This is an X-part series (X because I don’t know how big this series is going to become and I don’t want to commit to a number because what if I come up with more topics in this category, ja feel?) about ~ exchange~.
One year ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to go on exchange to France, where I stayed for seven months. This was the first time I lived on my own outside of Canada and although I wouldn’t say I “found” myself, I did learn a lot about myself and a little bit more about everyone else. Some of my reflections are a bit Euro-centric but otherwise, there are many shared-experiences between everyone who has ever went on exchange – like doing something mundane then randomly realizing you are in another country and internally flipping out – because living abroad changes you I tell ya.
1. Your standards plummet to new lows
Becoming a post-secondary student already lowered my standards by a few levels but on exchange, my standards practically fell off a cliff – or pushed off, if you will – by sheer laziness and a lack of cash flow.
I said goodbye to organic or out-of-season produce, a warm bed (goodbye down comforter, you have been replaced by a blanket scarf and five strategically-placed sweaters), and a utensil-rich lifestyle where you don’t have to wash your dishes right away so that you’d have some for the next meal.
Then there’s ways I had to change which I was surprised I was even capable of doing so. Like, I, Madelyn, who once vomited while sitting in the backseat of a car which was reversing out of a driveway, had to come into terms with loooong bus rides if I wanted to travel more (thank you Gravol for helping me survive that foolish decision to take a 15-hr bus ride back to Paris).
In addition to having lower standards, your sense of shame also diminishes to the level of I-don’t-care-if-anyone’s-watching-I’m-going-to-take-all-these-plastic-forks -out-here-because-I-don’t-know-where-my-actual-forks-are-in-my-mountain-of-dirty-dishes.
After a while you stop caring that your baguette is EXPOSED to the world because French bakers don’t fully wrap your bread up nor give you a bag to hold it in so you’re basically just whipping your baguette around on the subway…
2. You become a crafty expert in the art of living
Being broke forces you to be creative and think outside-the-box. A meat cleaver turned to the side is practically a new plate. You know those plastic baskets that things like strawberries and mushrooms come in at the grocery store? They make great strainers (FYI, don’t judge me on this one because I am not alone – the other day my friend who was also on exchange lamented about the time he melted his produce-basket-strainer by attempting to strain hot pasta).
OK, maybe my lifestyle was a little more… rustic… than the norm but being crafty widens your budget. Why spend money on things you’ll have to donate/throw out in a few months when you can use that money to TRAVEL aka one of the best parts about being on exchange! This is probably what every exchange student tells themselves as they eat sleep for dinner.
Measuring cup = cereal bowl. This was dinner, not breakfast btw.
3. You relationship status with Nutella upgrades.
You think you know Nutella. You love it, even. After studying abroad in Europe, your relationship with Nutella evolves further than it’s ever gone before. Bonus: In Europe, Nutella comes in glass jars which can be repurposed to a cup…please refer to #2 and #1 about having to be crafty and lowering your standards to survive, in case your judgment is creeping in.
Overall, you start creating profound relationships with foods you didn’t really care for much before. Like döner kebabs and anything that you can obtain and consume at the most convenience (i.e. 3 AM) for the least cost.
4. You realize how strong, resilient, and adaptable the human body is.
The human body is amazing. I don’t know how I’m still standing after a few months subjecting myself to multiple flights and long bus-rides every week, constantly skipping meals (Sunday = the day of no eating if you forget to go to the grocery store before noon), barely ingesting any nutrients (since when did fruits & vegetables become so expensive??) but also eating the same foods all the time (on rotation: yogurt + banana + granola, cereal, some variation of eggs, and pasta), and never sleeping because I was too busy roaming my new city with my friends or travelling or cramming schoolwork into the AM. Also, all of this is done while your body is fighting off this weird exchange-illness (an annoying combo of sore throat, dry eyes, and slightly inflamed sinuses) that lasts for at least a month, which everyone on exchange gets.
Paris, by the Seine.
Everything’s good though, because you’re hereeeee (or wherever you decided to go for exchange)
See you next week for Part 2 of Things That Happen to You When You Study Abroad!