How to see more of the world and create a meaningful experience in your host city during study abroad?
Hello from Portugal! I am currently on the bus from Porto to Lisbon, and reflecting on some of my travel experiences now that I’m halfway through my study abroad this fall in Paris, France. I am in an immersion program designed to improve my French skills and gain credit for my French major while staying with a host family from Paris. But of course, I am in a prime destination to see some of the beauty of Europe…
So how do you find a balance? How much travel is too much, and what can you do to make each location worthwhile? During my program, these are some of the questions I have been wrestling with, and I’d like to share my perspectives in hopes it will help if you find yourself heading overseas yourself while in college.
I firmly believe studying abroad is more than four months to travel across Europe. Your host city is not designed to be a launch point for your next journey, it is made to be an adventure on its own. To be abroad is to have the one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to integrate into a city, to learn its culture and quirks, and to engage in routines and rhythms of the people that live there.Â
For me, that looks like eating dinner with my host family four times a week, playing my clarinet in a local orchestra, having a go-to place for espresso and pain au chocolat, reading french novels in lovely jardins and playing “Les dames” (a french twist on checkers!) with locals at a cafe in the 20e arrondissement.
Nevertheless, I have spent five of the last eight weekends on the road or in the air somewhere, and am now on vacation for ten days for my fall break… is this too much time away to be fully immersed?
Before I went abroad, I reflected on my objectives for the experience. Doing this was a helpful exercise– it allows you to create an anchor for the semester and stay true to your values and dreams. While each person will have a different set of goals while abroad, my center looks like this:Â
- Improve my French and learn more about French culture
- See new places and engage meaningfully with them
So for me, it is not just about immersion, it is about keeping an open mind and interacting respectfully with the world around me. That for me has meant visiting regions in France, and a few other neighboring countries.Â
I have so far visited Marseille, in the south of France, Bordeaux, in the West, and Normandie in the North. It has included a trip to Munich, Germany, for Oktoberfest, and Portugal and Spain for ten days during my fall break.
Visiting different French regions has been a very exciting way to hit all of my objectives– language opportunities, cultural expansion and adventure. I have seen beautiful wine regions, the Mediterranean sea, and the English influence where borders shape both shared history and architecture. In each, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with French locals and learn about beautiful cities in France through regional dishes, art and history.
My trips to other countries have allowed me to put my love for France in perspective: how does German architecture compare to that of France? I found that churches in Munich are more ornate while those in Paris are more regal yet simple. Does wine from Porto, Portugal, taste different from wine from Bordeaux… Yes! It’s sweeter!Â
My favorite memory so far was visiting the iconic Lello Bookstore in Porto, and picking out a collection of Portuguese poems– as I considered both the French and English translations, an employee spoke to me in French and recommended I take the French version– it would be closer in translation due to similar language structures– how cool!
Each trip has allowed me to recharge, expand my curiosity, and return to Paris with a revived passion to dive even deeper into my immersion experience.Â
If you are set to study abroad in college, I encourage you to think of ways you can get engaged in the culture of your host city. Then, tailor your experience with travel to complement your immersion. While many choose to jet-set every weekend, to hit as many countries as possible and to leave an instagram trail of proof, I couldn’t be happier at the thought of spending my last seven weeks immersed in Paris, France.
After all, Europe… I hope I’ll be back soon:)Â
“Simple exchanges can break walls down between us, for when people come together and speak to one another and share a commom experience, then their common humanity is revealed.”
— Barack Obama