Interpersonal Relationships: Angers (AS)

Bethany, Justin, and I at Urquhart Castle at Loch Ness

It is completely strange to me that I am able to call another country and another home my own home. I never thought that I would feel this comfortable somewhere that isn’t in the US. I have to admit that when everything was becoming official and I was going abroad, I was having second thoughts because I didn’t want to leave the life I was living in the US. I’m now extremely thankful that I didn’t let my fears take over. I kept telling myself that it would all be ok; I have lived away from home since I was 14 anyways thanks to boarding school after all. After switching host families, I have found my home away from home. I am almost as comfortable here as I am in my own home in the US; it’s hard to beat the real home feeling though. I have become closer with my host mom, which has been what I wanted out of my host family experience. We have dinner at least three nights a week and we have breakfast together every morning. We are able to talk about nearly anything. When we talk its great because she also has helped me learn a lot of new things about France, the French language, and even just normal household things.

            In the realm of professional relationships I think of my professors. Things are a bit different here than at Allegheny. The classes are relatively larger, and I don’t see my professors around campus as much. There aren’t office hours to which I may just pop my head in for a quick question. Professors here make very little to no attempt to get to know you on a personal level, but sometimes that isn’t a bad thing. They are always very helpful though. Anytime someone has a question about who knows what, the person to ask is usually your Langue professor, which to me seems to be the equivalent of an advisor at Allegheny. I meet with my Langue professor at least once a month to just check in and discuss how things are going.

            The general mood here seems to be pleasant. Whenever I walk into the halls of our main building at CIDEF, I am always greeted by at least one of my peers. Everyone has been really friendly. Studying abroad can be scary when you’re alone and you have to start on a clean slate. This, to me, is also a blessing because it gives everyone a chance to make new friends that will last. It is nice to have people around you that are going through the same feeling and experiences.

The view from Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland

            One thing that is important in French culture is that there are some quirks in the language for certain groups of people. There are certain forms of “you” that are used for peers, and then those who you don’t know, a professional manner, and your superiors. Things feel awkward when you accidentally use the peer form of the verb when you should have used the more formal one. My first thought is always “I hope they don’t think I was trying to be disrespectful”. From what I noticed, this little rule tends to mean a lot, at least I have learned that. There are also ways that you can modify sentences to be more informal, such as when you’re with friends. We have slowly been trying to master all of these differences in our phonetics class; our professor said she wants us to speak like native French students, but maybe with better grammar.

            A bit of information for those who are about to go abroad:

·      Don’t be afraid to make mistakes if you’re going to a country where they speak another language. It will happen. You will sometimes have times where you cant get your point across and become enormously frustrated, but eventually you will be able to with ease.

Some chalk art in London at Trafalgar Square

·      Make friends with people from all over the world.

·      Go out and see your city and everywhere around or near it.

·      If you have a question, ask it. Whether it be before you come abroad or after, you can always email people at Allegheny or even ask professors in your host city.

·      It isn’t necessary to call your parents or sibling everyday (coming from someone who talks to her mom and brother every day. I admit it is weird that I don’t call my mom every day on the way to lunch, she would be mad because its 6am then hehe.)

·      HAVE FUN participate in events! Going out to clubs and bars isn’t necessary to have fun either. But traveling and hanging out with new people always is.

·      Save up some extra cash if you can, it will be worth it in the end.

·      Buy any transportation tickets EARLY. They’re far cheaper.

·      From someone who had to, it is completely OK to have to switch host families if there are issues. My first family was miserable and now I am far happier and adore my host mother.

·      You can always ask someone who went abroad any questions, I’m sure they’d be happy to.

Life abroad may be different, but a change can do a person some good every once in a while. I’m over halfway in my abroad experience and so far my only regret has been that I didn’t switch my host sooner, but that is trivial compared to all of the fun I’ve had and all of the people I’ve met!