Paris: Thank God I Went Abroad Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

My teacher, Delia Mellado, was AMAZING. She understood the common mistakes that English students made and helped us to learn how to correct these. I learned French that was useful for everyday conversation and for writing. Our classes met in a classroom four days a week and then we were responsible for presenting about a topic (an artist, a monument, a time in history) unique to the Arondissement that we walked around in on Fridays. I thought this was incredibly useful and it was interesting to learn about the history of Paris and French culture. I did not like that there was no Honor System in place at CIEE; a girl tried to cheat by asking my friend for answers during a quiz we took in class, and it really disgusted me. Sometimes I felt that I was not placed in the right level of French, and I wished that students were better placed into classes based on experience with French and not just on a practice test.

On-site administration of your program

Our Program Coordinator was so nice and supportive. I felt that the on site administrators were well coordinated, kind, supportive, and very knowledgeable. I wish that the trips were better organized, or simply optional, as I would have liked to travel around Europe more and the mandatory attendance was not explained in the information we received prior to our arrival. I also felt that it was difficult to have a genuine experience of a place when we were traveling in such a large group.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I think the housing situation was kind of unfair and had I not been so in love with Paris and with Lucie and Julie I would have complained and asked to be reimbursed. While our neighborhood was safe and clean, our rooms were absolutely tiny. I would never care about room size, but we were split into two groups and the other hotel had large rooms with living areas, kitchens, and bathrooms. I do not think it is right that we had to pay the same amount as the other group, although I understand that our neighborhood was safer. Safety was a huge in the neighborhood of the other hotel. We would go there to meet our friends in the group for dinner and every time there would be groups of young men selling drugs on the corner of the street and harassing us. One of them physically accosted my friend and while no one got hurt, it was really terrifying. My neighborhood was safe and there were restaurants nearby, but it was more of a modern area and it would have been nice to be a little closer to the center of Paris in an area that felt more like the actual city.

It was nice to have a lunch option, but I would rather have had a certain amount of money to spend on food every day. We quickly got bored with the limited options at the place where lunch was provided. I had meal tickets left over. Paris has such amazing food and I wish the program had allowed us to explore more restaurants.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I had so many memorable experiences in Paris. There are so many museums, and as a self proclaimed Art History nerd I was in HEAVEN. Having class in the morning was perfect; we worked hard and then had all afternoon to see all of Paris' amazing sights with the French that we learned fresh in our minds. The weekly field trips to different arrondissements were enlightening and fun; one week we learned about the artists living in Montparnasse in the earlier 20th century, and another we saw an ancient Roman arena hidden in Le Marais (as well as learning about Ste. Genevieve and visiting the Pantheon). I also loved the trip to Trouville's beaches and to Versailles.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Paris is very safe. There are pickpockets and sometimes scary men/gypsies but these are typical of any major city. The only times I felt unsafe were when I was visiting the other hotel. This area was really dangerous and men would yell things at us and try to touch us on the street. I had bad food poisoning while I was in Paris, and the program staff really helped me out. My mom was in town visiting but Julie came with us to the Clinic to make sure we understood what the doctor said and to provide support. While I was ill, Lucie and Julie called to check in on me frequently, and that really made me feel better. Going to the Clinic was kind of scary, but having Julie there really helped, and the Doctor was nice. I don't think there were any problems with insurance or anything like that.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I could practice with Lucie, with Julie, with Delia, and with the conversation partners we were assigned. I used French in everyday interactions and I think it would be very difficult for someone to live in Paris without being comfortable with the French language. Everyone in my program spoke English.

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