I Broke My Rose-Colored Glasses, but I Still Love You, France Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Coming from a small liberal arts college, I found the transition to large, lecture-style courses difficult. I’m used to more discussion and professor-student interaction, and so I found myself losing interest as I sat in class for 1.5 to 3 hours straight listening to the professor drone on about information that I would be expected to regurgitate later. In the American educational system, we are used to professors asking our personal opinions about the material we are studying; in the French system, the professor is considered to be the vessel of knowledge, and students are expected to take in what he or she says, but they are not considered knowledgeable enough to formulate their own opinion. The longer class periods were also trying. On Tuesdays, I had a 1.5-hour class followed by two 3-hour classes.

On-site administration of your program

Unfortunately, the program directors were not very accessible since they were open only from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM most days, and we were told not to interfere with their “sacred” two-hour lunch break from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. I understand now that this is in part just an aspect of French culture (especially the long lunch break), but it made it difficult for us to get questions answered. I was also annoyed at the tone of e-mails we received from this office, as they were often snippy, asking us to fill out certain forms or come sign something immediately but only informing us about one or two days before they were due. I found that they reacted a lot more quickly and were more responsive when one has a major mental breakdown; they were a lot nicer to me than the average student in the program. I was appreciative of all that they did to help me personally and all of us as a group (they took care of the annoying OFII forms for us), but they always made a point to tell us that they were overworked and to almost demand our gratitude. I think that they understand that American higher education is much different from the French system, but they weren’t particularly interested in helping to smooth out the transition for us; for example, no one explained the French class labeling system to us before we arrived, yet they expected us to write down which classes we were interested in on our applications. Also, many people were pushed into taking integrated courses even though they felt that there language skills weren’t strong enough because there weren’t enough spaces in the RI courses (even though these same students had been told by their home universities that they could take only RI courses). All in all there was a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding that should be worked out between PC and Paul-Valéry.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I arranged my homestay with Judith Misrahi-Barak, but I’m not sure how she comes up with the families that she pairs students with. I was given two choices with very limited information about each and asked to make a decision; I talked to other students in homestays, and they also replied that they had been given only two choices. I told Judith that I have an anxiety disorder and asked for her recommendation; she suggested that I might be happier at Mme Allimant’s house, as she thought it would be calmer and that Mme Allimant would be more able to focus on me since she didn’t have any kids in the house like the other option did. Unfortunately, Mme Allimant seemed to have no interest in getting to know me and seemed annoyed whenever I asked for her help because she was so “busy” looking for a job; however, she had time to take many week-long voyages, and I was alone in the apartment probably about 1/3 of the time. I wasn’t even allowed in the entire apartment, so I definitely wasn’t treated as a member of the family. It became clear to me that she hosts students as a form of income and doesn’t really have any interest in helping us to learn French or French culture. At the beginning she told me that she would be preparing a variety of French traditional meals and was eager to help me with my language skills, but that really didn’t pan out. I spent very little time with her as I wasn’t allowed in the salon, and even when we ate meals together, she seemed to be rushing through to be done as fast as possible. She did the bare minimum required of her, and she wasn’t understanding or supportive at all when I suffered a serious anxiety attack. She doesn’t understand anxiety disorders and continued to say the exact wrong thing—for example, telling me that she didn’t have time to deal with my issues. I had chosen the host family option because I thought that it would be a good way to learn firsthand and to have a built-in support system, but I ended up in a very cold and unwelcoming environment. The only redeeming quality about this particular homestay family is the proximity to the centre ville because the dorms were located fairly far from where all the action is.

I ate most of my lunches at the university cafeteria, where the food was quite good for a pretty cheap price. In the downstairs section, you can pay cash for composed salads, pizzas, baguette sandwiches, and such fare; upstairs, you have to pay with your student ID (which you can load with money) and get a meal for 3 euros. It was nutritionally balanced and of fair quality for cafeteria food. I ate dinner with my host mother for the first two months, but I felt that I wasn’t been fed adequately, especially considering how much I was paying. She clearly spent no extra money for my food, but instead she fed me whatever she would have whipped up for herself if she were alone—mostly prepared purchased foods. Granted, I didn’t eat too much for the first month due to anxiety attacks, but she never asked me what I would like for dinner or for breakfast, for that matter, since the “breakfast” included in my room & board was “Hey, we keep a big box of store brand corn flakes on that shelf over there if you want any.” Not only was the food not very tasty, but it was also not very nutritionally satisfying; there was a great fresh market right across the street, but we never ate vegetables. The only thing in the house in the way of fresh produce was clementines. I changed my rent to the “sans repas” option—which she had outlined as 100 euros/week in our e-mail negotiations but then upped to 120 euros once I actually wanted to switch. I cooked my own meals for then on, but because the home situation had become excruciatingly awkward for me, I tried to get in and out of the kitchen as fast as possible since her schedule was variable. I was given only 1/2 shelf in the refrigerator, so I couldn’t keep very much food at one time and had to grocery shop a lot. I was probably hyper sensitive, but I just didn’t feel comfortable actually cooking in this boarding house situation, so I ate a lot of cold and raw foods. The food I prepared for myself was a lot more balanced and tasty, but I had already lost a considerable amount of weight from anxiety and not being provided with adequate food. I didn’t really get to eat in many of the really “fancy” restaurants in Montpellier because they cost a lot, but some of the cheaper options were good. Of course, cheap over there is still pretty expensive by American standards (especially considering the exchange rate). Since Montpellier is very walkable, the restaurants are all easy to get to, and it’s a lot of fun to just wander through the winding streets looking at the menus.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Again, the program didn’t really arrange any field trips or special events beyond the day trip to Avignon during orientation week, which was a bit disappointing. I wish that we could have spent more time in the city, and that we could have taken a real tour of the Palais des Papes. The same guide who led us on our historical tour of Montpellier accompanied us to Avignon and sort of unofficial and on the sly (you’re not allowed to bring in outside tour guides) told us information about the Palais des Papes. Everything just felt rushed. All my other trips were taken on my own initiative during the weekend or during our one-week winter break and two-week spring break. There is a ton to see in southern France, so I recommend that students stay in-country. I mean, you chose France for a reason, right? A lot of students studying abroad do all their traveling in other countries and never visit all the wonderful places that their host country offers. All my trips—except a brief foray in Lausanne, Switzerland (French-speaking) and a day trip to Monaco (also French-speaking)—were within French borders: Avignon, Nîmes, Carcassone, Aigues Mortes, Saint Guilhem le Désert, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Nice, and Paris. Also, some of these are cute little small towns, so don’t limit yourself to just big cities like Marseille. Sometimes the small places have the most French character.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I found Montpellier very safe. Although they always tell you not to walk around alone at night when you’re studying abroad, it usually ends up being inevitable, at least occasionally. I was always alert when walking alone, but I never felt threatened. The only people who would really approach you without your wanting them to were the beggars, and they were never too aggressive about it—they may touch your arm with an open hand, but that’s it. I also found people very friendly and helpful when it came to asking for directions. The French aren’t as smiley as Americans, but once you approach them, they’re usually very friendly. I never experienced a safety-related incident, but I heard stories about some girls who put themselves in danger because they were intoxicated; for example, they decided to go home with some young French guys they met on the tram when they were on the point of blacking out, and they went to another set of young French guys’ apartment to watch the Super Bowl, accepted open beers from them, and ended up throwing up after one (we suspect the may have been roofied). Obviously, you have to be smart about your alcohol consumption, especially when you’re in a foreign country. I met with a psychologist while I was in Montpellier. The international insurance that PC organized helped me arrange an appointment with a psychologist who speaks English, and I continued to meet with her until the end of the program. I found her very understanding and helpful, and I really appreciated that she spoke English as it is very hard to communicate about psychological issues when you have major vocabulary gaps. It struck me as a little strange that you just pay out of pocket at the end of a doctor’s appointment, but that’s just how the French healthcare system works. The international insurance was SUPER helpful. They always called after I had an appointment to check on me, and they were always very quick with responses to any questions I had. It was surprisingly cheap and easy to obtain prescription medications there, but you should bring enough of your own prescriptions, if you have any. I went to the nurse’s office at the university once, and they were also very helpful. They checked me out right away, were patient with my vocabulary, and were very friendly. There weren’t really any prevalent health issues in Montpellier or France, besides the fact that colds tended to go around campus, just as they would at any school. An ecoli outbreak broke out just after I left, which I believe was due to contaminated German sprouts. I didn’t need any specific vaccines for this program.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

What’s great about studying in France is that you can practice French with anyone! I practiced my French in the bakery, on the tram, at the market, everywhere! A lot of people spoke English, and sometimes when I was struggling a little in French, they would start speaking to me in English, but I would just continue in French to indicate that I would rather struggle in French than take the easy way out. However, a good number of people didn’t speak English, and I liked the necessity of speaking French with them. There was also a bookstore specializing in English books called Le Bookshop, which hosted language exchanges every Monday and Friday evenings, which I found really helpful.

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• International Students
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