Gornal News & Goings On

NEWS

Gornal's French Connection Marion Frenneaux Jacques Chirac may not be on Tony Blair's Christmas list this year, but the Dudley Environment Zone at Robert Street School in Gornal has been doing its bit to restore the old entente cordiale, by welcoming French exchange student Marion Frenneaux. Marion, 24, is from Reims in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, and arrived in Gornal in January to spend six months working at the D.E.Z. with Brian and Guy. She has a background in environmental education in her native country, and is taking this opportunity to compare notes with her English counterparts, while at the same time polishing her language skills. "I did study English at school, but when I left I did not speak it for five years" Marion told us "so I arrived in England six months ago with almost no English, and had to take a three week crash course in Bournemouth before starting work in Gornal." "Now my English is improving because I try to meet as many people as possible, visit pubs, and watch T.V. I also travel around the country most weekends. My sister has recently noticed that I even speak French with an English accent!" Marion has always had a strong interest in the environment; her parents were farmers, and after leaving school she worked for two years on the walking trails of the beautiful Fontainebleau forest. She says that she is enjoying her stay in Gornal. "I am very happy - the people are very friendly. In the village, everyone I meet says 'Orlroight'" (we doh spake like that dun we?). Marion is particularly pleased to have struck up a friendship with Wildspace! Officer Anna Gorski , who told us: "Marion is a lovely girl and has been very helpful to Brian and Guy at the Environment Zone, and also to myself. I think she found the Black Country accent difficult at first and was quite pleased to meet me! It has also been great for me to brush up on my French!" When her secondment ends in June, Marion plans to take three weeks off to go cycling in Ireland. After that she wants to find work back home, in the ecology and tourism industries. "I think it has been a good thing for the Environment Zone and the Countryside Service to have some international influence in our midst" says Anna Gorski. "I hope we have more placements in the future - although I don't think they will all be as nice as Marian."

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