Aero: Brent Roberts – France 2018 – My Expectations

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

France 2018 – My Expectations

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Brent Roberts

I honestly don’t feel as if I have enough experience with traveling outside of my own country to set detailed expectations. I haven’t done any research into France or its culture and that’s the way I prefer it. I want the ground to fall out from under my feet because I enjoy the shock. However, I do have a few expectations and there are many things I’m looking forward to as well.

I don’t know anything of the lifestyle, technology, or education in France. I expect that they’ll be very different. However, I also expect they’ll share many similarities. I’m likely going to struggle in an area where English isn’t the primary language, but I believe many of the places we visit in Paris will have ESL speakers. I believe Paris is going to be a very different city from any in the U.S. I expect it’s very beautiful and almost like a work of art themed around the Victorian era. I think the people there will, generally, be very friendly, even if I can’t understand them.

The train ride through the country is, to me, a double-edged sword. It’s something I’m greatly looking forward to. I can’t wait to see the country side, and the idea of riding in a bullet train is foreign and exiting to me. However, I expect there are going to be many times we pass through an area that I would love to get out and explore.

I’m looking forward to the cuisine. I’ve heard nothing but incredible things about the food in France. More than anything I’m looking forward to living with a host family. This will give me a chance to live a day to day life in their culture. It’ll provide a much more fulfilling way to immerse myself rather than simply visiting all the popular tourist attractions. However, I’m excited to visit these tourist attractions as well. France is a very popular country for tourism, and I believe there’s a reason for that.

This trip to France is the highlight of my semester, and likely my whole time in FLCC. I didn’t set many expectations for the trip; however, I believe that makes it more exciting. To me it’s like getting ready to go through a tunnel while having no idea where it leads. It’s scary, but more importantly it’s thrilling.

Brent Roberts
Study Abroad – France 2018 @ FLCC

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