1. Don't be afraid to speak the language just because everybody in that town speaks it perfectly.
2. Make friends in class, they will make the trip so worth it.
3. Plan a weekend trip to go out of town. I was stuck in a tiny town for four weeks and did not go on a fun weekend trip that I liked. While in Europe, TRAVEL. I am extremely bummed that we did not get to go to Paris or the beach or Southern France at all.
4. With that being said, make a list of places you want to go before hand. Start making this list the second you know you are studying abroad, or even months or years before you even know you are going.
5. Make sure you have enough time to get places via train and plane. Trains run late and so do flights and it is no fun sprinting through the biggest airport in the country.
6. Also, make sure you don't have 7 hours to burn at the airport like I did. It was awful and there was nothing to do but watch movies.
7. Setting your mind on souvenirs you want to find can be disappointing. All I wanted was a sweatshirt that said France but because I did not travel much outside of my little town, there were no sweatshirts that said France to be found and I was, and still am, very disappointed.
8. Go to as many school activities as you can. I went horseback riding through the French countryside, hiked a volcano, and went to some cute little towns. Even if some excursions weren't that fun, those are the only souvenirs I have and I cherish them.
Tips:
-Even if you think a windbreaker/rainjacket and a cardigan are good enough to keep you warm, they aren't. BRING A JACKET.
-Bring anti-itch cream. There are bugs even in the prettiest of places.
-If you think you start to like someone either from your school group or from this new country and are in a relationship already, tell your significant other immediately or they will be heartbroken when they find out about it a week after you are "happily" back together.
-Go out and do things. Even if you only have an hour until your host mom's dinner is ready. They know you will be out doing things.
-However, don't be disrespectful and show up late to dinner. I never did show up late and I'm glad I didn't. Don't ruin your relationship with your host family because you are being rude. These are connections that will come in handy if you ever want to couch surf in Europe.
-Get your host family a gift relating to your hometown. I gave me host mom a book about the Grand Canyon and she didn't seem to excited but she just posted a picture on Facebook of Havasupai Falls. :)
-Try new food. And wine. Even if you hate it.
-Be courteous to your teachers, classmates, store owners, and host-family.
-Do everything in your power to stay busy so you don't get homesick.
-If you get homesick like I did, it's okay to cry and let it out. Talk to a friend you are close with and maybe they will be feeling the same way. I was really homesick and home alone one night because my mom and sister were out of town and I could not stop crying so I messaged Siobhan on Facebook and it turns out she went through the same things a couple days before. We went out for dinner together and talked and had a blast and felt much better.
It's a totally different experience and very nerve-wracking but if you stay busy and know of fun things to do, you will be fine. Even if a 30 minute picnic in the park with your friends is all you can do, it's the little things. :)
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Musings #1
The last two weeks and the month after France were so busy I couldn't keep my head straight. School became so much easier and I made a lot of friends. Me and my host family went to a concert together and visited some of their friends. The kittens were getting so big already and my host mom started giving them away one by one which made me a little sad. I got a new teacher for my first class, Margot who was really really nice. She made class a lot more comfortable and even convinced me to do a presentation that ended up being a half hour!! I would never have been able to stomach that before I went to France.
My last couple nights in France, my school group and Madame Bauge and I went out for dinner and I had the best seared pork that was medium rare!! I even tried frog legs, escargot, and some other French plates. It is almost necessary to become adventurous while you are abroad and if you aren't willing to try new things, then why are you in a new place?
My last night, Robert and I went to the CAVILAM club downtown where we met up with some of my friends from class. It was so much fun and I was really sad to leave them.
Leaving Vichy was the saddest part. I had to say bye to my host sister, Rosie, a couple days before I left because she went to her grandmothers house in Paris. She started crying and it made me start crying on my walk to school. Even though we weren't able to communicate THAT well, I can honestly say we became very close and it was hard to leave each other.
My host mom and her boyfriend took me to the train station where I met Siobhan and Robert to take the train to Lyon. That was also a very tearful goodbye, and my host mom gave me bisous for the first time. I was tearful on the train but it was a long ride and was able to fall asleep for a little bit.
We reached Lyon and had to figure out how to get to the airport via the shuttle and after waiting a half hour, we got on the shuttle. We got to the airport like 7 hours early which was a TERRIBLE idea. We couldn't check in until 2 hours before and the Lyon airport is so tiny there is nothing to do. There isn't even a souvenir shop. I got lost in London, lost my boarding passes for the next day and became extremely upset in front of the lady at the front desk because I was so overwhelmed with flying. But everything turned out fine, they helped me print out a new boarding pass and I ended up sitting next to Michael and his dumb friend Erika on the plane. When we got back in Arizona, Michael and I broke up because of how close he became with Erika while they were studying abroad in Spain but things are looking up.
When Mom and Dad picked me up, it was 120 degrees out. Culture shock immediately set in. Vichy was such a small town, going back to Phoenix was overwhelming but also kind of refreshing.
My last couple nights in France, my school group and Madame Bauge and I went out for dinner and I had the best seared pork that was medium rare!! I even tried frog legs, escargot, and some other French plates. It is almost necessary to become adventurous while you are abroad and if you aren't willing to try new things, then why are you in a new place?
My last night, Robert and I went to the CAVILAM club downtown where we met up with some of my friends from class. It was so much fun and I was really sad to leave them.
Leaving Vichy was the saddest part. I had to say bye to my host sister, Rosie, a couple days before I left because she went to her grandmothers house in Paris. She started crying and it made me start crying on my walk to school. Even though we weren't able to communicate THAT well, I can honestly say we became very close and it was hard to leave each other.
My host mom and her boyfriend took me to the train station where I met Siobhan and Robert to take the train to Lyon. That was also a very tearful goodbye, and my host mom gave me bisous for the first time. I was tearful on the train but it was a long ride and was able to fall asleep for a little bit.
We reached Lyon and had to figure out how to get to the airport via the shuttle and after waiting a half hour, we got on the shuttle. We got to the airport like 7 hours early which was a TERRIBLE idea. We couldn't check in until 2 hours before and the Lyon airport is so tiny there is nothing to do. There isn't even a souvenir shop. I got lost in London, lost my boarding passes for the next day and became extremely upset in front of the lady at the front desk because I was so overwhelmed with flying. But everything turned out fine, they helped me print out a new boarding pass and I ended up sitting next to Michael and his dumb friend Erika on the plane. When we got back in Arizona, Michael and I broke up because of how close he became with Erika while they were studying abroad in Spain but things are looking up.
When Mom and Dad picked me up, it was 120 degrees out. Culture shock immediately set in. Vichy was such a small town, going back to Phoenix was overwhelming but also kind of refreshing.
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