There must be something about studying abroad that makes time pass twice as fast. As I looked at the calendar a few days ago, I couldn't help thinking that I'd arrived just yesterday. My time in France seems to have gone by in a blur of classes, assignments, trips and encounters with new people and places.
This past Saturday, I took my last written exam. My professor told us that this test was designed to "knock us out," and he was not kidding. The grammar section was about five times harder than any practice test we'd done and the other sections were no pieces of cake either. As I left the test site, I could hear my brain sizzling. With cheerful French statistics indicating that only 50 to 60 percent of students that take this test pass it, I'm not looking forward to getting my scores back. However, I refuse to give into agony and crippling, nail-biting anxiety.
For the first time since the beginning of September, I actually have free time in Paris! I plan to go to museums, monuments and attractions that my hectic schedule prevented me from seeing all semester. Visiting the Louvre and going to the top of the Eiffel Tower at night are high on my list. I even have tickets for the fast, sub-English Channel "Eurostar" train and I'll spend a few days in London among "les Anglais" before flying home.
Although classes took up the majority of my time, they were definitely worthwhile. A lot of grammatical concepts are a lot more clear to me now and, after the three "conferences" or survey courses about French literature, history and art, I have a much better general understanding of those areas. However, I wish that the grammar courses placed a heavier emphasis on French conversation. I'd find learning how to converse so much more practical and interesting than learning how to structure an essay.
I speak well for an "?tranger" you could say, but I don't speak that fast, explosive, turbo-charged, "I'll race you to the end of a sentence" French that I hear all around me in Paris. You can't learn everything in one semester.
I also wish that I could have made more French friends. I've always been on the shy side and despite my best efforts, I never feel like I moved on beyond being a superficial "conversation exchange buddy" with French people my age that I met, particularly the women. I hung out almost exclusively with my AU classmates and other international students.
After a semester spent in Paris, some readers are probably wondering what advice I can give to those who plan to study abroad here. If I could offer a word of advice or two, it would be this above all: Make sure that you like your host family and if not, get out of there. To make a long story short, I was first placed in a family where my hosts and I had very different views as to what constitutes hospitality. Luckily, I was able to switch to a kinder "famille" before it was too late. Trust me, your time in Paris is much too short to be stuck in a less-than-desirable living situation.
Also, don't expect to get used to everything at once. To be honest, you'll probably spend a good portion of the semester adjusting to life in a new environment. Try to go on the trips offered to places outside of the capital; they'll probably end up being your most memorable experiences. Most recently, I visited Versailles, where I was in awe of the splendor of this mammoth relic from the era of Louis XIV. The charming "chateaux" of the tranquil Loire Valley are also worth the trip.
