Taking on the City of Lights
Written by Sarah Chavey
Language is a funky thing. It forms social connections within the human community and forms the structure of our individual thoughts. For example, just as we think in English, Spanish speakers think in Spanish. When learning a new language, thinking in that language is often the final barrier to mastery.
Immersion is the name of the game, and immersion is what senior French major Emma Takach experienced when she spent the entirety of last year studying in Paris, France.
“I think that I could count on one hand the number of times I spoke English to people in the city of Paris.”
Emma received the opportunity to study overseas in Paris after applying to an organization called International Studies Abroad (ISA).
“I wanted to go to France, particularly Paris, but there is not normally a program that goes to Paris through Hillsdale. So I did some research and found a program that we’ve worked with before (ISA). They have a couple programs in France, and one was in Paris. I worked with the French department and the registrar here at Hillsdale to line up the necessary credits so that I could go for a full year while still remaining on track for my major.”
Emma’s host family really helped break down the language barrier.
“We would speak French in the home, and that’s really how I most improved. Dinner, breakfast, everything was in French.”
They also helped introduce her to the ins and outs of the Parisian life, from tackling public transportation to preparing a proper breakfast, of which Emma took particular note.
“You have the baguette from the night before. You would save it in a bag, and in the morning, you would eat the stale baguette with Nutella, jam, or whatever you want. They eat plain yogurt, which they often put jam in as well.”
The baguette was only the beginning of her day. Once breakfast was over, it was off to the train station for class.
“Class in France usually runs between two and three hours, which was very hard at first. You get used to it though.”
Emma mainly took courses in French grammar and phonetics.
“In the phonetics course, I was not only learning how to pronounce words but why we pronounce words the way we do in the French language.”
After her classes, Emma would work as a nanny for a three-year-old.
“Most French kids seem to have this very planned-out schedule. Every day we would have a snack, then we would go to the park. Afterwards, I’d give her a bath, put on her pajamas, and then read stories until her parents got home.”
After her positive experience with ISA, Emma encourages other language students to consider taking a semester abroad in order to learn through immersion.
“It should be really high on your list of priorities to go study in a host country that not only speaks the language but also has a program in which you are forced to speak the language. If I go to France and take an English-speaking program, that does nothing for me.”
After graduation, Emma says she will choose between either teaching elementary French at a charter school or beginning a career in communications. Whichever career path she decides to take, the expertise she gained from her year in Paris will contribute to her success as a young professional.
Sarah Chavey is a music major from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She hopes to pursue journalism when she graduates in 2017.