French as a Foreign Language: Olga Maznichenko, an EPF champion !

Olga Maznichenko, an international basketball player from Ukraine, joined the French as a Foreign Language (FLE) classes at the beginning of the semester.

We asked her to answer a few questions about her and how she organises her time between FLE classes at EPF and basketball.

Interview.

Could you please introduce yourself?

Of course! My name is Olga Maznichenko, I’m 29 years old and I’m Ukrainian. I’m a professional international basketball player and basketball coach. Thanks to basketball, I’ve been able to live in several countries: Spain, Italy and now France.

Why did you come to France?

I arrived in France in 2016 because I had been recruited by the Montbrison team near Saint Etienne. I signed a contract with the basketball team there, the BCMF (Basket Club Montbrison Féminin), as power forward. I left Montbrison just before the summer to join the club in Sceaux, the ASA Sceaux Basket. I now live in Sceaux with my partner.

Why did you choose to take French classes at EPF?

I’ve been living in France for a while now and I find that my level of French is still a little weak. As I am working in France and intend to stay here, I decided to learn French. I chose to take classes at EPF because I really wanted to learn the language, and to speak and write it correctly. EPF offers classes in Sceaux and as I work for the basketball club of the city, I thought it was very practical to take classes nearby.

What do like the most about the classes at EPF?

It’s the first time I have taken FLE classes at EPF. Unfortunately, I can’t really answer the question, as I have not had many face-to-face classes because of the pandemic. I would prefer to come to the school rather than studying online, but I think it’s great that the school has offered distance-learning classes, despite COVID-19.

Why have you decided to stay in France?

I’ve decided to stay in France for several reasons. The first reason is love! My partner lives in France. Then, basketball! It’s obviously one of the main reasons as I have now signed a contract with the club in Sceaux. And finally, my friends are here, now! Sceaux is right on the doorstep of Paris and I really enjoy living somewhere quiet while still being close to a big city. I really like France, there are many beautiful places and interesting cities here. I love Sceaux, it’s a quiet town with a very big, beautiful park. I would definitely recommend France to all students, because coming here is an amazing experience!