#dukeabroad

By having class for a few hours a day, and then having the opportunity to go out in Montréal and do projects on the culture there, we were forced to engage with French-speakers. We were thrown into the heat of the French language, forced to interview Montréal citizens, engage with government officials during our site visits, and having meals with Madame in French. Little by little, the spoken language became more and more familiar, and I really became comfortable with it. 

I felt brave to try speaking myself, but was assured by the fact that I could use English, as a fall-back, if I didn’t understand the person I was speaking to (thanks to the high rate of bilingualism). This program changed my confidence and made me more open to the language. I couldn’t be more grateful for that.

Describe how your ideas and perceptions of Montréal and Québec changed as a result of doing this program. 

I didn’t have any real ideas of Montréal and Québec coming in (besides that they were French-speaking!), but I came out with a deep appreciation for them both. These two cities are filled with culture – I learned this through my study of Little Italy and the Juste pour Rires Festival for my two projects. 

I learned that these cities have millions of layers. They love to dance, they love to create. They love good food, and encouraging people to learn French. They are proud of their version of French, and have laws to uphold its usage. What a fascinating place.

Thinking back to what you expected this program to be like, would you say anything surprised you or turned out differently?

I think I was surprised with how much freedom I had in Montréal. I knew that class wouldn’t be all day, and that a lot of learning would be done outside the classroom, but I don’t think I realized how much I would be out and about in the city to learn. And I loved that. 

I loved working with volunteers, in the Juste pour Rires program, to really feel immersed in the French language. I loved taking videos of the different festivals, and interviewing individuals on their work, Québec culture, and their take on summer in Québec, in general. I loved being able to roam around and not forcefully learn something, but easily absorb culture, language, and understanding as you walk and explore.

Tell us about your greatest takeaways from this program. How did this program prepare you for Duke in France?

For me, the greatest things I gained from this program were: (1) comfort with the French language (2) a sense of spontaneity, and (3) confidence with ambiguity. 

This program really exposed me to French: not only in the classroom, but in the streets, with our discussions, and interactions with Madame. This program really taught me how to be spontaneous, go with the flow, and be open for any endeavor we were about to undertake (whether it be visiting the American consulate, drumming at the African drum festival, volunteering with Québec youth at the Juste pour Rires festival, by ourselves). 

This program taught me that it’s okay to not understand – it’s okay to be vulnerable and not have a clue what is going on in a different country with a different language. This program taught me that persistence in trying the language, being open to critique, and slowly absorbing what you learn into everyday usage, will make you a better speaker of the language. I carried all of these traits over into France, and they have been extremely helpful.

What kind of student would succeed on this program?

A spontaneous, open-minded student who is curious about marketing, is enthusiastic about the French language, and is unafraid to make conversations with strangers. 

What advice do you have for other students considering this program?

Take advantage of everything! Go to all the festivals, try the poutine, talk to as many Québec youth as you can. Speak in French at every opportunity – don’t feel nervous trying. You’ll only get better by practicing. See every museum; spend a bit of time in each festival. Profitez bien – Québec rocks.

You’re taking a course about the history and culture of food in Italy – tell us about that!

We’re taking HSIT 350: The History and Culture of Food in Italy at the Umbra Institute. It’s been our favorite course this semester because it looks at history and food studies from a unique perspective. We’ve had the opportunity to take a number of field trips to visit local producers. On our last excursion to Città di Castello, a small city near Perugia, we met with a local truffle producer to learn the art of truffle hunting. 

Our class discovered the challenges facing truffle hunters and how the foraging experience is directly linked to the ability of the forager to train the family dog. One of the best parts of truffle hunting is that it seemed like they were treasure hunting. The truffle hunter just follows his dog, essentially looking for treasure that he cannot see or smell, and the worth of the truffle is literally like finding a precious coin. 

We also learned how spores are spread on the land in order to cultivate truffles, and about the land rights in Italy that allow anyone to hunt wild truffles on another’s property, but prohibit hunters from trespassing on cultivated land.

What kinds of exploring have you done on your own time?

We decided to spend our fall break traveling throughout Italy and learning even more about Italian food culture! In class, we learned about the influence of the Arab conquest in Sicily and how Arabs brought citrus over to Italy for the first time. We did an in-class food tasting to complement class reading assignments related to citrus and honey, and we got to try all kinds of foods we would otherwise not get the chance to eat. Our professor brought us classic acacia honey, lime honey, and pistachio honey from Sicily to help us taste and understand different regional foods. The class inspired us to go see it for ourselves, so we included Sicily in our fall break plans!

What kind of cultural observations have you made about Italy?

Well, for one, I’ve learned it’s extremely important to Italians to blow-dry their hair. They literally think you are going to die if you go outside with wet hair! And there’s the Italian food etiquette that implicitly prohibits eating “on the go” and ordering a cappuccino or other milk-based drink after 11 a.m. Doing either of these things will attract odd stares from the locals.

Restaurants have a really relaxed atmosphere. They are not looking to turn tables, they want you to enjoy the food and the experience. At the same time, you have to be patient with waiters who take their time bringing the check to the table. 

Overall the Italian culture is refreshing because it places an emphasis on community and allows for tasks to be accomplished at a relaxed place. Italians regularly take walks through the city center or spend time sitting in public spaces just to catch up with friends. 

How has it been living in Perugia?

It took some time to adjust to the lack of pressure and rigid schedules. Achieving a sense of accomplishment is different when it’s not all about task completion. But I just love living in Perugia. It is not a place that you would necessarily think to visit on vacation, because of its size, but it is where you get to know local people and they get to know you. Here, you get to branch out of your comfort zone and go into the city to meet lots of Italians.

When I was not reading in the Bodleian Library or in the Radcliff Camera, I liked to spend my time absorbing fascinating information in one of the resourceful museums or go for a run to get to know Oxford better. I definitely fell in love with the place by the end of the program. 

The pub culture was also a refreshing experience to me: pubs are great places for people to have relaxing conversations, and people drink to enjoy the drink and not to get drunk. 

Oh, almost forgot everyone’s favorite day of the week – Wednesday! Why? Because we got to learn something interesting from a guest speaker, have a warm conversation with each other during the reception and indulge our palates with a very nice three-course dinner. 

Another bonus is that I made some really amazing friends from the program. Thank you, family and friends, for giving me this opportunity and making my time in Oxford wonderful and unforgettable.

The photo was taken on July 14, a one-day excursion to London organized by the program, by Altamash Rafiq.

We chatted with each other the whole walk to the fería. In addition, I met some neighbors there and my host mother introduced me to them. Afterwards, we inspected the locally grown fruits and vegetables of each stand and talked to the vendors. For dinner, in addition to the rice and beans, I had a full plate of fruits, which we just bought together. There were papayas, mangos, pineapples, and watermelon slices!

The Pura Vida lifestyle is best summed up as the combination of the many daily experiences that Tico has. The experiences I’ve had taught me that in order to fully immerse yourself in and understand a culture, you have to keep an open mind, be flexible, and completely embrace it. In other words, you have to challenge yourself to try new things. 

The photograph of the fería shows just one of the many unforgettable memories that I have had this summer. It is the everyday interactions with my host family that I cherish and will miss the most!

Overall, my experience in Costa Rica has affected how I view and define other cultures, and I can't wait to return to Duke and apply my new knowledge to other classes!