Foreign languages, identity and intercultural competence.

I am a 18- year- old French boy and I have been living in Brazil for 4 years now Before this transition I was in France, but even in France I was moving all the time. Here is my journey since I was born: Paris, Lyon, Paris, Montpellier, Nice, Montpellier and now Brazil. Taking in account that in some towns I moved twice I can’t consider myself a Parisian as I have no contacts with any of my ex-friends and I left without saying goodbye… Oh, I have to explain that my parents are divorced, and I left my mummy in France with one of my sisters. It was very difficult for me to make this choice, but I felt that this was the choice I was supposed to make for my studies. I wasn’t forced to go, but I wanted to have a decent job, or even just a job, and well, I ran away from my failure there to have a new start here.

Since I came to Brazil, things have been different. I’ve kept my buddies during 4 years, going to the same places. I have my own communities now; my own band, my music school, well and part of my roots are here, in Brazil even though the largest part is in France, with my family and because French is my mother tongue. My marks are better here though and I can think about getting a job and so on.

I am not fluent in Portuguese because all of my friends are French and I do not so many contacts with Portuguese and Brazilians. However, I love Brazil and the people who are very welcoming and affectionate, and whom I prefer to the French. In France people are cold and closed in themselves, always complaining about everything, well they can’t enjoy life as it comes.

It’s strange because when I’m in Brazil I miss my family and my country, but when I’m in France, I miss my buddies. It’s as if I were torn between two cultures, France and Brazil so only when I mix both I feel complete. This dream will come true also when I go back to France at the end of the year because my 3 best friends ever are going to come with me, maybe not stay in the same town, but will not be really far from it.

I can say that this transition brought a lot of new experiences. For the first time in my life I fell in love in Brazil (but she wasn’t a Brazilian), I built my circle of friend: we are very close and united. I’ve seen wonderful landscape, and also horrible poverty scenes, and some unusual scenes… It was a step in my life that I won’t regret. Now I can speak better English (because in France… well, you know, languages are not the strong point), also I can speak Portuguese with a certain accent (remember that I am still French) and some Spanish.

I don’t know what it is like to be forced to leave one’s country, to leave the family thinking :” And if I will never see him again?”, and I’m curious to know what feelings that may generate, and if the integration can be as easy as mine or very difficult. What are your plans for the future?