Paris Journal 9: Au Revoir
Céline Heckel-Jones, a rising third-year civil engineering major from Atlanta, is taking part in the University of Virginia Engineering School’s Science and Technology Policy Internship Program, which places students in policymaking organizations at home and abroad. Heckel-Jones is working at the French Ministry of Education in Paris. She has agreed to share her weekly reports with us.
July 23, 2010: My two-month stay in Paris has quickly come to an end.
I decided to visit my family in Strasbourg my last weekend and see them one last time before heading back to the United States.
I took the train to Paris early Monday morning and was back in time to start my last week of work at the Ministry. I spent most of the week revising my final report for my policy analysis. I worked closely with Jean Luc Clément, who has served a as a wonderful resource, providing contacts and information. My research gave me the opportunity to visit one of the site of the CNRS, a large French research institution, in order to conduct an interview with a research director. He was able to answer some of my last-minute questions and provide additional insight on my policy subject.
The office at the Ministry held a small gathering to wish me farewell and conclude my two-month internship. I can’t believe how fast the two months have passed!
I am glad I had the opportunity to drill my French, but I know it is a sign for me to return home when English begins to sound like a foreign language. The other day I spoke English on the phone and started the conversation speaking slowly before getting back into the groove. As one friend pointed out, I have been entirely immersed in the French language for the past two months. I have been constantly communicating in French at work and at the boarding house with the exception of occasional visits with American friends.
Through this summer internship, I have become familiar with the setting of a work environment and have learned in which ways to adapt while speaking different language and following the habits of another culture. My newly gained insight is an invaluable tool for me to bring home to be used as a reference point. The skill in learning to adapt to a different culture in a working environment is important as I hope to work with people and in offices of various cultures. My future objectives also include returning to France to work and/or work with French partners.
Lauren White, a rising third-year biomedical engineering major, is taking part in the University of Virginia’s Engineering School’s 
