if anyone have been to Aix, please tell me.

I've been to Aix at least two dozen times... it's a beautiful city , but if you're not a middle aged religious person fond of ancient architecture you quickly get bored ...

I say if you wanna have fun while learning I strongly advise big cities of the French riviera , like Marseille or Nice , it might turn out to be quite expensive though, so that's where my town comes in: Bordeaux :P You'll never get bored there and if you ever feel lonely there's people from all over the world there !

and obviously there's paris...

Only a certain number of AAm members have been to France, but Texasbro is there now, I'd ask him if he went there, and if so, what it was like :)

That's strange about Aix, because I've read a lot about it as a town full of students from many countries...?

I have been to Nice every summer since I was 12 and I really love it there, but in Nice the school is not free for me as it is in Aix. Like you say, I have heard only positive things about Bordeaux but I think it will be Aix or nothing for me due to the high costs.

Back in junior high school, I had taken 2 years of French and I have told the story of what happened back then. I never really had much of a need to speak French except for a couple of trips to Montreal and my honeymoon which included time in Paris.

Then at a late stage in my life Alizee came along. I wish I had known French better at that point, but I still didn't regret not learning it well , because I thought at some point soon this Alizee phenomenon would wear off. I did try and learn several of her songs though. But year after year has gone by, and the phenomenon is still there.

I never imagined her music would have such an impact on my life. One of the prime things I regret is not being able to figure out what I think is one of her most beautiful songs, but also one of her saddest songs, Coeur deja pris. I've seen a few interpretations and there are still a few lines I want to fully understand, but to this date can not.

So I urge anyone who wants to understand her music, to learn French to the best of their ability, until they hit that proverbial wall. I don't think it will be time wasted.