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Amanda Harvey and I, Eliza Cercone, 2013 graduates of Clay County and double majors of French and French education and French and journalism respectively, recently completed a one month study abroad in Strasbourg, France. The experience was through the West Liberty University in France program although neither attends the university.
Strasbourg is the capital city Alsace, the northeastern region of France. The city is beside the German border, tying in its thick Germanic roots. Alsace has been occupied by both countries and is said to be “Too German for France, too French for Germany,” by New York Times journalist James Markham.
We stayed in separate households and attended classes at the Alliance Franҫais. I stayed with Madame Grange who, despite not being a native to the region, knew a lot about it. She said when the houses were originally built, they were painted a specific color according to the owner’s religion or career. The house I was staying in was tan and was owned by a boulanger, a type of baker.
Amanda stayed with Madame Denis, a Russian woman who was fluent in both English and French. She lived near the Council and the Parliament of Europe and frequently mentioned the international role the city played.
Strasbourg is the home to many continental institutions such as the International Institute of Human Rights, the Eurocorps, the European Council and the European Parliament. Through the school, Amanda and I were able to tour the latter two institutions. Together, the two make the legislative side of the European Union.
We toured the parliament and then the council. We actually showed up late with half of the American group missing due to a mix up from the school. With a bit of luck, we figured out the bus and tram routes and managed to get there on our own. If you’re really curious about our stay, I kept a blog, anamericaninstrasbourg.tumblr.com that you can check out.
Throughout the tours of the institutions and the city, Amanda and I discussed how we felt so lucky to be there. We were, and still are, extremely thankful and grateful that we got the opportunity to study in a foreign country. We came to the conclusion that we wouldn’t be where we were or gaining the experiences we were without early French education, starting when we were twelve.
When we were in middle school, we were presented the option of learning French or Spanish. Since then, we both have had the opportunity to travel to France twice. The first time was through the French program at the high school, which no longer exists. I’d like to thank Dr. Mann for instilling in us a passion for language and culture.
I hope future CCMS and CCHS students are given the same opportunities as we’ve had, as through the French program, we have gained wonderful experiences, lessons, memories, and a passion to continue our education.