Browsing the galleries at the Musée d’art Moderne in Céret
Author: Corinne Bryan | Major: English
I never had the opportunity to take French lessons until I came to the UofA. When I finally began the beginner-level course my freshman year, I felt an instant connection to the language and knew I’d found a lifelong passion. Although I saw my skills steadily increasing semester by semester, I wanted to take the next step in my language journey. It is widely known that the ultimate way to improve one’s language skills is to be fully immersed in that language and culture, so last semester when my Advanced French professor shared information with us about the French in Perpignan summer program I knew it was the perfect fit for me. Perpignan is a small city where English is not widely spoken, so most of the time I had no choice but to communicate in French. I was also drawn to the host family aspect of the trip. The opportunity to live with a native French speaking family was invaluable to my learning experience. Deepening my understanding of the mechanics of a foreign language has also helped me deepen my understanding of my mother tongue and college major, English. I plan to apply my skills in both languages post-graduation by working abroad as an ESL teacher.
Classes at the University of Perpignan were every weekday from 8:30-12:30. The biggest difference between them and the French classes I’ve taken at the UofA was that each one of my professors were native French speakers. There was absolutely no speaking English in class. While it was exhausting for my brain to be bombarded with French for such long periods of time, I had a lot of fun and learned so much every day. Being taught by native French speakers meant I gained insight into intimate details of the language and learned how to phrase things in the fashion of vrai français. One of my favorite things we did in class was listen to French music. Professors would give us printed lyric sheets, then we’d listen to the songs and afterwards discuss the word games, nuances, metaphors, and symbols hidden in them.
It was also fascinating to attend class with students from all over the world. I was able to compare and discuss, in French, the politics and cultures of my country with students from Ecuador, Ukraine, Czechia, Spain, Sweden, and Colombia, to name a few. This opened my eyes to the fundamental differences between our nations, as well as the fundamental similarities that all of humanity shares.
As I mentioned earlier, living with a host family was a highlight of the trip. I stayed with the DeCeccos, a retired couple who have been hosting students from around the world for over 30 years! Living with them was the total immersion into the language and culture that I had been craving. Every morning at breakfast we watched the French news and weather reports on TV, which massively helped me expand my practical vocabulary. With the DeCeccos I was also able to experience authentic French cuisine. Dinners took on a ritualistic quality that is rare to find in the States. We would have three courses served separately, beginning with a salad, followed by an entree, and ending with a dessert of fresh fruit or ice cream. And slices of baguette were, of course, present at every meal. It was immediately apparent to me how much higher quality the produce is in France compared to the USA. I ate the best food of my life in France; I could honestly write an entire blog post just about it but I’ll keep it brief and say my favorite meal was the bucket of fresh, steamed mussels we had one night. Or the salmon pasta. Or the veal. Or the fish and buttery rice.
A cultural highlight of the trip was being able to go to Paris on Bastille Day, the French equivalent of the Fourth of July. This was not a planned part of the trip, but a spontaneous independent excursion that I and several others in the group embarked on. Being in the nation’s capital on her day of independence was truly stunning. We saw the military flyover from The Louvre, and that evening we watched the massive fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower. We were only in the city for 2 ½ days, but I was impressed by how much we were able to do and see in that time, including the Arc De Triomphe, the Sacre Cœur, and Notre Dame.
One of the major cultural differences I noticed between France and The United States is their attitudes regarding the environment. Air conditioning, for example, is not taken for granted there; many apartments, homes, and public buildings are without it. My class of mostly European peers was shocked when I told them that nearly every building in the USA has air conditioning! It was also interesting to notice how small their cars are compared to the giant gas-guzzling machines that Americans are partial to. I got accustomed to not driving while in France and enjoyed making the most of their extensive public transport systems, including the local bus, the high-speed train, and the Parisian metro.
I would absolutely recommend this program to any students who are serious about continuing to learn French. My advice is to soak in every moment. Be present. Take some necessary time to yourself, but don’t stay glued to your phone/earbuds! Talk to strangers, speak French at any available moment, even if you are humbled in the process. And O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub is the best spot in town. I wish I’d known how scarce public restrooms can be to find! My advice is to use the bathroom every time you go to a restaurant, because there’s no telling when your next opportunity will be. The first thing I did when I landed back in America at Chicago O’Hare was experience culture shock, in my own country! It was honestly harder to readjust to life in America than life in France. Trying to find food was a depressing reality check; a healthy veggie wrap that would’ve been around 5 euros in France was $12 in America. My first meal back ended up being chili cheese fries. C’est la vie. I hope to return to France as soon as possible.