Study Abroad and Domestic Study Away

My semester studying abroad in Nantes was truly an incredible experience. As the weather became warmer in April and May, I was able to enjoy walking outside and exploring the city. Nantes has a great mixture of historical and modern landscapes, with the city center filled with traditional buildings over a 100 years old and an old castle that belonged to the Duke of Brittany, along with newer attractions that Nantes is famous for, like the bigger than life mechanical elephant that people can ride on.

Through participating in the language program, I was able to learn French from a variety of different points, such as grammar, writing, speaking, and listening. I could see that my speaking and listening comprehension skills have gotten particularly better, as I used it much more often inside and outside of the classroom compared to other semesters. Most of my classes were taught by units, featuring different subjects; for example, workplace, family, and the environment. As an Environmental Studies major, it was exciting to learn about some topics I have already learned about in French and it introduced me to new vocabulary within these topics too.   

One of my favorite memories from class was during my culture and gastronomy course. For the cheese unit, the teacher brought in cheeses from different regions of France to do a taste test. Not only did we learn about each of their origins, ingredients and production techniques, we were able to taste the differences between each of them. It was a great opportunity to try out cheeses that I have never heard and tasted before, as well as discover new favorites.

I would like to thank the Speros fund for assisting me to partake in this wonderful opportunity through the Ingrid H. and George L. Speros scholarship. This semester has allowed me to grow in ways that I would have not been able to, if it were not for this study abroad experience and left me with amazing life-long memories and friendships. Merci!