John Jude graduated from Ohio State in Spring 2021 with a major in Anthropology and minors in French, International Studies, Theatre, and Musical Theatre (he was rarely idle!). When the pandemic began, Jude’s plan to study abroad in France was thwarted, but he found a different way to travel and work on his French skills at the same time.
Jude spent two months travelling through the U.S. and living in his car, all while taking 18 credit hours and attending Ohio State classes online. He traveled from Maine all the way to California, mainly stopping at National Parks. You can watch his final project for French 3103 with Professor Marx-Scouras, “Sur la route,” where he narrates his travels across the country in French.
To make up for the missed study abroad experience, Jude applied to the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) after graduation, and he spent this past academic year living and teaching in Saint Raphael, France.
Jude came to Ohio State as a non-traditional student after serving in the Coast Guard for five years in Key West and Guam. Jude has always loved travelling. He fell in love with travelling and experiencing other cultures when he was 17, and he has travelled regularly ever since.
He began his time at Ohio State as an International Studies major. Soon after, he heard an anthropologist talking about his work on a podcast, and he realized that this was what he wanted to do. Anthropology was engaging and worked well with his adventurous personality. “I didn’t want to be in an office,” Jude says.
The International Studies major required a minor in a language, so by the time Jude switched majors, he had already earned a number of credit hours in French and wanted to build on that base. “A lot of archaeology is conducted in France or by French programs,” Jude explains, so continuing to focus on French made sense.
With the pandemic interrupting both in-person classes and Jude’s plan to study abroad, he felt that he and his classmates had a hard time with French comprehension. Attending a language class on Zoom wasn’t the same as the in-person class experience, and the lack of immersion from a study abroad experience only deepened this lacuna. “If you’re at the 3000 level, it’s a good time to travel and test your skills,” Jude asserts.
Fortunately, he has had the opportunity to improve his French during the TAPIF. When he first arrived in Saint Raphael in early October 2021, he understood very little during conversations. Three months later he could understand about half of what people were saying. “The sentence structure started to hit, it started to make sense and clicked,” says Jude. Now, he’s able to follow about three quarters of the conversation, and he feels comfortable speaking.
During the TAPIF Jude taught in a public high school and loved his coworkers and students. “The other teachers in the school were so helpful,” says Jude, “They were so ready to work with me and to work with my ideas.”
Jude taught 12 different classes per week for an hour each. For some classes he focused on conversation, and for others he prepared presentations about American culture. “Most of my students were very excited to work with me,” he says,” especially if they had a higher level of language.”
Jude’s suggestion to future TAPIF assistants is to think carefully about where they want to be located. “You get to pick your top three regions,” he explains, “if you want to be in a place with more activities and more young people, pick the largest city you can. It really depends on what kind of lifestyle you are looking for.”
While Jude taught in a smaller town, he has nevertheless enjoyed the friends and contacts he has made in Saint Raphael, and he knows he will always have a place to stay when he comes back. He has become close friends with other assistants teaching in his region and has met assistants who are teaching all over France.
This summer, Jude is participating in several archeological digs in France – first in the Pyrenees, where he has been unearthing the main tower of a 12th century Chateau, and then near Montpellier, where the focus will be on prehistoric Roman Barracks.
“I expect most of the people at these projects to speak French,” says Jude, “So this is also going to be a great opportunity for me to keep improving my French. Especially, to improve my French in the field that I want to study.”
During the archeological group’s time in the Pyrenees, the hosting organization will be organizing a Medieval festival, and they’ve asked the group to perform a reenactment, so Jude will also have an opportunity to practice his theatre skills.
Jude’s long-term goal is to apply to a master’s program in Underwater Archeology in a university near Marseille. “They are not taking any students this year, so I’ll be applying for the year after that,” he says.
In the meantime, Jude will continue practicing French, but he will return to Ohio for the year. He plans to dedicate this time to expanding his YouTube channel with engaging and educational videos about Ohio State parks.
