An Insider’s View - language and culture immersion courses
For those who want to experience a layer of Paris that is more than surface deep, taking a class while visiting can be an excellent way to live like a local - and learn to speak, cook, etc like one, too!
Paris is host to a number of institutions which offer classes to foreigners - for as short as a weekend, one or two weeks - or up to a month or a semester or year abroad.
Do you like French cuisine? Who doesn’t! Learn the skills and panache of French cooking from the Masters themselves by taking a cooking course taught by local chefs at a cooking school like Le Cordon Bleu or the Ritz Escoffier school of French gastronomy.
Want to try to blend in as a true local? You’ll need to learn to speak French, of course! Yes, it may take some time, but think of all the fun you will have in the process - not to mention the appreciation from locals themselves as you slowly learn to communicate more and more in their famous language of love. From La Sorbonne at the University of Paris, to dozens of French language schools located throughout the city which specialize in teaching French language and culture to foreigners, most offer short and longer term classes, from complete beginner to advanced. A nice bonus? Most language programs also offer extensive options for social and cultural activities with other students, as well as discounted excursions to sights in and around Paris on weekends. Many also include lodging so you can live with a local French family, or rent an apartment, during your stay.
If you plan on doing some research on classes before you go, there are library-like listings of schools and classes available in Paris and all over the world on websites like
www.worldwide.edu and
www.studyabroad.com .
Whatever your passion, likely you can indulge in it and learn some culture and live like a local along the way. From photography and art classes, to children’s summer camps, a class abroad can be just the thing to help you get to know a city from the inside out.