This summer I was blessed with the amazing opportunity to study abroad in France for a month and a half. For the first 30 days my small Belmont group of 6 and I lived in a dormitory at the Catholic University of the West in Angers, France. It was an amazing experience and I learned a lot. For the rest of my trip I traveled between Paris and Nice and soaked in everything from the Eiffel Tower to the French Riviera.
In Angers I spent six hours a day, five days a week, in French classes with students from all over the world. I was often paired up with a sweet old man from Japan named Mabuchi, a Canadian woman named Carolyn, a girl from Mississippi named Christy, and a nun from Srilanka named Sri.
It was very intense because we weren't allowed to speak English (even though Christy and I snuck it in every now and then to help each other understand what was going on!) Then after classes we usually explored the city and spent time meeting Angers locals. Because I'm not fluent and only an intermediate level student, that was often difficult for me. I had to concentrate very hard to make sure I was saying what I wanted to say, the way I wanted to say it and then listen to an answer or response in class, decode it, and then reformulate my answer in French. At times this became very emotionally taxing and frustrating for me, but overall it was a good experience because I learned SO much more than I ever would have had I not been there.
During the program in Angers several side trips were offered and we traveled to different and exciting areas around France. The first weekend we visited the amazing cathedral of Mont Saint-Michel along with the Atlantic city of Saint-Malo. Whether it was the amazing architecture, ocean views, or delicious mussels, my friends and I all had a good time. Next we traveled through the French countryside and visited a bunch of castles along the Loire River including the Château de Chenonceau (fully furnished and filled with artwork made throughout the centuries centered around the Greek myth of Psyche and Cupid) and Château de Chambord (second largest castle in France, followed only by Versailles). I was so taken aback by the amount of history and beauty of the art that surrounded me.
Outside of class in Angers I enjoyed everything from going to the local lake to shopping with friends and sampling French patisseries to celebrating Bastille Day. I learned so much about the culture and the language that I felt that my time spent in Angers was invaluable. After the program was over and we celebrated and hugged new found friends goodbye and our Belmont group of six traveled to Paris.
Paris was much different than I ever expected it to be. We stayed at a very nice hotel near Notre Dame and ran into people from all walks of life. My favorite part of Paris was definitely the museums. We visited Notre Dame, the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe, the Paris Opera House, the Gallery Lafayette, and many other historic landmarks; however, visiting museums such as the Louvre, the Orsay, and the Orangerie left me feeling awestruck as I saw the works of Monet, DaVinci, Renior, and Degas. Not to mention famous works and sculptures such as the Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, and Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss. Even more impressive, the walls and ceilings of these buildings themselves were works of art. Whether it be a remake of Napoleon's Paris apartment (his throne truly was the size of a child's chair) or works dating back to ancient Egyptian/ealry Mediterranean art the actual works of art themselves were surrounded by golden carvings and paintings easily 12 feet by 12 feet on all sides.
After Paris, my sister, Jennifer, (whom was also on this trip) and I traveled by ourselves to Nice and spent a few days on the French Riviera. The water was cool and ranged shades of blue from light crystal to a deep majestic blue. This was beautifully complimented by the gray pebble rock beaches and beautiful hills immediately rising up out of the sea. The beach was my favorite part about Nice, but I met several interesting and exciting people there while exploring this beautiful city.
After Nice, we traveled back to Paris for a few days. By this point we had been gone for close to a month and a half and were ready to get back home to school and our family/friends. I loved France: the food, the people, the culture, and even the language. Thanks to the scholarships Belmont was able to provide I feel that I got to experience France through a one of a kind trip which I will never forget.
