Joyeux Anniversaire Shannon et Kristin!

Today we celebrated our two June birthdays. Shannon's birthday was yesterday and Kristin's birthday is tomorrow. The cooks at the cafeteria where we eat lunch (L'Aile) prepared a lovely tiramisu style cake with sparklers in them as birthday candles.  Everyone sang "Joyeux Anniversaire" to the two birthday girls and then rapidly devoured the cake.

We continued with our second day of afternoon activities today. All of the stagiaires chose either Choir, Theater or the Improv group to be a part of in the afternoons. But to warm everyone up today we played a few theatrical games as a group that required the stagiaires to work together and trust each other.  The first game had them pair up with one person pretending to be blind and the other person leading them around the room. The second game required the stagiaires to link arms back to back and lead each other around the room. And the final game was a modified trust fall where one stagiaire, with their eyes closed, was passed around in a circle by the others, trusting that the group would support their weight. Some of the games were more challenging than others but in the end the stagiaires worked together and enjoyed themselves.

Pictures from today can be found at the link below:

Birthdays and Theater Games

First Day of Class!!

Today we had our first day of normal classes.  The stagiaires got an introduction to French literature, French linguistics, French Culture and French grammar.  The day flew by and before we knew it we were on our way to our first real tourist attraction: the Chateau de Brest. Unfortunately, it rained on us throughout the visit. But that didn't stop the stagiaires from exploring the grounds and posing with every canon, tree and castle wall that they came upon.  In the Chateau, the stagiaires learned about the rich naval history of the city of Brest, which even has some connections to the US over the last few centuries.  Overall a good time was had by all, and the few without umbrellas, raincoats or rain boots learned a valuable lesson about being prepared for the ever changing weather in Brittany.

Below are a few photos from the day and the rest can be viewed at the link:

First Day of Class/Chateau de Brest Photos

Discovering Brest!

Over the last couple of days the stagiaires had the opportunity to discover the city of Brest. Unlike the day we arrived, the weather was (relatively) warm, it was sunny and not too windy.  We led them around town and showed them all of the important sites, including the location of the schools, where they would have lunch during the week and the shopping areas in the center of town.  The stagiaires also practiced navigating the public transportation system.

They then had to demonstrate their navigational skills the very next morning (Friday) in order to show up for their first day of school. Each stagiaire successfully made their way from their host family's home using the bus, the tram, or both and made it on-time to the classroom! After the morning classroom activities, we led the students to the center of town for a scavenger hunt.  They were divided into six groups and given two sets of clues per group. They then were instructed to explore the center of town and take photos of the response to each clue.  The weather was perfect for this outdoor activity and the stagiaires had the opportunity to nagivate Brest and explore on their own.

Some pictures from the last two days are included below and the rest can be found at the following link:

Getting Around Brest

We Have Arrived!!!

After a long flight and an even longer bus ride we have made it safely to Brest.  All of the stagiaires are with their host families and should get a good rest tonight.  The flight went smoothly with no delays or significant bumps minus one misplaced suitcase which we hope to soon recover from the airline.  The bus ride was long but the stagiaires got a nice view of the French countryside (if they managed to stay awake). And all of the people we encountered along the way were excited to see and speak to the stagiaires here to soak up the French culture.

In the next few days all of the stagiaires will become oriented to the city of Brest, our daily schedule and their host families.  And so the adventure begins!

A few group photos are included here but if you click the link below there are more photos from the airport and the bus ride.  Can you tell they're tired on the bus?

Departure Photos

Meet the Instructors!

Welcome to the 2013 IUHPFL Brest blog! Here we will be posting weekly updates on all the activities of the stagiaires throughout the program. But with Orientation right around the corner, let's meet the team of instructors who will be spending the summer in Brest with the stagiaires!


MARK BLACK

I hail from eastern Wyoming at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I have a B.A. and M.A. in French from the University of Wyoming, a licence degree from the Université de Rouen, and I am currently a Ph.D. student in French Linguistics at Indiana University. I have taught English in France and French in the U.S., at both the high school and university level. I enjoy French cinema and I have also at various times taken an interest in French music, which even resulted in me appearing on French TV on one occasion. I'm a lifelong baseball fan, and I'm more than halfway to my goal of attending a ballgame in every Major League city. Last year I was the financial coordinator and grammar instructor in Brest, and I will reprise the same roles this year.







RODICA FRIMU

Hello ! My name is Rodica and I was born in Moldova. I did my undergrad in the south of France and currently I am a PhD student in French linguistics at Indiana University. I am very excited to go back to France, since this is going to be my third year teaching with the Honors Program in Brest. I will teach culture and I will also be the logistics coordinator, which mainly involves the organization and preparation of excursions and other activities outside of class. I love crêpes and French dessertsJ I can’t wait to be in France with all the stagiaires! I am sure we will have a wonderful time.  À bientôt!








LOIC LERME

Hello everyone! My name is Loïc Lerme, I am currently completing my Master's degree in French literature at IU Bloomington and I have a four-year degree in anglophone literature from France. You must have
gathered now that I will be the literature teacher this year (as well as the Student Coordinator). I am French, from a town called Angoulême, not very far from Bordeaux. This is my first year working for IUHPFL but I have been teaching French language, culture and cinema for two
years at IU, I have also taught French to high school students in Northern Ireland for a year and English in France for several years. In my spare time, I love reading, dancing and traveling round the world -
I have lived four years in Africa with my family. A bientôt!


ALISHA REAVES

Hello everyone! My name is Alisha Reaves and I'll be the Public Relations Coordinator/French Linguistics Instructor for the Brest group this summer. That means I'll be maintaining this blog and keeping everyone updated on all the amazing activities that the stagiaires will be taking part in. I am originally from Woodbridge, VA, about 30 miles south of Washington, DC.  I received a BS in French and Linguistics from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA and an MA in International Affairs from The George Washington University. I taught English to middle school students in Anzin, France and currently teach French at IU.  I am just finishing my second year in the French Linguistics program at IU and will be continuing on to the PhD program in the fall. I love cooking, reading, and I'm learning to love running.