One of the biggest cultural differences that I have experienced here is how people my age interact with each other. Back at Wofford, I made most of my friends through random interactions. It’s normal to just spontaneously compliment someone or bring up a mutual interest just to start a conversation that could eventually blossom into friendship.
Making friends with French students has been a comical struggle. The other French students are extremely reserved and typically only talk to each other. Even during side conversations and slight jokes in class, each student seems to be partnered up with just one or 2 other students that they talk to and no one else.
In addition to this the language barriers have made it even harder to talk to French students. The other American students and I often joke about how speaking French with other young French people is almost an entirely different language. They speak super quickly and low and their slang and expressions can completely go over our heads. However, that is not to say that they have not been helpful. Many of the French students speak English well and will explain things we may have missed after class.
Despite some language barriers I have still been able to make great connections here in France. My host mom Carole has been a wonderful tutor and I am able to have wonderful conversations with her that make me feel better adjusted here. Recently, I, along with other CIEE students, volunteered to visit a local middle school to speak with students learning English. It was an amazing experience and it definitely helped ease my discomfort in France. It was nice to be around the students because they were just as nervous as I was and wanted to learn from me as much as I wanted to learn from them.
Toulouse is listed as one of the top locations for study abroad students. There are many international students in my classes and it has been nice to interact with other people that are different from me that still have similar experiences. There are even programs that host parties and other activities to connect international students.
Although there have definitely been uncomfortable situations, I have really been enjoying my semester abroad. Despite feeling isolated at times and insecure about my language ability, surrounding myself with people that have been very accepting of me has made my experience in France great.