Teaching Assistant in France
Alumna, Bella Field ‘19, tells of her experiences after graduation in France
Bella Field graduated from ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ in 2019 with majors in Political Science and French, and a minor in International Business. She is from Chicago and loves traveling, cooking, running/biking outside, and learning about French culture. She recently completed 8 months in France with the government-sponsored program, TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program in France), and would like to highly recommend the program to any senior who speaks French.
“Bonjour! TAPIF was a challenging but an incredibly rewarding experience. I am so thankful I had professors and the Language Department behind me constantly motivating me to continue with my French studies, as this led me to have this experience. I would have never guessed as a Freshman or Sophomore at Santa Clara that I would ever live in France and love it! I was assigned to teach in the Normandie region in a town called Gaillon. I taught first-year students and seniors, and they were always kind, funny, and energetic. I really enjoyed spending time with them and for as much as I taught them about English and American culture, I often felt like they taught me even more about French and French culture. My students were what I loved most about my time in France. I loved French daily life and I would return in a heartbeat!
Learning a language requires you to learn about that culture to better understand the language and the people who speak it. The Santa Clara French & Francophone studies program really prepares you for this. Not only was I proficient enough in French to feel comfortable speaking and assistant-teaching, when I arrived in France, my expectations of what people would be like were far more realistic than what most Americans’ expectations of French people were. This was because I had been taught by native French speakers at Santa Clara, and we had spent so much time over the years studying French cultures. Being well-informed and being a global citizen are a large part of Santa Clara’s mission and these things will help set you apart in all of your future endeavors. In conclusion, living in France was better than I could have ever imagined. One of the most important things to remember about TAPIF is that the experience will be amazing if you remain open-minded. Whether you are adventurous or not, living abroad is something I think everyone can benefit and learn from. It will both challenge you and be fulfilling; you’ll make new friends, try new things (hopefully new food), and have great experiences that you’ll be able to look back on for the rest of your life!â€