As much as I love France and am appreciating my time out of the “Wake Forest bubble,” living and studying abroad isn’t all fun and games (no matter what our Facebook albums and Instagram accounts may lead you to believe). Difficulties and frustrations, some expected and some not, arise every day. So as a quasi-continuation of my last blog, a top ten list of my favorite things about being abroad, I’ve now created the opposite: a list, in no particular order, of the toughest, strangest or most frustrating things about life outside the US. Enjoy!
5. French youth
After roughly two and a half months of traveling around France, the youth population (jeunes, as we call them) never ceases to amuse, confuse or sometimes scare me. Fashion is the biggest difference that comes to mind – girls wear high heels, leather everything and designer labels to their Lycées (high schools); boys resemble members of One Direction with a little more hair gel. Inexhaustibly well-dressed and never without a cigarette in hand, they travel in packs of 8 to 15, speaking rapid French. Age is often ambiguous, too – I’m surprised when I see what looks like a group of girls in their mid-twenties head into a high school. Unfortunately, connecting with this subset of the population may not be something I accomplish by the end of the semester.
Typical picture of the types of style French teenagers evoke on a daily basis.
4. No one speaks English
I get that this sounds truly idiotic, but hear me out. In a small town like Dijon, English-speaking tourists are much rarer than in Paris, Barcelona, Venice, etc. Few shopkeepers, waiters or regular adults speak English. For the most part, after months of immersion, communicating has become worlds easier. It’s not always a piece of cake, though – asking for directions from a native is always a challenge (a lot of pointing is involved) and I didn’t realize how much I would miss professors speaking English – and being able to speak in English back to them. It’s the little things!
3. Walk-ability
Dijon isn’t exactly “un-walkable,” but there’s a certain magic associated with being able to wake up 15 minutes before class, throw on leggings and a sweatshirt and make it with time to spare. The university is a 40-minute walk from my apartment so I take Dijon’s futuristic “tramway” system to get there. It seems trivial (because it is a little trivial) but it’s not easy being a 10-minute walk from someone who speaks English. To say I took that for granted at Wake would be an understatement.
One of Dijon’s flashy, futuristic, new (opened in September!) trams.
2. Lack of 3 and 4G
Speaking of taking things for granted, let’s talk about Wi-Fi. It’s very private, very spotty and very frustrating almost everywhere. See something tweet-worthy happening in the park or on the streets? Snap a picture of a gorgeous sunrise or a must-have pair of shoes in the Galleries Lafayette? You might have to wait a few hours before sharing that with anyone. Like most abroad frustrations, though, this has a silver lining: the inability to access various social media outlets leaves you no other choice but to study and speak French (shocking for a French study abroad program, I know).
1. University spirit (or lack thereof)
I wouldn’t call myself the most school-spirited girl, but after spending roughly 15-20 hours a week at the University of Burgundy I find myself thinking of (and missing) Wake’s incessant, endearing emphasis on the strength of its “community.” UB has no Greek life, very few university sports teams and, of course, no RL&H staff to provide weekly barbeques or donut-eating contests (or what have you). It’s a great national university but I feel a strong sense of temporality on campus. I’m not ready to leave France yet, but I will be more than to come home to Mother, So Dear.
A group of us on our first day at the University of Burgundy
*Article by Hannah Storey