In The Abbey and On the Road(page4)

Classes are taught in English, and include lower and upper level French, history, art, English, political science, sociology and geography. Students also have an opportunity to spend one week living and learning in Paris, attending classes in non-traditional lecture settings like Notre Dame and the catacombs.

“Our week in Paris was hectic,” recalls Aaron Fales, an Evans Scholar from the University of Michigan who came to The Abbey with nine friends from Ann Arbor. “We were always busy. We had a cultural event in the morning, another in the afternoon. A couple of us had exams during that time. We didn’t do a lot of sleeping.”

One of the goals of the Abbey program is to immerse students in the world of Europe today. This is done partly through a 1-credit program of weekly events called the Ambassador Series, which is the creation of Dr. Douglas Mackaman, who directs The Abbey. “Featuring a world art premier, a pair of hugely attended concerts by USM’s own “Promenade” and academic visits to all the major chateaux of the area, The Ambassador Series has given Pontlevoy the exciting air of a college town on Wednesdays,” Mackaman reports, noting that “hundreds of our European neighbors have come back to this ancient place because American students have brought a life and learning to it again.”

Another way the students are getting to know Europe personally is through a community mentorship program, coordinated by Jean-Cecile Vallee and Jennifer Weir of the Abbey staff, which matches students with local families.

“I share a family with two other students,” Vietenheimer says. “We went to their home for dinner one night. They were so nice. They cooked us a six-course meal. We helped them clean up, then played piano. It was like being at home.”

One student’s French family got him a license and took him hunting. Others have simply met local residents on the street and been invited into their lives.

“We were just walking one day and this older man stopped us,” recalls Black. “We said we liked his car and then he started speaking English to us. We ended up going to his house for a full dinner, about six of us did. We started off with champagne and had four courses. It was huge. Probably took about four hours.”

The response of the town to the students has been impressive. “The mentorship program has succeeded beyond anything I could have imagined,” says Valee. “Before the students arrived, people here had a wait-and-see attitude. They were apprehensive. I think most have been very pleasantly surprised.”

Abbey students also have had a unique opportunity to learn about the French university system. Each Tuesday evening, a group of students studying English at the University of Orleans arrives at the Abbey for a two-day stay. The French students are paired with an Abbey student who takes them to classes and entertains them for the length of their stay.

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