The Melboune French Festival - Paris to Provence, November 23rd to 25th.
What a wonderful 2 days it was. When I had first come across this event months ago, i had decided that i just had to to experience it and so I marked the date down in my claendar and blocked these 3 days off. Few weeks later on their facebook page, was a call for volunteers to work at the festival and I was just super duper thrilled. Not only was I going to experience it but I could become a part of it and that is an even better way to experience something. So i wrote to them and volunteered for the event.
It was only in the later part of October that all the interested party was called for an interview/discussion with the aim to finalise our participation. I eagerly went over to meet the organizers at a hostoric and beautiful location, the Como House and Gardens in South Yarra where the festival was also going to happen.
During the meeting I was introduced to Laura and Sam, two gorgeous women who have been organizing this for three consecutive years now. Laura shared her story about her love for all things french and her desire of bringing her culture to melbourne in the form of this festival. They gave us a tour of the site and a visual picture of how all the marquees will look and where all the various events will happen.
The Como house is a victorian house of the days gone by but its splendour and grandeur not diminished in any way. The potraits, furniture, linen, wood work, cutlery etc of the house speaks its history. The grand ball room of the house was going to be the palce where all the talks/seminars were going to be held and at once i decided that this is the event i would be the happiest to manage. The tour done, we all signed up for our activities and interst areas and left waiting for the grand day to arrive.
Another great thing about being a volunteer was the uniform consisting of red hunter boots, white tee with navy strips and a straw hat! o la la!! i coudnt wait for the festival to come!!
Well finally the 23rd arrived and would you believe it, I was down with fever and a bad cold. Body ache and a runny nose didnot allow me to go on the 23rd. Very upset I let Laura know and hoped I would be fine on the 24th. Thank fully I got much much better and reached the festival grounds 9 am sharp to get into uniform and begin my day.
As I had chosen I was given the responsibility of managing all the events in the grand ball room which included ticket checking, room setting, coordinating with the speaker and rounding up afterwards. Sounds easy but has quite a bit to it. Logistics of any task is always underrated but has huge impacts, and I learnt to maange logistics of setting up a room for the speaker. Managing customers who walk in with a booking insisting on lack of knowledge, system errors and the worst 'i wasnt informed', phew! dealing with them was a huge learning. But the biggest learning of all was my interactions with the speakers.
Off all the speakers I will always rememeber Jane Webster, an author and Jenny the owner of French Provincial magazine. Their stories, their journey is such an inspiration for me as they have succeeded on the path i have always wanted to take as a writer and an editor of a publication. It was really a very encouraging experience to have met with them and to have known them.
A little bit about the rest of the festival.. imagine beautiful victorian house grounds and gardes set up with spotless white marquees and embellishments like metal scultures and flowers. Stalls of all things french, clothes, accessories, soap, cheese, bread, perfume, antiques and much more. Aroma of coffee in the air mixed with melting cheese on a baguette and visualise hot and yummy crepes and pies all things nice. Free flowing french wine drowned with increasing sounds of music and laughter, what can be more delightful and heart lifting. Floating mime performances and comic actions by Monsieur Fatty, live accordian perfomances and magic shows to add to all the merriement. Exciting competitions like crossioant throwing and espargot eating brought out the child in everyone. Basically eveyone was left wanting for more.
At the end of two days of fun and france i dragged my tired but very happy self back home with the fondest of memories and a pair of bright red shiny hunter boots!!!!!!
What a wonderful 2 days it was. When I had first come across this event months ago, i had decided that i just had to to experience it and so I marked the date down in my claendar and blocked these 3 days off. Few weeks later on their facebook page, was a call for volunteers to work at the festival and I was just super duper thrilled. Not only was I going to experience it but I could become a part of it and that is an even better way to experience something. So i wrote to them and volunteered for the event.
It was only in the later part of October that all the interested party was called for an interview/discussion with the aim to finalise our participation. I eagerly went over to meet the organizers at a hostoric and beautiful location, the Como House and Gardens in South Yarra where the festival was also going to happen.
During the meeting I was introduced to Laura and Sam, two gorgeous women who have been organizing this for three consecutive years now. Laura shared her story about her love for all things french and her desire of bringing her culture to melbourne in the form of this festival. They gave us a tour of the site and a visual picture of how all the marquees will look and where all the various events will happen.
The Como house is a victorian house of the days gone by but its splendour and grandeur not diminished in any way. The potraits, furniture, linen, wood work, cutlery etc of the house speaks its history. The grand ball room of the house was going to be the palce where all the talks/seminars were going to be held and at once i decided that this is the event i would be the happiest to manage. The tour done, we all signed up for our activities and interst areas and left waiting for the grand day to arrive.
Another great thing about being a volunteer was the uniform consisting of red hunter boots, white tee with navy strips and a straw hat! o la la!! i coudnt wait for the festival to come!!
Well finally the 23rd arrived and would you believe it, I was down with fever and a bad cold. Body ache and a runny nose didnot allow me to go on the 23rd. Very upset I let Laura know and hoped I would be fine on the 24th. Thank fully I got much much better and reached the festival grounds 9 am sharp to get into uniform and begin my day.
As I had chosen I was given the responsibility of managing all the events in the grand ball room which included ticket checking, room setting, coordinating with the speaker and rounding up afterwards. Sounds easy but has quite a bit to it. Logistics of any task is always underrated but has huge impacts, and I learnt to maange logistics of setting up a room for the speaker. Managing customers who walk in with a booking insisting on lack of knowledge, system errors and the worst 'i wasnt informed', phew! dealing with them was a huge learning. But the biggest learning of all was my interactions with the speakers.
Off all the speakers I will always rememeber Jane Webster, an author and Jenny the owner of French Provincial magazine. Their stories, their journey is such an inspiration for me as they have succeeded on the path i have always wanted to take as a writer and an editor of a publication. It was really a very encouraging experience to have met with them and to have known them.
A little bit about the rest of the festival.. imagine beautiful victorian house grounds and gardes set up with spotless white marquees and embellishments like metal scultures and flowers. Stalls of all things french, clothes, accessories, soap, cheese, bread, perfume, antiques and much more. Aroma of coffee in the air mixed with melting cheese on a baguette and visualise hot and yummy crepes and pies all things nice. Free flowing french wine drowned with increasing sounds of music and laughter, what can be more delightful and heart lifting. Floating mime performances and comic actions by Monsieur Fatty, live accordian perfomances and magic shows to add to all the merriement. Exciting competitions like crossioant throwing and espargot eating brought out the child in everyone. Basically eveyone was left wanting for more.
At the end of two days of fun and france i dragged my tired but very happy self back home with the fondest of memories and a pair of bright red shiny hunter boots!!!!!!
