NUS French Hexagon Club is a brand-new club where students from all walks of life can come together and learn and appreciate French culture and its language. It was started in 2020 after its founder, Loo Yongquan, discovered to his shock upon entering NUS, that there was no French cultural club. This was despite the fact that there were a multitude of other cultural clubs such as the Korean Cultural Interest Group, German Language Society and NUS Japanese Studies Society.
With grand aspirations, Yongquan soon embarked on a journey to start a French cultural club alongside his peers.
Why start a French Hexagon Club?
Yongquan was born in Arizona (U.S.A) and grew up almost his entire life in Geneva, Switzerland, which is the French speaking part of Switzerland. After having lived there almost his entire life, he returned to Singapore to serve his national service. He has always had a strong interest in French culture, which is why he decided to start the French club.
Says Yongquan, President in NUS French Hexagon Club and an Accountancy BBA Year 2 student: “It was an extremely interesting challenge to start and build a fresh, new full-fledged society within NUS. We were fortunate to have French teachers in NUS who were extremely supportive of the idea of starting this club and helped us to promote it using LumiNUS.”
The gathering of like-minded peers
Kenneth Kwok, Vice-President of NUS French Hexagon Club and BBA Year 2 student says: “NUS French Hexagon Club has been a crucial part of my university life. This community has allowed me to learn about the interesting and peculiar culture which is France. Most importantly, I ended up making my best friends here, who all share the same passion and provide each other with support both inside and outside of school. The activities we conducted such as ‘Blindfolded French Food Tasting’ and ‘Emily in Paris’ were some of the greatest memories during my time at NUS. There is truly no other club like this.”
In the pipeline
If you’re keen to join NUS Hexagon Club, here are some interesting programmes to look forward to.
The French Pétanque Game is a famous French court sport. The strange and fascinating activity is a mixture between bowling and curling. Pétanque loosely translates to 'feet together' and refers to the player having both his legs together firmly on the ground while making a throw. More than the sport itself, it is an experience and is usually played at house parties and celebrations.
The Blindfolded French Degustation involves ready-to-eat food like Goat cheese, Dijon Mustard and Foie Gras. Participants get to explore and taste different French delicacies while blindfolded and attempt to guess the name of the food. Participants may or may not like what they eat but all the fun lies in the mystery.
The NUS x French Expatriates Networking Session is held in conjunction with Alliance Francaise. NUS x French Expatriates Networking Session organises a cultural exchange with professionals in Singapore, for ambitious members to forge and bolster robust ties with the French expatriates, opening endless career opportunities and gaining new perspectives on what it means to live in France. For expatriates, this brings them the local culture. It is a win-win situation for both locals and expatriates.
Yongquan ends off by adding:
“I really hope that this club will remain strong and popular for decades to come. There is no better feeling than being to have made a positive impact at NUS and leave a lasting legacy behind.”
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Shanice Poh, Year 2, Biz
