I am both excited and uncertain about my trip to France this summer. I previously visited France on a trip where I saw some cities such as Paris and Nice, but I feel like there is much more to do and so many places to go in the country. I am excited to see Angers, meet my host family, and begin the overwhelming task of adjusting to another culture. I believe Angers will be like inviting to us because there is the established program for exchange students and this may mean people are more willing to assist us with problems that arise because of our lack of fluency in the language and culture. I found that people were very helpful, and some even went out of their way to assist my family when we visited the country previously. I feel like the culture is welcoming to outsiders, which is part of the reason I chose to go to France. Another aspect of the culture I am really excited to experience is the meals and food in the way that the French people experience them. I believe both the food choices as well as the culture around meals will be different than the United States.

I chose this picture of the Eiffel Tower because I believe it represents one aspect of the trip which will be comfortable to me already. I love to travel, and so visiting monuments, museums, and national landmarks is something that I already know how to do and love doing. The other aspect of this trip that is exciting, but also scarier, is the submersion in to the culture. The touristy side of travel, like visiting the Eiffel Tower, and the study of the culture are both interesting and important to me during my study abroad session.

This picture of a variety of different bakery foods again shows my interest in becoming fluent with the food culture of France. I believe that the culture of food in a country can tell so much about the country itself. Aspects such as country’s wealth, health, and lifestyle are all shown by what the people eat, how much they eat, and when they eat. Do families eat most meals together or are there meals which require individual agendas? Is there one meal that is much larger or more important than the others? What types of food are common for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I hope to find all these out in my stay in France.

Maggie