Hello friends!
So I was editing one of my videos earlier today and I realized that I have not make a post about my program yet! Since you all will be following me on my trip, I figured it would make sense for me to tell you why and what I’m actually doing in Paris… silly me, I got too excited to show you the fun stuff!
So tell me about your program, Kim!
Okay! So the keyword of this section is intense. Every time you see this keyword, read it in a booming Morgan Freeman voice – this is the only appropriate way to read this post 🙂
My program is called the Language and Culture Track (INTENSIVE) *with a lot of emphasis on intensive… like super intensive* through UCEAP (University of California Education Abroad Program). As part of the program, I am taking 2 language classes and 1 culture class over the span of 7 weeks. The two language classes are sequential, which means that I will take the first level for 3.5 weeks and then the second for 3.5 weeks. Intense, right!?
UCEAP only organizes the academic portion of the program. The logistical stuff is organized by a company called ACCENT. They are the ones that handle all things related to actually being in France. For example, they host the buildings for our classrooms, housing, study hall, etc. So I’m not actually attending a university in Paris, I’m attending classes organized by the UC system in Paris. My professors are a combination of native French people and UC alum. My “school” is literally an office building with classrooms and a study area in the lobby. I’m really glad that I decided to go with this program because all of my peers are also UC students, so we’ve all had the shared experience of the long flight, jet-lag, culture shock and so on 😛
Schedule wise, I have classes from Monday – Thursday. I have my French language class for 3 hours every day, and my culture class for 2 hours every Tues/Thurs. I start classes at 10:30am everyday and end at 2:00pm on Mon/Wed and 4:30pm on Tues/Thurs, so there’s still plenty of time afterwards to explore (and do homework!)
How do you like it so far?
Oh my goodness. It’s so intense! I’ve only had 2 class sessions so far and it has been really really challenging to say the least. I have about 4 years of French classes under my belt: 3 years from 7th to 9th grade, and then I started over again with 2 quarters in college. So for my program, I got placed into French 3-4…. and boy am I glad that I have some background knowledge to work off of!
When UCEAP added the intensive to the program name, they really weren’t kidding. Just to put things into perspective, my French classes at UCLA were 10 weeks each. Even then, I thought we moved too fast! Here in Paris, French 3 and 4 will be 3.5 weeks each… that’s more than twice as fast as UCLA. So yes, it will be quite a challenge, but I love the language and I’M READY!
My culture class, which I will be taking for the full 7 weeks, is called Tastes of Paris. It’s a food anthropology class, so I’ll be learning about French cuisine as it relates to society. Not quite sure how I feel about it just yet, the topic is interesting but my first homework assignment was 60+ pages of reading for the next day… ouch!
Wow, that seems pretty intense! Will you be able to manage classes and sightseeing and blog posting?
The short answer = yes. It will be a little tricky at times but I am very accustomed to jam packed schedules and I think I’ll adapt just fine (once I get over this jet lag, ugh!) There are many reasons that I’m dedicated to maintaining this blog, the first being that I love sharing my stories/photos/videos. Telling stories is fun and I’m very passionate about photography and making videos so it only seems natural for me to document my trip this way. Twenty years from now, I’ll be able to look back at this blog and remember all the wonderful memories I made in Paris!
The cool part is that I was given a scholarship to do this – awesome right!? Shoutout to the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship! This scholarship is funded by the U.S Department of State, and it was created to help financially constrained students study abroad by offering partial or full scholarships. In return, recipients are asked to complete a follow up project about the experience of studying abroad – this blog is my project! I am beyond thankful for my friends at the Gilman Scholarship for helping me make this trip possible. For more information, check out their website here!
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Overall, the classes seem doable and I like what I’m learning! I’m sure my time in Paris will pass very quickly so here’s to making the most of… well, everything! I hope this post was informative and useful for all you future study abroad students! There are so many different programs out there and I am really glad that I chose mine. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below! Thanks for reading – new (more fun) content will be up soon! 🙂
UPDATE: I meant to have a video done to follow this post, but alas my laptop decided to act up so I haven’t been able to finish it 😡 I’m using different equipment than usual (didn’t want to lug all my cameras to France) so there have been a few hiccups with compatibility. I have my first exam and a presentation on Monday (yes I’ve literally only been in class for two days) so expect to see the video up Tuesday/Wednesday! Thanks friends!
- Kim's - Travelogue Blog 