By Felicia DeMatteo | Staff Writer
For the 2016-2017 academic year, the Salve community is joined by two new teaching assistants who reside in Carnlough Cottage, also known around campus as the Language House. The Language House is an on-campus residency option for students that are interested in heightening their oral, written, and listening skills in a target language of either Spanish or French. The Language House, known mostly for its monthly movie nights, is an immersive experience that gives residents a versatile understanding of their chosen target language and culture. It is beneficial for students to be around a person who is native to their language and culture of interest. I sat down with the new teaching assistants to ask them a few questions.
Emmanuel, originally from a city on the West Coast of France called Nantes, had four universities to choose from when deciding where to be a teaching assistant. He was not only intrigued by our university, but was drawn in by the surrounding city of sparkling Newport. Marc, from Tarragona, Spain, about an hour away from Barcelona, was in a similar situation before choosing Salve. With five universities to choose from, he was sold on Salve when his American friend told him that he is definitely a New Englander.
Emmanuel was a T.A. in Austria in the past and spent two years in England. Like Emmanuel, Marc also has a history of traveling. His experience teaching in Norway made him want to try it again in a new country. He shared that it is always a challenge when you are an outsider in another country, but that becoming a part of American culture for a year is worth it. They both attest that teaching their native languages and culture is fun and rewarding.
Marc and Emmanuel both began learning English from a very young age and loved it enough to study it in college. Emmanuel feels as though there is not much of a difference between his own culture and ours. He tells us, “Maybe I’m just culturally blind, but I feel closer to American culture than to English culture. I didn’t feel culture shock at all here.” Marc, on the other hand, felt shocked when he saw that this country is so vehicle-centered. He says, “People rely so much on cars here. It’s just different, and I have to get used to people driving so much. Also, students are so into sports here. It’s like a religion and we just don’t have that in Europe.”
When I asked them which piece of their culture they would like to share with Salve students most, Marc said that he wants to spread Spanish traditions that are not very well-known in America, while Emmanuel said that he wants to bestow the gift of French food upon us.
“When you speak to a person in their native language, no matter what the language is, that is really how you create a bond and reach their heart,” says Marc.
We welcome this year’s teaching assistants with open arms and look forward to getting to know them. We hope to learn everything they have to offer.
