If there is one thing that I would suggest that every
student do, regardless of his or her major, it would be to spend at
least one semester abroad. I was lucky enough to spend the academic
year of 2002-03 in Rennes, France and Seville, Spain.
Located in Brittany, Rennes is a small university town of about 200,000 of
which thirty percent are students! I remember well considering where to apply – Should
I go to Paris? Or Nantes? Perhaps Mali? I chose Rennes because it seemed
to have just what I was looking for. It has a smaller town feel, but you
will certainly not run out of places to see, things to do, or people to meet.
You are also only two hours away from Paris, with trains leaving about ten
times daily. In Rennes, your classrooms will not be full of other Americans
like many programs – my peers and new friends are students from Thailand,
Brazil, Peru, Vietnam, El Salvador, Serbia and more. Since French is the
only language you will probably have in common, you learn lots about other
people as well as experience different approaches and ideas that people hold
about the French. With the Council programs there is also an option to enroll
in University classes with the French students, which is where I met most
of my French friends with whom I still keep in contact.
One of the things that I miss most about my time abroad
is the amazing public transportation systems. In France I lived with
a host family about thirty-five minutes from the university, first
taking the bus downtown and then riding the metro along with many,
many other students. The schedules are always very accurate, coming
every few minutes until the small hours, and then running once every
hour for those memorable late nights out with friends. I also decided
to take advantage of the bike paths that cover every major route as
well as many smaller roads. With my chic black, hot pink and
purple second-hand road bike, I made the 15 kilometer trek over the
well-paved paths and lanes strictly reserved for cyclists almost everyday
for two months despite the frequent Breton mizzle. (I would not recommend
taking off one’s wet sandals in a French classroom!)
Four months in another country and language is only a tease – it will
pass faster than you can fathom, you’ll be just getting comfortable
when it is time to leave. My sincere advice to anybody that really wants
to become proficient in another language is to ask lots of questions and
to not be bashful– even if you might think you know the answer. Your
host family is one of the richest resources that you’ll have – enjoy
them as much as possible. Also, stick around your city or region as much
as you can – try not to spend every weekend in a different European
city because this is when the other students are hanging out and getting
to know each other, and so should you!
