I’ll Be There for You: French Friends

    So no one told me life was going to be this way when I came to Rennes. I expected to make friends with other Americans on the program, and do my best to branch out to other students at the university. Admittedly, I had few expectations to become true friends with French students, because a semester goes by quickly in the context of meeting new people, and in keeping friendships strong. Plus, it takes a decent amount of courage and bravery—that I unfortunately do not usually possess—to start conversations with people sitting next to me in the cafeteria or who I run into at bars. Not only can it be awkward in a native language, but it becomes more terrifying in a language I have not mastered. And though it happens more often than I would like to admit, my fears sometimes get in the way of putting myself out there. That being said, I am lucky to say I have made a close friend since arriving in France, and a handful of others along the way.

It started with our three-day orientation in Paris. Nervous, jetlagged, and unsettled, I was just happy to have met some other Americans to share my experience with. What I did not expect was to meet one of the most important people to me during my semester abroad. Aside from the program director and student services coordinator, we met three “monotrices”—French students who would be spending the weekend in Paris and all other excursions with us. I did my best to put myself out there, and it worked in my favor. That night, I hit it off with Indirah (Indih). She was warm, welcoming, and genuinely wanted to get to know me. It also did not hurt that she was patient with my broken French and encouraged me to keep trying. Quickly realizing how well we got along, I decided to join her group of students in Paris and stick with her for the rest of the weekend. I remember hoping she was serious about wanting to hang out once we got back to Rennes.

Fast forward to my friendship with Indih now. We have come a far way from our “Team Unicorn” days in Paris with the other students. In Rennes, we see each other at least once or twice a week to do anything and everything together. It may be grabbing dinner before seeing a movie, trivia night at Funky Munky, or spending the evening in her apartment watching Le Meilleur Pâtissier. We even met up when I was in Paris with my host mom to spend the day together. Now, we are planning a few weekend adventures before I head home at the end of the semester. And as for the way we communicate, speaking French with her has proven helpful for me, and I have been helping her with her English. Being friends with Indih is a true exchange, and something I have profited from more than I could have ever imagined.

I have also been fortunate enough to become friends with Pierre-Antione—a French student who lives with my friend’s host family. From the beginning he has invited us to grab a drink at night, come over to watch a movie, and taught us how to make crêpes. And then there is Chandala, Indih’s friend, who is always around to grab dinner and join us when we hang out.

Though I am always grateful to make new friends, I have a greater appreciation for the friendships I have made here with French students. First of all, being friends with them has given me a chance to expand my horizons while in Rennes, and learn more about the culture in this region. Indih and Pierre-Antoine are constantly giving me tips and tricks for living here, and taking me to all of the cool places that I would not have known about otherwise. Plus, though much of our conversations are a mix of French and English, I have learned so much French by speaking with them. They have explained many of the little phrases that do not translate directly to English, taught me how to speak in more informal terms, and even helped me improve my accent. And I have to give them credit for their undying patience when I speak or search for a word I do not know. They are never anything but helpful and encouraging, which is sometimes hard to come across here in daily exchanges. Without them, I am not sure if I would truly feel like I understood the culture of my generation in France, let alone felt as though I was a part of it. It is mainly due to the two of them that I have profited from my semester abroad so far. The friendships I have created here have helped me realize that sometimes it is the smallest of things that have the greatest impact on an experience.

Alexandra Nicoletti

St. Lawrence University