The Program is now pretty much over for
the students; Prof. Jeantet still has some days' work to evaluate
the students' improvement, finish correcting their final papers
and submit grades, after which he will take care of balancing the
program's budget, which is no small task in itself!
In the six short weeks since the students'
arrival, there have been noticeable changes in the students' linguistic
abilities and understanding of French culture. At the start of the
program, students would invariably nod and say oui to anything
that was said to them; by the end of the program, they now understand
what is being said to them, and now give the appropriate oui,
non, or si answer as the context requires; they all
spontaneously engage in conversation and friendly banter in French,
enjoy acquiring and using slang terms, even cracking French jokes,
most of which involve far more word play (puns and spoonerisms)
than American humor normally requires.
The many class hours have been supplemented
by many more hours of direct contact with their host families; it
is this latter feature of the program that affords the students
the most opportunity and incentive to erxpress themselves in the
target language, and we are indeed fortunate to have the support
of the non-profit A.F.A. (Association Faverges-Akron) and of its
tireless president, Yvette Millot, without whom the program simply
would not be the same.
Several of the students expressed trepidation
at the prospect of returning to the US after six weeks of respite
from the fears that appear to dominate American life these days;
two of the students told Prof. Jeantet on separate occasions that
for the first time in years, they felt "safe" ... a sad
comment on the state of affairs in America. Several of the students
have expressed an interest in continuing with French studies beyond
their original intentions, and at least three have expressed the
desire to come to work in France at some time in the future.
It is wonderful that our students have
had the opportunity to study in a welcoming and scenic community;
for most, it was their first experience abroad but likely will not
be their last. Our Ohio students are becoming citizens of the world
and have had the opportunity to establish friendships which will
undoubtedly will last for decades to come.
The some 6,000 page visits to this website
show that there has been some interest in the students' activities.
These pages will remain posted for the foreseeable future, and readers'
comments will always be welcome.
Next report, maybe next year?
