The Experiment: France: Cultural Discovery

One can definitely see Frances exquisite culture while roaming through the city of Paris. The city is made up of beautiful monuments, street art, cafes, and most importantly welcoming people. Seeing the Eiffel Tower at night felt like something out of a movie, I was star struck by a monument. The special part about the nigh was that I got to share it with multiple other students that also had shared the same dream as me.

I was very pleased with my experience in France and Germany. It was amazing to see how much cultures can change in one country and around the borders of that country. Also, it was cool to see how Freiburg and Strasbourg were so similar but a part of different countries. I won't change my experience for anything in the world; I'm so glad I had the opportunity to see Europe and with amazing people!

I participated in The Experiment in their French Culture and Regional Identity where I visited cities in France (Paris, Strasbourg, Colmar, Metz, Nancy, and the Alsace-Lorraine Region) and in Germany (Freiburg). Those three weeks were the best and most rewarding time of my life. I felt really immersed in the culture and life of France, so much so that I miss everything about it. (The part I miss the most is eating cheese and bread at every meal.) The program allowed me to see the beauty in everything, from a simple wall art in Paris to great views of the city of Strasbourg. Our first few days in Paris was really hard for me because the environment was quite different from San Francisco. However, when we got to our homestays, everything settled down. I love my homestay family! They were so kind to me, and I really felt accepted by them. The week and half I spent with them was not enough, and I very much plan on visiting them again. (I still talk to them!) After our homestay, we headed to Freiburg, Germany and visited the Black Forest! It was so much fun! We went hiking and boating! It was also here that I faced my fear of heights and rode a ferris wheel for the first time! Then, we went back into France, stayed in Colmar where I really fell in love with France. We ended in Paris, and it was the hardest goodbye I've ever had to do. But this whole trip is really unexplainable, no words can accurately explain what I experienced. The program itself was so amazing! My group leaders were very kindhearted, accepting, and I knew I could trust them. They made the whole trip easier to handle. I felt very safe in every place that we went to, and that's a major part of why The Experiment is very, very good. Overall, my experience was really one-of-a-kind. I would definitely do it again with The Experiment!

My trip with the Experiment honestly was amazing. I was so glad that I got the opportunity to go to France and discover a whole other part of the world. This trip allowed me to as a person and being independent and doing things myself. Traveling with people you don't really know maybe scary at first but after the first few days you will feel comfortable and feel like you have known them for a while. On this trip you do have a homestay and once you hear that you are going to be staying at a stranger's house but it is not bad. The Experiment will not put you in a dangerous environment and if you feel uncomfortable you can always talk to your leaders about it. Personally my homestay experience was amazing because I felt very comfortable with them after the first two days. I felt like I was home when I was with them and we would have our own jokes and my host sister and I still talk. Not only was the Homestay the fun part but the whole trip like spending time in Germany and hiking in the Black Forest and going to see the Mona Lisa in France. This was truly an experience that I will never forget.

I had a great time with this program. Although I was the only student not from the U.S., there was still a lot of diversity in both background and experience in my program group, and I made some great friends. Although I was not entirely happy that the administration may not have fully taken into account the situations of students living outside the U.S. or that the leaders were not extremely organised all the time, I still enjoyed myself and sometimes found that figuring out our plan as we went along made it more exciting than simply having a fully planned itinerary.

I got the chance to experience new things, like learning how to ride a bike, or archery, or living in a French family's house! I became more confident in my French speaking skills and truly enjoyed living in the moment, being it laughing at random feats, late-night conversations, or people-watching at cafes. I liked that the program focused not just on Paris but on regional culture, because I felt that I got to know France better and enjoyed it more by being in smaller cities/towns.

I'm so glad I went on this journey with no true expectations of what it would look like. The spontaneity with which I approached this beautifully complex foreign country made the experience all the more rich. I gained an immense amount of confidence in my french speaking abilities and formed close with bonds with the friends I met along the way and the places I hope to return to. And the best part was, as fate would have it, the part I dreaded the most: the homestay!

This program's main goal was to teach about the French culture and to teach about the regional differences. This program accomplished that and then some. Within the first day I learned about all 14 of my now great friends and I learned so much about the daily Paris life. It was busy busy busy, no time to stop. When we were participating in our homestays, I immediately noticed the differences in speak, and in culture. I felt immersed wherever I went, every time I was encouraged to speak French, and every time I spoke it without being encouraged. I felt truly like I was a part of the country. I adapted quickly and fell in love immediately. Now, back at home, I've implemented new things I learned into my home life. For example, I am in love with apricots now and buy them whenever I go to the store. I also encourage fresher produce and less store shopping and more farmer market outings. If you're looking for an amazing experience through an amazing program, go with this one. You won't regret it.

The Experiment provided me with an amazing opportunity to travel to a beautiful country and meet new friends along the way. Their commitment to diversity cultivated an interesting group of individuals whose personalities heightened my experience in ways I did not believe was possible. From dancing with strangers in Colmar to choreographing a spectacle for our host families, there was never a dull moment with my fellow experimenters. In finding the perfect balance between scheduled events and free time, The Experiment allowed us to truly discover French culture for ourselves rather than through lectures or assigned reading. This was truly an experience I will never forget.