Randy Turnbull (PhD Candidate)

In summer 2007 I spent two months in Annecy, France, thanks to the generous financial support of the Winthrop-King Institute’s study abroad scholarship. While in France, I found myself thrilled by the total linguistic immersion, the French culture, as well as the animated interactions of the host family with which I lodged. As a student at the French Institute of the Alps, I found myself surrounded by numerous students of the French language of various origins such as Russia, Italy, Sweden, Germany, and Japan. This cultural variety served to broaden my horizons as well as enrich my time in France.

As Annecy has the biggest lake in all of France, and possibly all of Europe, much of my time was spent near the water in quiet meditation, and appreciation of the natural beauty. I had the opportunity to visit Grenoble, and Chambéry where I was able to hike a mountain and see snow, both for the very first time ever. This trip holds tremendous emotive value because although I have studied the French language for over 9 years, this was the first time I had ever been to France. It was an exciting experience to live in the culture I have read and studied so much about. As a Teaching Assistant, this experience also contributed to my teaching capacities, and allowed me to find materials that would be of benefit to my students’ learning in the classroom.

The summer abroad scholarship came after much financial support from the Winthrop-King Institute in the form of a Teaching Fellowship, as well as other financial support from the Florida Education Fund in the form of the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship. My time in the Modern Language Department here at FSU has already been enriching and fulfilling. I look forward to the years to come.