(June 10, 2022) Tours France with day trips to St. Malo, Mont St. Michel
Now that I have been in Tours for two weeks, I have already noticed an improvement in my ability to engage with locals. I have been able to go to grocery stores, cafes and restaurants and speak in French. It reminds me of desensitization theory in psychology: with more exposure, there is less of an emotional response. So it has become part of my everyday life now to speak French (it is becoming less intimidating)!
Here is a delicious lunch I ordered: including local greens and the famous aged goat cheese from the region (Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine). We have a long lunch break, so I decided to practice the French lunch culture, rather than eating a quick baguette sandwich like I normally do!
In addition to our regular course work, my French Professor asked us to watch a few French shows on Netflix and share synopsis’ in class. This exercise has encouraged me to continue doing so throughout my time here. I think language learning becomes immersive once you commit yourself to using the language in your everyday life, especially in your free time. Some days this was not possible, as speaking (and starting to think) in French the entire day during intensive classes gets quite exhausting. However, I noticed that if I sat down at the end of the day and turned on an easy-to-follow French series, I could enjoy it as much as I would an English series.
These last two weeks have also been spent exploring other areas of France. What is great about the Institut de Touraine is that they have plenty of excursions that allow you to learn more about the specific regions in France.
On May 28, we visited the Bretagne region for a day-trip: stopping in St. Malo. During the same day, we also went to Le Mont St. Michel, a commune in Normandy, just outside of Bretagne. In Mont St. Michel, a picturesque 11th Century Romanesque Abbey Church is perched at the top of the mount. Leading up to it, you walked through a packed crowd of tourists (seen below also capturing the moment), passing through various shops and restaurants.
In St. Malo, we spent more time exploring the town. The Bretagne is region is known for crêpes, gallettes (savory crêpes), seafood, and caramels au beurre sale and Kouign-amann – all very rich foods, using lots of the famous butter from Bretagne. I enjoyed some of this regional cuisine and spent the rest of the day walking around St. Malo and learning about the region’s history. It is a walled town with a long history of piracy and is now a popular vacation destination for French citizens. Here I am near the Fort National (a 17th-century granite fortress) that I was able to walk to at low tide.
– Emma Jackson, Master Student in Global Affairs and International Peace Studies