Study Abroad: Spring 2023

An essay reflecting on my semester in Lyon, France, including thoughts on cultural differences, memorable experiences, my biggest challenges, and the lasting impact of the experience.

During the Spring of 2023, I studied abroad in Lyon, France at l'Université Catholique de Lyon through the University Study Abroad Consortium (USAC). The specific curriculum I was in was meant to be a kind of language immersion process, although students in the program came from a wide range of French experience backgrounds. The program started with a month-long prep course, intended to review grammar concepts that would be useful when taking the language placement exam that would then determine our class group for the rest of the semester. I was ultimately placed into group 18 out of 20, which was a class aimed at ending the semester with a B2+/C1- fluency level. Also, for students who were placed in groups above 15, a weekly lecture on French culture, as well as an elective French topics course were required, therefore, as my choice, I took a class on French business. There were also classes offered through USAC, of which I took a course on the French Bande Dessinee (i.e. French comics), which was a fascinating course, in French, that discussed themes surrounding French literature, comics, and political cartoons as well as their importance to French culture. I absolutely loved my courses, however, something I found to be particularly special was the diversity of students within the classrooms. Our program was part of the foreign students college of UCLY, therefore, the classes were incredibly multicultural, with students from Japan, Korea, Colombia, and a very large quantity from Iran (and many more). Therefore, in the classroom, oftentimes French was the only common language, forcing us to practice our conversational skills, and in the process, learning great amounts about a wide variety of different cultures. Lastly, in the program we had the choice of living in an apartment, or with a French family as part of a homestay. I personally opted into the homestay option, living with a wonderful French woman named Benedicte who did not speak any English. By living with her, my fluency greatly improved, having no choice but to communicate in French, and in turn, she taught me tons about French culture and language nuances that I could have never learned in a classroom.

During my four months in France, I encountered countless cultural differences that exist there that I had never experienced in the U.S. or even on a prior trip to France in high school. One realization is that the French place a massive emphasis on the importance of free time, and a life outside of work. I had previously heard the phrase “Americans live to work and Europeans work to live”, and only that Spring did I realize the depth of its truth. Even as a student, no homework was ever formally assigned, because the education system there believes in the necessity of social activities outside of school to become a well-rounded and successful individual. This is not to say that the classes were not difficult, only that they were significantly less demanding in terms of time requirements outside the classroom. This ideology stands in stark contrast to the American education system where an emphasis is placed on grades and homework, as preparation for a life centered around one's work career. Another massive difference I noticed that has stuck with me since my return home is the difference in food in France. I find it both fascinating and horrifying the amount of American food brands that are simply illegal in France, or that have to redesign their entire product to meet French health standards due to the sheer level of toxins and carcinogens regularly used as ingredients. This goes hand in hand with the fact that in France, there is a plethora of farm fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats constantly available for a reasonable price at every street market and grocery store. This has much to do with the French cultural emphasis on food being one of life's greatest pleasures, however, I think it says even more about the ignorance or even incompetence of the American government to create proper markets and distribution systems to avoid food deserts, as well as a gross lack of concern for the American peoples health and wellbeing. Lastly, one major cultural phenomenon that I experienced first hand was the strikes (the grèves). During the Spring of 2023, President Macron pushed a retirement reform through the government before letting it run its full course of voting and approval. This reform was meant to raise the age of retirement from 62 to 64 in order to increase the pensions provided for the retired. However, this law was widely unpopular due to the fact that there were many other possible options for the government to employ in order to achieve their goal. As a result, widespread protests erupted throughout the country, having a particular ferocity in Paris, however, seeing that Lyon is the second largest city in France, the effects on my everyday life were also plentiful. During the Spring, there were over 20 nationally announced “grève days”, where most public transportation was completely shut down, police presence was rampant, and day long protests would take place throughout the city. I’m aware that protests also occur often in America, with recent examples being the BLM movement, or protests after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. However, in France, the protests took a much larger form, with workers unions joining together to push workers in certain industries to stop working over the course of months in order to persuade government action. At one point a powerful union even shut off power and water access to wealthy politicians to further prompt action. I also watched this movement grow to include many other grievances such as climate change, and discrimination against Muslims. While many of my professors and my host mom believed this to be an insurmountable issue in the sphere of French politics, I quite frankly found it inspiring. In America, I feel we are quite complicit with political decisions, despite the fact that a grand majority of the population is dissatisfied with some (or all) aspects of our governmental policies. Furthermore, due to the extreme polarization of politics in America, unity is hard to achieve in the wake of any major political changes, so seeing a country so unified, working together to achieve a common goal, although maybe a disruptive course of action, was in a way a beautiful thing to witness.

Over the course of my study abroad experience, there were many experiences that were particularly meaningful and memorable to me. Firstly, traveling across Europe and staying in hostels, I was able to make so many incredible friends from such a wide range of backgrounds, many of which I am still in touch with today. In particular, one of my favorite memories was making friends with three Australian girls on the island of Paros in Greece, where we rented ATV’s and spent the day driving around the island, exploring hidden beaches and ruins, stopping for a traditional Greek dinner on a cliff overlooking the entire island’s coastline. Another experience that was particularly incredible was going on a field trip with USAC to the French Alps, where we spent a day snowshoeing through the mountains, stopping to make marshmallows along the way. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of these trips, due to the sheer beauty and unadulterated joy I felt exploring a place that was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Lastly, I have always been a history buff when it comes to Greek mythology, so upon seeing the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, I’m embarrassed to admit that I cried like a baby. Having been so fascinated by mythology stories my whole life, seeing such a massive monument that remains today from over thousands of years ago was one of the most surreal and moving experiences of my entire life. All of these incredible experiences are not to say that there weren’t also great challenges during my time abroad. I am lucky to have had few hardships overall compared to other students who suffered from homesickness or culture shock; however, halfway into my experience, I learned that my mother could no longer come to visit because she had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Not only was this the hardest challenge abroad, but it may have been one of the most emotionally taxing experiences of my life. I had trouble sleeping and focusing in school, however, I am incredibly grateful to have made the most incredible friends in my program who supported me in every way possible to ease my emotional distress. Their love and support, as well as my host mom, helped me stay grounded in the experience, and in the end I feel as though experiencing something so difficult while so far from home helped me grow and mature as a person, forcing me to stay calm and not jump to conclusions to prevent myself from mentally breaking. If anything, I was able to throw myself more into the experience, as a means of staying distracted from my troubles back home. And I am happy to share that my mom is now cured, and a future family trip to France is planned for the near future.

Lastly, my experience abroad impacted how I think of myself and my relationship with society. One of the most important impacts I have realized in myself is my extreme growth in confidence after my time in Lyon. I now feel significantly more confident in my language skills, after having dozens of French people compliment my French accent and grammar (which for anyone who knows the French, that is not an easy feat). I once even had a store clerk ask me where in France I was from since she could not place my accent, and I left the store feeling on top of the world. Furthermore, my general confidence in myself increased greatly; I have always been deeply independent, however, abroad taught me a new level of self-sufficiency. I had never traveled completely alone before, and after a solo trip to Venice, I realized that I’m comfortable having just myself as company, and that I am capable of using resources to get out of any difficult situation. For example, I ended up on a water taxi for much longer than necessary in the middle of the night trying to get to my hostel, being unable to figure out the map that was only in Italian. However, with the use of a special feature on Google Maps, and the help of a few kind Italians, I realized that nothing is impossible unless you make it out to be. Also, as a girl from the suburbs of Connecticut who goes to a rural college, figuring out public transportation at first seemed like a completely impossible task. However, I shocked myself by having it down to a science after only a week and after only a few mishaps of getting on the wrong metro. It may sound extreme, but through these experiences and many more, I now feel like a true adult, a true functioning member of society who is able to figure out any challenging circumstance without having to rely on anyone else; I have never felt so empowered.

To conclude, studying abroad was easily one of the best decisions of my life. I had entered the experience with the original goal of increasing my French fluency, and although my language skills did improve, I think my new knowledge of French culture and values is arguably the most important takeaway of the learning experience. The previously mentioned cultural differences of food, work, and strikes are only a tiny part of my learnings. There are countless other details that I think about on a daily basis and am fascinated by the roots in ancient French history that prevail today, such as their free healthcare and schooling systems, how offensive political cartoons/articles are common place (both going back to various systems put in place under the monarchy and after the French Revolution), how Lyon is particularly religious (because it was the location of the first Christian communities in ancient Roman Gaul), the stark separation of church and state, and countless more examples. Furthermore, coming from a majority white hometown and university, my time abroad was the first time in my life that I had truly experienced diversity; I had never previously realized how sheltered I had been from the beauty of other cultures. Therefore, studying abroad enriched not only my confidence but also my academic experience by exposing me to native French speakers, the country’s robust and deep history that extends into modern societal and political values, and also the beauty of a heavily diverse university that created bonds between vastly different cultures.