I am really enjoying my experience as an intern for the Center for Global Studies so far. Our lead-intern, Katie Black, is one of my former classmates and lots of fun to work with! Our grad-intern, Molly Appel, was my TA last year for CmLit 10. It is a pleasure to work with both of these ladies again! As an intern, I will get to attend a lot of really exciting lectures and conventions, help at a local fair, and co-lead a club at the Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania charter school.

My favorite task so far has been teaching at YSCP on Wednesday afternoons. Katie studied abroad in Belgium and is studying French and I studied abroad in the United Kingdom, so we are utilizing these experiences to teach a French and UK Culture club to 3^rd and 4^th graders. First we taught them words used commonly by English speakers that are actually French words, looked at the difference in phrases between British English and American English, and explained what the United Kingdom includes (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). The second week, we did “Olympics” as a theme, and focused on the use of French as the official language, the London 2012 Olympics, and famous French and British Olympians. The kids had a blast, and we loved getting to share these fun facts with them! This week, at our third meeting, we taught them about “football,” rugby, and cricket, which are extremely popular in Europe. We gave a lesson on famous players, teams, and the rules of rugby and cricket, then split the kids into team France and team GB and took them outside to play soccer or “football” as it is called in the UK! They really enjoyed this lesson, as well.

On Mondays and Thursdays I spend my afternoons in the Center for Global Studies office, working closely with Sarah, Molly, Katie, and my fellow interns. In the office I have made flyers for big lectures and events that we are co-sponsoring, brainstormed ideas for America Reads programs, and made lesson plans for my YSCP club! I am really worried about making a mistake, but everyone in the office is helpful and understanding, and eager to answer any questions I have or help when I need it.

In the upcoming weeks, I look forward to beginning the America Reads program and planning and executing fun activities for our participants. Our first theme will be “Eric Carle’s World” where we will do a really cool collage project. I also look forward to working on the September installment of the CGS newsletter. It will be exciting not only to write my article, but also to help edit and format the newsletter! Lastly, I am excited to work with more of my co-interns more frequently. Our schedules are all very busy, and it is hard to find time where our schedules permit us to work together, but I know there will be many events in the near future that we will all plan for and attend together.