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Campus Life - Letters from Dartmouth College

Spring in Paris

By Yoko Kubo


パリへの短期留学

ダートマス大学には1学期(約10週)の間、海外で学ぶ短期留学制度があります。久保さんは今学期、その制度を利用してフランスに飛び、フランス人の家庭にホームステイしながら、フランスの文化や歴史を学んでいます。初めは不安もありましたが、徐々に現地の生活に慣れてきたようです。

フランス研究プログラムに参加している筆者(前列右)とダートマスの学生たち
One highlight of the Dartmouth education is the opportunity to spend a term (or more) in a foreign country on a study-abroad program. These programs are not limited only to language courses, but are also available for a wide array of other subjects. You can study biology in the Caribbean, classics in Greece, philosophy in Scotland, art history in Florence, and politics in London, to name but a few.

Programs offered in languages are known as LSAs (Language Study Abroad), and they allow students to put language skills learned in the classroom into practice. Programs in subjects that are intended for majors are called FSPs (Foreign Study Programs). They are offered in non-language subjects as well as in languages, which are studied at a more rigorous level than LSAs. Not only do these programs provide a way to escape the confines of Hanover for a couple of months, but they also allow students to study in an ideal location where they can completely immerse themselves in the culture of the country.

I am currently on a French FSP, and studying at a Columbia University-owned facility in the middle of Paris along with 15 other Dartmouth students. We have courses in French culture, contemporary history, art history and literature, taught by French professors and a Dartmouth professor. Inevitably, everything is in French - in fact, we were made to sign a pledge that forbids us to speak in English, even when out of class and talking only amongst ourselves. A lot of our classes are comprised of visits to theaters, museums, monuments and concerts within the city itself, as these first-hand experiences are what make up the most valuable part of the program.

Each of us is assigned a host family to stay with during our term in France. Mine lives in Montreuil, which is in the suburbs of Paris. I've been very lucky as they are extremely kind and hospitable, and they quickly dispelled all the anxiety that I'd initially felt. My host parents are interested in Japanese culture, and I've had conversations with them ranging from Japanese films and cuisine to the art of bonsai (in French, of course). I also have a 14-year-old "host sister," Loulou, whom I'm depending on to teach me French that is not in the textbooks!

I'm gradually growing accustomed to French life, such as drinking tea in the mornings from bowls instead of mugs, taking the metro to school, and eating croissants and paninis in cafes for lunch. The professors have devised our schedule so that we get Fridays off and can therefore take advantage of the long weekends to explore the city, and we're encouraged to expose ourselves to the French culture as much as possible. I've bought a radio to listen to French news and music, and a mobile phone which I (try to) answer in French. From time to time, I buy French newspapers to keep up-to-date with the world, although admittedly, a lot of it goes unread!

It is a wonderful feeling when you succeed in communicating in a foreign language. However, while it is fun speaking in French with fellow Dartmouth students, it is often immensely frustrating to get across exactly what we want to say when we know that using English would save us an enormous amount of time and effort! So far, most of us have been fairly good not to give in to our temptations to speak English. I guess we all realize that one term is very short, and talking in French around the clock is the quickest and best way to improve our fluency.

I've only been here for a little more than two weeks so far, but I love Paris already. The city is beautiful in all respects, from the art and architecture to the language and even the dainty pastries that line the windows of the numerous pastry shops. Although I still have a long way to go in terms of fluency, I hope that by the time I write my next article, I will be one step closer to becoming a true Parisian!



Shukan ST: May 9, 2003

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