Château d’Annecy, a small town next to Grenoble

Author: Emily Roberts | Majors: International Studies & French | Semester: Fall 2022

I walked off the strain station and stood across from the group of families in front of me. Which would be mine? After moment, I was paired with a woman and her daughter, whose names I was not quite sure. Regardless, I timidly said bonjour, handed them my luggage, and rode with them to my new home. For the first week in my host family, I felt like I should be as quiet as possible and hide in my room. I’ve come to realize it is totally fine to take up space, join the conversation at the dinner table, and ask my host family if I need something. My experience would not have been the same without them.

I studied at the University Center for French Studies (CUEF) at the University of Grenoble, France (per recommendation of my French professor). The way the classes were arranged, French languages classes were in morning and general French culture courses in the afternoon, Monday-Thursday. The school is for international students, so I made friends from all over the world, places like Chile, Iraq, and China. The only catch was that all my classes would be taught in French, even my History of Contemporary French and my Economics classes. That aspect made me the most nervous coming into the program since I was not very confident in my French. In the beginning, some classes were difficult to completely follow and paying attention for the whole two-hour course could be challenging, but by the end I found had no issues keeping up with the professors. The purpose of this program is to prepare students for higher education in France. Most of my classmates were living in Grenoble and hoped to either begin a masters or work afterwards. I think this school fulfills its purpose because it helps students not only learn the language but gain an understanding of what education is like in a French institution. For instance, you learn the writing and teaching styles of a French school. Whereas the US system typically prides itself on creativity and flexibility, the French structure is more rigid with certain expectations of how work should be done. The best thing the CUEF has is its professors. Everyone in my B2. 5 class came to love our morning professor, Farida. On the one hand she could be serious and focused, but on the other, she loved to answer our questions, let the class engage in conversation, and somehow managed to explain French grammar in an accessible way (and that is no small feat).

One of the most impressionable aspects of French culture was the food. Though it may seem stereotypical, the French really do love wine, cheese, and bread. Every day at dinner we had sliced baguette at the table, and I finally know what cheese know that I’ve been to France. Grenoble has fromageries (stores that sell just cheese) throughout the town with upwards of 50 fresh cheeses to choose from in one case. France is said to have a cheese for everyday of the year. Every region in the country has their own specialty too, not just of cheese, but of all sorts of products. The Isère Region, where Grenoble is located, is known for foods like walnuts, truffle, Chartreuse, and tartiflette, a yummy dish of cheese, potatoes, and onions. In general, I love the way that France cares about what they eat and drink, and I hope to take back that consciousness of food with me.

My first advice is to folks is to bring a good pair of walking shoes. You never know when a grève (strike) may occur so you don’t have public transport to get to school. Secondly, I would tell others that learning a language takes time. If you’re studying abroad to learn a language, there are probably moments where you wonder if anything is actually sticking. The truth is your subconscious is doing a lot behind the scenes and it will take time for you to recognize your progress. The more you stay committed to learning, the more you will be rewarded.

The first thing I want to do when I get home is give my mom, dad, and sister a big hug, then share some French culture I brought back in my suitcase: comté cheese, papillot chocolates, and chartreuse. Fun fact about chartreuse is that type of liquor which has been produced by monks in the chartreuse mountains for hundreds of years. To this day, the recipe is a secret. After a few weeks I’ll gear up for my second semester in Grenoble! J’ai hâte!