Study Abroad: Annecy, France

During the summer of 2023, I studied french in Annecy, France. It’s a quaint small lake side town near the south of France. For a month I was across the world in France on my own, immersed in a foreign culture. This was an opportunity I am very fortunate to have, as this immersion facilitated my language learning as well as honed my abilities to adapt and explore.

Language Building Experience: Learning through people, not textbooks

The classes were ran by the Institut Français des Alpes (IFALPES) and with French teachers. We would meet in-person in the IFALPES facility every day, alternating between mornings and afternoon classes. Each day would focus on either vocabulary, grammar, pronounciation/phonetics, or writing. The main difference was while classes here tend to revolve around the homework, these classes assigned close to no homework but demanded class participation.

A lot of language learning occured outside of the classroom. Everyday tasks such as buying food and going places requires interaction with other people, and while some would switch to english, a good number couldn’t, and so as a French language-learner I found that I had the opportunity to grow my speaking abilities just by going outside and trying to go about my day.

I came into this study abroad program with only FR101 and FR102 background an no prior experience with French. I completed my course with an A2 Level Language Certificate, also earning the 6 remaining credits for my Language Requirement at UH Mānoa.

Character Building Experience: L’expérience française et être indépendant

I stayed with a host family, a french couple who spoke a little bit of english. They lived about 20 minutes total away from the school, 10 minute walk to the bus and a 10 minute bus ride. I shared a room with a fellow study abroad student, Terra, and had two other housemates who were also study abroad students from a different university and program. The living situation was very culturally french in the sense of what we eat and the times we were expected to be awake, asleep, in and out.

Having to navigate that space wasn’t too difficult being surrounded by 3 American roommates, but at times feeling alone was inevitable. There is a 12 hour time difference between France and Hawai’i, and so I was literally on the opposite side of the clock and the globe from my family and friends. It was also the first time I was completely responsible for my own spending and money.

This unrestricted environment was both freeing and terrifying, but being away from the nest helped me tap into the adventurer I’ve always wanted to be.

Future Projections

I initially took French because I had aspirations of joining the PeaceCorps and working in the Maghreb region where French is one of the broader languages spoken due to its colonial history. This study abroad experience made me realize how areas of the world could be more accessible once you learn the language.

In the following Fall semester I ended up taking FR301 French Phonetics at UH Mānoa. While that class was an interesting experience, I have ultimately not decided to pursure the French minor or a French language certificate, however it is a language I would like to grow personally especially as I move into my career.

Report for the Alliance Française Hawai’i

Prior to joining the study abroad I was awarded a scholarship from the Alliance Française Hawai’i (AFH) and was also able to write a report in French to be published in their bi-monthly newsletter.

PDF of AFH Newsletter: Not Yet Available