[Response to the FLL Department survey regarding study abroad]

I did travel abroad to Paris my junior year, the spring semester of 2004. It was the highlight of college for me. I can't begin to count the ways in which I benefitted from my trip to Paris. My speaking and listening skills increased greatly, and my listening skills have stayed at a fairly high level since leaving, even without the daily interaction with French. The confidence gained from being forced to speak French on a daily basis, and around the clock cannot be replicated by simply taking high level courses. I was also subjected to another culture which gave me a different perspective on how societies can function differently. Studying abroad was an amazing experience (as anyone who has done it will tell you), but it is something that needs to be done in order to understand why everyone loves it.
I do not use my French in the work place, although the majority of law terms are French, which allows me to understand certain terms without asking. I do use French on a fairly daily basis however, as my girlfriend is French, and we watch the French news together, and read the French newspapers.