Mason Abroad!
22 Participate in Toulouse Exchange
By
Jackie Weinberg (April 28, 2006)
Earlier
this month, 22 students from Mason participated in the Lycee Ozenne-George
Mason exchange program, based in Toulouse, France. Besides spending 10 days
in Toulouse, the students also spent a day in Montpellier and two days in Paris. Although the Masonites had
to deal with cultural shock and a language barrier, they overwhelmingly
enjoyed the experience; most everyone made new friendships that will,
hopefully, last a long time.
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The Masonites
quickly realized that living with a French family for 10 days
and attending classes at Lycee Ozenne was very different from
their usual routines. To American visitors, the French seem to
have a different lifestyle. For example, their lunch breaks are
two hours long, an eternity compared to our 25 minutes. And even
though Paris is famous for being on the
cutting edge of fashion, none of the students expected everyone in France to be so stylish that they
put Americans to shame. The French also seem to have a completely
different idea of what constitutes a “short” walk. To Americans
who enjoy driving everywhere, a short walk means no more than
five or ten minutes. To a French person, a short walk could easily
mean 20 - 30 minutes. Besides overcoming these initial shocks, the
students also had to try to communicate despite the language
barrier and bond with their host family.
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Masonites outside of Basilique Saint Sernin, the largest
remaining Romanesque church in the world.
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Many were pleasantly surprised
with how well they were able to cope. “I
learned that my French can function sometimes,” remarked junior
Kim Wilson.
The
students took advantage of France’s amazing history and culture
by going sightseeing. In Toulouse, the students visited castles
reminiscent of those in fairy tales, such as the medieval village of Carcassone. In Paris, “the City of Lights,” the students visited many
spectacular monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral,
and saw the beautiful masterpieces at the Louvre.
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Mason students experience
a delicious piece of French culture -- the crepe!
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Tell us
what you think.
E-mail lassogmhs@hotmail.com
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