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Looking back on my academic semester in Paris, I can say with certainty that the classes I took here-- from the workload and the reading to the written assignments and finals-- were harder and more challenging than I had anticipated. Due to pre-conceived notions about what it means to study abroad and from past testimony from former students, I arrived in Paris thinking that this semester was going to be easier and less demanding than the ones I had had at Pomona, but I quickly learned that the rigor and intensity was going to be more or less the same, especially considering that I had a 16-hour-a-week internship on top of my courses for a good portion of my semester. While I was at times restricted to my bedroom to finish reading a book or writing a paper more often than I had wanted, I would say that I was still able to see many parts and places in Paris and able to improve my French listening and speaking capabilities. Now, I would have much preferred to have been speaking and listening to French more often than reading and writing (and of course, sight-see all day long), but I found that reading French and looking up the words I didn't know not only improved and extended my vocabulary, but it also allowed me to use new words and sentence structures when speaking and be able to better understand the French spoken around, whether that be during class or at the dinner table. Moreover, I am a visual learner and for me to truly learn a new word, I need to be able to see and write it to truly ingrain it in my memory, instead of just hearing it. Thus, during the times that I was up late a night reading a book, I reminded myself that reading was, for me, the best, first step to improve my French vocabulary as that subsequently allowed me to better write, better speak, and better understand the French language.
That being said, I knew even before setting foot in France and meeting the other American students on the program that I wanted to spend more time with the French because improving my speaking and oral capabilities as well as immersing myself in French culture were among my top priorities for this semester. Thus, I made the decision to immerse myself as best as I could by : signing up to have two French language partners (which was one the best decisions I made this semester), hanging out with my host family, going to many family dinners and functions, deciding to pursue an internship in Paris, taking fitness classes at a French gym, and continuing to speak French even when the person I was talking to responded in English given that he/she detected my accent. Moreover, my commitment to these activities purposely distanced from the majority of students on the program, and I was at peace with this decision because I wanted to make sure that during the times I wasn't reading or writing or sight-seeing, I was speaking French with the French, not in English with the other American students because that was the only way in which those two skills would improve. Of course, I hung out occasionally with some students and frequently with one student in particular who goes by the name of Aaron, but apart from those few students, I preferred to speak and engage with the French in French.
In terms of the class themselves, they were unfortunately not as interesting as I would have liked, with the notable exception of my class on the European Union. There was little rapport between the students and the professor, very few opportunities to improve one's grade, different conceptions of what is a good grade and what is not, and the lectures themselves were often not that interesting. However, the professors at Paris 3 did asses the foreign students differently and less harshly than the French students, and some of the books I read were quite interesting. Moreover, my class on the European Union was probably my favorite French class to date and has inspired to write one of my theses on that subject upon my return at Pomona.
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In conjunction with my academic courses, I had an internship at Planète Enfants, a NGO that fights against child trafficking and women and children's sexual exploitation in Nepal. In retrospect, this was an experience that I do not regret pursuing and having, but can acknowledge that it was very time-intensive and consuming. My transport to the office took at least an hour, the 30 page research report I had to write on my internship for EUSA/Middlebury led to quite a few late-late nights, and forced me to relegate my coursework to the weekends, thus restricting potential sight-seeing or travel time. Nonetheless, the work I did at my internship was meaningful and much respected, I made great connections and built personal relations with the staff, and was able to gain professional experience working and translating at an international NGO. Thus, despite some stressful days and sleepless nights, I am grateful that I pursued this internship as I felt that it did improve my French capabilities and was in alignment with my priorities for this semester. But, I had wished that I didn't have to write the 30 page paper as I felt that in its entirety, it wasn't necessary for me to write to reflect on my experiences, and that the internship could have replaced two classes instead of just one. As you can see by this concession, my feelings are not 100% for or against the internship experience, and I would only recommend it to students interested in pursuing an internship abroad if they want to prioritize academic work above leisure and travel time and gain professional experience in another country. That being said, having an internship is not mutually exclusive with leisure and travel time, but for 8 weeks, it does reduce it one's capability to do so.
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A quick note about finals: I had three timed in class finals and one take-home paper. In regard to the final themselves, they were incredibly challenging as I was expected to 1) understand the prompt and text; 2) look up the words I didn't know; 3) respond to and contextualize the question in at least 7 paragraphs; et 4) use elevated French sentence structures and vocabulary in 3 or 4 hours. Thus, I had a difficult time obtaining all those steps, and while I tried my best, I will have to wait and see how my grade will fare after them as finals take up a large portion of the final grade, but hopefully, I will be able to maintain what I had had previously. Fingers crossed tightly on that.
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In conclusion, my academic semester challenged me in ways that were expected and unexpected: from adapting myself to the teacher's fast-paced lecture and grading systems to managing my time so that I saw Paris while still getting good grades. In retrospect, while my classes weren't necessarily the most interesting (with one notable exception), and my internship could be time-consuming, they did push me in ways that improved and strengthened my French language capabilities and exposed me to a academic system and environment that is radically different from the one that I am accustomed to back in Claremont. Thus, I am more so than not grateful that I did the Middlebury program, as I truly did find that it directly and indirectly helped me improve my French language capabilities, and would advise those who want to take part in this program in the years to come only if they are looking for a more academic and structured experience abroad.
