Skip to main content

TAKE NOTE

Study abroad applications for 2025–2026 will open later this quarter (around Thanksgiving). In the meantime, we encourage students to explore programs

Student Voices

SITG Dispatch from Rouen

by Jo Jiao, Class of 2027 (Summer 2024)
Jo is sitting on a restaurant patio with a dessert in front of her on the table.
Dining with friends in a bistro on the streets of Rouen (Jo Jiao, Class of 2027)

Bonjour ! I’m Jo, a rising sophomore studying math and philosophy. This summer I am studying French in Rouen, Normandy, France on a FLAG grant. I chose a small city away from Paris because I wanted to be immersed in a French-speaking environment. You bet my rusty French saw some real growth when I had to rely on hand gesturing while recalling a verb formation from middle school.

My host family and I eat dinner together, and we play board games some nights. I especially enjoy the culinary culture of the north of France (my favourite is Camembert, a Normandy cheese).

I’m grateful for the opportunity to immerse myself in a language-learning environment after learning French in school for so many years, and I’m hoping in future years I can read some original math scripts or Sartre in French!