BY REBECCA LIANG ’22
Students from École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Mulhouse (ENSCMu), the first school of chemistry in France, arrived at Mount Holyoke for a week-long visit on Oct. 28. They hoped to experience a different educational and social culture.
The day of their arrival, the students attended a karaoke night in a Mandelle Hall common room and sing songs which were not limited to French or English, but included Spanish and Chinese tracks.
French students at Mount Holyoke were excited for the students’ arrival, but were also worried as it was their first time talking to native speakers.
“I feel self-conscious with my accent, because I have the Spanish ‘r’, instead of [the] French ‘r’, so it’s really hard to pronounce the words correctly,” Paola Granados ’22 said.
The visiting students noted differences between the U.S. and France.
“It is great to meet people from other countries. It is great to see another culture and to see the campus. Our campus is another experience and we have another lifestyle,” Corentin Meyer, a French visiting student said.
“I find the Mount Holyoke facilities are better than ours. The Cafeteria is bigger with so many different stations. The library [stays] open [until] very late [at] night,” Anne Sommacal, an ESL teacher, said.
The cultural differences are not limited to campus, but also to general American cultural. Prior to their arrival at Mount Holyoke, the students visited New York City.
“New York is very big and I [have] never seen something like that before,” Meyer said. “The environment is not as big as ... Paris.”
As the journey ended, students from both institutions made new friends and learned new things.