One Week To Go

Hello all,

It's crazy to think that a little over one week from now I will be driving to CVG for my flight to France. I will be there for the entire semester, studying abroad with the Wake program in Dijon. Check out the questions and their answers below to get an idea of what the program will be like.

Who else is going on this program?

I am going through a Wake Forest program, which means Dr. Sarah Barbour, a French professor at Wake, will be accompanying the eight other Wake students and me to Dijon this semester. The gender ratio is 6 girls to 3 boys. One of the girls lived in my suite last year - her name is Carolyn and she and I are taking the same flight over. I also know one other girl on the trip, but the rest of the people I met for the first time at the end of last semester during our orientation meeting .

What are you studying?

While in France I am taking a regular course load (15 credit hours) and all of my classes will count towards my French minor (which I will have completed when I finish this semester). From when I arrive in late August through the end of September I will be taking Dr. Barbour's 6-credit hour course and we will be traveling together around France. The classes we are taking at the University of Burgundy begin at the end of September. Then, we will only have classes Monday through Thursday.

• Studies in French Language and Culture (6 hours) - Dr. Barbour
• Advanced Written and Oral French (3 hours) - taught through the CIEF (Center for International French Studies)
• Contemporary France (3 hours)
• French Art (3 hours)

Where are you staying?

I will be staying with a French host family, the Diebolds. I have been emailing back and forth with my host mother throughout the summer and she says the family is eager for my arrival. They have hosted Wake students in the past, as well as international students from other programs and other countries. My host mother is a psycologist who works out of her home and my host father makes movies for the agricultural branch of the French government. They have three children: two sons (one who will be starting his second year at university and the other who will be starting his first) and a 14-year old daughter.

Why France?

I am hoping that by studying and living in France for four months I will finally become fluent in French. And I think somebody once told me their food is all right...

Where is Dijon?

Dijon is in southwestern France, relatively close to the Swiss border. It is about an hour from Paris by the TGV (fast train). Dijon is in the Burgundy region, which is famous for its wine. It is known as the mustard capital of the world.

Will you have the chance to travel?

For the first month I will be traveling around France with Dr. Barbour and the Wake Forest group. We will be gone for 5 days or so, then return to Dijon for a few days, and then depart again. Here is the schedule:

Aug. 27-30: Provence

Sept. 3-5: Bourgogne (Burgundy)

Sept. 9-14: Normandie (Normady)

Sept. 21-27: Pays de la Loire (Loire Valley)

Sept. 27-Oct. 3: Paris (Ile-de-France)

Nov. 27-29: city of Strasbourg (Alsace region)

How about traveling outside of France?

Many of my friends at Wake and from CCDS are also going to be abroad during the fall semester. My some of my best friends from Wake will be in Geneva, Dublin, Vienna, and Salmanca. Friends from home will be in Madrid, Paris, London and Barcelona. Since we have Fridays off beginning at the end of September, I am hoping to do some traveling with groups of friends around Europe over those long weekends.

When does the program begin/end?

My direct flight from Cincinnati to Paris leaves Friday, August 21st at 7:50pm and arrives in Paris the next morning at 10:10am. The program ends on December 5th and my flight home is on December 10th.

Please feel free to post comments and ask questions, I really enjoyed responding to questions while I was writing from Morocco.

-Lauren