Alexis Lian – Fulbright update

Alexis Lian, ’11 shares some news from her year in France teaching English:

I have been teaching English at three elementary schools in Bourg-en-Bresse, just north of Lyon, and it has been absolutely incredible. The children are just adorable and all of my colleagues have been so helpful and accommodating. I have been learning so much about education policies here in France and how they differ tremendously (but still work very efficiently) in comparison to the US.

I live in the same building that I was placed in with six other language assistants from all over the world (Germany, Italy, England, Russia, Columbia, and the U.S!) and it has been so critical in my experience here. I have learned so much about other cultures, while simultaneously forcing all of us to speak French all the time to have a common language! We are all about the same age (22-26) and I was extremely lucky to have been placed where I am.

The past year in France has definitely been a tumultuous one, but I feel very thankful to have experienced the events in Paris alongside French citizens as well as international opinions for a very unique perspective on it all. I have been keeping a blog since I have been here (https://alexislian.wordpress.com/ ) if you want to peek at any pictures or updates from Lyon!