It’s already been over a month since I left France… it’s crazy how fast time passes! I find myself often thinking back to my time there fondly, even now. I’m so grateful to the SLA program for allowing me this experience!
I wanted to wait to make my final post until after my classes started, so I could write about how big of a change I felt in my ability to understand and speak French. And boy, what a difference did my experience in France! Being immersed in the beautiful language and culture of French did wonders for my comprehension skills–I feel so much more confident in my speaking, listening, and writing abilities. The difference was incredibly apparent compared to where I was last semester, even though I’ve only had two class sessions so far. I think I advanced furthest in my vocabulary and grammar knowledge; I feel like I’m struggling a lot less with forming sentences on the spot and feel better about adjusting my sentence structures from English to French, not just the words.
I brought back many insights and lessons from my time there, but one that I want to talk about is that there’s so much more to learn than just translating things from English to French (and vice versa) in your head. It’s not just changes in grammar, though those are definitely important! The way you greet people is different. The way you send emails and texts is different. Even the way you walk through cities can be different. There’s so much to learn, and it comes much easier than you’d think when you’re really immersed in another country. For me, my experience in France was one giant lesson, and one that I enjoyed learning every second I was there. Being abroad is a time to realize that your way of living and thinking about things is fundamentally different from other people. That’s something that’s easy to say but can really surprise you when you’re there, even if you know it logically.
If anyone reading this is considering applying for a travel grant to France or elsewhere, I’d strongly encourage you to do so. You can see pictures of places like Paris and learn French in a classroom, but I truly think that the full experience is so much more than the highlights. Some of my favorite memories–riding an electric scooter on the busy streets of Paris, taking a spontaneous trip to a neighboring village with my friends, enjoying a peaceful walk along the Loire, laughing with my host family at dinner–were things that you don’t hear advertised as big tourist attractions or activities. They’re the moments that you create yourself, while you’re there, and they’re infinitely more special because of that. The world is there for you to explore, and I really hope that you can get out there and make treasured memories through new experiences out there.
I’d like to once again reiterate my gratitude to the SLA Program and the wonderful people at the CSLC for making this dream of mine come true. Merci, et au revoir!
