Inspired by "10 Things I Want to Learn"

           Ever since I was a freshman in college, I had wanted to study abroad. However, there was two major challenges to achieving this goal. Firstly, I am afraid of plane rides. There is something unnatural about being that high up in the air. I can never get comfortable with the idea that I am above the clouds and zooming across the sky at hundreds of miles an hour. Secondly, I can only fluently speak English. Speaking only English limited the number of programs I could qualify for and the number of places around the world I could go.

            This all changed the fall semester of my junior year when I was approached by my Spanish professor about summer study abroad program in Paris that lasted a month. The program was for literature and writing and the classes were taught in English. Even though I would still need to know French to get around the city, I decided to apply of the program. A few months after I sent in my application, I found out I was accepted. Following my acceptance in February, I started to try to learn French, but none of the words or phrases stuck in my head. I also tried to mentally prepare myself for the plane ride, but I live in a rural area, so it would take me three planes to get to Paris. Three planes and twenty hours worth of traveling is something no amount of positive thinking could prepare me for. By the time May came around and I was sitting on a plane number three still scared for the takeoff and finally headed to Paris, I only knew two French phrases, “Hello” and “I want a lawyer.”

            From day one until the end of the month, I learned more and more French every day. The other college students in the program actually spoke French and they would teach me useful phrases. As it turned out, “I want a lawyer” was not a necessary phrase to know. Instead, they taught how to greet someone, how to say goodbye, order food at a restaurant, and the numbers. By the end of the trip, I could order food by myself, have a very basic conversation in French, and tell someone to “Get away from me!”

            Having English and French speakers around all the time during my trip sheltered me from having to rely on myself to communicate. Anytime I did not know a word, couldn’t understand a French person, or couldn’t pronounce something correctly, one of my friends jumped in to translate and help me through the conversation. I am grateful they did that, but I often wonder how different my experience would have been if I knew how to speak French fluently. I would’ve been able to be more independent and explore the city on my own. I would have felt more secure and less uneasy with a way to communicate in France. Maybe one day I will finally learn French and return to the City of Lights to have a whole new experience there.