Sacre Coeur Cathedral in Paris is just a four-hour train ride
from the Education Abroad Program center in Bordeaux
Story and Photos By Rayleen Hsu
Daily Bruin Contributor
Never did I think that I would miss the voice of the URSA
operator.
That was until I had to register for classes at the University
of Bordeaux, France. Waiting in a line behind a mob of people
instead of pushing buttons on my telephone, I got my first taste of
the French education system.
At the end of August last summer, I packed my bags and headed
off to Bordeaux, France for the semester, as part of the UC’s
Education Abroad Program.
Though there were times when I missed the conveniences of
American lifestyle and times when I got home sick or frustrated
with the difference in cultures and attitudes, not once did I
regret my decision to study abroad.
From indulging myself in French cuisine, language and culture,
to traveling around Europe and building lifelong friendships, the
last four months have undoubtedly been one of the most amazing
experiences of my life.
Leaving behind the comfort and familiarity of family and
friends, I immersed myself in a culture completely foreign to me. I
knew the culture shock and language barrier would be difficult, but
it was a challenge I was willing to take on.
No matter how hard I tried to blend in, some people could
identify me as an American a mile away. When I arrived in France,
the first person I tried to speak French to didn’t even let
me finish my sentence before she replied in English. But I learned
to keep on speaking in French, no matter how horrible my accent and
grammar were.
With other EAP students, I discovered and gradually adapted to
many of France’s cultural differences. In no time at all,
chocolate, bread, cheese and wine became staples in our diets.
Dinner started no earlier than 8 p.m. and clubbing meant going
out at 2 a.m. and coming home around 5. Disturbing a French person
during meal time was completely forbidden, and finding an open
store on a Sunday was virtually impossible.
Teachers were kind enough to give 10-minute smoking breaks, but
would kick students out of class if their cell phones rang.
I was fortunate enough to live with a French family during three
months of my stay and to be constantly exposed to the French way of
life. Though my 5-year-old host brother often corrected my
pronunciation at the dinner table, the homestay was one of the most
beneficial components of my experience abroad. I was able to
experience and observe French culture and life firsthand. I was
treated as part of their family, which helped make Bordeaux feel
like my home.
In our spare time, EAP students explored the rest of Europe.
Several of us hopped on a train and traveled to Paris, Amsterdam
and England during the two-week vacation before classes began. When
not preoccupied with schoolwork, weekends consisted of numerous
activities, such as surfing at nearby beaches, excursions to
castles and vineyards and trips to Spain.
At the end of my trip in December, leaving France proved more
emotionally difficult than adjusting to the culture shock I had
experienced in the beginning.
Studying abroad opened my eyes and made me see the world from a
whole new perspective.
All the difficulties and challenges I overcame while abroad made
my trip unbelievably rewarding, while all the friends I encountered
and the adventures I had made it the experience of a lifetime.
two French men transport freshly-picked grapes into a giant
steel vat where the grapes will ferment into wine. a group of EAP
students stroll down the streets of San Sebastian, Spain, on a
weekend trip Carolina Campos, an EAP student from
UC Santa Barbara, surfs the Atlantic Ocean at Biarritz, a small
coastal town in the southwest of France sightseeing included a
visit to the Musee d’Orsay, Paris, which houses two giant
clocks on the top floor Grapes grow in a vineyard in the Aquitaine
Region of France before being fermented and sold as wine. A group
of French boys enjoy a relaxing Sunday at a skate park in Bordeaux.
A boat sails down one of the many man-made canals in Amsterdam,
Holland. The blue sky is reflected in a fountain at the Royal
Palace in Paris. One of France’s biggest tourist attractions,
the Louvre, is the home of Leonardo DaVinci’s “Mona
Lisa” and is free to the public the first Sunday of every
month.