On the mountain, with a veiw of Saint-Égrève

Author: Nathan Kyles | Majors: International Business, French | Semester: Summer 2025

I chose to study abroad in Grenoble France for the summer of 2025 during the month of June. The program actually started the 27th of May and lasted through July 1st, making it about 5 weeks in total. I chose this program because it was the only University of Arkansas organized program available, but it turned out to be a very good fit for my goals for studying abroad. Particularly, I was interested in experiencing other cultures in an authentic way rather than simply viewing the tourist destinations. While Grenoble is a beautiful city, it is not a common tourist destination, so I was exposed to a lot more of the reality of life there. For example, in Grenoble there are five tram lines to get around the city. My roommate and I lived with a host family in Saint-Égrève which is about half an hour from the city by tram. The trams were really convenient and provided a good alternative to driving. However, during two days of our trip, the tram drivers were on strike and no trams were running. Our typical half hour commute became a near two hour walk. As much as this was an annoyance, I found this to be a unique insight into French culture, and it gave me a new appreciation for the trams.

In addition to cultural experiences, I have always been passionate about learning a second language, and I have wanted to study abroad in a francophone country since I began French classes. As much as I enjoyed my French classes at the University of Arkansas, I had not actually spoken to a native French speaker until I went to France. In the United States other students and professors also speak English and for most of them they learned French after already knowing English. This means that it is always possible to explain what you mean in English and professors will understand if you use English grammar when speaking French. This program gave me the opportunity to accurately assess my level of understanding in French.

After taking the placement test, I enrolled in the B2 or intensive class. Within the class, there were students from a variety of countries including Canada, China, Thailand, and Venezuela. For some of the students our only shared language was French, meaning our only method of communication was what we were studying. What surprised me the most was that our different language backgrounds gave us different strengths and weaknesses in French. I sat next to a student from China, named Julian, who had amazing pronunciation and an impressive level of grammar in French which is where I found myself struggling. My pronunciation and grammar errors were often the result of the influence of English. However, Julian often struggled with vocabulary where I did not. I was able to draw on Latin roots or simply shared language between English and French to understand words. For example, “colonne vertébrale” is French for spinal column. For me that is an easy connection: “colonne” resembles “column” and “vertébrale” resembles “vertebrate.” It was surprising for me to see that even at the level we were at, our native languages continued to influence the way we learned and understood the material in class.

Outside of academics, one of the most enjoyable experiences for me was going hiking up a mountain near Saint-Égrève with the host family. My roommate had gone to Paris for the weekend with some of the other students in our program. Because it was just me and the host family, I had to spend the entire day speaking French. As we were going on the hike, I realized just how strange a situation this was for me. I was on the other side of the world with a family I had met less than a month prior speaking a second language and doing an intensive hike. However, I felt entirely comfortable. I knew where I was, I was getting along well with the family, I found it easy to talk, and I was simply enjoying my time there. I think that the most important thing studying abroad taught me is how to quickly accept out of the ordinary situations even with potential challenges or difficulties.