Devon Rancourt, second-year master’s student, spent last summer in Belgrade, Serbia, taking intensive Serbian language classes through the American Councils Balkan Language Initiative Program with the support of a FLAS fellowship from the Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies and an American Councils for International Education Title VIII fellowship.
“I spent the first year of my master’s studies at Ohio State learning Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian. Since I came into the program at the beginner level, I wanted to make as much language progress as possible during my graduate studies,” Rancourt said. “So, I decided that studying abroad in a place where BCS is spoken would help me become more proficient in the language and experience the cultures to which it is connected.”
Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian are mutually intelligible, but Rancourt specifically studies the Serbian variant.
On weekday afternoons, Rancourt attended individual Serbian language classes at the Equilibrio Obrazovni Sistem language school.
“Because I was the only student in the class, this was an amazing opportunity to practice speaking Serbian freely, learn at my own pace, and modify the topics covered in class according to my interests,” Rancourt said, “My main objectives for the summer were to build my communicative skills in Serbian and connect with the local culture.”
Rancourt said the classes were integral to developing her conversational skills.
“I came into the program with foundational grammar and vocabulary but hadn’t had hours of sustained conversation practice before,” she explained.
One of the topics she most enjoyed was learning Serbian idioms.
“For example, nemoj da mešaš babe i žabe (don’t mix up grandmothers and frogs). This expression is a Serbian equivalent for comparing apples and oranges,” she said.
“In terms of cultural exchange and informal speaking practice, the most valuable experiences of the summer were the host family placement and weekly language partner meetings, which were both arranged by American Councils,” Rancourt said. “It isn’t always easy to build meaningful relationships with local people during short-term stays abroad, so I was looking forward to meeting my host family and conversation partners.”
Reflecting on her time in Belgrade, Rancourt said some of her most meaningful language practice came from everyday moments with her host family and conversation partners.
“I enjoyed drinking coffee in the morning with my host, who was a retired Serbian language and literature teacher, and listening to her stories or asking her about Serbian recipes,” she said. “I also practiced the language while working on puzzles with my host’s daughter. One of my first vocabulary words of the summer was slagalica (puzzle). With my conversation partners I often went to one of Belgrade’s many cafes, parks or museums. I’ve stayed in contact with one of my wonderful language partners since the program ended.”
After classes, Rancourt explored Belgrade with her fellow program participants, language partners and host family members.
“The ongoing protests in Serbia were a constant presence in the background of my experience in Belgrade,” she said. “At times roads were blocked, public transportation routes changed, signs, stickers and graffiti referencing the protests and the current political situation were all over the city, and a large protest took place during the program on June 28.”
Rancourt also visited other Serbian cities, including Novi Sad, Valjevo and Novi Pazar.
“A memorable excursion was a day trip in the Valjevo region with my conversation partner, her friends and colleagues,” she said. “We visited the Lelić and Ćelije monasteries and went for a hike along the Gradac River.”
Rancourt said her time abroad was deeply rewarding and left her eager to continue exploring the region.
“Overall, I had a wonderful summer, and I look forward to visiting Serbia again in the future,” she said.