I know that living in France will be different from how I
live my life here in the United States in many ways. I will be living in a new
city and in a new country all while learning a new language. I know that I am a
fairly shy and quiet person, so I know that I will have to get out of my
comfort zone to make friends and get involved with the community. It is easiest
for me to make friends when I join groups, clubs or sports teams, so I am
planning on trying to join a club or two at the university to meet more local
students. I play soccer here at Maryville, so it would be an interesting
experience if I could play for some team in France! Playing soccer is how I
have made a lot of friends here in the United States. Doing volunteer work
would also be a good opportunity to be involved and meet new people, so if I
can find something like that to do in France that would be amazing.
I
want to make the most of my experience studying in France, and I know that the
best way to accomplish this is to live like a local. I can learn this best by
observing locals and integrating myself into the French society. For example,
when I eat with friends or other locals, I want to try local foods that I
wouldn’t normally find here in the U.S.
One
of my main goals is to learn French and become as fluent as I can within the
five short months that I am there, so I will try to speak as little English as
I can. I know that the locals will appreciate that I am trying my hardest to
speak and learn French; therefore I am not worried about messing up grammar or
forgetting vocabulary. Getting involved and living like a local in France is
important and I hope to gain many insights on how to communicate with different
people and learn about the southern French culture.
-Janelle Calhoun
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