By Miguel Dominguez
Students can spend the summer studying in Paris for the whole month of July next year.
This will be the 42nd time that the European Studies Association program will be studying in Paris.
Lynn Vogel-Zuiderweg, who teaches French classes at East Los Angeles College, will be teaching classes in Paris.
“It’s just an amazing opportunity for our students and life changing for our students to be in a different culture,” Vogel-Zuiderweg said. Students have two choices of programs that they can take.
The first program is called “Survival French.”This program teaches French culture and basic language. The classes for this plan will end on July 25.
This program is taught by European Studies Association faculty members. Students will need to speak to storekeepers, café personnel, and other people in Paris.
ELAC student Meixin Zhong went on the trip last year. “You actually learn French by talking with the local people. It’s really easy when you have the language environment; I learned a lot,” Zhong said.
The second program is called “The Institut Catholioque de Paris,” where students will be attending a private French university of international reputation.
ELAC students will have the chance to meet other students from around the world. They have an option to either choose instructors who are from the university or ESA faculty members.
“It’s much more intensive and students who are serious about [learning French] like this option,” Vogel-Zuiderweg said. “Students will get so much out of this program.”
Students will spend the first couple of days in Paris settling in and taking an orientation.
Classes will begin on July 3.
On the first weekend, students will visit Claude Monet’s Giverny, the medieval fair, D-Day beaches and the capital of Normandy.
In Paris, students will visit the Sainte-Chapelle concert, the Louvre Museum and the Impressionist Museum.
There are many more sites they will visit and explore during the trip.
When paying for the trip, students have an option to either go to an opera, La Forza del Destino, or a concert at the Saint-Chapelle.
Students will be able to explore the rest of Paris on their own time when nothing is scheduled.
Sabrina Solis, a student who went on the trip last year, recommends visitors to go to the Eiffel Tower.
“Once you see it in person when all the lights are shining, it’s so beautiful,” Solis said.
Visitors can either choose to ride the bus or walk. A bus pass is provided during the trip. “The passes are so easy to use, just like the ones here,” Solis said.
Vogel-Zuiderweg’s former student, Lorenzo Xavier Calderon, who is planning to go on the trip, recommends students to take this opportunity to explore another country.
For students who want to take the Survival French program, it will cost $3,700.
Those interested in participating at the Institut Catholique de Paris, it will cost $4,300.
The ESA program has to pay tuition at the French University, which is why the Institut program is more expensive.
There will be a meeting in E3-170 tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. for students who are interested or want more information. Students can also contact Vogel-Zuiderweg at vogelzlc@elac.edu or Professor Rebecca Ebin at ebinrs@elac.edu.