The full French experience

Going abroad has been full of so many challenges. Things happen to you that force you to grow and change, develop and mature. I remember thinking, rather naively, that going to France would consist mainly of tasting the "exotic": viewing castles, chewing mouthwatering pastries, and hearing the romantic French language. While all of these things did indeed happen, being overseas was so much more than any of these events could describe -- the moments you remember are often not the ones you have pictures of.

It's things like walking home from school in the dark with the moon to guide me, running through the park to riding lessons after swimming, grabbing a pain au chocolat (bread filled with chocolate) while waiting for the bus to arrive, rollerblading through town with the scent of coffee in the air from the nearby café, teaching French friends how to sing English songs, and straightening your friend's hair in the hospital after she broke her leg while rock climbing in PE.

Going abroad is so much more than castles and museums, than school and classes, even more than your photo album on an online website can convey. it's about life, and the way I have grown to have a better understanding not only of my own country, but of another.

I could never say what the most valuable lesson I learned was, because there were millions. Just stepping off a train in a foreign city trying to find the service desk to meet friends is an ordeal. Ordering food from McDonald's is a totally new experience, trying to find lotion in the drug store is a headache. But that is the reason why people who go abroad always come back and say it was a "life-changing experience." As cliche as it may sound, going abroad really does change your life. Though the changes may seem small and unnoticeable at first, by the end of the stay, you realize how differently you think about things now than you did even last month.

So if anyone thinks that cultural events and sightseeing are what makes up an experience overseas, they are mistaken. Eating a traditional meal with your host family; staring at the world fly by from the window of a "rapid train"; rollerblading to the market for fresh fruit; sipping hot chocolate from a heated café overlooking the calm, French scene before you -- these are examples of what it means to truly live in and actually be a part of a different culture. This is what makes going abroad so special.

I could have come to France for six months, taken pictures of every festival, museum, castle and monument that exists, and gone home and have learned absolutely nothing except some historical facts. And even though there are things I both love and hate about France and the French lifestyle and culture -- just like in America -- I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. Coming overseas has truly been the best decision I have ever made in my life, and I am finally outside of the well, fully submerged in the ocean and ready to rejoin my family in the United States as a teenager with new views on the world.

If anyone has any comments or questions about going abroad, the exchange program, or my experience, feel free to contact me at: brittanylang@hotmail. com.