Traveling is an experience many people wish they could partake in. The French study abroad program was created in 2003 by professor Kirsten Halling and her friend and colleague, Barbara Galbraith. They took their students to Paris and the Basque Country, before gradually adding more destinations to their list. As part of the trip, the professors and students teach English at schools in France. "We try to debunk American stereotypes and just be ambassadors -- as the program is an ambassador program in order to represent not only Wright State, not only Ohio, but the entire United States, so that the French don't just form certain ideas about who Americans are," Halling said. When venturing to another country, there's often moments where you may fumble with the local culture, or slip up in a particular language. Halling mentioned how a person learns that their culture is not the only way to do "certain things, and that people do things differently but is equally as valid."
She also noted that keeping your hands on the table is part of various cultures, and how a person learns different table manners, vocabulary and culture in general. Halling believes that although you may risk humiliation or making a mistake when trying to engage in another culture or language, it's a part of the learning process. A lot of countries have significant historical sites or grand architectures and churches open to the public. Sometimes the most surprising people can end up where you are. "The students, Pascal and I went to Normandy and saw the American cemetery and the D-Day landing beaches. We had gone to the museums and studied WWII history, and we learned just how appreciated Americans are,” Halling said.
Many people came up to Halling to thank them simply because they were American and they honored the sacrifice of the men who died to free France.
“It was a few days later on the 70th anniversary when we were standing in line for the Impressionist Museum and struck up a conversation with an older man and his wife, and found out that he had been in the first wave of soldiers who landed on the beaches at D-Day," she said.
