Paris in my accent, Connecticut in my everyday.

I was born and raised in Meudon, a town 25 minutes from Paris, known for its astronomical center, the Observatoire de Paris-Meudon. I studied English, Spanish, and economics at the University of Paris VIII, with a semester in Liverpool and a semester in Alberta, Canada, as a teaching assistant.

Later I worked in Paris for lawyers at an international firm. It was the kind of job where every word, every comma, mattered. Then I spent five years in Montreal, working in finance, before moving to Connecticut in 2005. I live here with my husband and our two children, and I still travel back to France whenever I can.

For the past four years I have taught French to children, teens, and adults with very different goals: an exam, an assessment, a move to France, a trip to Canada, or simply the wish to speak with family. Whatever brings a student to me, my favorite moment is always the same: the moment they stop translating in their head and simply talk.

Outside the classroom, you’ll find me at the cinema, in a book, behind a camera, or planning the next trip. And yes, I’ll happily talk about all four, in French.

Yasmina