Canoeing down L’Isère
Author: Stephanie Cotariu | Majors: Exercise Science, French | Semester: Summer 2023
When I first arrived in France, I decided to squeeze all the French juice I could out of my time abroad. It was my light-hearted way of planning to make the most out of my four weeks in Grenoble, France; I wanted every ounce of language, culture, and adventure I could find and absorb. My time in Grenoble did not disappoint.
The city of Grenoble, located in the south of France, is situated in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and comfortably nestled among four French Alpes; the locals, the Grenoblois, are proud to introduce you to La Belledonne, La Chartreuse, Le Vercors, and L’Oisive. From the bustling city center (centre-ville), you can spot all four while exploring cobbled streets, gorgeous European architecture, and some of the best coffee you will ever taste. Street art here is precious, and so is knowledge, with a network of 11 museums free to access. With a plethora of outdoor sports and Olympic history, Grenoble regularly attracts active visitors. Overlooking the city is La Bastille, an ancient army fort turned look-out point, bar, museum, and ropes course. Cable cars rise from the edge of a city park, across the river L’Isère to take citizens and foreigners alike up to this scenic outlook. Locally, they are affectionately referred to as les boules (the balls), or les œufs (the eggs), and the view from the top is picturesque.
For a month, I had the pleasure of sharing an apartment in centre-ville with my host mother (ma mere d’accueil), Sonia. Born and raised in Grenoble, and well known as the sole owner of a food boutique, Sonia has the kindest spirit and is an admirably hard worker. 6 days a week she rises near 3:00am to cook the day’s food before opening. After closing at 7:00pm, she came home and generously gifted me her time over dinner. Our conversations were diverse; some nights we talked about the day, others we talked about our philosophies of happiness, and still others we discussed travel, shared memories and goals, and compared our cultures. I had the opportunity to meet her son and his girlfriend one night over dinner. I also got to know the boutique’s various neighbors, who have built their own special family together. With every conversation, my French became the most natural it’s ever been.
The people of Grenoble are forever kind. The cliché that the French are rude has been repeatedly disproved to me. In one month, I was welcomed into Sonia’s home and family, being told I always have an address in Grenoble should I return. Numerous locals asked where I am from and gave constant encouragement to continue studying the language. After telling a bookstore vendor I wanted a keepsake map of Grenoble, he not only helped me find an antique map, but also helped me patch several tears, gave me a discount, and said I was always welcome to return and repair more maps. In an antique store the lady recounted how her aunt ran away to the United States and now she has cousins in New England. I was offered a wooden ring as a gift for myself when purchasing a present at a traditional jewelry store. When entering shops and cafés it is customary to greet the clerk and thank them when leaving. Around every corner, the Grenoblois are friendly, polite, and ready to welcome you into their world.
Our adventures in Grenoble were grounded by the courses we attended at the city’s Centre Universitare D’Études Français (CUEF). Four hours each morning we studied French language, followed by French culture and politics. Professors spoke entirely in French, and emphasized utilizing the language rather than teaching textbook formulations. We read webpages, watched videos, listened to radio clips, and discussed personal experiences to explore clichés, linguistic influences, and travel. After grammar-oriented classes, interacting with the language in smaller subject areas was a new way of learning. Along with our studies, our program took us canoeing down the L’Isére, on a weekend trip to Switzerland and Lake Annecy, to visit the Chartreuse monastery, and through the ropes course at the top of the Bastille.
From my courses at the CUEF, I earned 6 units towards my French studies at the University of Arkansas, and these are the difference for me between a French minor and an Additional Major in French. In pursuing Exercise Science and French, my long-term goal is to work with multilingual clients in Athletic Training or Physical Therapy. In the near future, I am seeking kinesiology-oriented internships abroad, specifically at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. The language and cultural immersion I received in Grenoble has prepared me by allowing me to dive headfirst into the French language and culture. Living and breathing French for an entire month has given me nuances and skills in the language unlike any found in an American classroom alone. The ability to blend my language studies with kinesiology has gifted me the unique opportunity to combine two of my passions into one career, and I am now more eager than ever to return and continue my journey.
My advice to future students? Go abroad. Especially if you can live with a host family. Dive headfirst into the culture, the language, the experience. You may have to work through hesitance, intimidation, self-doubt, culture shock, but you will never learn from within your comfort zone. In one of our many conversations, Sonia described an old friend. Once, Sonia had told her she wanted to go to the opera but was afraid to go alone. Her friend’s response? “Va à l’opéra!” – “Go to the opera! You may never find someone to go with you, so why wait?”
If you are bound by fear or to staying with what you know, you may never experience the things you want to most. Your chance is now, make the most of it, don’t pass up a single opportunity. Va à l’opéra and then squeeze out all the juice.