France

Each student has a unique and individual experience on their Experiment program. The following essay is a single glimpse into a program from one student's perspective.

Bill Miskimen -- Language, Cooking, And Culture (FRLC)

France, I can honestly say, was the most challenging as well as the greatest summer of my life. Total immersion in a foreign language, foreign culture, and at the same time not having access to your friends back home all the time for support is a daunting proposition, and understandably so. But the rewards reaped from Summer 2004 are and will continue to affect my life, not just with improved French and a widened-cultural view, but also with new friends from the U.S. and France.

My initial response to France upon arriving was, where's the exotic atmosphere? I quickly came to realize that France was in many, many ways just like the United States, minus the language and a few cultural differences. I suppose having been surrounded by new friends (we had A LOT of time on the plane to talk) made it a less daunting prospect in my mind, but as we explored Paris my opinion changed. Not from the people, not from my group, or the currency, or even the language. Rather, it was the atmosphere, the sense of history and cultural pride that seemed to permeate every aspect of Parisian architecture and art that stunned me. From the Louvre, to the Pompidou centre, to the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, even the apartment buildings, from them all seemed to flow this sense of the past, of the best of times to the worst of times. Never did I imagine that I would learn so much about another culture's history in so short a time.

The next stop for the group was the Gorges du Tarn, which I shall never, ever forget. Waking up every morning to the most beautiful view I've ever seen in my life, every moment was one of enchantment. The activities were awesome. Hiking, kaiaking, swimming, acrobranching... all amazingly fun.

Next stop, home stay. Its very difficult for me to talk about, because the experience is something you can't really describe to someone who hasn't experienced it. Suffice it to say that it will improve your French far more than you can imagine, and that you'll quickly realize that you have more than one loving, caring family. You may quickly find yourself with a rigorous schedule of culture-immersion activities, such as visits to small theaters in Arles, the Popes palace from the era of Babylonian Captivity in Avignon, or the beautiful city of Marseilles.

Overall, your stay in France is guaranteed to be filled with learning and fun. You'll come back from France, and everything will feel... foreign. Somehow, your short stay in France makes you feel more French than American.