Nicole Mallory lived in a shared apartment with four other students in France. Two individuals were from the U.S. (Missouri- Andrew, age 22 and Rhode Island- Brittany, age 22), one individual was from Korea (Jaune, age 34), and the other was a young French college student (Edwin, age 17) who wanted to live away from home. Each roommate had his or her own bedroom with a shared bathroom and kitchen. The kitchen was a “meeting place” for them. They would often enjoy meals together or socialize in French and English to become acquainted with one another. This proved to be an interesting experience within itself. As Andrew, Brittany and Nicole were trying to become more fluent in the French language, Edwin and Jaune were attempting to learn English. In short, it became a language learning experience for all of us. Nicole attended the University of Ifalpes. Ifalpes is a French language and business school for French students, and Nicole attended 30 hours of school per week, Monday through Friday, in these subjects. She took two individual French courses with a “melting pot” of students from over five different countries, which included Brazil, Italy, China, Japan, and Sweden. This diverse group became acquaintances to her. Nicole also befriended individuals from all across the United States. Through the conversations held in and out of class, Nicole was able to grasp the diverse customs and morals from a range of individuals from around the world. Nicole met a host of Mormon students from Idaho and a few Muslim Chinese students. In Nicole’s spare time, if she was not studying the French language, she was sight-seeing in the beautiful city of Annecy. In her experiences, Nicole dined out on the town enjoying a variety of cuisines from Mandarin to Brazilian, enjoyed an exciting music festival featuring American Indians, French DJs, and Zumba dancing, and attended school field trips to Geneva, Switzerland and the United Nations. Overall, this month long journey proved to be a very breath-taking and remarkable trip for Nicole.
My CEE was presented before Camp Curtain Elementary School students and families in Harrisburg, PA. This is my hometown and an elementary school I attended as a child. I was a guest at the school’s family reading club night. I used literacy with a French theme to convey my international experience and promote ongoing literacy to the children and families. The set-up was in red, blue, and white to resemble the color of France’s flag. There were different learning stations that the attendees the visit. Featured was general knowledge about France and souvenirs, French literature with children’s books in English and French, and French foods. We had a French flag, a map to show Europe and the city of Annecy, and coin euros. There were a variety of books present including Madeline, a popular American book based in France. I had quiche, brie, and baguettes for the attendees to try. After trying the French food, the children were given coloring sheets with a family on it and the French word “la famille.” They were also given the opportunity to learn and recite the French alphabet and beginner French words.