My Thoughts on Studying Abroad (for now)

I go back to Virginia next month. 

Just let that sink in. 

I KNOW. I can't believe it either. This time abroad has flown by. We students joke that the months fly by but the weekdays take freaking forever. (Sitting in French grammar classes for three plus hours seriously slows time down.) 

The other day I was wandering around the internet and saw this forum titled "is studying abroad worth it?" 

Yes, yes, a thousand times YES. 

I cannot tell you how much I have learned in the past few months. Not just how to speak French, but I've also learned so much about other cultures and met some of the most amazing people. And now Facebook only suggests that I friend Columbian users. Ha!

(And don't laugh too hard, but my geography is so much better! I can actually visualize where countries are in the world. I said not to laugh!)

I'm more curious and ready to explore the rest of the world after this trip. I cannot wait to visit Columbia, Switzerland, Brazil and heck, the entire world. The students I've met here have been so warm and friendly and I cannot wait to meet their countries. 

I've learned that while the rest of the world doesn't have a very high view of Americans and America, it doesn't mean they won't give you a chance or help you learn. But they'll also make a lot of jokes about your nationality. My advice? Don't take anything personally. 

If you are willing to learn, people are willing to help you.

I'd like to think that I've really come out of my shell and tried new things. I've found my boundaries. I know when to step out of my comfort zone and when to stick to my guns. 

I've learned to trust people and to say yes to things that are completely new to me. Fake enthusiasm will take you far (sometimes it won't, but that's okay.) And hand motions will take you even farther! 

The other day I walked into a café for a latté and the baristas were snacking on beer and osyters. As I waited for my latté I watched them. The Quebecois are an insanely friendly group of people so they started speaking to me and I responded (in French).  

They asked me if I liked raw oysters, so I said yes. (I had no idea, I'd never eaten one before. But I like seafood, so why not?) I'd seen Anthony Bourdain slurp raw oysters on his show, and I figured if he could do it, so could I! 

That experiance never would have happened a few months ago. But here! Here I posses a certain boldness. I'm growing a little fond of this feeling. 

The oysters were amazing. Slippery little things in a shell filled with lemon juice. I ate several. 

And of course I tried the beer. It was awful, just as I suspected. I mean, who drinks spicy beer? Yoikes. 

(...and I should mention that prior to this tasting, I'd just consumed an insane amount of poutine and hamburgers. Somedays I live like a frat boy.) 

And to keep this post real, I should note that things can be hard here. But not once have I been homesick or wished to be elsewhere! I think that says something very good about Quebec and my school program. 

The first few weeks were very difficult. Not terrible, not horrible, just difficult. My mantra the first few weeks was "this isn't bad, just different." It was hard not being able to communicate, especially because I am a talker. But after the first two weeks of acclimation everything became so much easier. Everything continues to become easier every day. 

*I do think that being curious and wanting to be here helped!* 

It's hard to live in a household where there isn't that much privacy and I can't do everything I want. For an independant girl, it's a little hard to be controlled or to feel like I'm being controlled. 

And oh my goodness. The questions! Meet any Quebecois person and they will ask so many questions. It's typical Quebecois! But for me (and apparently South Americans) it's very off-putting and I feel interrogated most days. 

I really do love Quebec City. It possesses a small town vibe which I appreciate. I love that I see the same people on the bus every morning and that I run into other students almost every weekend.

I hated living in D.C., but I could see myself living happily in this city one day. And since Quebec always wants young immigrants, this is a distinct possibility. 

I can't imagine not being here right now. It feels so right and I can say that I haven't been this happy in a long time. I feel like this is one of the first big steps in my life that will help me figure out what I truly want to do with me life.

And I am okay with taking life a little more easy and trusting the process. 

The French Days of Old

*I found this little essay in the chaos of my desktop. I figured it's still applicable! And what better blog to post it on than this one?*

I've just finished my final for my intensive summer French class. It was a 930 word essay based on a French mystery novel. 

I'm currently experiencing three distinct emotions: extreme fatigue, elation and longing for more. 

The extreme fatigue comes from having worked 20 hours every weekend during this class and having pulled half-nighters for the last two weeks. (There was so much homework. My word. I even started texting people in French!) 

The reason for my elation is fairly obvious- I can now have fun! Its summer and I'm free as a bird! I've got grand plans to go shopping, finalize my Canada itinerary and catch up on my sleep. 

The longing for more is a little strange, I'll admit. But even as hard as these past five weeks have been, I know I'm this much closer to being prepared for Quebec. 

I had surprisingly high marks on my oral exams, which makes me a little more comfortable for my oral placement exam I have to take in order to enroll in the Quebec program. *yay*  Apparently my partner and I speak more quickly in French than the other students in our class. 

But I'm most proud of how much I've progressed since the spring semester. Back then I struggled to make basic sentences, much less hold a five minute conversation (my oral exams!)  I also earned much higher marks on my written exams- I attribute this to my professor. 

She was/is fantastic. She was enthusiastic, helpful and pushed each of us to step out of elementary French boxes.

Now I have to figure out how to study and maintain my French during the rest of the summer. I bought a new phrase book and a box of 1000 flashcards via Amazon, and I think I'm going to start trying to read children's books in French. 

But now it's time to celebrate! I'm off to have lunch with my French buddy, Megan.  

joyeux anniversaire

I realized last night that this week marks my one year anniversary in my French journey.

A year ago I was sitting in a classroom in Combs Hall petrified about learning a language. I had no prior experience with another language and had absolutely no idea about what to expect.

I was pretty certain that I was going to fail. That I was going to earn a failing grade for the next four semesters.

But it turns out that I'm not completely a failure at this whole learning a language thing.

I worked my way up from a B- to an A- in three semesters. I wrote a 900+ word essay completely in French during an intensive summer program. Now I'm studying French abroad.

And a year ago I had no inkling that any of this would occur.

This realization came at the best time. Speaking French is not easy and it's hard not to feel like you will never get better at it. Which is how I feel 24/7 right now.

Throw in a little homesickness, living in a new environment and you have a great case of the blues.

But if I look back over how much I've accomplished in the past year, and the solid grammar foundation I've built, I can be hopeful about the future.

I know, I know. The first few weeks are the hardest. I'm finding that out, y'all. But nobody can prepare you for how hard. I want to talk and talk and talk in French, but it's just not possible. Yet. But it will be.

In my head I can my dad's encouraging voice telling me to take it one step at a time.

That's what I'm doing. After classes, I work on vocabulary and finish up homework. At dinner our host parents ask us questions about our day and they make us talk. No oui or non answers for them!

It's interesting to compare my current struggles with last year's struggles. A year ago today I didn't even know what a verb conjugation was nor how to pronounce a French sound. At this moment, I can conjugate so many verbs and my French pronunciation is a trillion times better.

Baby steps, y'all, baby steps.

Happy anniversary to me! I'm excited to think about where my French skills will be next year. I'm hoping that I'll be able to read books.

I think tomorrow I'll buy myself a celebratory crepe. Or a cupcake. Or the biggest latte imaginable. Or all three.

I have goals.

My Story

Bonjour! I don't think I've ever been quite this excited to write a post before.

My name is Della, I'm a college student with simple goals: to graduate college and explore the word. Since I've still got a few more semesters to go until I receive my diploma, I decided to work on my other goal: traveling this beautiful world.

Growing up my six siblings and I frequently played with the big blue atlas and spinning globe, putting to use the knowledge we had previously acquired after devouring the latest issue of National Geographic.

We would daydream about faraway places with unusual names. We would spin the globe, close our eyes and randomly pick out a country that we wanted to live in. Who needed geography lessons after this?

Having a father in the military who has traveled to nearly every country only furthered my longing to see more of the world. I remember when I was about eight I asked him to list all the countries he had visited- I was enthralled and curious.

I like to think that I am well suited to living and traveling abroad. I like to be alone when discovering and processing new things. As one of seven kids, I'm used to and enjoy chaos, as well as having learned to be flexible as plans change and unravel. (A trait I inherited from my mother.) As a novice writer, I believe these experiences to be necessary not only in broadening my world views, but also in developing and refining my voice as a writer.

My writing heros are Ernest Hemingway, Anthony Bourdain and Gerald Durrell. Bold, courageous and daring writers each with a unique perspective on life and humanity. Just the type of writer and person I want to be.

A global perspective is essential for a writer and I'm determined to gain one. I've decided to go about this using my French studies as my compass.

I picked French not because of a previous affection or attachment, but because I did not want to take Spanish or Chinese. I figured I would fulfill my four semester requirements and quickly say au revoir to language studies. But French presented itself as my ticket to the outside world.

After a few weeks of French, I was already googling study abroad programs in French speaking countries.

Somehow I stumbled upon programs in Quebec- the French speaking neighbor to my north. A quick examination showed that studying there for an entire semester would cost no more than a semester at my current college. The dream was realized and the process of applying embarked upon. (For more info on this process, click on the Study Abroad Timeline above.)

For these next few fall months, I will be attending Bouchereau Lingua International, a language school based in Quebec. I will be studying and speaking French while exploring this historical city.

I'm so incredibly excited to document my new adventure on this blog, and please, if you have any advice about traveling abroad or living in Quebec, leave a comment or send me an email. I need all the advice you can give! I'm just a baby when it comes to exploring this world.