Study Abroad and Domestic Study Away

After finally finishing my exam period I came to realize that my second semester abroad is over. The past 8 months have represented a beautiful rollercoaster of culture, friendship, hard moments, and beautiful memories. I am very happy to have decided to go abroad for the entire academic year, as this really allowed me to understand the culture of this region of France. As my time here comes to an end, I also realize I have accomplished some of my goals from the beginning:

First, I have acquired an incredible fluency in French. This has been amazing because it has allowed me to connect with locals in another level, and to make friendships with French people. Secondly, I have gained a huge level of independence. The college experience in France is very different to that of the US, since in Europe people encourage independence at a much younger age: while living here I have had my own apartment and been completely responsible for taking care of myself, my meals, my budgeting, and time management. I am very happy with the person that I have become at this point in my adulthood. Thirdly, this last year has given me a huge amount of self-reflection to understand myself better, and it has helped me prioritize my time around activities that are meaningful to me.

I still have a couple months left in Rennes as I am planning to spend the summer here, but this city and this period of my life will always be very valuable to me, and I am excited to go back to my final year in Lake Forest as a completely different and happier individual.

Cindy exploring Cologne, Germany: