**Spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty ahead!**
As someone who recently studied abroad, watching the latest episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty stirred up some frustration in me as I saw how Belly’s study abroad journey has been depicted.
Belly decides after calling off her engagement she is going to study abroad in Paris and books a direct flight that night.
In reality, it took me more than six months of preparation to study abroad. Between financial planning, registering for classes, booking my flights, figuring out housing, completing my visa application, and getting approved by my home university to go abroad- it’s safe to say it wasn’t quite an overnight process.
Also, are we forgetting that the fictional Cousins Beach is supposed to be a small town in Massachusetts? How did the girl get a direct flight that evening?
Belly also manages to fit six months of essentials into a carry-on suitcase and a backpack she packs that evening-which, mind you, includes her wedding dress.
In reality, I brought one large suitcase weighing up to 50 pounds, a smaller suitcase at 30 pounds and a carry-on bag as well as a backpack. It took me weeks to prepare what I wanted to pack and even after, I still had to purchase a lot of things once I landed.
At customs, Belly is granted access into France after saying she is a student despite not having any sort of student visa.
In reality, the process of getting a student visa is tedious, often taking months of collecting documents and booking an appointment at a visa center, consulate, or embassy to finalize your application. Belly would have never been allowed into France just based on the claim that she’s a student planning to study abroad for a semester.
Belly’s new job is also something worth questioning. Despite her lack of a student visa, she gets an under-the-table service job in Paris. Now, this is possible; however, it’s very unlikely. Under-the-table work does exist in France, but it’s risky, and the show skips over the fact that finding a job abroad without a visa is extremely difficult. Not to mention, Belly doesn’t speak much French.
Now, I’m sure I sound cynical. In defense of the series, its depiction of studying abroad is not entirely inaccurate. The fact that once Belly arrives at the university in Paris, she is greeted with the reality that the program she applied for is in fact full and doesn’t have a spot for her is the wake-up call I think we can all agree she needed.
Although Belly cannot attend university in Paris, she is able to take online classes for her home university while abroad, which is totally possible. Of course, the only challenge would be the time difference.
Another realistic aspect of the latest episode was Belly’s feeling of homesickness. Despite the beauty of the foreign city and the Parisian fun, Belly can’t help but miss home. As she FaceTimes her bestie, Taylor, and is filled in on everything happening at home, she feels disconnected. This is definitely something I know I felt abroad, as did many of my peers.
And lastly, the most realistic part of the recent episodes: Belly’s unexpected friendships. My favorite part of my entire study abroad experience wasn’t the food, or the traveling, or the nightlife- it was the friendships I made. The unexpected people who came into my life and made me feel at home in a foreign city.
Based on the trailer for the final episodes, I have hope Belly will find herself in Paris just as so many people who study abroad do. I just hope maybe she can find herself someone outside the Fisher family too.