I have to take two buses from my host family’s  house to the CLA. The CLA is in such a great location. It is just past “au centre ville” ( the downtown area). For our two hour lunch break, the students go downtown to eat or shop, etc. Depending on your level in the CLA, classes start at either 8:30 a.m and finish at 3:30p.m or start at 9:30a.m and finish at 4:30p.m (including our two hour lunch break). I start class at 8:30a.m. I have three classes a day and three different professors. At the CLA, you have one of your main professors in the beginning of the week and then your second professor in the end of the week. We were also able to choose an elective class; these classes are our third class on Tuesdays and Thursday. I have regular class from 8:30a.m-10:30a.m. Then, we switch to our second class, which is lab (where we go to the computer lab and do research or exercises online,etc.), until 11:30a.m. I then have a two hour lunch break from 11:30-1:30. My last class starts at 1:30p.m and finishes at 3:30p.m. At the CLA you stay with your same class (same students) all day. I think that by the end of these two months our class will be like a little family.

    My professors are very friendly and make me feel comfortable enough to participate in the classroom. There aren’t really PowerPoint presentations and what not. All of my classes focus on reading different texts and participating (l’expression orale) in class discussions about those texts.

    In the CLA, on the 5th floor, there is a little caf� where you can get little pastries, juice, coffee, you name it. I already have a favorite pastry to have between my first and second class (pain aux raisins). It is a pastry with raisins. It is amazing. I also have a favorite juice. It has like a smoothie texture. It’s strawberry flavored.   

Location: Besançon, France