Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology

Cultural explorations in France
via Penn-In-Tours
Studying abroad was something I had
wanted to do since before I came to
college. I love learning about new cultures
and studying foreign languages. When
planning to study abroad, I considered
both semester abroad and summer abroad
options. The six-week summer abroad
program Penn-In-Tours appealed to me
because it allowed me to go abroad
without interfering drastically with my
scheduling; going abroad for a semester
would have taken more planning on my
part, and may have put me behind a
semester.
In France, I took two advanced language
courses to fulfill my global requirements -
one on the history of the region I was
staying in, and one on the culture of
France through media. Something I really
enjoyed was touring the chateaus I
learned about in my classes. Tours is
known for the many chateaus in the
surrounding area that survived
destruction during wars. Also, the
residents of the area are known for being
very accepting of foreigners; there are
three or four summer programs through
other universities as well.
Another aspect I loved about my study
abroad program was the flexibility to
travel over the weekends. Every
alternating Wednesday and Saturday, the
program had a planned excursion to
a chateau. The cost of these excursions
was already included in the program fee,
but they were not mandatory. I toured
By Sneha Deshpande
most of the chateaus, but I also used some
free weekend time to travel to Paris and
Biarritz - the surfing capital of France on
the border of France and Spain.
However, the most enjoyable part of my
trip by far was my host family experience.
My host parents were professors of
marketing and management at the
university I was studying at, and had
three small children who helped me
tremendously - both in terms of making
me feel welcome and also in terms of
improving my French. My French family
taught me how to set a table for a seven
course meal (the French take their cuisine
very seriously!) and how to play the Wii
in French. Living with a host family
allowed me to be fully immersed in the
culture and language for the entire span
of the program. Studying abroad was an
incredible experience I will always
remember.
Sneha Deshpande is currently a junior in the
M&T program (M&T ’12) from Aberdeen, New
Jersey. She is concentrating in Finance and
OPIM in Wharton and majoring in Materials
Science and Engineering in the School of
Engineering and Applied Science. She is also
pursuing a minor in mathematics and a
certificate in French. Outside of the classroom,
Sneha is involved in Circle K, Engineering Peer
Advising, Phi Sigma Sorority and the Daily
Pennsylvanian.
Vol. 3 M&T 8