France: Ellery Bartels
Program: Institut de Touraine French Language, Summer
Ellery’s Major: Nursing
How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?
The language institute that I studied at was incredibly different from my classes here at UW-Madison. As a STEM major, I don’t often get to spend an extended period of time practicing the art of language. But at L’Institut de Touraine, I had the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the French language and culture and push myself to become a better French speaker in such a short time. The classes I took were much more interactive and collaborative than a lot of my classes in Madison. I had the opportunity to converse and work with all different kinds of students from different places at my French level. This created a community in our classroom and a group of people who collaborated to work towards achieving our common goal of becoming better French speakers. It was an incredibly unique and fulfilling educational experience that taught me so much about the French language but also about collaboration and community.
What is the moment you are most proud of?
I am most proud of my final week in Tours when I felt that my improved language skills began to shine. Initially, I had trouble having conversations with my host mom. But as I continued to put effort into my relationship with her and pushed myself out of my comfort zone, I found myself speaking more and more fluently with her. I felt that she began to grow fonder of me as she recognized the effort I was putting into my relationship with her. On the last day of the program, I bought her flowers and a gift. She ended up hugging me and asking me to leave my home address so she could contact me. I was incredibly proud that I created a meaningful connection with somebody using a language that is not native to me.
It was an incredibly unique and fulfilling educational experience that taught me so much about the French language but also about collaboration and community.
What is a custom, food or tradition from your host country that you are taking forward?
I absolutely love the way that the French host meals. It may sound trivial, but it is anything but. Having a meal in France is a chance for connection, enjoyment, discussion, and camaraderie. The meals would take anywhere from an hour to three hours. This time would be spent laughing and arguing and just debriefing about subjects as simple as how our days were and as complicated as insurance systems and how they fail us. I felt that the main way that I created relationships with my host mom and family was over meals. And, to say that my host mom’s cooking is phenomenal would be an understatement. I loved the way she and a lot of French people cook, using fresh, in-season meats and produce, and sourcing their baked goods and cheeses from locally owned shops. This not only made the food more delicious but also more personal, as it was uniquely French.