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| A fountain in the Jardin de Luxembourg, in Paris |
Eve Ben Ezra ‘12
What is your
major?
Mathematics.
Why did you decide
to study abroad?
I wanted to
experience life in another country and culture. As much as you can read about
different cultures in books or online, nothing really compares to immersing
yourself in it. I also wanted to have a better grasp of the French language.
Why did you choose
Strasbourg?
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| The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris |
I thought a lot about
whether I should choose Strasbourg or Nancy (the other France program). In the
end, I decided on Strasbourg for several reasons. One, it's an old city with so
much history and culture behind it. Strasbourg is, of course, in France, but
Alsace (the region) has switched back and forth between France and Germany many
times, and the culture, the buildings, and the history reflects that.
Additionally, although the city isn't huge and I can walk everywhere I want,
I've never been bored and I've never run out of places to explore. Strasbourg
is also the seat of the European Parliament, and so as a member of the program
I got to go on tours of the Counsel of Europe and the Parliament.
What was your
living situation like?
I lived in a tiny
cramped apartment in the middle of the city with a kind woman in her 30s. When
I say tiny cramped apartment, I mean it. There were really two rooms and a
bathroom. I lived upstairs in a sort of lofted bedroom area, and downstairs was
the kitchen which also functioned as the living room and where my host mother
slept. Despite the close quarters, I never felt smothered and I never felt like
I didn't have enough privacy. The location made up for it. I lived in the
middle of the city, literally a block away from the Cathédrale de Notre-Dame de
Strasbourg. It was a 20 minute walk from campus, and probably a 10 minute walk
to any of the places my friends ever wanted to meet up.
Highlights and
challenges.
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A street draped in holiday lights for the Marché de Noël,
which brings in 2 million tourists annually.
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There were a lot of
highlights and challenges on this program. Some of the biggest challenges I
faced were culture shock challenges. The French way of life (such as no one
ever smiling or making eye contact with you) as well as being expected to show
up somewhere five minutes late as opposed to five minutes early was taxing on
me. I definitely faced some frustrations, especially with my language learning.
For a long time I felt like I wasn't learning anything, or that I was a
failure, or that I would never make any friends. But all of those things came
with time, and they were all highlights. I'd say that my personal highlights
were finally realizing how much progress I had made, and how every conversation
I successfully have in French is a huge accomplishment and something to be
really proud of. As for other highlights: I got to intern in a French bakery,
where I met young French people who then became my friends and invited me out
with them, and I got to travel a lot, with and without the group. The LCCF
(Lewis & Clark College in France) group all went to Paris for the Toussaint
vacation in November. Additionally, we got to go to the Château de
Haut-Kœnigsbourg, a huge castle that also has traces of being both French &
German, and had a great view looking out over the Alsatian plain. But I'd say
that the biggest highlight is how close I became to everyone else in my group.
In the four months I was in France, I really depended on the support of my
friends, and gave them support as well. It was a huge highlight knowing that I
was never alone, and that I've made friendships and memories that will last the
rest of my life. I also got to meet Matthew Lewis in London, so that was
awesome.
Advice you wish
you were given before you went on your program.
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| A picture from my bedroom window of Strasbourg in the Snow |
I wish I would have
been told some of the bigger differences between France and the USA. Well, not
bigger differences. I guess I would have been told the teeny-tiny differences
that bother you. Such as: there are no index cards, you
NEVER challenge your professors, you don't smile or make eye contact with
strangers unless you want them to consider you 'simple', and the paper is a
tiny bit longer than in the US. Don't be picky about food, you will try a lot
of new and seemingly weird things and they will all of them be delicious. Eat
at the green place (called Fournil) across from the University, they have the
best sandwiches. Bring some emergency money and have a way to get money to you
if your bank decides to go nutty. At the beginning of the program it took a
week and some change to get my French bank account set up (all foreign accounts
have to be approved in Paris) and in the meantime my American bank decided that
I was obviously a thief and so cancelled my card and wouldn't reinstate it
unless I personally went into a branch, which was impossible. Lastly, it should
be known that things in France take a long time. A long time. Which can be good
and bad. Don't go to the super market if you only have five minutes (it will
take 20).
Additional
comments?
Keep an open mind, and don't be too offended
if someone yells at you, it's just their nature! Also, the Strasbourg program
is the best, and you should go on it. If you go to Paris, make sure to go to
the Marché des enfants rouges!
If you have questions about the Osaka Program, you can find program alums on the Ask An Alum Moodle page by clicking this link.
Advice you wish you had been
given before going on your program.
