Semester in Nantes, France: Everything I Hoped it Would Be Past Review
By Ashley S (French and Accounting, Trinity University) for
IES Abroad: Nantes - French Language Immersion & Area Studies
I have a more "worldly" view of America and other cultures. Going abroad is wonderful because it really puts things in perspective and you realize that Americans don't rule the world like we think we do. I loved living in France, meeting French people, and living life the French way. It's different, some things good and others bad, but having to accept and live a new culture changes you forever.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload is less just because you generally only have one grade for the entire class. A lot of my teachers graded us easier because we were Americans and they understood that French was our second language. The teaching methods are similar, but generally focus more on lectures and have very little class participation and discussions. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The IES staff was very knowledgeable about the American school system and did a great job of bridging the gaps. There was always someone available to answer my questions if I had any as well as French college students available to edit/assist with papers and assignments. There were 70 Americans in my program. I was very happy with IES and all of my expectations were met in regards to the program itself. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was wonderful and very welcoming. My French improved greatly because I had three young host siblings (18, 16, 14) who taught me French slang and common expressions. The house was cute and big for French standards. It was in the outskirts of the city but only about a 10-minute tram ride away from the center city. The neighborhood was safe but I was always a little nervous taking the tram home by myself. I did not have to buy any sheets, cookware, etc. The only thing I didn't like with my family was the fact that they weren't very clean and sharing a bathroom with boys was gross, but I am just used to different standards. I was very happy, though, because they treated me as a member of their family. |
| * Food: |
My host mom didn't cook very "French meals." We ate a lot of rice and pasta, and no vegetables. Eating Nutella and bread for breakfast is nice for about a month, and then it gets old. But French restaurant and cafe food was wonderful, as were the pastries. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I liked the IES excursions because you go to awesome places, but it's kind of weird when you are forced to travel with strangers. There were a ton of special events in Nantes (rugby/soccer matches, wine/cheese festival, carnival, film festivals, historical tours, etc.) which were publicized by IES's social coordinator. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Nantes is overall a very safe city. I walked alone at night all the time and never had any problems. I did carry mace with me, but never needed it. However, one of my French friends had problems with boys bothering her on the tram, but I was never bothered. A boy was mugged, but I think it was largely linked to alcohol abuse and him getting into what he "thought" was a cab. I had one experience with OFII, the business that requires foreigners to get medical check-ups. I rescheduled my appointment because I couldn't go to the first one, but they were so unorganized that I never received a new appointment and never had to go. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I ate with my family as much as I could (technically more than what was allowed in the contract, but my family didn't care). In four months I spent $1500, but this included several trips (London and Spain). If you eat out and get drinks every weekend, you can easily spend 50 Euros a week, but I think I only spent about 20 Euros a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you want to save money, buy groceries for lunches so you don't have to eat out all the time. Eat with your family as much as possible and monitor your drinks on the weekend. If you don't, it's easy to spend 60 Euros a week. France is more expensive than the US in general (the Euro will kill you) so you have to accept that some things are going to be more expensive, but you can still have a budget and monitor spending without breaking the bank. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I spoke French with everyone except the other Americans in my program. Occasionally a French person will respond to you in English after hearing your accent, but their English isn't very good so you definitely need to know French. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | To be happy in France, you have to be tolerant of differences and the stubborn, non politically-correct French opinion. French people are awesome, but sometimes they come off as rude because of how forward they are. They're not being rude, they're just being French. And you have to accept as many invitations as you can, no matter how weird they are. If a French person invites you, it will be an experience and a good story even if you don't end up liking the chosen activity. |
