Adventure in Montpellier

For the past five years, I have been taking French classes in high school and my first year at Notre Dame. French is language that I find both a challenge to relish and an opportunity for me to express my creativity. Whether it is all the different conjugations of the passé composé or the many kinds of expressions I can use to express an argument, French has been a great outlet for me to exercise my brain in a different way than other subjects I enjoy such as math and economics. Because of my many positive experiences with learning French, I now am interested in working abroad in another country, especially a Francophone one. However, what I learned in the classroom can only get me so far, especially because I have never been to France. Therefore, traveling to France will get me more accustomed with the language and culture, which is needed if I want to spend longer periods of time over there.

That is why I am super pumped to be able to spend eight weeks in Montpellier this summer. For me, I am looking forward to taking advantage of its location along the Mediterranean with its many beautiful beaches as well as the festivals that will be going on in June plus all the museums and other attractions that the city provides. Most importantly, being able to be in an immersive environment by staying with a French family will dramatically increases my grasp of the language where I won’t just be speaking and studying French 1 hour a day like I do here in the USA. I am animated to meet so many new people and make personal connections in a different country since I was not able to go to France my junior year of high school due to Covid. This summer is going to be a great first step towards one day me being able to work and travel regularly abroad, and I cannot wait!

This is a photo of Montpellier’s “Place de la Comédie.” It is a huge downtown area that I will definitely be walking through many occasions during my time at Montpellier.