Rainy days, cuisine, and just a touch of wine Past Review
By Alycia W (French Language and Literature., Berea College) - abroad from 08/27/2012 to 12/21/2012 with
CIEE: Rennes - Liberal Arts
I gained a new outlook on my own culture while at the same time adopting some thing from a new one. I have learned to appreciate certain things and miss others that I have just discovered. If I could go back right now, I would.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Some classes were better than others. I felt like I learned a lot of useful information overall though. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Council directors were all extremely nice and helpful. They made sure to know what was going on with each student in the program and offered suggestions for problems we may have been experiencing. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I stayed with a host family, and I really enjoyed it. They were really nice to me and helped me try to fit in better with the family. |
| * Food: |
The food there was an interesting change from what I'm used to, but it was all really delicious. I've even taken to continuing to eat like I'm still in France. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Considering I was living with a French family, I would say I know a good deal about their culture. I didn't really no that many people outside of the program who were actually French; usually, the only people we knew were the one's at the college and anyone we met with our host families. After being there for some months, I have adopted some of their habits, so I think their culture definitely influenced me. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had to go to the dentist while I was abroad. It was actually pretty inexpensive, and the place I went to was right next door to my house. However, ISIC was not accepted by them, nor was the the one I had for the program, so I had to pay out of pocket. Luckily, it was pretty cheap, so that wasn't an issue. I though the healthcare system in France was much better. They don't beat around the bush when trying to find out was wrong. They find it and fix it. It's much better. There were also no vaccinations required upon my entry into France. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in Rennes. Aside from the strikes every once in awhile, I never once saw anything on the news pertaining to violence. It was almost like it didn't exist there. On a side note though, which is completely unrelated to people causing problems, in France, there's a lot of cobblestone and stairs. So, when it rains, which is almost every day, you have to be really careful. There were at least two girls in the program who fell and had to have crutches because of it. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
It was rather difficult because the Euro to Dollar difference is actually pretty substantial. $500 is not 500€. In fact, it's probably more around $440. So, I actually had less money in France than I would have had in the states. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Really depends, but probably close to $150. I had limited funds, so I couldn't just go spending it all. Some weeks I spent more than others. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't buy things unnecessarily. Factor in the conversion if you're going to a country with different currency. That could save you a lot of trouble. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
This program is specifically geared to becoming fluent in the language of the country you are staying in. That is the sole reason I chose this program. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | FRN 340 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | By the end of this program, I was thinking in another language. That's imperative. You need to think, speak, breathe the language to get better at it. Even now, I'm not perfect because I didn't always speak in French. After awhile I started limiting my time around the other American students so that I wouldn't be tempted, and that really helped out. Try to speak with people who you only have the target language in common with. It's the only way you can communicate, so it really helps enforce your usage of the language. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | How crazy reverse culture shock would be. And jet lag. No one tells you how hard it is to get back on your normal sleep schedule. |
