My suitcase, which had previously made itself comfortable in the depths of my closet, is now residing on the floor next to my bed, filled with messily folded clothes and French books. The year is officially over: our AP exams are finished, essays are submitted, and our French orals are done. Despite everything in my environment telling me that my year is over, it feels far from real.
I am leaving the mild temperatures of France and will be embraced by the Texas heat in less than a week. French will no longer be the predominant language in my life and my home will be my home, not the house of a host mom I met in September.
The year is over, and although I’ve successfully done so many things, it feels like there is still so much more to do. I want to finesse my French accent, have another soirée with my host family, try a new restaurant, and visit a new city. In the final countdown, I’ve realized that I simply do not have enough time.
So, instead of wondering about what I could be doing, or should be doing, I want to reflect on all the positive things I’ve successfully completed this year. To start, I did a whole entire nine months in a new country with a new language and new people and I stuck it through. That is incredible!
I learned how to speak a new language with locals who actually understand me (the same could not have been said about my language proficiency during the first semester). Maybe my French 1 classmates remember how horrible my accent was when I was beginning to learn the language, but I’m proud to tell them that I’ve really turned things around.
Bizarrely, I stopped being vegetarian, which was something I did not expect to have happened. I’m glad to say that my decision was worth the delicious French cuisine that I discovered during my year in Rennes. A classic favorite of mine is a galette saucisse (I highly recommend it and don’t judge a book by its cover).
These have been the main cornerstones of my year in France. My new diet and assimilation to the different cheeses here, my French language abilities, and the fact that I have even completed a full year in a foreign country are things that I am all equally proud of.
I’ve missed everyone from St. Paul’s so much and I’m sad to say this will be my last article ever on the topic of SYA and my experiences in France. I’ve loved writing for all of y’all and I’m excited to say “See you soon.”