Living in a new country can be an extremely rewarding experience. Since I am a double major in Political Science and French, I decided I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone and live in a new country. Specifically, I wanted to live in a French speaking country, so I figured it would be amazing to live in France.
Upon arrival, I could tell I would have some things to adjust to. For example, in France, the ground floor is not considered the first floor like it is in the United States. So, if I lived on the fifth floor in the United States, it would be considered the fourth floor in France. There were many instances while I was there where I would embarrass myself by being on the wrong floor. Looking back, I laugh at these moments where I made innocent mistakes that helped me better understand those little differences of living in a new country.
I experienced minor culture shock, but, honestly, since I was expecting it, I think it made me appreciate the new culture I was getting accustomed to in France. It taught me to be open to learning about how they use language to not only verbally communicate, but to also express their culture through words and sentences. It also made me value the historical significance of certain customs I was learning while living abroad.
Overall, living in France taught me how to live, be independent, and to be adaptable to changes around me. It challenged me to see a new dimension of the world and experience living in a country where my native language was not commonly spoken. It opened my eyes to new possibilities and a new perspective on the world and where I can see myself in the future.
I truly hope that once the pandemic is over, and international travel is available, I highly encourage anybody reading this article to consider living abroad or looking into studying abroad.