Canada FLAS fellow Beth St. Clair, a second year UW Law student, writes about her Québec sojourn:
Time can seem both short and a long when you participate in full French Immersion. You will be surprised, too, to hear how your voice stays yours yet sounds distinctly different in French.
Thanks to the FLAS, this summer I voyaged to Québec City to participate in such a linguistic adventure. “Un grand défi,” to be sure, my norm become discussions of Québécois culture, politics, Catholic influence, and humor. I bettered my practical skills, like sending a letter to a landlord, and worked with the abstract, such as composing French puns.
Of course, no immersion experience is complete without a proper homestay. My famille Québécoise helped me with pronunciation and Québécois slang as we dined practically every night on traditional Québécois dishes. I also learned a culinary secret to keeping a pot roast from ever drying out, which I have promised never to divulge.
What a wonderful opportunity to spend summertime in pleasantly humid Québec City and encounter its flowering public gardens and cobblestone streets.
And how fortunate I am to have seen my ability to communicate and use French greatly improve, as this skill is something I will use for the rest of my life.
FLAS Fellowships are funded by the International and Foreign Language Education office of the U.S. Department of Education. FLAS fellowships support undergraduate, graduate and professional students in acquiring modern foreign languages and area or international studies competencies. Students from all UW departments and professional schools are encouraged to apply. Find out more about the FLAS Fellowship here.
