Each year Bowdoin welcomes several language teaching fellows from across the globe to teach at the College and take classes.
This year the College is playing host to two teaching fellows from France, one from Germany and one from Spain.
French teaching fellow Marine Larzul found out about Bowdoin through a partnership that her school, Brest University, shares with the College. The university, located in northern France, allows its students to apply to the program with Bowdoin.
If accepted, Brest students travel from France to teach at Bowdoin; in exchange, French majors at Bowdoin work in France as English teaching fellows, upon graduating.
"It is a really great opportunity for French students, because we do not have as many programs to go abroad as you do in the U.S.," said Larzul. "I was very glad when I got the position."
The language teaching fellows find themselves navigating the dual roles of being students and teachers at Bowdoin.
Simin Hadji-Ahmad, the German teaching fellow who is one quarter German, one quarter Austrian, and half Iranian, said it is a challenging but manageable task.
"The atmosphere at Bowdoin is really laid back. I find that it is not as formal as it in Germany," said Hadji-Ahmad. "It doesn't take [as much] time to get to know students and the professors. Students recognize that I am their teacher. They don't treat me as [a] friend, but it's an in-between position."
"I get along fine. I feel really comfortable with the position," she added.
Hadji-Ahmad, who is an American Studies major, said she is excited about spending time at the College.
"I am really looking forward to classes. It's interesting to learn about America in America. We learn about American history, but you always have the German or European point of view. We don't really know what the American people think about their own history," Hadji-Ahmad said.
"And," she continued, "it's so nice to talk in the language all the time."
Silvia Pisabarro, the Spanish teaching fellow from a town just outside of Barcelona, wants to give her students not just instruction in the language, but also the opportunity to look at Spanish culture and society in a holistic way.
"Not everything in Spain is Flamenco and tapas and torros," said Pisabarro, who can speak both Spanish and Catalan.
"This week for my lab section, I was showing students a video on YouTube," she said. "It was super interesting, because it talked about the different regions and different languages in Spain. And some of [the students] were so amazed that, in a tiny place like Spain, we have such different [cultures]."
Time at the College is not all work, however—the fellows are finding time to explore all that Bowdoin and Maine have to offer.
In addition to classes, Hadji-Ahmad is looking forward to trying a hearty Maine staple.
"I really want to eat a lobster, I haven't yet, [it's] something I look forward to. I heard it's really difficult and it needs to be planned out before. You probably need to go to lobster-eating boot camp, but I really want to try," she said. "I heard a lot about Ivies so I'm definitely interested to see that."
Pisabarro is looking to get the most out of Bowdoin and enjoy her time here as much as possible.
"I love the States," she said. "This opportunity will teach me how to teach," she said.
"When I get back to Spain, I can say that I taught. I love being surrounded by people and movement."