You may already know that I am a French major at UCA. And so as part of majoring or minoring in a foreign language, it is expected of the student to travel to a country where the target language is used. A few of my friends went to France this semester while I went up to Canada! I've been at a French université in New Brunswick (Or Nouveau-Brunswick as they say) and spent a semester of classes solely in French! It's really intense! There's so much to adapt and assimilate yourself into while trying to retain your own culture within yourself!
I arrived in Canada back in January, the middle of winter where things are just getting to their worst. Imagine going from the heat of Arkansas (tho it had slightly snowed that night) and then landing in another country over half a day later and seeing feet of snow everywhere. The window of the plane was blocked by the mass amount of snow in the sky when we were flying! I had a hole in my shoe, a light jacket that seemed warm enough back in Arkansas, and two bags and my backpack as I trudged my way through the airport snow and into the building. My mind was blown. The first thing I hear while in line to customs is a family speaking in French. I knew I was no longer in the English-only land of the Razorbacks, but in the freezing snow-filled land of Francophone Canada.
I had a lot of trouble the first few months. I think the first two months I couldn't understand a thing in class due to the multitude of new accents I was hearing and the sheer speed of the French. As well with vocabulary and slang. It was overwhelming! The best I can describe it is like being in a parralel world, honestly. Everything is similar yet totally different! The smells, the food, the people, the norms, the buildings, it's all just surreal. I have greatly enjoyed my time here. The classes were challenging, almost as challenging as trying to figure out how to approach people and make friends. As a single lone student in this area (and an American, at that!) I was highly unsure of how to act. Will I be offending people if I speak English at this Université? I had no idea! But people assured me it was fine, as long as I stick to French in class.
In the end, I left the university housing feeling more competant with my French, like I was truly a wordly traveler and had a renewed sense of being after living as a part of this culture since January. I still have more time here, as well! I'm supposed to start a program on May 16 for French Immersion in another province -- Nova Scotia! (Or Nouvelle-Écosse!) But I'm still waiting for paperwork and UCA's semester to end. I actually started about two weeks before everyone else back in Arkansas! So right after New Years I had to book it to get out of the country by January 5 (first day of class)!
Canada is a beautiful place, and UCA's study abroad program has been so enlightening. I have a new respect for culture and life and I owe a lot to UCA for allowing me this chance to study abroad and leave Arkansas for the first time in my life and travel alone and experience a piece of the world! It's so amazing to think that I could do this just by being a student at UCA. What a great institution!!!
Take care, readers!
-Cody
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