C'est La Vie

Living and speaking like the French do just got a bit easier for Baylor's American students.
The French Wing program allows students to live on a hall with a French foreign exchange student, develop their language skills and earn three hours of language credit.
"It's basically a program to help French students practice their speaking skills somewhere other than class," says Rachel Skiles, a senior from Fort Worth. 
During the 2005-2006 academic year, Skiles lived in the French Wing, located in Dawson Residence Hall, with San Antonio junior Lora Forsyth and exchange student Debora Heller from Sevres, France. 
In exchange for Heller, Baylor sent Houston junior Rachel Early to study in Paris. Richard Durán, professor and director of French and Italian, says the program is an even trade between schools.
Students also are required to speak French with a professor and with the exchange student for at least an hour each week.
Speaking with Heller was Skiles' favorite part of the program because it allowed her to learn about the culture and the differences between France and America.
Conversations with Heller ranged from politics and poverty to the crazy squirrels on Baylor's campus, Skiles says. Sometimes the language barrier got in the way of conversations, but they always found ways around it.
"I once spent 10 minutes trying to describe a turtle because I couldn't think of the word," Skiles says. "I was really convinced turtles just didn't exist in France." 
Forsyth says students wanting to live in the French Wing should make sure they're serious about practicing the language before they join the program.
"Two hours may not seem like a lot but they can go on forever when all you want to do is speak English," she says of her weekly timed conversation requirement.
This year, the French Wing program is moving to the Arbors Community and is accepting both male and female applicants.