Aero: Arvilla Mast – France 2018 – My Expectations

Posted by LEAF Architect on Monday, September 10, 2018 · Leave a Comment

France 2018 – My Expectations

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Arvilla Mast

Honestly, I don’t have any idea what to expect! I think it’s easy to go about our everyday life without thinking about how things are done outside our borders. I’m very excited to get out of my box and experience another way of life. I’m worried about being an uncultured American, so I’m learning as much as I can about French culture on ahead of time. I’m sure I will have some unintentional social mishap. Hopefully they will have leniency with my blunders!

This will be my first trip outside the United States. I love road trips here in the US, but I’m worried about how exhausted I’ll be with that many hours of travel. I’ve never had to deal with this big of a time-change, but I think I’ll be okay. Flying is one of my favorite things, but eight hours of sitting still is going to be torture! I’m so excited for the high-speed train from Paris to Brittany; there’s no doubt I’m going to be giggling like a little kid. I love adventures; it’s hard to believe that in just a few weeks we’ll be exploring France!

My French is rudimentary at best but I’m sure I’ll pick up on a lot from being immersed in it. I’m attempting to learn the basics so I can at least greet people in their language. The thought of being in an environment where most people won’t be speaking my native language is intimidating. Trying to plan ahead for how I’m going to navigate it. I’m worried about how I’m going to even order food, but I guess I can always point to something on the menu and be surprised!

Speaking of food, I’ve been reading up on traveling abroad, and I’m getting so hungry! The food looks exquisite! First thing I’d like to do is visit a Patisserie and have a baguette, fruit tart, and coffee. I’m also excited to try more unusual things such as escargot (snails)! I know the dining experience is very important to the French, so I’ve been educating myself on proper table manners and such so I don’t make a complete fool of myself.

I’m nervous and excited to meet my host family. As I will be staying with them for a week, I hope to fit in with the family well! As I was never sent to a public school here in the States I will have no way to compare their school life to ours. I tend to be a very shy person to start with, and my first public school experience being in foreign country where I don’t even know the language is going to be very interesting! You never know though, I may have a way better first school experience than most Americans! Either way, school is what I’m most worried about!

Seeing places that I’ve heard about in history class or read about in books is going to be unreal! I’ll probably come home and get my hands on every book I can on France’s rich history. I expect seeing things like the Normandy beaches is going to be very sobering. The Louvre and Notre-Dame are going to be wonderful! I also want to see things that are not touristy. Maybe we could find a small café and people watch or find a local to chat with.

I hope to gain many priceless experiences on this trip. I wish to become a more experienced traveler, and more culturally diverse. I’ve always dreamed of traveling internationally and France is going to be a good start. I’ve always been shy, so this is a huge step for me! Hopefully when I return I will be at ease with meeting new people. I think it’s going to be one of the most exhilarating and exhausting two weeks of our lives and I don’t think I’ll ever be the same!

Arvilla Mast
Study Abroad – France 2018 @ FLCC

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