Image courtesy of Jess Rush.
Major(s), minors, centers, pathways:
CISLA Scholar, triple major (English, poetry concentration; French; GSIS)
What program are you enrolled in?
I’m currently a student at Middlebury in Paris and the School of French Literature at Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3. Last fall I was at the University of Edinburgh.
What made you choose this program? How have you adjusted to life in France?
I chose to study abroad for the whole year in order to internationalize each of my majors, rather than be forced to pick one. I chose to study with the Middlebury program because I had faith in their reputation and wanted the immersive experience prior to my CISLA internship and future international endeavors. Furthermore, I’m a city person, so I much prefer this setting to my past residential situations in the states. I feel so lucky to have friends of all nationalities scattered around Europe and the UK who’ve made my adjustment seamless and my day-to-day life memorable.
Were there any clichés that were proven true or false?
Living in a city doesn’t have to be expensive!
What is your housing situation? What is that like?
In Edinburgh I lived in a dorm. In Paris I live in a homestay in the 15ème! I’m just off a main metro line so I retain easy access to the city center whilst being able to practice my French outside of school and cook for myself.
What is a typical day like? Is it similar to Conn at all?
I’m a morning person, so I wake up early, make breakfast, and head off to class or a café to study. The weather’s been beautiful recently so I’ll pack a lunch and do some reading or writing at Palais Royale—my favorite garden—and might go to another café to finish up work as I prefer to reserve my nighttime hours for poetry and other long-term projects. Then, as I am a bit of a homebody, I’ll take the metro home, grab a baguette or groceries for dinner, put on my ‘80s playlist, and have a quiet evening to myself.
How has the pandemic affected your program? Did it affect your choices when applying?
I’ve had several classes take place over Zoom this year, but as I’ve lived in urban settings, I’m able to meet with friends to study, café-hop, and cook together. I don’t feel disconnected from my courses or classmates at all and I’ve been able to establish personal relations with all of my professors—quite useful in a foreign country where things can easily get lost in translation!
COVID was of course a consideration in my plans, and I have run into several travel- and visa-related obstacles over the months, but a little bit of finagling and a lot of health-cautiousness allowed me to sort it out in the end. I came to Conn with a very clear idea of what I wanted to do with my junior year, largely based on what my budget would allow and what would serve as the best foundation for my senior projects, and I feel so grateful every day that I’m getting to do everything I dreamed and even push the limits a little.
Are you involved in anything outside of classes?
I was a member of a poetry workshop in Edinburgh and I write for several magazines in the UK and Paris. I also try to shoot photos as often as I can, though there are months where my art has to take a backseat because my workload is too heavy. At the same time, my CISLA work is largely solo research so the line between semester and summer work has become relatively non-existent. Most days, however, you can find me spending an absurd amount of time strolling the city and searching in vain for iced coffee.
What is the best part of being abroad for you?
Having lived away from home since I was 14, the brunt of my adolescence was spent in an odd half-way space between pseudo-parental control and complete freedom 3000 miles from home. To finally be able to cook for myself, wake and work when it suits me best, design travel itineraries, make friends with strangers and disappear into the void of a place where my experience is mine alone, is the greatest gift.
What is the biggest challenge?
I often find myself feeling guilty for wanting a night in when I should be ‘living it up abroad.’ I try to remind myself that taking time to be my introverted self is just as important as experiencing the world.
What advice would you give to people preparing to go away?
You might not realize it immediately, but this is an experience (which is really thousands of tiny experiences) that will reshape your whole world. Make a bucket list and try to cross off one thing every week. Save money, but remember to splurge on the moments that will make you smile.
What do you think you would have liked to know that you know now?
That I will return nothing like the person I was when I boarded the plane, and that that is a beautiful thing.
