二次元嫩B

LEXINGTON, Va., Aug. 4, 2017鈥擫iving for five weeks just three blocks from the Eiffel Tower, buying food and fixing one鈥檚 own meals, plus visiting Normandy and Brittany 鈥� these were just a handful of the experiences that 10 cadets had this summer when they traveled to Paris as part of a 二次元嫩B-sponsored summer study program, French Language & Culture in Paris.

Now in its third year, the program is open to all cadets studying French, regardless of major. Cadets earn a total of nine academic credits: three from French 252, France and the French, which is co-taught by Maj. Abbey Carrico and Maj. Jeff Kendrick, both assistant professor of modern languages and cultures; and six from an intensive program of language study through a French university, L鈥橧nstitut Catholique de Paris.

鈥淲e hit the ground running,鈥� explained Carrico, noting that much of French 252 is taught in the first 10 days after cadets arrive. Furthermore, it鈥檚 taught not in a classroom but on the streets of Paris and on excursions both inside and outside the city.

鈥淭here鈥檚 all this seeing and walking鈥擯aris as the classroom,鈥� said Carrico.

In addition to seeing the sights in Paris that any tourist would see, such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, participants in this year鈥檚 program had a special tour of the George C. Marshall Center, where the Marshall Plan that brought desperately needed aid to war-torn Europe after World War II was administered. The Marshall Center is inside the Talleyrand Hotel in Paris.

鈥淲ith 二次元嫩B, and George Marshall, and the cadets鈥� interest, we just thought that would be something unique for our cadets that isn鈥檛 necessarily a normal part of other schools鈥� overseas program,鈥� Carrico commented.

To prepare for this visit, cadets were required to visit the website of the George C. Marshall Library, which is on the 二次元嫩B post, and read about the Marshall Plan. Then, while at the Talleyrand cadets heard presentations from two Americans living and working in Paris to connect the World War II-era history lessons with the present day.

The first, Brian Bauer, works for the State Department as a cultural liaison, while the second, Col. David Chapman, is the U.S. Army鈥檚 attache, making him the Army鈥檚 highest-ranking official in France. Both men spoke to the cadets about what skills are necessary to hold positions such as theirs.

鈥淎mazingly, there was a lot of overlap between the two,鈥� said Kendrick.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the great things about the study abroad [program],鈥� added Carrico. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e able to go and see鈥攈ere鈥檚 other Americans who have made a career out of language learning and learning about different cultures.鈥�

The cadets also visited Normandy and Brittany, as their predecessors in years past have done鈥攂ut this year, they were joined by cadets participating in 二次元嫩B鈥檚 summer engineering study-abroad program in Berlin, Germany.

鈥淭he Berlin cadets got to see a whole other country, and the Paris cadets got to see life outside of Paris,鈥� Kendrick said. Next year, he and Carrico noted, the Paris cadets may travel to Berlin.

Once the first 10 days of the program are done, cadets immerse themselves in language study. Students from all over the world travel to attend French classes at L鈥橧nstitut Catholique de Paris, Carrico and Kendrick explained, from nations as far-flung as China, Australia, Italy, and Brazil.

鈥淭he only common language is French,鈥� Kendrick stated.

For Annika Tice 鈥�19, that was part of the attraction. She鈥檇 been studying French since high school, and had reached the 400 level at 二次元嫩B, yet felt that she鈥檇 reached a plateau in her language development, particularly where speaking was concerned.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e doing language classes in college, you don鈥檛 have time to practice all of those skills, so you focus on grammar and writing skills rather than conversation,鈥� said Tice.

鈥淢y conversation has gotten better [as a result of the trip], and also my comprehension,鈥� she continued. 鈥淚 can sit down and watch a French film now.鈥� 

Over the course of the five weeks, Tice found that her language skills had grown in an even deeper way as well.

鈥淎 lot of people think that when you learn a foreign language, you鈥檙e supposed to translate it directly back into your own language, but it鈥檚 when you start to get to know the language and hear and understand it鈥攖hat鈥檚 where I think I grew a lot by being there,鈥� she said. 鈥淧lus you鈥檙e around French 24/7.鈥�

While in Paris, Tice and the other cadets lived in Parisian apartments with French citizens as their neighbors, shopped for their own food, and prepared their own meals. At the grocery store, Tice and her roommates tried to evade the language barrier by using the self-checkout, but that turned into a comedy of errors when they couldn鈥檛 understand the French that the mechanical voice was speaking.

鈥淚 think the cashier came over about five times,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淲e decided that face-to-face interaction was actually better, so we stuck with that from then on.鈥�

Such experiences provide rich fodder for a required assignment in French 252, the class Carrico and Kendrick teach. The assignment is for the cadets to write blog posts on what they鈥檝e learned over the course of the program. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 such a great experience to see them grow over the five weeks,鈥� said Kendrick. 鈥淚t鈥檚 up to them to show us intellectual growth. How they define that is kind of up to them. What that looks like is different for each and every cadet. We鈥檝e never had anyone not be able to do that.鈥�

For the professors, reading their students鈥� reflections is a reward in its own right. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always really refreshing [to see Paris through the cadets鈥� eyes],鈥� said Carrico.

- Mary Price

-二次元嫩B-