I have been in Besancon for a few days now but the initial shock of such a huge change has not yet faded away.  I am still waiting for this big adjustment to become “normal life.”   I am living inside the city of Besancon with a French family, made up by a woman named Marie-France and occasionally one of her three grown-up children if they visit her.  I am also sharing a house with another student from Penn State named Fiona!  I did not make a request to be with another student but I am really grateful it worked out that way.  It is nice to have someone to do things with at the house or help communicate with our host family in case I misunderstand something.

            One of my major concerns was that my French would not be good enough.  On top of that, my host family does not speak any English.  However, in the first few days I have become certain that I know more than enough French to get by – and I already see myself improving!  Everyone told me before I went on my trip, that my French would get better just by being in France, and I realize now it is because it is all about practice.  New words that are used often get ingrained in your mind and important phrases and tenses become second nature.  I am really looking forward to see how much more I will improve.            

            Besancon itself is beautiful!  There is a lot of history from Vaubon’s Citadel (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), to the Roman Ruins that just casually sit in the city’s center.  The CLA is very close to the center of the city, so almost everyone from Penn State takes the bus to get to class every morning.  They have monthly passes so the process was simple, but be sure to bring passport photos for the bus card!  Class, depending on your French level, can go from 8:30 to 3:30, 9:30 to 4:30 or 10:30 to 5:30, with a two-hour lunch break.  My class starts at 9:30, which I am pretty happy about.  The classes are completely in French, but the placement exam on the Monday before classes start put everyone in an appropriate level (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 or C2).  I think what I like most about the CLA is that I get to meet and interact with people all over the world who have also come to learn French.  Libya, Botswana, South Korea, Switzerland, Iraq – and so many more!

Location: Besancon, France