Stephanie Chen: Learning Moments That Last A Life Time

Two months in and only one month to go, time sure goes by fast. I still remember when I first arrived in Amiens and how terrified I was about being able to adapt to a completely different culture and standard of living, and now it’s almost time to head back.

During this study abroad, I have experienced many self-realization and learning moments. These learning experiences has made me grew so much. I realized that I had adapted to the new changes a lot quicker than I thought I would be able to. I have to admit it wasn’t easy. I had culture shock when I first arrived. The living standard was very different to what I’m use to and felt that I couldn’t stay in France for three months. What helped me overcome this fear was to talk to other international students and friends who have been through it. By doing this, they provided me with different perspectives and helped me understand that it is normal to experience culture shock. It made me realize that this is part of the learning experience.

I learned so much about the French culture that cannot be learnt through textbooks. For instance, in France it is common to have separate rooms for the toilet and the bathtub. In most cases, there are no hand sinks in the toilet room. Why? It is because some French perceives that their “body” is clean and therefore there is no need to wash their hands. This is also the reason as to why some French carries their unwrapped baguettes under their armpits.

Another thing I have learnt was that French do eat a lot. I mentioned in one of my business classes that I felt French didn’t eat a lot because their dishes are very petite. One French student heard and decided to prepare a French meal for me. Oh boy, I wished I didn’t mention it because I ate so much that my stomach almost burst.

 The food was so delicious and we spent the night talking about culture. This is when I found out that French students pay a lot for their tuition at Sup de Co and that they need to take an entrance exam before being accepted to the school. It is amazing to learn these cultural differences and how some of these differences are considered normal in one part of the world but not another.

I highly recommend students to go study abroad because the experience will be life changing.  I am very glad that I did not let my fear stand in my way of studying abroad. I would definitely do it again!