1. Why I needed to improve my level of French?
My mother is from the Southwest of France, near Pau, where most of her family still resides. I took French in high school in California but never mastered the language. Because most of my family is only French-speaking and because I speak only English, I have never been able to have a very meaningful relationship with my French family whom I adore. When my daughter was born 10 years ago, I decided that she would be bilingual; she has attended since age 4 the Lycee Francais in San Francisco, California, she speaks perfect French, and when we visit our French family she is able to speak fluently. During the time my daughter has been a student at the Lycee Francais, I have dabbled in night classes in French in San Francisco but because I have a demanding job as an government attorney, I was never able to put much effort into it and as a result never made much progress . Last April, I decided the time had come to make a commitment to learning to speak French, and I enrolled in a two-week program at Ceran.

2. What do I think makes the experience with Ceran worthwhile?
My experience at Ceran was very worthwhile for a number of reasons. First, the school is in a French-speaking country which was most important to me. Second, the program is very intensive which worked well because I was able to dedicate two weeks of time to it and make some real progress in mastering the language. I believe I learned roughly the equivalent of three years of high school French in two weeks. Lastly, the program is very challenging, stressful, exciting, serious, hard, scary and fun all at the same time because of its very intensive feature, the focused dedication of the teaching and other staff, and the new relationships one must quickly forge with other students from different backgrounds and places in order to participate in the program. When the program was over, I really felt I had accomplished something important. Since returning home to California, I have continued to work with a French teacher on another level of French using the next level of Ceran materials, which are excellant. I plan to return in November for another week and hope to complete yet another level of French.

3. How has my experience at Ceran helped me in my business or social life?
My experience at Ceran has not helped me with my business or social life, which makes me different from most students. My goal is to be able to speak with my French family by next summer. We are attending a family reunion near Pau in the summer of 2006. I want to speak French, even if imperfect, by then.

Michele Inan
Deputy Attorney General
California Attorney General's Office
San Francisco, California