Temporary Locals -- July 10

We encourage our students to think about themselves as "temporary locals" as opposed to just visitors...and I embraced that mindset today myself.  More about that in a bit...

We talked about mental health and aging/elder care today in class and made comparisons between the US and France -- and while France tends to serve these needs slightly better because of their more integrated health care system, the bottom line in both countries is that there needs to be more emphasis on both mental health and aging.  And long-term care, while not quite to US cost standards here, is over 2000 Euros or $2100/month-- still out of reach for many families.  The United Nations has declared 2021-2030 the "Decade of Health Ageing" and they are encouraging all UN countries to emphasize the needs of older adults in this post-COVID world.  You can learn more about it here: https://www.decadeofhealthyageing.org/

The other thing we did today in class was "student's choice." Each student brought in a topic that was of interest to them that we haven't spent much time talking about in class yet -- and shared a bit with the rest of us.  This activity was REALLY fun.  Topics ranged from celiac disease treatment in France to cochlear implants to dental care...to the training of health professionals (and more!).  

The training of health professionals via higher education is quite different here in France.  After the first year of college, students take a placement exam. Depending on your score on the exam, you can select a particular path/major -- and students often don't get the score they want the first time and have to try again.  That said, once you are in your major, you can get your degree much more quickly -- physical therapists, for example, can be done in 4 years (as compared to the typical 7 or more in the US).  Here's a little more about their training: https://www.physio-pedia.com/France.  I also found this link from Fulbright France very insightful in explaining the education system writ large in France: https://fulbright-france.org/en/study-france/understanding-french-education-system  .  

Now, back to the "temporary local" idea...while we certainly want students to have a blast while studying abroad, we also want them to immerse themselves into the culture in a way that vacationers might not.  We encourage them to seek out more day-to-day experiences while they are here, in addition to the mountaintop ones that are super awesome and amazing (I mean -- walking past the Notre Dame on my way to class each morning is definitely awe-inspiring). We're here long enough that there's time for the more normal, in addition to the extra special days.

As fun as it is to be here, it's also pretty mentally taxing.  You're thinking all the time about where to go and how to get there and what to eat and how to be safe....and the list goes on.  For myself, I've tried to be a temporary local by eating out once a day (usually lunch) and then shopping and cooking my meals the other times (tonight's menu -- salmon, rice, and green beans!).

Today, I decided to go to the movies.  Yes, it was all in French.  And no, I didn't understand any of it (Duolingo only goes so far!)  But, I bought a ticket and took one in anyhow.  In part, I wanted to compare how the experience was from my movie theater job days (much smaller theaters, only one person working, fewer snacks, and no real air conditioning) and in part, I just wanted to give my mind a break this afternoon.  Cost-wise, the tickets were a little more expensive (almost $15 US Dollars for a 4 PM movie), but snacks were about the same. 

I also wandered through a store called "Normal" and these sponges made me laugh.  I thought about bringing some home for Joe -- I mean I guess you decide whose day it is to do the dishes based on whose sponge is on the sink...although, where are the kid sponges? Hmm....

Until tomorrow...and we have a cooking class with our students tomorrow -- so it should be extra fun!