France is the dork of Europe. It's the only country in Europe that you can visit, and instead of people saying, "Wow, cool!" they say, "I'm sorry."
I studied abroad there.
I admit that I, too, made fun of France when I first arrived in Lyon, where I spent my spring 2003 semester studying at the Université Lumière Lyon-II, or Lyon-II for short. I laughed at the fact that a stick of deodorant costs twice as much as a good bottle of wine.
In one of my many e-mails to my friends, I told them about how psychotic French people are about taking notes in class.
"I went to my history lecture for the first time, and, first of all, everyone has at least three different colors of pens to take notes with," I wrote home. "Oh, and also, everyone has a pencil case. So, I'm kind of daydreaming when I'm awakened by this weird clicking sound coming from all around me. I look around and all the students are whipping rulers out of their pencil cases. Apparently the teacher had said something really important, and they all wanted to underline it in their notes."
After a while, though, France started to rub off on me. I started to find it amusing -- instead of rude -- when random strangers would ask to bum a cigarette while I was walking down the street, not smoking. I stopped complaining about the fact that it took me 30 minutes to walk to the bars and started appreciating the fact that my walk took me through the city center, which was mostly pedestrian, well-lit and beautiful.
One of the most amazing aspects of studying abroad is, in fact, this sort of love-hate relationship that you go through with your host country. First, you arrive and everything seems bizarre and foreign (duh). You complain about the parts of the culture that you find, quite frankly, annoying and stupid.
Second, you get into the groove of things.You begin to appreciate the cultural differences, and you start to make friends with people from your host country rather than just other Americans or foreigners. Finally, you become somewhat of an ex-patriot and start criticizing the United States for things you never even cared about before.
Example:
Me, Phase 1
I get charged extra every time I take cash out of the ATM here, but the markets don't take checks or credit cards. Plus I have to haul all my groceries back in little plastic baggies like half a mile to my apartment. Yeah, and how long has that cheese and meat been sitting out here in that stall? Gross.
Phase 2
The markets are so pretty though ...
Phase 3
Why is produce is the States so expensive? All the chemical-ified junk made from emulsifiers and fake cheese and whatnot is cheap. But normal, unprocessed stuff is priced like it's gourmet. What gives?
Once you get to Phase 3, you really begin to appreciate what an incredible experience you're going through. In the United States, you can travel extensively and never leave the country, and sometimes it's easy to forget the fact that we're quite isolated from other cultures.
The United States is pretty huge. On the other hand, take, for example, the fact that the entire country of Switzerland is smaller than the state of Virginia. Imagine how different it would be if we crossed the West Virginia state border and suddenly found ourselves in another country that speaks a foreign language and has a different history and different customs. Well, maybe that was a bad example, but you get the point.
It's hard to explain exactly why studying abroad can impact your life so powerfully, but I think that a large part of it comes simply from living in a different country with a foreign culture.
Immersing yourself in another culture introduces you to a new way of thinking, of living, of being. It can also be an extremely humbling experience because it allows you to understand more fully why the United States is simultaneously emulated and detested in many parts of the world.
On a less serious note, you can't deny the travel opportunities of studying abroad. When you're taking classes pass/fail and only need an 8 out of 20 points to get credit, I have to admit that the pressure to get a good grade is somewhat lacking, and traveling can turn into a weekly event. Sure, you still have to study, but it's nice to take a break from the stress of the University academia. Besides that, as cheesy as it sounds, the most important things you learn while studying abroad are not learned in a classroom.
Many people either choose to opt for a summer study program or not to study abroad at all because they say they don't want to miss the University for a whole semester, they can't afford it or they'll fall behind in their classes. In my opinion, a few weeks in the summer is too short, and you never really shake the feeling that you're just a tourist. As my friend who participated in a summer program says, "It's like dry humping -- it's good, but it's not quite enough."
And yes, you will miss your friends, and you'll be out of the loop on some inside jokes when you get back, but it's worth it. As you're catching up with them, their stories will start with, "We were at O'Neill's one Friday ..." and yours will start with, "I was in Amsterdam, chilling at a coffee shop with some Spanish people I met in my hostel ..." Besides that, you'll keep in touch with the people who are really important.
As far as cost, University exchange programs cost the exact same as regular tuition, which is a great deal for in-staters. For out-of-state students and those interested in other programs, there are plenty of scholarships available. Moreover, most scholarships and financial aid easily transfer to study abroad programs.
Finally, it is in fact possible to study abroad even if you have strict major requirements -- there are even special programs designed specifically for engineers and architects.
In the end, it boils down to the simple fact that there is no substitute for the experience of studying abroad. For foreign language, foreign affairs and international business majors in particular, it offers unparalleled academic opportunities. For everyone, it's one of the few chances in your entire life that you can visit a foreign country and view it through the eyes of a resident, not a tourist. Then of course, there's the opportunity to do your own "on the road," European style (or South American style or Australian style or ...).
And if nothing else entices you, think of it this way: When else are Mom and Dad going to pay for you (come on, I know tons of University students -- myself included -- whose parents fork out tuition) to chill in a foreign country for a few months? It's like free vacation.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go buy myself a new pencil case.
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