The European Summer Program (ESP) - Lille

words and pictures from the ESP, an academic package in France, at the heart of Europe

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From Dunkirk to Normandy: Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay

by Christopher Mathews (Háskólinn í Reykjavík / Reykjavík University), ESP1 2018

Fresh from our visit to Dunkirk and on the eve of the Normandy trip, it’s interesting to look back at the career of a person instrumental to the Allied success in both operations: the “forgotten hero” of World War II, Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay. 

Born in 1883, Ramsay joined the Royal Navy at the age of 16.  He served on the first true battleship, HMS Dreadnought, and during World War I commanded a smaller combat vessel, the destroyer HMS Broke.  During the interwar years, he chose an unusual career path for a naval officer: rather than focusing on weapons or tactics, he became an expert in logistics – the movement of men and materiel.  He retired in 1938 but returned to duty in the following year to lead the defense of Dover.   

His return proved to be a remarkable stroke of good fortune when he took charge of Operation DYNAMO, the evacuation of the forces at Dunkirk.  His expertise in logistics was a key the Allied success, as the British hastily assembled a flotilla of hundreds of fishing boats, yachts, and tugboats to take part in the operation.  Over 338,000 soldiers were rescued, including over 100,000 French troops.   

After Dunkirk, Ramsay joined the planning teams assembled by General Dwight Eisenhower for the Allied invasion of North Africa in 1942 and Sicily in 1943.  In 1944, Eisenhower turned to Ramsay to lead Operation NEPTUNE, the naval component of the invasion of France. 

Delivering the American, British, and Canadian armies to Normandy proved to be the most complex naval operation of all time.  On D-Day, Ramsay commanded nearly 7,000 vessels, the largest fleet ever assembled.  Historians have called the invasion a “never surpassed masterpiece” of naval operations, and had it failed, the war might well have dragged on for years at an unimaginable cost in lives. 

Ramsay may also have saved two very prominent lives from their own folly.  Before the invasion, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill decided that he would observe the D-Day landings from one of Ramsay’s shore bombardment vessels, a ship certain to be a target for German artillery and air attacks.  Not to be outdone, King George VI announced that he would be on hand, too … until Ramsay told them both that they were not welcome on his ship.  The Prime Minister and King remained ashore. 

As the architect of two of the most important naval operations of the war, Admiral Ramsay might well have become a legendary figure: he led the Allies out of France, and led them back in.  Unfortunately, he was killed in an air crash while enroute to a meeting with General Montgomery in January 1945 – and so never got to see the victory in Europe he had done so much to secure.

[ Photo by Lt CH Parnall (IWM Admiralty collection):  Admiral Ramsay, left, confers with other British officers during the Normandy invasion. ]

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Justin Bieber!

(by Sophie Castro)

I love many things. Some of those things include people, languages and food. Naturally, I went to study abroad in Lille, France.

As I packed my things, ready for my endeavor, I found myself distracted on the internet (which is not uncommon). Suddenly, I stumbled upon the greatest news ever. Justin Bieber was giving a concert in Lille at the same time that I would be there. I ran to my wallet and took out my “emergencies only” credit card and purchased my General Admission ticket one month in advance.

The day arrived fast, and I was standing by myself for five hours waiting in line for the concert. I didn’t understand much of what the people around me were saying (they were young and French), but we were all equally as excited.

I ended up being incredibly close to the stage. Martin Garrix was the opening act and it was unbelievable.

But then the moment came. It was him. Justin.

Now, I have never been crazy Justin Bieber. I’ve followed his career and have been a fan for some years, but it was an on and off relationship. However, I am a firm believer that you have to commit to whatever you do. So of course, I was the one screaming and singing the loudest. I was dancing and enjoying more than everyone around me. Perhaps because the space was very tight and everyone was sweaty.

The moral of this post is not that Justin Bieber is amazing. The moral of this post is to take opportunities and commit to the decisions you make, like going to France or buying tickets to a concert.

This was just one of the many random and yet incredible experiences I had when I participated in ESP, and I hope everyone gets the chance to do something random and commit fully, today and every day.

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A Favorite Trip...

(by Emily Tucker)

Over the past 8 weeks spent here in Lille, I can honestly say I have made memories to last a lifetime! I love Lille for so many reasons and could spend hours talking about, but I'll just mention one. The centrality and location of Lille makes it a perfect place for you to travel around Europe. One of my favorite trips thus far was with the ESP group to Mont Saint-Michel. Mont Saint-Michel is a beautiful monastery located in the lower region of Normandy. Its breathtaking views and rich architecture made me want to stay for hours. I loved every minute of it and will always treasure the moments spent there with new friends!

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Intercultural Communication in Lille

(A guest blog by Olivia Klassen, applying some of the theory studied in the Intercultural Communication component of the program)

Throughout my 8-week stay in Lille, I have realised that there were some differences between my Canadian culture and the French culture.

Something I learnt very quickly was that often French people and I have different concepts of time. If someone says to meet at a specific time I will try to arrive early; however, I learnt that wasn’t always the case in France, especially when the weather is nice.

This may be because time orientation is viewed differently in different cultures. France leans more to the polychromic side, which means they view time as something that can change, while Canada is more monochromic meaning that time is something that can’t be changed as easily.

Meals in Canada are usually quick but in France lunch breaks are meant to take time, which at first can be very frustrating to a North American when you are used to everything being fast. However by the end of my first week I was treasuring my hour and half lunch break!

Food and time to get away from work is very highly valued in France. Although France is a work orientated country they put more value on relationships and life than onto work. They often tend to know how to balance life and work more evenly than other countries such as The United States and Canada. This may be because France is slightly more of a feminine country according to Hofstede, meaning that there is more stress on the quality of work life and that the dominant values in society are caring for others and preservation.

One of the most awkward things is where you go to greet someone but you both have different ways of greeting. It is very likely that my way of greeting may seem rude and standoffish to a French person, while a kiss on a cheek seemed way too personal for me at first. Barna’s model of the 6- stumbling blocks to intercultural communication indicates that non-verbal communication is different in all cultures although they may overlap, which can cause a lot of confusion and frustration. So something as simple as a greeting may be rude to a person from another culture.

The need for formality was strange for me. From the need to ask ‘Ça va?’ when you see someone to only saying ‘Bonjour’ once to someone in a day so not to seem rude and to having formal and informal ways of saying thing. Perhaps this because France according to Hofstede’s research has a high uncertainty avoidance index, which means a low tolerance for uncertainty. A country with a low uncertainty avoidance index is less concerned with uncertainty and more open to different opinions. 

I quickly realised to get the most out of my time in the beautiful and culturally rich city of Lille I had to be open minded and examine attitudes and behaviours from other points of view not my own. And that it is important not to go into a place thinking that everyone is a certain way because of a stereotype that I might have heard. Because if you go somewhere looking for a stereotype you will find them! I also had to realise that not all non-verbal communication is universal.

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La Grand Place

(The first in a series of entries from current ESP students, from Amanda Miller.)

The first Saturday of my 8-week stay in Lille, ESP brought us to the historic city center, known as the Grand Place. I was immediately in awe of how beautiful and unique the city center was. 

The Grand Place and the surrounding old city (Vieux Lille) became my favorite places to go, whether to find a café to sit at and people watch or to go out for a great dinner with friends. It's definitely the part of Lille I will miss most!

(Check out Amanda’s blog, “Plus qu’une touriste,” at  http://amandainlille17.blogspot.fr/ - thanks, Amanda!)

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ESP 2017

Warmest greetings from the European Summer Program and the Université Catholique de Lille!

Thanks to the support of our many institutional partners, and another fine group of students, the 2017 European Summer Program is off to a great start.

We’re pleased to report that even the weather cooperated this year, and our participants arrived safely to a warm and sunny day in the center of Lille, France. They have settled down in their respective residences with the help of our student interns without any problems. In the past week, students have joined a series of activities organized by the program in order to get familiarized with the city, including Orientation Day and tours of Lille. 

The students’ first excursion outside of Lille took place on the 5th of June as we travelled to Brussels, the de facto capital of the European Union.  Here the group had guided visits of the city in French or English, as well as free time to explore on their own, before a visit of the Parlamentarium which provides an interactive, in depth, historical look at how the European Parliament came to fruition. 

Yesterday evening, as part of our cultural immersion program, the students were served a couscous dinner, a north African dish commonly served in France. In the coming weeks, students will also be discovering Bruges - the Venice of the North - as well as the important World War I city of Iepers, or Ypres.

Last but not least, we are very excited to announce that it will be the 30th anniversary of this institution's commitment to the Erasmus program, another way in which the Université Catholique de Lille welcomes students from around the world to share in its core values of education, research, and service to society. Today the University is pleased to instruct students from 120 countries. We’ll be celebrating this milestone with an International Soirée on 12 June, and all the students, group leaders, past ESP team members, and friends of the University are invited to join us. If you are in Lille, please join us.

Judging by the feedback we have received so far, our participants are enjoying their journeys with the European Summer Program in Lille. If you or your students have any questions or comments concerning the program, please do not hesitate to contact us!

If you have not yet joined us in Lille, do consider making the trip to the heart of Europe.

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Poisson d’avril

Anglophones mostly know 1 April as “April Fools’ Day.” However, the tradition likely started in France, where - as in some other parts of Europe - the reference is to “April fish” (poissons d'avril - aprilvis in Dutch, pesce d'aprile in Italian). The story goes that the tradition came about because of a change in the calendar. 

The beginning of the New Year was celebrated on different dates in different places, even among those who used the old Julian calendar (still used in most Eastern Orthodox churches). Those dates included both Easter (which moved every year, as it still does) and Christmas, but the most common was 25 March, the Feast of the Annunciation (exactly nine months before Christmas). In parts of France, that date was the beginning of a week-long celebration which ended on 1 April. 

King Charles IX of France tried to end the confusion with the 1564 Edict of Roussillon, making 1 January the official beginning of the New Year across the country (even prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, decreed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582). However, news travelled more slowly and even less reliably than in the age of the internet, and doubtless many considered the decree to be “fake news” at best. Or a Catholic conspiracy. In any case, many continued to celebrate the New Year at the end of March ... which happened to fall during Lent (except in 1570, when it coincided with the Easter weekend, and 1573, when Easter came even earlier, on 22 March). During Lent, of course, Church tradition demanded fasting: no meat, but fish was allowed. The poisson d’avril was thus someone who celebrated the New Year during the Lenten fast. 

To this day, on this particular day, you might have to watch your back in France, or find that someone has stuck a paper fish on it. 

And of course, as in English-speaking countries the world over, various businesses and media might well try to hook you with “fake news”... so don’t be fooled!

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A Weekend in Paris

ESP1: 24-26 June / ESP2: 22-24 July

What can be said about Paris that has not already been said, multiple times and in multiple languages? This city of light, of love, of art and culture and history remains one of the top tourist destinations in the world. And the ESP can take you there for a glorious optional weekend visit.

For just 250€, which includes transportation and 2 nights in a hostel in the city center (with breakfast and dinners), the city’s delights can be yours.

Visit the Louvre – the world’s most famous art museum – or the Musée d’Orsay, or the Pompidou Centre. Climb the Eiffel Tower …or the Arc de Triomphe, or to the summit of Montmartre.  Admire the stained glass and ancient stones of the Sainte-Chapelle, or of course Notre Dame Cathedral. Or just stroll through one of the many parks, and sip espresso at a café along one of the tree -lined boulevards.

And in the evening, as a special treat included in this package deal, take a boat cruise down the River Seine.

You know you want to.

Space is of course limited, so register soon, at http://www.univ-catholille.fr/european-summer-program/application.asp!

In the meantime, check out some of these links and start planning your visit.

https://www.timeout.com/paris/en/things-to-do/101-things-to-do-in-Paris

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187147-Activities-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

http://en.parisinfo.com/

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A weekend in Amsterdam

       (ESP2, 15-17 July 2017)

Amsterdam’s Golden Age may officially have been in the 17th Century, when it became the wealthiest city in the world, the centre of a global trade network, but it remains one of the most popular tourist destinations anywhere, and with good reason. It is beautiful, friendly, relaxed, and accommodating, and offers much to see and do.

Spend a few hours at the Rijksmuseum, taking time to stand in awe before Rembrandt’s most famous painting, known as “The Night Watch,” or take in some modern art at the Stedelijk, and do not forget the Van Gogh Museum. Step into a turbulent past at Anne Frank House or the Dutch resistance Museum.  Take a boat tour through the picturesque canals lined with houseboats, or rent a bicycle and ride with the locals along the cobbled streets and bridges, past the lovely narrow houses, cafés, and much, much more. 

If that is not enough inspiration, check out websites such as TripAdvisor, or TimeOut Amsterdam, or of course the city’s own tourist site, I amsterdam.

This optional weekend excursion (15-17 July 2017, only available to students in ESP2) will cost as little as 250€ for transportation and 2 nights in a hostel (450€ if you prefer a 4* hotel) with breakfasts included. But space is limited, so register for the ESP and claim a spot now!

http://www.univ-catholille.fr/european-summer-program/application.asp

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Looking back, looking forward

At the end of ESP2 in July 2016, the last day of the 15th anniversary edition of the European Summer Program, Jill England from Australia addressed the Closing Ceremony. Jill was not the typical student, being older than most of ESP staff and instructors; her words carry all the weight of her life experience. And so - with her permission - we would like to share those words with you.

I am so grateful to have had this wonderful experience at this time in my life.  I really didn’t have the opportunity when I was young, and, to be honest, I wouldn’t have had the confidence then either.  To study in an overseas university was something I dreamt about at times over the years, but never really thought would be possible for me.  I thought I’d ‘missed the boat’.  I am so grateful that the ESP program doesn’t set age barriers.  And I fully believe that what I have gained here will richly inform my contributions to my school, as well as to my family and local community and perhaps further afield as well.  It has certainly given me a love for this region and its people.  And I would like to think that perhaps I have been an example of a ‘life-long learner’ to the students here.  

About the ESP program: I think the parents of the students here would be thrilled with the quality of the education their children have received.  We have had excellent lecturers, and I have sensed a real passion here about learning and about creating an environment where people can learn.  But I think these students’ families would be most grateful for the care that has been taken with their young people.  From the moment of arrival, the ESP staff and interns have been there for us, helping us find our way and carefully considering our safety.  The daily communication, about where we need to be and when, has been excellent.  Then too there has been the ongoing warmth of the welcome which I have so often experienced in the corridors and in the ESP office.  I can’t thank you enough for all you have done for us.

To the students, I would like to say that I think you are amazing!  Many of you are speaking two, three or more languages, as well as being high achievers in other fields in and out of the classroom.  The way in which you have all come from such diverse backgrounds, cooperated together and forged real friendships in such a short space of time has really impressed me.  I think the general atmosphere among the students has been great – and that comes down to each one of you having had a positive attitude and having been respectful and caring toward others.  And I would really like to thank each and every one of you for your kindness to me personally and your willingness to offer me your friendship and to look out for me.  I have loved spending this time with you and I will carry you in my heart for a long time to come.  

In conclusion, a grandmotherly word:  you are the ‘crème de la crème’ of university students.  You have had an experience that millions of young people would literally give an arm and a leg for, an experience that perhaps your parents or grandparents could never have hoped for, and certainly one that the millions who fought for this land in two world wars could never have imagined.  I encourage you to reflect on and treasure what you have experienced, and to continue to build on it in the future; also, to reach out to others who may wish to have an experience like this.  I wish you all the very best.

Jill England

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La Drache

Sometimes it rains in Lille. 

While the actual amount of rain that falls here is less than some other parts of France, and the number of rainy days is lower, the north of France has a reputation for rain - a reputation fed and watered by the highly successful film Bienvenue Chez les Ch’tis. In that film, an administrator with the postal service in southern France is transferred to this region, and arrives in - or rather to - a downpour. 

As noted in the film, such a downpour has a specific name in Ch’ti, the dialect: la drache. Some sources suggest that the word is related to an old word for the malt residue from the making of beer, la drèche. That seems entirely appropriate to this beer-making region; if it is not true, it should be.

This year, the students for the first session of the European Summer Program arrived in such weather. And they have dealt with more rain since then. Today started out warm and sunny, but a thunderstorm hit mid-afternoon, earlier and harder than predicted. And it kept hitting. 

Along the Boulevard Vauban and the Façade de l’Esplanade along the Deule canal, sidewalks turned into rivers; the banks of the Deule became waterfalls. My bright orange umbrella sheltered several different strangers in turn along the two kilometre walk home. All were smiling, as were the cyclists who splashed past, and those in cars who waved at me as I waded home. 

Bienvenue Chez les Ch’tis: welcome to the north of France - the newly reorganised Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie, soon to be christened les Hauts-de-France. Rain hits the heights. But it also makes strangers flow together to form an island - un île, l’île, Lille, the island of wet strangers.

Yet we find shelter here. From la drache, because of la drache. And also when the sun shines. 

Because Lille.

Bienvenue.

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Amiens

The largest and arguably the most elegant of France’s great gothic cathedrals towers above the city of Amiens, the ancient capital of Picardy on the river Somme.

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens (Basilique Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens) was built relatively quickly, between 1220 and 1266, and is thus more consistent in style than most gothic churches. It also boasts the tallest interior of any complete church in France (the exception being the incomplete cathedral at Beauvais). The walls were actually built to a height of 144 units, in reference to a description of the heavenly city in the biblical book of Revelation, in which the height of the walls is 144 cubits.

To walk past its ornate façade, with its larger-than-life scuptures of kings and saints, and - as usual - a reminder of the Last Judgement over the main door, is to enter a peaceful forest of stone and light, with a meditative labyrinth at its heart.

Despite numerous threats over the centuries, and notable damage to the city as a whole in both World Wars, Amiens remains much more than its cathedral. The bustling pedestrianised centre is now largely modern, although some notable traces of the past remain. The medieval quarter at the bend in the river, St Leu, is now largely given over to restaurants and shops, with the occasional quirky artwork. (This was, after all, the chosen home of one of the original science fiction writers, and the second most-translated author in the world, Jules Verne.)

And just a little further upstream are the hortillonages, the “floating gardens” of Amiens, which one can tour by boat, or simply walk past, admiring the many different bridges to the individual garden plots and homes.

Still, it is likely an image of the cathedral that you will carry away with you from Amiens, perhaps along with some of the unique Amiens-style macarons or other typical Picard delicacies.

In celebration of its 15th anniversary, and of the newly named Hauts-de-France region, which joins Picardy to the Nord and Pas-de-Calais (with Lille as its capital), the European Summer Program will make several trips to Amiens this summer, to ensure that all of its students, from around the world, have the opportunity to visit this historic centre.

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The Somme, 1916

The Somme is a gentle, mostly canalised river that flows through Picardy in northern France. Its very name comes an ancient Celtic word for “tranquility.” Yet it has been associated with some famous conflicts, from the Norman invasion of England in 1066 (William the Conqueror having assembled his fleet in the bay at the river’s mouth) to the battles at nearby Crécy in 1346 and  Agincourt in 1415. More infamously, it still gives its name to one of the bloodiest battles of World War One, which began on 1 July 1916. 

Appropriately, then, it is also the site for several poignant memorials and interesting museums. And in this centenary year, in June, the European Summer Program will visit some of the more important, and deeply moving, of these sites. 

We will start our visit at the Monument to the Missing at Thiepval, which towers over a joint French and British Commonwealth cemetery. The excellent Visitors Centre there is currently under redevelopment and will be reopening just on time for us to see, among other items of interest, the new display of cartoon artist Joe Sacco’s astounding graphic rendering of the first day of the Battle of the Somme in a single, very long picture (inspired in part by the depiction of the Norman Invasion on the Bayeux Tapestry). Here is just a snippet:

One need not be interested in war, or history, to be drawn into this impressive piece of art. But it might just inspire such interest.

Leaving Thiepval, we will pass the lovely Ulster Memorial Tower on what was the German front line at the beginning and the end of the day on 1 July 1916, despite an initial mile-long advance by the 36th Irish Division. 

We will then head to Beaumont-Hamel, a site run by Canada’s Department of Veterans Affairs. Yet a century ago, the site had little to do with Canada. One of the former communication runners here had been a young JRR Tolkien, whose epic Lord of the Rings was notably influenced by what he saw in battle. Other famous Brtish writers such as Robert Graves and poet Siegfried Sassoon fought nearby. 

But on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, the Allied position here was held largely by soldiers from the then British Dominion of Newfoundland; it would not become part of Canada until 1949, well after the Second World War. Sadly, of the 780 Newfoundlanders who went forward that morning, only 68 were able to show up for roll call the next day. 

A sculpture of a lone cariboo, the symbol of the Newfoundland regiment, now stands above what remains of the original trenches - part of what makes this beautiful park one of the most important archaeological sites for study of the Great War. 

There is much to learn here, about war, peace, politics, and much more. And this June, for the first time since 2009, the students of the European Summer Program will have the opportunity for a visit - students from all around the world, learning together, in peace.

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Versailles!

For its 15th anniversary edition, the European Summer Program - both in June and July 2016 - will be going to the Château de Versailles, one of the most famous and fabulous palaces in the world. 

Originally built as a hunting lodge for Louis XIII, it was became a vast and ornate royal palace under his son, Louis XIV - “the Sun King.” From 1682, when Louis XIV moved there from from Paris along with his courtiers, until after the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1989, when the ill-fated Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were forced to return to the capital, Versailles was the centre of political power in France. 

The palace would later serve as the sumptuous setting for some very important international events, including the signing of treaties such as the 1783 Peace of Paris which led to the independence of the United States of America, and the 1919 Treaty of Versailles following World War One. 

It remains one of the top tourist attractions in the world.

Audio guides will be available (in 11 different languages) to guide you through the palace, but there is much to take in. Indeed, you might well want to do a little preparation ahead of time. Luckily the official website includes a vast amount of information, including interactive maps:

http://bienvenue.chateauversailles.fr/en/palace/welcome

And of course there is an app for that, as well, or rather, several different apps worth downloading:

http://en.chateauversailles.fr/multimedia-/multimedia-en/mobiles-en

You can also just sit back and watch an hour-long documentary on YouTube:

Regardless, prepare to step back into one of the prettiest pictures in history: Versailles!

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Fromelles and Neuve-Chapelle

On 19 July 1916, Australian troops fought their first battle on the Western Front against well-established German positions, resulting in what is still referred to as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history." Casualties on all sides totalled nearly 9,000, of which 5,533 losses were incurred by the 5th Australian Division. 

Since 1998, those losses are commemorated by the impressive “Cobbers” memorial sculpted by Peter Corlett from Melbourne, Australia. Located just down the road from VC Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial, on the former German defensive line, the Australian Memorial Park also contains the remains of a concrete German bunker.

A cast of this same sculpture remains in Australia, near Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance.

Many of the soldiers who died at Fromelles were buried in mass graves that were then lost. Their location was rediscovered only in 2007; two years later, the remains of 250 Australian and British soldiers were recovered. They were laid to rest in a new British Commonwealth war cemetery In 2010. Fully 75 Australians were identified using DNA technology. 

In 2014, a new museum opened next to the new cemetery: the trilingual (English, German, and French) Musée de la Bataille de Fromelles. Each year since, the European Summer Program has brought students there, and to the nearby memorials, to learn about - and from - what happened at Fromelles and in this war-torn region. 

In July 2016, we will bring students not just to Fromelles but also to nearby Neuve-Chapelle, with its beautiful Indian Memorial, commemorating some 4742 Indian soldiers with no known grave, who died in this same region in World War One (notably at the Battle of Neuve-Chapelle in March 1915) fighting for the British Indian Army. 

Just down the road from the Indian Memorial is France’s only Portuguese war cemetery - a poignant reminder of the scope of this international conflict that permanently scarred this region.

Following our visits to these moving sites, we will take a much-needed convivial break for dinner at a local establishment before heading back to Lille.  

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9 April 1917

At dawn on 9 April 1917, British Commonwealth forces began what would be known as the Battle of Arras with a surprise attack on German forces across several fronts. 

Under the mostly deserted city of Arras, English and New Zealand tunnelers had turned ancient quarries into a vast underground network to accommodate up to 24,000 soldiers. The day before the assault, many had celebrated Easter some 20 metres below ground, in what they had dubbed the Wellington Quarry. At 5:30 that Easter Monday, they emerged into blinding snow to storm the German trenches. 

Long forgotten, the Wellington Quarry or Carrière Wellington was rediscovered in 1990 and opened to visitors as a museum in 2008. The European Summer Program has brought many students here since then.

Meanwhile on 9 April 1917, north of Arras, all four Canadian divisions, working together for the first time, attacked German positions on Vimy Ridge. Many of them, too, emerged from tunnels close to the German lines. 

It was at that point the most rehearsed battle in history, and would prove one of the first notable successes of an already long war.

The battle-scarred ground and reconstructed trenches at Vimy remain a poignant reminder of the many who fought and fell during World War One - la Grande Guerre. 

But the Canadian monument on the highest point of the ridge itself, overlooking the city of Lens and the vast Douai plain, urges us to look not only back into history, but forward, upward, toward peace.

The European Summer Program is an opportunity to explore not just history in a region that has seen more warfare than any other on earth, but also business, engineering, law, art and culture in a place - and a program - that has learned how to bring people together, across the varied boundaries that divide us. So join us. In peace.

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Travel is good for you. Studying abroad is even better. 

(And studying in Lille is best of all, although this infographic does not admit that!)