At Bla Bla Bordeaux, tongues are loose and celebrating

hasWarning to investigators tracking English languages ​​and other non-native words: there may be some of them here. Let’s say the subject is somewhat demanding: a Facebook group with 10,000 believers that invites people to meet several times a week… to chat in English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic or Nepali if you prefer. So “we” head to Nulle, a tree-lined café-brasserie a stone’s throw from Quinconces. Cold and sneaky drizzle: The weather is English, perfect for Friday Bla Bla.

The back room was still almost deserted. Abdellah Ferram was the first to speak. “I work in engineering and I already frequent such circles in Paris,” explains this 37-year-old Moroccan. “The aim is to improve my English for my work and my general knowledge. I took lessons and there I work on conversation. » Benjamin Wigger comes every Friday from April: “Here, I happily speak in English and Spanish. We talk about everything from the week we spent to sports, travel or the weather. Sometimes it’s a dead end… so we get drunk and switch teams. …

hasWarning to investigators tracking English languages ​​and other non-native words: there may be some of them here. Let’s say the subject is somewhat demanding: a Facebook group with 10,000 believers that invites people to meet several times a week… to chat in English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic or Nepali if you prefer. So “we” head to Nulle, a tree-lined café-brasserie a stone’s throw from Quinconces. Cold and sneaky drizzle: The weather is English, perfect for Friday Bla Bla.

The back room was still almost deserted. Abdellah Ferram was the first to speak. “I work in engineering and I already frequent such circles in Paris,” explains this 37-year-old Moroccan. “The aim is to improve my English for my work and my general knowledge. I took lessons and there I work on conversation. » Benjamin Wigger comes every Friday from April: “Here, I happily speak in English and Spanish. We talk about everything from the week we spent to sports, travel or the weather. Sometimes it’s a dead end… so we get drunk and switch teams. »

Free

Pierre Latouche, the handsome organizer Bla Bla Bordeaux, Coming, everyone knows but most of all the magic stamp he puts on your hand and entitles you to drink at a reduced price. The 29-year-old craftsman-comedian managed the group and its sessions for six years. “I had a Czech pen friend at school, and when I went to visit her in the country, I noticed that she spoke English very well. And I didn’t. » Hence, the long-term motivation and voluntary commitment to create Bla Bla garlands.

“The aim is to improve my English for my work and my general knowledge”

Now there are three Bla Blas a week: Tuesday at Saint-Aubin at la Victoire, Friday at NPA, Thursday variable: “Wine tastings” at Doux Secrets d’Hélène, rue Neuve, dance classes in English at Hostel 20 Lord Lion at Cours d’Alfred Des Chartres, karaoke… “The rule is free, except for a dance class for 2 euros: no commercials,” explains Pierre Latouche, who canvasses bars, negotiates extended happy hours, and checks between 8pm and 1am or 2am to make sure the mayonnaise is set. .

A direction

“When I see isolated people or a group that won’t open up, I suggest, I guide…” He’s smart about that, boy. “We liked Pierre’s personality,” notes Françoise Romain, boss of the Nulle area elsewhere with her husband Eric since April 2022. » We meet Irish Maeve Hoban-Logan in France for nine years, an old dream. In Bordeaux, a handsome language coach named handsome Julien. Met the engineer: They live together, we don’t know about dishes or cleaning, but while chatting, it becomes clear: “We speak English on Mondays and Wednesdays. and on Saturdays, French on other days. » Wonderful and beautiful.

Gary and Justin chat over a pint. The first is from Shanghai, the second from Pesach. At 33, Gary (Jolly in Chinese) Kedge has completed his Masters in Marketing, is divorced from a “boring” Frenchman he met in his country, and wants to live here and meet people. Justin, 26, wants to start his cloth import-export company and perfect Shakespeare’s language. “I was terrible in college, but a movement fan,” he says. If I meet them – it will definitely happen! – Need to talk. So I went from useless to bilingual between the ages of 15 and 17. » What’s the point, sometimes…

Beware of fools

Averaging in their thirties, students or wealthy workers dominate the assembly. “We have a cook and servants,” said the fluent Englishman, “Hola que doll?” Pierre Latouche explains. » It is easy to welcome Iberians. Regulars and “regular casuals” carrying more than 50 people every evening: Blabla evenings As you understand Italy has a well-established fronttone su trada.

“We’re not going to lie, it’s flirty too,” smiles Florent. Chatting over a drink definitely encourages marivadage at times. Another of Pierre Latouche’s tasks: to ensure that idiots with priapic tendencies do not disturb the fairer sex beyond respect. “We had to throw out one or two,” he slips. But he is excited about the March wedding of French Julie and Abos, an Uzbek from Samarkand. The first Blaba wedding in Bordeaux.