Blog 1: My study abroad goals

I love to travel and have always wanted to go to the Middle East.  As a history major, my main interests are in Middle Eastern history so I looked for a program to accommodate my interests.  I have a passion to learn Arabic and to someday speak it fluently.  My “hunger” is to begin this journey to give me a solid foundation in the language and culture.  It is very much a pilgrimage for me in that I am going to a place I have literally always dreamed of going to.  It is a world of differences that I want to immerse myself into.  It is also the first time I will be traveling alone, and see it as an initiation as a prospective world traveler.

There is much to learn before I go on this trip.  I really want to know what the social, cultural, and physical climates are like so that I can be prepared mentally, and with proper clothing.  It’s extremely hot in Oman during my stay.  While I am there I want to learn the basics of Arabic, obviously, to get a good foundation for future study.  I also want to learn what it’s like to be alone in a foreign culture, and figure things out on your own.  When I return I want to see how much I have overcome and accomplished.  I also want to see the differences, and similarities between the culture here, and the culture in Oman.

My fears about going seem pretty silly.  I am not really afraid of the place I am going to or anything of that nature.  I am just afraid of the physical act of traveling like navigating through airports, and flying on planes.  Other than that, I can’t wait to be leaving for Muscat, Oman in two weeks!!

(Please forgive me for this very late posting of the first blog!!!)

Academic Differences

The classroom culture in France is very different from America. The grading system is very tough. The scale is from 1-20 with 20 being almost unattainable. However, an “a” ranges from 14-20 so there is still some room to succeed. Whatever letter grade I earn in France will directly transfer to my transcript for Maryville College. Students rarely speak up in class aside from a few questions, but since this is a language class I am sure there will be plenty of speaking.

The academics overall are rigorous. The credit system is also different. In France, the number of contact hours total is used which is then converted to credit hours. So, the number of hours seems high like 35 for example, but that translates to15 credit hours. In the American system this would be about 3. My class will meet every day throughout the week for about 4 hours. The number of credits that will transfer are6, but these 6 WILL count for both of my language Gen. Eds.

The professors usually lecture, but again since this is a language class there will be more discussion and practice. Because I have at least 6 credit hours, I will be a “full time” student for the summer semester. French universities are less of a community than American ones. While we have on-campus housing, tutoring centers, and busy dining halls, French universities usually do not. I have looked to see if Universite de Savoie has any academic support, but I cannot find any. I am assuming they do not and that more responsibility is put on the student.