By Erin Butrico

Duke in Montréal was the perfect fit for my summer. For starters, I decided a bit late in the game that I wanted to major in French. I thought that I would have to overload to get all of my French courses in, but this program helped to fix that problem. Secondly, I loved the idea of an immersive course. I knew that this course was not just a sit-in-the-classroom-and-take-notes kind of thing, but an interactive, hands-on way of learning. 

By Erin Butrico

I was always the nervous type. I relied on my twin for everything. I used to stand behind her when I was scared. I liked to eat the same food and stick to the same routine. Even though I’m 20 years old now, and I’ve lived without my family for two years at Duke, I was still very nervous when my mom left me for this program. It was the first time that I was living in a city. I had never met these girls before. My French was mediocre. I felt very alone. 

By Alicia Pak

Through Duke in Montreal, I spent part of July in Quebec City studying economic and cultural development of the region and meeting with such figures as the Minister of International Relations and the U.S. Consul General.

By Anna Mukamal

Aix-en-Provence is the ideal locale for six weeks of immersing yourself in French culture and living with a host family. French is my second foreign language (I’m an English and Spanish double major) and this intensive course has been exactly what I need—the highlight of my experience has been gaining confidence in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing French!

By Rachel Freedman 

I spent my Christmas break working on a farm to pay for my stay in the south of France. The first thing we did on the farm each morning was to throw stale baguettes into the pastures. Alpacas, pigs, goats, chickens, ducks—they all went crazy for those baguettes.

Week 2 Woohooo! We had the privilege of starting class with Dr. J (Dr. Jeremy Petranka) this week. I say privilege because several of us have already started calling Dr. J the best professor we have ever had.

By Zoey Zou

I am a Chinese national, and I went to high school in Singapore. I knew coming into Duke that I wanted to study abroad somewhere and I wanted to learn a new language. Duke in Berlin allowed beginners and, compared to other programs, that was unique.