CIEE sets the standard for study abroad visits for language learning. Everything about the program met or exceededd my expectations -- from the lessons to the food, from the transportation and cultural experiences to the friends I met along the way, it was all so fantastic that it's hard to know where to begin.
First, logistics. Nothing about the experience could be possible without a fantastic grasp of logistics, and CIEE understands this well. We were always taken care of -- lines of communication were always open with CIEE staff in case of trouble, and the program schedule was communicated to us clearly and openly. During the program, we were equipped with cheap flip phones so we could call the program leaders -- leaders we knew well who also guided us during our excursions -- whenever we needed everything. The management felt personal, warm, and competent.
Staying with the host family is probably the most important part of the experience, because that's how you gain knowledge of French used in an everyday setting and make real ties with the local community. Everything about this was handled well-- everyone in my ten-person group was amazed at how well their host families fit with their personalities and interests. The host families were welcoming and human. That being said, I found a few things about family life in France hard to get used to-- cooking Gallettes was always a struggle for me-- and, like in any family, there can be some personal hiccups or interpersonal issues. It is hard to become close to people when you only half-understand much of what they say. It's all part of the process.
About half of your time during the program will be taken up by classes, which run until 3:15 PM every day except Fridays, when they end at noon. The classes are run totally in French. Each week has a theme and three types of classes -- grammar, written comprehension and production, and oral compmrehension and production. There are two levels of classes -- intermediate and advanced -- and you are sorted based on your level of French at the beginning of the program. The intermediate classes tended to be very lively and got sidetracked a lot, while the advanced classes were much more focused (but were also, as the intermediate students constantly reminded us, less fun). The curriculum focuses generally on issues in the modern world, with the reading comprehension being pretty much entirely news and magazine articles. This isn't bad, but personally I would have preferred a much greater emphasis on French literature and the authors that made the French language worth our time in the first place -- Molière, Descartes, Voltaire, Montesquieu, Hugo, Foucault, De Beauvoir, Sartre, etc, etc. As I mention in the question section, conteporary culture is probably not the strongest suit of French.
You are given daily homeworks but these tend to be pretty short. The grammar homeworks can be finished in about ten minutes often; the writing and oral comprehension homeworks take longer but still usually not more than an hour. I generally liked the classes, but sometimes students found them boring. Remember that school is school.
Finally, there are the excursions. We had four of these -- Fougères, Saint-Malo, Mont Sant-Michel, and Nantes. These last the entire day and are great! We usually got to skip the line in the tourist spots, and we often got guided tours or other special perks. One time, in Saint-Malo, the staff decided to delay going back to Rennes for ten minutes so we could get ice cream! All throughout, the staff are friendly, helpful, and warm. These give you an opportunity ot better understand Breton and French culture and history.
What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
Honestly, the most surprising (even shocking) thing for me was the extent of Americanization in France today. Globalization has changed France a lot since the second world war, and Europe has very much gotten caught up in American consumer culture and pop culture. English is everywhere, not just in brands but also in advertising, in the news, on the streets, on people's clothes, and in the music people listen to. In fact, English is more present in pop music than in any other pop culture field here -- I heard much more anglophone pop music than francophone pop music in France. American cultural influence is especially potent among the youth. As an American, I find this a little sad-- the future needs a wide diversity of cultural traditions to continue to be living and strong, and it seems concerning that French culture nowadays mostly marches to the rhythm of America's drum. It's also hard to keep up motivation to learn French when many French people seem more interested in English than in their native tongue.
