First days in Toulouse

Coucou tout le monde!

We have spent our first few days here in Toulouse, and despite some travel hiccups and bad weather on the east coast, the students have settled in quite well!

These past two days we have been at the Institut Catholique, where students have met all the staff and program leaders, and had orientation. During orientation, students have toured the area around the Institut and practiced with the metro map, talked about cultural differences and their lives with host families, and program rules. Students also received their French phones and phone numbers, and took an oral placement test to place them in six different levels for their French classes, which will begin tomorrow at 9h00. 

Other than beginning class this week, students will also learn some traditional Occitan dance and song, get to know each better at a local garden, where we will play games and enjoy the fresh air, and then enjoy a weekend at home with their host families for Bastille day (July 14th).

They will also be daring and have their first ozlefrancais tomorrow, which incidentally comes from the French verb oser, meaning to dare. Program leaders spend the last 15 minutes of class every day explaining that days ozlefrancais, which is an activity specifically tethered to what they are learning in class and where students will walk around and speak to the locals! It's a great way for students to get out of their comfort zone and speak French with as many native French people as possible - all in the name of progress! Speaking of language progress, did you know students actually signed a language pledge during orientation where they have declared to speak only French with their program leaders, host families, teachers, and even each other? Expect your child to be home in a few weeks speaking French like never before! 

A la prochaine!