Hello everyone, my name is Kathleen Trainor and I’m a junior at the College of Charleston. I’ve been studying in La Rochelle, France for the past semester, and as we wrap up with final exams, I wanted to reflect on my time here and how I believe France, and Europe in general, have affected me. Before this semester, I had never traveled abroad, my farthest adventure being Utah. I was a little overwhelmed and researched everything I could about France, from the clothes, to the culture, to student life. However, the only real way to experience a culture is to immerse yourself in it, which I was able to do thanks to my host family.

I wanted to become a confident, bilingual, adventurous woman while I was abroad, and I personally think I’ve accomplished at least two of those goals. I am more confident and I have had many adventures, however I am sadly not bilingual yet. I still make a ton of mistakes while speaking french, but the only way to learn is to say the wrong thing and be corrected.

If you’re thinking about studying abroad and speak a little french, I highly suggest spending a semester in La Rochelle. The city is not to big and allows to travel easily to a lot of different countries. Even if french isn’t the language you study, studying abroad for a semester is a life changing experience that everyone can benefit from.