Tours is an ideal location to immerse oneself in France as it offers the best of both worlds. It’s quaint, unpretentious, and accessible. It’s also the starting point to see the Loire Valley region and its sprawling vineyards, vast estates, and old-fashioned castles, of which there are too many to count. Visitors would be amiss not to take a day cycling along the Loire river, stopping for a moderate glass of Sauvignon Blanc along the way, taking in the fairy-tale views of the old nobility’s chateaux. On the other hand, the hustle and bustle of Paris is easily reachable through France’s well-connected high-speed train system. The Louvre, the Eiffel, and the Seine can therefore all be visited on a day off, offering a tour of the quintessential Parisian landmarks as part of student’s travel experiences.
No matter which of Summer Abroad’s France courses one chooses, there is bound to be some learning of French along the way. After all, Tours is fairly small and intimate, meaning foreign languages might not always be understood. Students of FCS369 will have their coursework in English (with the possibility of counting it towards a French credit), while those studying the language of Molière will find little downsides to them being plunged into an environment where Shakespeare’s isn’t a sweeping mode of communication.
Learning a new language is challenging, but the benefits can hardly be overlooked. French is spoken by over 75 million people worldwide and is a sound entry point to further understanding Latin languages. Developing a firm grasp on the language may take time but, as with all Summer Abroad courses, students will find that being immersed in a region where the topic of study is part of the history, culture, and everyday life makes engaging with it quite effortless.
“I found Tours was, as a city, very conducive to my learning of French, which I managed to take to a significantly higher level after spending a month in France”, an alumnus of FSL-Y told me. “Thanks to the total immersion, the academic portion of the trip feels very seamless, and blends in well with the field trips and activities we end up doing. It’s a very holistic experience.”
There’s a well-roundedness to be clenched from any outbound experience that combines the social, academic, and adventurous. The added advantage of carrying it out with Summer Abroad is that the foundations of the trip are pre-established, letting students add to their adventure as they go along, forming it as they see fit. And so, once students arrive at destination, they only need to unpack, go out, and laissez-faire.
By Louis Butt, 2019 Summer Abroad Participant