A Typical Day in My Life in Rennes, France

Hi, I’m Evi-Jane, I am a current junior from Furman University studying abroad in Rennes and this is what a typical day in my life looks like.

I wake up around 8-9 depending on when my earliest class is, and like to take my time getting up and ready for the day. I pick out my outfit for the next day, the night before, so my mornings are easy and stress-free. I’ll do my makeup while watching a little bit of TV or checking emails, and then go downstairs for breakfast. My host family taught me how to use a French press, so every day I make my morning coffee and eat either some scones, fruit, or rice cakes while watching TikTok or texting my friends. Very Gen Z of me, I know. My host parents are normally gone by the time I go downstairs for breakfast, so I eat alone, which I enjoy because I am pretty sleepy in the morning.

After breakfast, I get all of my school things together and begin my commute to school at around 10 am. Luckily, I live close to a metro station, so my commute is just a mix of walking and the metro. It normally only takes 20–25 minutes for me to get to school, which is nice when I am running late! At the beginning of the semester, I was a little hesitant about public transit because it has never been available to me in the States. However about 2-3 days after my first time taking it, I was able to fully navigate anywhere I needed. There are maps and directions in the metro and in the stations which make travel much easier. I also use the app “STAR l’appli” which is basically a better version of apple/google maps specifically for public transit in Rennes. I can put in my destination, and it will tell me which metro/bus I need to take to get there. I think that there is definitely a bit of a culture shock when it comes to the metro here, especially for someone who has never been exposed to public transit much in the past. It can be stressful at times, but it is a learning experience about life in a big city as well as life in France. As long as you have some headphones and a good playlist, the metro is a piece of cake!

Classes here are 2 hours long, so when I have a lot of classes in a day, I make sure to bring snacks if I know it is going to be a while before or after lunch. My class schedule changes every day, so depending on the day I could have one hour of class or eight. This was a bit of a shock coming from Furman University where we have the same schedule in block-like class times. My favorite class is Civilization because my professor really loves what he is teaching and makes jokes all of the time. In civilization we learn about France’s history and how France was defined in different periods of time. He is the closest professor I must that of a professor in the States. The teaching style is very different in France compared to the United States. Teachers use lecture style in every one of my classes, there is little to no group work, as well as no time talking with the professor one on one. Furman University is known for its strong relationships between professors and students, as it is a small school, and our professors want to know us so they can help us succeed. I was expecting that same kind of relationship with professors in France, but it is not quite the same. We can still talk to them obviously, but there is no such thing as office hours or meetings with professors if class seems to be getting tricky. The students at my host institution are also very different than college students in the US, mainly because most of them are above the age of 25 and they are all international like me. Making friends can be tricky because French is the common language, but also the age differences make it a little bit harder to connect and relate to others. However, the students themselves have only ever been nice and happy, and I urge other students to make sure to sit with new people who are not, in my case, other Americans in order to branch out. It is important to learn about other cultures, and what better way than to talk with someone from that country!

After classes, I usually go to the Resto-U at school, that has really yummy and reasonably priced food, so most if not all school days you will find me there with my friends. I am Celiac, so I was nervous about finding food there, but every day there is an allergen menu with what I can and can't eat. The chefs are very nice and understanding if I ask questions, which is reassuring. After lunch, if I don't have more classes, I almost always go to a café with my friends to do work or hang out. There are a lot of cafés in Rennes, but some of my favorites are Gang Café and Enchanté. The atmosphere in both is inviting and cozy, which is nice to escape the busy city. They also both have gluten-free dessert options and are decently priced! We also love going to the park, there is nothing better than a sunny day in Parc du Thabor.

After doing homework and potentially shopping, I go back home around 6 pm most days. I like decompressing from the day by cleaning my room or calling my family and friends. We eat dinner in my host family at 8 pm on the nose every night, so before that I help set the table and get everyone drinks. We normally just have a family style meal with the main dish and sides on the table for all of us to serve ourselves. We occasionally will have an appetizer of carrots or soup, but not regularly. We also don't have dessert regularly, but when we do its not what dessert looks like in the US. Because I am Celiac and mostly vegetarian, we eat a lot of vegetable-based meals. My host mom is a really good cook, and her food is always really flavorful and healthy. We eat vegetable crumble a lot as an entrée, and we always have cheese and corn cakes/crackers on the table as a filler. Dessert in my host family tends to be fruit based – normally a puree or compote and never has any added sugars or syrups. Occasionally we have rice pudding, which is very French, which is not my favorite but is definitely an experience. I like to buy chocolate bars to eat if I need a little treat in the day, so I am never let down when we don't have dessert at the end of dinner Dinner is not very long in my host-family compared to others in my program, but we talk about subjects ranging anywhere from my day, to US politics, to my host dad’s photography. It is a bit of a culture shock to see how confidently French people will ask about politics in the US, but it is also not as serious or polarized in France as it is in the US, and I tend to find myself more comfortable talking politics. When dinner is finished I help clean up and load the dishwasher with my host mom. After that I will go upstairs to shower and finish up homework. After I am ready to go to sleep, I get in bed and will have some last-minute phone time. Then I wake up and do it all again! 

I will go out occasionally on Thursdays or Fridays to the local pub with my friends, but I really love a calm night in. It is also a struggle for me to feel confident on the metro at night, just because it is still new for me, however I have naver had an experience where I have been unsafe. I just get in my head easily!

Life is much slower paced here, which is very different from what I am used to and has taken time to get used to. Living here is an experience that I am so grateful to have, but there are definitely times where I miss the United States and the customs I am used to. For any future students, I would say to prepare yourselves for a full 180 in terms of the way life is lived, but to embrace it and try to play into the changes. I find myself trying to cling on to US cultures and lifestyles, but we are only in France once and it is important to learn and embrace the way they live.

Evelyn-Jane GARNETT 

Furman University 

CIEE-Rennes LA - FALL 2024