Special message for MyFrenchLife.org members: DON’T PANIC!

Oh la vache – you’ve arrived just in time!

Never fear – the more you know, the more you can prevent the spread of this terrifying, life-threatening condition…

If you’re reading this, then you’ve already self-diagnosed as a Francophile by becoming a member of MyFrenchLife.org.

The first step to recovery or prevention is…

Know the enemy!

Untreated Francophilia can often be distinguished by several distinct symptoms:

1. Oxygen replaced by France

Many people beyond the certified Francophile community have no sympathy for the frankly life-threatening nature of this particular symptom. France is our lifeblood, and every trip to France is like a lungful of oxygen.

2. Obsessive compulsive need to understand France

Just as conspiracy theorists look obsessively for signs that things are more than they seem, certified Francophiles look for signs that there’s much more to France than meets the eye. The difference, bien sûr, is that our case is much more credible.

3. French stalker syndrome

We strain to hear sentences of French conversation in our own hometowns, have been known to actively seek out and target groups of French expats, and we systematically stalk French establishments such as cafés, restaurants, patisseries.

Luckily, no certified Francophiles have been known to serve criminal offences as a result of symptom #4.

4. Fixation on trip-planning

We’re constantly trawling travel deal websites, our travel to-do lists span several notebooks or Word documents, and as a result our next 10 trips to France are practically already planned.

5. Preoccupation with the mechanics of camouflage

Certified Francophiles also display a strange desire to camouflage themselves when in France. Francophile experts are at most baffled by this particular aspect of trip-planning, but believe it has something to do with the Francophile’s compulsive need to not only look, sound or seem French, but be French.

6. A penchant for melodrama

See explanation for symptoms one through five.

A comprehensive treatment & prevention plan

As certified Francophiles who have been studying the field for sometime, we believe the best form of treatment is via immersion. We are designing a comprehensive treatment plan which currently consists of.

1. Regular immersion…

In articles on MyFrenchLife.org!

2. Regimented opening…

Of all newsletters sent by MyFrenchLife.org! – yes really, otherwise you could experience relapse!

3. Becoming part of our wider community on… 

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, to share your experiences with other poor-suffering Francophiles.

If you’d like some direct support – be it thoughts, suggestions, observations and experiences, our support line is always open: info@myfrenchlife.org.

A bientôt et bonne courage,
Judy and the MyFrenchLife.org team