A Shakeup at the Last Minute
I am writing this blog post on the plane to France. As last-minute as it may seem, I feel that enough has happened in the past few days (when I was planning to write this post) that my expectations and preparedness are markedly different than they were last week.
Beginning with what has remained constant, I am most excited to develop my French with other students from around the world. I feel that the opportunity to learn French outside of a university context will grant me a much more intimate study abroad experience, and I am certainly looking forward to making friends in my classes. Almost as important as the classes is the resulting immersion that I will get from living in a city to which I have zero existing connections. I’m curious to see how well I can pass as a non-American (or, rather, how quickly an Aixois can determine my nationality). Whether it be relaxing in an outdoor cafe or visiting the calanques on a hot day, I am beyond excited to make a dedicated immersion into the daily life of Provence.
One major recent development has been a change in my housing. Two days before my arrival in France, the Alliance Française informed me that they had to cancel my existing arrangements with a host family and could only offer the hotel student residence instead, an option that was well outside my budget. This was naturally anxiety-inducing, as I was no longer certain that I would have a place to sleep in a foreign country. Yet after heavy searching and many cold emails, I was able to arrange individual housing for a similar budget.
This new arrangement significantly changed my expectations: now, I’m tasked with living alone in France for a month. Although it brings much uncertainty, I feel attracted to that level of independence. I get to take full advantage of public transportation, and I will get to go grocery shopping for myself. In a way, this switch up has pre-exposed me to the immersion in which I’m about to embark. Already, I have had to read housing contracts, communicate quickly via email, and decipher bus schedules, and all of that has certainly boosted my confidence in navigating Provence in the weeks to come.