Living in Dijon

Georgia Drost

Study Abroad

Studying as an international student in Dijon, France, changed my career path and my life plan. I lived independently for four months while deepening my understanding of the French language and culture and meeting other students from around the globe.  While similar to my time at Ohio State in the demands for personal responsibility and independent decision-making, my time at the University of Burgundy challenged my ability to creatively problem-solve and to live without an established support system.

I have always loved language, and French in particular. From a young age, I have been fascinated by the workings of my native language and those that I have encountered, and I believed that those who love foreign things must live abroad. The four months that I spent living in France were transformational fun, and educational, but they also taught me something important about myself: I don’t want to permanently move out of the United States.

Being on my own was very hard, especially at the beginning and the end of my trip. I travelled to Dijon with another Ohio State student that I’d met twice before, the name of the city, and the assertion that I had somewhere to stay, assuming that I could locate the correct building. With no prior contacts and no cell phone service, I had no help but my own reasoning, meager French ability, and a non-jetlagged British girl headed in the same direction. The weeks that followed were full of challenges like walking to IKEA because public transport didn’t service their location, contacting my credit card company without phone service and in a different time zone, and making friends with people who shared very few of my experiences and didn’t speak the same native language that I did. My saving grace in the experience was my professor, Estelle.

Estelle taught me and eleven other international students French at a level designed to prepare us to function independently in francophone society, but she also took a personal interest in our lives in France. She informed me of previously-unknown double meanings in my speech, advised me on living in Dijon, helped me understand a notice from my landlord, and cautioned me against going downtown during weekends with expected protests.

My classmates came from all over the world, and each had their own story and their own reason for learning French. One of them was hoping to study at a French university because they provide stronger academic programs than those in his home country. Another was running a restaurant with her also-immigrant mother, and someone needed to be able to speak to customers and suppliers.

Living and studying in this environment opened my eyes to a section of the world population I had heard of but never really considered: people who want to improve their lives but don’t speak a language that will help them to do so. The students I met were driven, hard-working and ambitious and Estelle did her best to help them on their journey to a better opportunity in life. Living as a near-immigrant in France reminded me that I am fortunate to be a United States citizen and to have access to quality higher education, an access that many people are not afforded. The attention that Estelle paid to each of her students, including me, made me feel that I can make a difference, too. As a teacher of English as a Second Language within the United States, I could impact the lives of students and immigrants who have not had the same opportunities as me but work just as hard for acceptance in a culture they cannot navigate. I have been worrying about my career path for a long time, but the transformational experience of my STEP project has given me a challenging and fulfilling end destination that will enable me to transform the lives of others.

For more information about my trip, visit my blog: https://anamericanadijon.blogspot.com/

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