Rebecca Galloway
Singboro, OH
Major: French for International Trade
Visited: Universiteit Antwerpen (Antwerp), Blokker (Brussels) - Belgium
Class of 2006

When people hear the word 'French,' the first things that come to mind are Paris, baguettes, and Jacques Chirac. When I told others that I was going to be a salesperson at a European retail store, they assumed I was spending my summer in France, naturally. However, the French language does not stay solely within the boundaries of France. Belgium, a small country situated on the northeastern border of France, contains a large French-speaking population.

The next question I always received was, 'Why Belgium instead of France?' Two years ago, an exchange student from Belgium studied for a year at my high school in Ohio. He spoke excellent English and flawless French, but he explained in French class that his native tongue was Dutch. I was very impressed by his knowledge of so many languages, and I wanted to learn more. As the year progressed, we became closer to each other. He told me all about his culture, family, and traditions, and in exchange, I helped him become accustomed to the American lifestyle. We continued to keep in touch after he left the States, and last summer I visited his home in Essen, Belgium for two weeks. I loved it so much that I knew I would find a reason to come back in the future.

A few weeks after my arrival on campus at IUP last fall, I began planning a summer in Belgium which would involve working, studying, or both. I was luckily able to find a job easily through Bart's (my friend) father who owns a chain of stores located all over Europe. He was able to set me up with a one-month contract at 'Blokker' in Brussels, Belgium's capital. Brussels somewhat marks the borderline between Dutch-speaking northern Belgium and French-speaking southern Belgium. There is a section in the eastern part of Belgium that speaks German, but it represents a very small percentage of the population. Brussels is 'officially' bilingual (French- and Dutch-speaking), but in reality 95% of the population speaks French. Because I was staying with Bart and his family on the northern border of Belgium, I had to be on a train for a total of two hours and thirty minutes each day going to and from work. I worked 35 hours per week from the end of May until the end of June. Blokker is situated inside a large shopping mall called 'City 2' in the shopping district of northern Brussels. Blokker attracts a large quantity and variety of customers because the prices are reasonable and you can find almost anything there. It reminded me a lot of a very tiny Walmart. I sold pots and pans, razors, CD players, Barbies, candles, tents, and much more. My job provided an excellent opportunity to learn new French vocabulary, because most students do not learn the words for clothing hanger (un cintre) or cutting board (une planche à découper) in French class. The job itself was not very exciting, but my main purpose of working there was to improve my French-speaking skills. I helped my co-workers unload boxes from the truck three times a week and priced every item. Once the items were priced, we had to place them on the shelves in a tidy and fashionable way. When I was not pricing or unloading, I was cleaning shelves and display cases, organizing, and attending to the needs of customers. The most enhancing part of the job was the complete French language immersion. I had to understand the questions and concerns of my customers and adequately respond, and I had to communicate with my co-workers in French because most of them could not speak English. It was an excellent way to improve my speaking skills and listening comprehension and a great way to meet new people. My co-workers were very kind and helpful, and most of them became good friends.

(Rebecca and her co-workers after her last day of work)

I used part of my paycheck from work for personal expenses, but I decided to use the other part for travelling. I was fortunate enough to take two small excursions: a four-day trip to Ireland and a 6-day trip to France. Bart and I visited Ireland from June 27-July 2. We made a nice tour around the country by bus and train to Galway, Dublin, Cork, and Cobh. We saw many interesting sites and met many new people. We found the Irish to be extremely warm and friendly, and the countryside was absolutely beautiful. My favorite stop was Blarney castle located just outside of Cork. It is famous for its stone located at the top of the castle. If you kiss the stone, it is said that you will receive the gift of eloquence.

(Rebecca kissing the Blarney stone)

From July 4 to August 4, I spent each day in school studying the Dutch language at the Universiteit Antwerpen in downtown Antwerp. I had class each day from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. (Wednesdays and Fridays 9:00-12:00). These classes are specifically designed for adult foreigners who intend to live and/or work in Flemish-speaking Belgium. There are four levels of intense Dutch classes that each last one month. Once one takes all four intense courses, fluency is achieved. Unfortunately, I could not stay in Belgium for four months to take all of these classes, but I did complete the first level and received excellent scores on the exam. My professor, Sandy Reinenbergh, was very well-trained; she was very patient with our mistakes, but she also made sure that Dutch was the only language spoken in the classroom. There were only 15 people in my class, so we did a lot of group activities involving speaking, vocabulary comprehension, and listening. Sandy was also able to pay more attention to us individually because of the small class size. The Dutch class I just completed is the equivalent to an entire year of Dutch taken at the university level.
I am going to continue studying Dutch on my own at IUP with the help of textbooks, cassette tapes, and CD-ROMs. I am also subscribing to a Flemish newspaper to practice my reading skills. In addition, I made a lot of Belgian friends who want to continue to keep in touch through e-mail.
Unfortunately, the picture of my professor and I did not turn out, but I do have some photos of friends that I can share.

(From left: Bart, Rebecca, Sven after 10-mile race in Brugge)

(Kristien, Rebecca, and Jeroen)

After school was finished, Bart and I headed to France for a week just to relax and do some sightseeing. We took a bus from Brussels to Paris and traveled throughout Normandy. We visited the chateau in Versailles, Bayeux, Monet's gardens in Giverny, and Caen. We also took a guided tour of the D-day beaches, American cemetery from WW II, and the German cemetery. We were fortunate enough to visit the Memorial museum in Caen which dated from the early 1900's until the late 20th century. Our trip to France was an excellent way to practice speaking French, and we learned a lot as well.

 

(Rebecca and Bart at Monet's gardens in Giverny)

My summer in Belgium is an experience I shall never forget. I feel like I have taken a step further than everyone in my field because I lived and breathed a Belgian lifestyle for three months. I feel like I have become a more independent and even more open person than before after living on my own hard-earned cash in a foreign setting. This opportunity allowed me to achieve fluency in French and learn Dutch in an intensive setting only in the span of three months. I met so many new people and learned how to live in a different way. Going abroad is not only a great learning experience - it is also a fun way to broaden your horizons and prepare for the future.