Studying abroad has been one of the most emotionally taxing things I have ever done

There are challenges that you must face in another country that can sometimes be discouraging. However, as cliché as it is, these challenges helped me learn so much about myself and the French culture. My time in France has brought many ups and downs, both of which I would like to share with you.

 I’ll start with the scariest issue for all students studying abroad: culture shock. I knew it was going to happen to me, but I just didn’t know how it would manifest itself. I expected culture shock to be caused by large problems, such as the language, or missing American food, or missing my family. It is all of those things and more. It’s a very complex, indescribable feeling of frustration and sadness, sometimes over the simplest of things. Silly little things like walking around the house barefoot or eating with my hands instead of using silverware for everything. As crazy as it sounds, I even miss American light switches. I would like to say that I finally made peace with these little things, and some days I did. However, culture shock is not a simple “w” graph, but a wild roller coaster where some days I liked the light switches and unrefrigerated milk, and some days I just didn’t.

I thought learning French would occur at a very rapid, constant rate. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Some days I understand the language incredibly well, I speak well, and engage in good conversation. Then some days I don’t understand anything because my brain is just exhausted from listening to French all the time. It is never consistent, and I wake up every morning wondering if my French is going to work or not. This is frustrating because I feel I cannot truly express myself. It saddens me to know that my host family will never know my true personality because I cannot thoroughly express it in French.  

Living with a host family is definitely one of the best parts of studying abroad, but the French family dynamic takes some getting used to. I really like my host family; they are so helpful and like to know what’s going on in my life. They have two kids around my age who will help me if I need it and are fun to talk to about anything. However, it can be a challenge sometimes as I’m used to living on a college campus instead of someone else’s home or having someone else responsible for me. Living on campus also has the advantage of being able to just walk practically anywhere. In France, I have to take public transportation all the way to class, and I am not a fan. On-campus housing does not exist in Europe, and it makes the university feel impersonal, which was a little hard to get adjusted to.

With that aside, I think I’m going to miss France. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the food here is amazing! Not a lot of it is premade and full of preservatives like in America. The wine is also incredible and so cheap. A cheap bottle of wine here tastes magnitudes better than a bottle for double the price in America. I am also going to miss how the French basically drink like it’s water. I’m convinced wine is a food group here, since it is an essential part of almost every meal. When the French aren’t drinking wine, they’re drinking coffee, and they know how to make a good cappuccino. I will also miss the accessibility of truly homemade food, made with local products. America does not have a very wide array of cafés, sandwich shops, or restaurants that do this. When you do find one, it is usually quite pricey. I have also gotten used to eating dinner late in the evening, which is probably a practice that I will miss when I go back to America.

I think I’ll also miss the travel and culture here. I can travel pretty much anywhere in Europe for a relatively low cost, and there are plenty of great things within an accessible distance. France has history everywhere you look, with architecture at least twice as old as anything in America. Being surrounded by everything French will be strange when I return back home. I have become so used to listening to French and experiencing the history everywhere I go, it’ll be strange to hear everyone speaking English and all the industrial buildings.

I am very excited to head back home and share all of my experiences, good and bad, with my friends and family. I guess it’s a bittersweet good-bye: I’m leaving so much behind, but I’ve also gained so much experience to take back with me.

Aerotine MacWhinnie

Washington and Jefferson College ‘18