Author: sarahblaiser

Hello! My name is Sarah and I will be studying in Aix en Provence, France for the semester. I will be doing my best to navigate a new culture with new people, join me for the ride! :)

Reflection on my Time Abroad

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Looking back on my time abroad, I am so grateful for the experience I had. I traveled to lots of different places, made many new friends, and learned so many things about myself and in school as well. Studying abroad was a difficult decision that took lots of work, but I think it was fully worth it. All of the preparation work was well worth the experience.

Aix was an amazing city to be set up in for my first time living abroad. It was small enough that there was a lot of safety and I was able to come to know many of the locals around me. It was also big enough that I was able to learn history and explore the area. It is close enough to an airport that it makes travel easy, and it has a beautiful Main Street full of things to do. Along with Aix being a great city, IAU was a great school to study at. They offered events after school and within the community to aid in immersing yourself. They offered challenging, but also less intense classes so you could learn but also adjust as well. They have a few buildings on their campus, which makes it feel like you have more freedom and a push to explore a bit. It is right in the city too so you are close to lots of shops and restaurants for when you get breaks.

Another part of my time abroad that I really appreciated was my host mother. She made me feel comfortable almost immediately. She made sure to present the rules of her house and expectations and helped me often with my French. I always felt I could come to her with questions about the language, culture, or honestly anything. As I am home looking back on my time, she is the biggest thing that stands out, and what I miss the most. One thing that was told to me in the prep week before school started, was that any conflict that arose between me and my host family would likely be due to a miscommunication in language. I found this to be extremely true. I did my best to be patient any time we had any confusion because I knew that we probably just didn’t understand each other right. Thankfully my host mother has had many students before me, and was patient as well and knew if I said questionable things, it was likely on accident. This led to lots of laughs.

Another piece of advice is to not take yourself too seriously. With another culture and language, there were lots of laughs, hopefully with me but definitely some at me as well. Adapting to another culture is learning that you won’t always be perfect. Others may be hard on you, some may laugh, but you are learning and that’s all that matters. Take it in stride. You are doing something amazing, don’t let anyone get to you.

By traveling, I not only got to see so much of Europe, but I also became more confident in myself and my abilities. I was able to get myself out of trouble when things went wrong. And when things went right I was able to celebrate. I learned so much about so many other cultures and a lot of French. I was able to take my previous classes in French and learn so much more about the language. I have heard people say that the best way to learn a language is to submerse yourself in it, and I cannot agree more. Do not get me wrong, it is very lonely at first and can hurt confidence a bit, but after trial and error, it really pays off to see how much one can learn. I really saw my French abilities expand and with that, I felt my confidence do so as well. Coming home I now know that I can handle so much more than I originally thought.

Along with the good, there was some bad of course. Homesickness and loneliness can be a tough battle while abroad. I really struggled with it, but I think communication with your host family, family, and friends back home, and even a resource such as school would have helped. If I could go back I would take advantage of those resources for sure. However, it is manageable on your own as well, but it is really important to know that there are lots of ups and downs and you really aren’t alone.

I remember before I went abroad there were so many people who would tell me exactly what I should and shouldn’t do. I think my best advice is to think about it before and do what is best for you. Some people want to travel, some people don’t, some people want to take lots, of classes, and some don’t. Figure out what is best for you and go from there. It is also okay to try one thing, realize it’s not for you, and do something else. It seems really straightforward, but when everything is different around you some of the easiest things become the hardest. Just remember to be patient with yourself and listen to what you need.

Packing Up and Leaving Aix

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The threat of packing had been looming in my mind for many weeks. I am an overpacker and I was stressed because my luggage was overweight on the way to France. Many people suggested buying a second or third suitcase for returning home since it is difficult to not accumulate things. Thankfully I did not need to buy another suitcase, but I know others who did. I began packing about a week before I left because I had lots of finals to study for and a few papers to write. I found this to be more than enough time and left wiggle room for if something broke or if I needed another suitcase. The last week is a bit overwhelming as well because there are lots of final events and saying goodbyes, so allowing yourself enough time is key.

Saying goodbyes are always difficult and this instance isn’t any different. Sad but also very fulfilling to speak with professors one last time. I was able to make a few arrangements to see my friend group before I left. There were a few events organized by the school that I would definitely recommend attending. Connecting and being able to thank the people that made your stay possible is really great. Many of the events incorporated the host families as well, and it was really fun to meet everyone’s families. These events are nice because they give a bit of a reprieve between the packing, finals stress, and looming thoughts of tiresome travel.

The travel day was quite long. We woke up at about 2:30 am to head to the airport. Altogether about 12 hours of traveling. I would suggest getting to the airport a bit early as well because most of the students are leaving on the same day. Unfortunately for us, there was a bit of a strike that day, so the lines were pretty long. But thankfully if you are earlier then this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. This day is very likely going to be physically and emotionally draining, so prepare as much as one can.

One thing I would really recommend is planning a meal or snack to look forward to once you get home. Once I landed my mom took me to get lunch and it was everything I dreamed of. Try to stay up as late as you can to adjust to the time change. The jet lag is inevitable, but trying to stay up and go to sleep at a ‘normal’ time will help immensely.

Returning home is really exciting, but it can also be very overwhelming. I have been over the moon to be home and so excited about all of the positives. However, as with anything, there are some negatives. I have been adjusting to the difference being in a large crowd in the US. You wouldn’t think that it would be that different, but realizing people understand what you are saying kind of took me aback at first. Another thing is adjusting to talking to strangers again. I did talk to random people while abroad in English or French, but not as much as I would consider normal in the States. It was really nice to talk to random people again, but I found it draining my social battery a bit more than I expected. Overall, lots of random things that I am slowly noticing that I wasn’t doing abroad but am doing a lot at home.