Well, it has officially been five weeks since the Hollins Abroad Paris program has begun, and it has been a whirlwind, to say the least. I’ve started my classes, am getting along with my host family, have figured out how to use the metro (finally), am getting lost less, and overall, am doing pretty well.<\/p>\n
However, something that I’d like to take a minute (actually a paragraph) to acknowledge is the culture shock of the whole experience. Now, don’t get me wrong, living in Paris is absolutely incredible, a city of lights and love and dreams and art and everything in between. But, daily activities are much more difficult than I think I anticipated. I had a decent grasp on the language before coming to Paris, having taken it since the 8th grade, AP in high school, and a grueling in French semester a Rollins, all of which I was sure would have prepared me to go. I can conceptually understand complicated grammar and read and write in French, but I severely underestimated the difficulty of the conversation in day to day interactions in French. For example, I had to go to the post office today to send a package to a friend back home. A seemingly easy task in your own language- you fill out the mailing information, put on a stamp and you’re good to go. Here, however, I got lost on the way to my local post office, had to ask three different people on the street how to find it, and once I finally got there, I was trying to explain to the employee at the desk that I needed to purchase stamps, a shipping label, and maybe needed a bigger box. All of which was received by the stare that clearly said “I know you’re foreign, and I have no clue what you’re saying to me right now, and also your accent is terrible”. I have become very familiar with said facial expression, and come to expect it. And yes, of course I’m being a little dramatic (I’m a Theatre Arts major so it’s in my nature), but I did have to sit at the post office for a solid 20 minutes discreetly Google Translating some of the mail order form words on my phone to figure out what information to write down on my card. I would like to say that this was a success story, I was able to send my package out, and I’ll keep you updated on whether or not it actually arrives in the US, but as far as interactions go, it was as good as I could have hoped for.<\/p>\n
The point I’m trying to make is that this fish-out-of-water feeling is something that any foreigner feels in a country not their own. And of course, when home in the states, I try to be kind and patient with all people, but this experience has given me a monumental appreciation for immigrants and people who come to the US, not speaking any English or struggling with English as their second language. I can barely fill out a package form correctly, so I can’t even begin to imagine having to fill out tax forms or bank information in a language that isn’t your own. To even try to go to the supermarket and ask for a food like peanut butter, that isn’t a typical French food, and then have to explain to a store employee what I’m looking for (usually accompanied with a full production of mime and gestures that would be well-suited for charades), can sometimes be a headache, and small tasks that would be mindless at home require so much mindfulness and planning while living abroad.<\/p>\n
Now, I will say, with the five weeks since I’ve been here, and the remarkable kindness and patience from my host family, professors, and program directors, my language skills are improving and communication is becoming much easier. While I’m a long way from being fluent, I’m definitely better than when I arrived. Au revoir for now \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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