After 4 months in France, I am finally back in the islands that I call home. I am extremely grateful for this experience and I know that I will cherish the memories I made for the rest of my life.
My study abroad in Rennes, France, and by extension Europe, has been an immensely beneficial experience in many more ways than I initially expected. When I first outlined my goals for this semester, it was
1) to step outside my comfort zone
2) to immerse myself in French culture, and
3) to take courses that I normally wouldn't have
I can say that I have already met most of these goals.
I chose to study abroad in France due to its geographical and cultural distance from Hawaii, and my experience in France has certainly been conducive to pushing me to be more independent, as I had to navigate everyday things like buying groceries, cooking for myself, cleaning my apartment, making reservations, and taking different types of public transport in a different environment. As the great Mark Twain said, “broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” I believe that I view life with a different outlook in a way that is tangible.
I often find myself going out to different places with others, and although I experience the same events as my classmates and friends, these experiences are viewed through a different cultural lens, so I am exposed to different, unique perspectives. This is deeply enriching because I get to view the world through a different set of eyes, so to speak, and relive these events in a different way.
Ultimately, my study abroad in France has been an experience that has helped me understand myself better, and I am sincerely grateful to my university and the Johnson Study Abroad Scholarship for enabling me to travel to, live in, and experience France.