Camron Rushin | For the Wichitan

Ya-Rei Chan | The Wichitan

Ashley Melton, a sophomore English major, sleeps on the Eiffel Tower blanket given to her by her mother after she returned home from a semester of studying in Pontlevoy, France. Melton earned 13 credits in her four months of study

       On a black-and white November day, Ashley Melton stood outside Dachau, a concentration camp in Munich, Germany, unable to fathom the events that took place there only a half a century ago. "The weather was horribly cold and dark, fittingly, just as it should be, " the sophomore English major said. "This just seemed like a place where the sun shouldn't shine." Melton was one of the nine MSU students who has the opportunity to visit Europe last semester in the newly begun MSU France program. One semester in Europe helped Melton to learn about herself, her culture and to leave behind the person she used to be. She has now become more independent and intelligent about different world views--something that would have never happened had she stayed at home. "I had to go to the other side of the world to find out about America," she said. The group left on Sept. 7, 2002, crossing seven time zones to Pontlevoy, France, in the Loire valley. Unlike most study abroad programs, Pontlevoy is only a small village of about 1,800 people. Paris was two hours away. The students stayed at an abbey, which had played many important roles in history. It was the learning site for six French presidents and George Washington's son. It was also a hospital for soldiers during W.W.I. " It's a strange feeling living where so much history took place," Melton said. "Before, all these places existed in books. Now I know they're real." Melton had never taken a French class so she couldn't understand what anyone was saying. She was afraid no one would understand what anyone was saying. She was surprised to find out most French knew how to speak English because they had learned in elementary school. "I think it's a shame that we don't even attempt to teach our children a foreign language until high school when it's harder to comprehend a new language," she said. The American students had the opportunity to teach English to elementary French students. "I realized that all people are the same because of teaching children," she said. The French children behaved just like American children. One of the boys had a crush on Melton, and all his friends laughed at him and tried to embarrass him. All the little girls would run and hug Melton and treat her like she was their big sister. "This is how the little girls back home treated me, " she said. She came to the conclusion that people's differences come from the way they are raised, but children are all the same. During the semester break, Melton and her roommate from Wisconsin traveled all over Europe. They saw the ruins of Greece, the coliseum in Rome, Vatican City and many other European landmarks. Unable to understand what most people were saying, they had to sometimes use sign language to travel and eat. "Being on my own like that made me very independent," she said. "Now it's hard for anyone to tell me what to do." Melton took classes in European history, French, world literature and art history. In her history classes and from the French people, Melton learned about history from a different perspective. "We [America] see ourselves as the heroes of the world wars and that's not necessarily the truth," she said. "The classes were taught in much more detail about why Europeans wanted to go to war in both the world wars," she said. She was also relatively close to where some of the most historic events in history took place. Melton leaned that all the bad things people say about other people are from ignorance. "I get mad now when people say something bad about French people," she said. "Everybody has a stereotype. The French think we are all fat, eat hamburgers, and watch TV all day." Melton said it was hard to become close to the French people her age, but before the trip was over she was receiving biscous, or kisses on the cheek, which showed she had been accepted. Now that Melton is back home, she has a better understanding of what life is like for the many foreign students on the MSU campus. "I'd be much more willing to help a foreign student," she said. "Now I have an idea of what they need. They just want to be accepted." In a letter to her family Melton wrote," They [French] opened my eyes to the fact that the United States isn't the only country around. It was absolutely the trip of a lifetime and one I will never forget. Life across the ocean is not better or worse than ours, just different." If you are interested in the MSU France program, a meeting will be held Friday in the Clark Students Center Hospitality room at noon.