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France | ILP + Excursions

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BY NATASHA SZOMBATHY

For the two weeks leading up to the start of university classes on September 11, our group of UC students had classes for the Intensive Language Program (ILP).  For the first week of classes, we had six hours of class per day, but we only had two hours per day in the second week.  We took the courses at the DEFLE, the department for French for foreigners at the Université Bordeaux Montaigne.  Each UC student was placed in a course according to their results on the placement exam we took in the first week.   

Each class focused on different material, depending on the needs of the students.  I was placed in the advanced class, and we did a light review of grammar (mostly only on the passé simple), but focused much more on written and oral comprehension, as well as written expression.  I know some of the other classes focused more on grammar than we did, but all of the professors were really great at tailoring the subject matter to what the students felt like they needed to learn.  Michel and Christoph, my professors, were so happy to teach us everything from social rules in the tram to how to set the table in France, and even local slang!   

After our first week of the ILP, the entire group of UC students took a trip to le Bassin d’Arcachon and the Dune du Pilat, the largest sand dune in Europe!  We started our visit at le Musée de l’Huître (the Oyster Museum), where we learned all about the unique oyster farming industry in le Bassin d’Arcachon.  It is one of the few places in the world in which oysters can be successfully farmed, as the location offers the precise environmental parameters needed for oyster babies.

As new experts on the oyster industry, we headed over to a restaurant to taste the local delicacies!  For many of us it was our first time tasting oysters, but Joelle made sure to teach us all how to properly eat them!  I can already say that that knowledge has come in handy, as the Bordelaise eat oysters all the time!  Following up the oysters was a feast of roasted ham, salads, fruits, and cheeses.   

Next we were off to the Dune du Pilat.  What better way to work off all that food than to trek up an enormous mountain of sand?  We all thought it would be better to run straight up rather than taking the nice staircase that had been installed for visitors to take up the dune…needless to say we were very breathless by the time we reached the top! We followed up our visit with some relaxing and swimming at the beach!  I highly recommend a weekend at Arcachon if you’re looking for a little relaxing getaway during your semester in Bordeaux!  

The following Wednesday we took a trip after our morning ILP classes to the historic home of the famous French author François-Mauriac, which is surrounded by beautiful vineyards. Following our tour of the residence, we walked through a vineyard with the maker of Sautern wine.  Learning the economic and social importance of the wine industry of Bordeaux from a small-family winemaker himself was immensely interesting, and brought all of us closer to understanding one of the most key aspect of Bordelaise life.  We even got to learn, by tasting grapes off the vine, how a winemaker decides which grapes of his vineyard are ready for harvesting, and how the “terroir” of Bordeaux creates grapes with the unique flavors that define its wine.  

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Natasha Szombathy studied abroad in Bordeaux, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/univ_of_bordeaux_coursework_french.aspx

France | Getting Oriented!

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BY NATASHA SZOMBATHY

My first week in Bordeaux has been off to an incredibly busy start.  My host brother brought me to the Université Bordeaux Montaigne on my second day here for a picnic and orientation with all of the other UC students studying abroad here.  Joelle, who is in charge of our program and classes, and Anaïs, who is in charge of our housing and activities, gave us an incredibly warm welcome.  We discussed details of the schedule for the upcoming two weeks, including the French placement exam that we would take the following morning.  

The French placement exam was 3 hours long, and consisted of three sections: reading, written, and oral comprehension.  The exam did not count for a grade, but was rather used to place each student in one of four levels for the Intensive Language Program (ILP), which takes place in the two weeks prior to the start of classes at the university.  I will explain this program in more detail later in the next post! 

The University of Bordeaux has campuses located in different parts of what is called the Bordeaux Métropole, which is essentially the city of Bordeaux itself and its surrounding suburbs.  Each campus has a general specialization, such as humanities, or science and technology.  For the most part, many of the campuses are concentrated in the suburbs of Talence and Pessac, located about 25 minutes by tram from the city center. After the French placement exam, we traveled by tram as a group to the city center for a tour of the old town and to try the famous Bordeuax canelés!  These little caramelized rum and vanilla flavored cakes are the city’s specialty. 

 

That Friday night, I went with my host family for dinner at a family friend’s house just outside of Bordeaux.  We didn’t leave for their house until after 9:30PM…simply put, the Bordelais eat just a little bit later than we normally do in the United States.  On the car ride over, my host mom quickly explained that there were some singers over at her friend’s house from the Basque Country, located in northern Spain.  They had some sort of car trouble returning home after a performance at a wedding that day, so her friends were simply hosting them for the night.  What I didn’t expect was to arrive to a complete choir of nearly 20 people, full of men and women of all ages!  Seated around a very long wooden table in the middle of the garden terrace, they sang traditional Basque folk songs as we feasted on gazpacho, fresh sausage, melon, and cheese (of course).  They even dedicated two songs about California to me.  It was simply incredible, and something I could never have imagined happening back home.  What a wonderful introduction to all of the culture Bordeaux has to offer!  

Saturday and Sunday I did a little exploring around Bordeaux to get oriented with its layout, and I met a couple other girls from California for a picnic in the Jardin Public and to taste some local foods in the open air market along the Garonne River!  The Garonne flows through Bordeaux, and a majority of the tourist attractions, as well as the university campuses, are all located on the left bank.  Wonderful, wide paved paths follow the river, which are great for strolling and bike riding.  I’m really looking forward to getting to bike ride here, as well as to discover everything else Bordeaux has to offer!  I feel like I saw so much in just four short days! 

Natasha Szombathy studied abroad in Bordeaux, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/univ_of_bordeaux_coursework_french.aspx

France | Bonjour Bordeaux!

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BY NATASHA SZOMBATHY

I just arrived in Bordeaux a few hours ago, and I could not be happier to start this adventure! I will be writing this blog to document my experiences here in Bordeaux as a student in the UCEAP University of Bordeaux – Coursework in French program for the fall semester.  Even though I am a biology major at my home campus of UCLA, I will be taking courses which focus on French history, language, and culture while I am in Bordeaux.  Because I am also minoring in French, my biggest goal while studying abroad is to attain fluency in French!  I know there is only one way to get there, and that will be by completely immersing myself into the Bordelaise culture and getting to know as many French people as possible!  I hope you will enjoy the stories I will have to share.

I thought I might start off by explaining the three primary reasons why I chose to study abroad in Bordeaux.

  1. Chance to live with a host family!

I’ve been studying French since I was fourteen years old, and when I was fifteen, my family hosted a French exchange student.  Sharing my local culture in Northern California with someone else my age was an incredible experience, and from that point on, I dreamed of going abroad and learning French culture from within a host family.  That experience is exactly what the UCEAP University of Bordeaux program offered.

I have just met my host family a few hours ago, and I can already tell that we will get on very well!  Joëlle and Anaïs are the two women in charge of the Centre d’Etudes de l’Université de Californie (University of California Study Center) here in Bordeaux, and they carefully organized all of the homestays for the California students who requested to live with a host family.  This was based on a detailed questionnaire we completed a few months prior to the start of the program.

  1. Variety of courses available!

Not only do I have the opportunity to live with a French host family in Bordeaux, but I also have the chance to take courses at five different university campuses in the city.  This possible due to the relationship between the UC system and the University of Bordeaux.  Because I plan to take courses focused in the humanities, I will likely be taking all of my classes at the Université de Bordeaux Montaigne campus (we have yet to enroll in classes, as that will take place once school starts in about two and a half weeks).  However, as I previously mentioned, I am a biology major, so something that is really nice about studying here is that I still have the option to take a class or two at the Collège Sciences de la santé (Biology Department) if I decide I’d like to.  So, Bordeaux is a great option for north and south campus majors alike!

3. A new city!

I have been to France three times prior to coming to Bordeaux, and each time I stayed in Paris and the Lyon region.  As I mentioned, fluency in French is an ultimate goal of mine, so I designed a study program for myself which would last six months in total.  I have been in Europe since mid-June, as I participated in the UCLA Travel Study Program in Paris this summer.  Living and taking courses in Paris was a wonderful way to get acquainted with French culture, but when I was planning my time abroad, I thought it would be great to spend some of my time in a completely new place.  Because the other UCEAP programs in France are located in Paris and Lyon, Bordeaux was a perfect option since I have never formerly been here.

So, here I am, and I cannot wait to discover all Bordeaux has to offer!

Natasha Szombathy studied abroad in Bordeaux, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/univ_of_bordeaux_coursework_french.aspx