France: Lyon - French Language, Art History, and Francophone Studies

The staff in Lyon was amazing, for they always helped us out with anything we needed help with and encouraged us to get involved with the community especially with the World Cup going on and a lot of summer related activities. The trip to Annecy, France was amazing as well. My favorite part of the program was the optional tour of Paris for the first week of the summer program. The courses were structured more to focus on making communication in French. It was just a unique set up having classes that had projects to encourage communication as opposed to just receiving a textbook. Lyon is a beautiful town with a lot of culture, food, and activities to get involved in. It's also easy to take trips from Lyon to Geneva, Marseilles, and the northwestern areas of Italy. I highly recommend if you go on a summer program to Lyon that you do two sessions instead of one!

I studied in Lyon for the 2017-2018 academic year, and I wish I never had to leave. My experience was unique in that I was a year long student so I was able to make longer lasting connection to the city and people. It was a learning experience getting use to the different university environment, in that, most classes were two hours long and the learning curriculum was different. After the adjustment period, I loved learning the language with other international students in the CIEF program. By going with USAC, it provided a support system that you wouldn't have had otherwise. They were there from helping with classes to helps or just another person to talk to. Overall, this was one of the best experiences of my life, from the people I met to living in the city I call my second home. I am waiting for a way to get back to Lyon.

I absolutely love Lyon! It's a wonderful location that is beautiful, central, large enough to get all of the benefits of living in a big city, yet much smaller than overcrowded cities like Paris or New York. If you're looking to study here, I would definitely recommend it!

Going through the USAC Program was a little complicated since the classes and grading are not the same as what you sign up for. You basically sign up for classes, then are integrated into Université Lumière Lyon 2's CIEF (Centres International d'Études Françaises) courses that are built to prepare for entrance into a French university. You are broken up into levels (A1-C2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), then you attend those courses (11 classes of 1 hour 45 minutes per week) with foreign students working towards a B2 or C1 DELF/DALF. It was hard work, and for me, Monday through Friday. Some days were so long that my body ached for sitting for hours at a time. It was also difficult to travel during weekends because of the late classes scheduled for Fridays and early classes scheduled for Mondays (they discourage skipping courses, but I definitely needed to sometimes). You can tell that this is an intensive program made for those who are seriously working towards the language skills to integrate into a French university, and since it was not my goal, it was a little difficult to remain motivated sometimes.

I would say that, overall, Lyon is a great study abroad city with a vibrant social scene for young adults, but I was less than impressed with Lyon 2's CIEF program.

The city was great for university aged students. There was a lot of night life, museums, and coffee shops. Also, the public transportation was very accessible and easy to use. Because it is one of the major cities it was also easy to travel to other parts of the country and continent. Along with this, there was a problem with theft when out in the city. The school had a great staff that was ready to help me learn.

I had an absolute blast in Lyon. I met a ton of really interesting people from around the world in my courses, and made life long friends. I had a great time with my host family! There are many options for transportation but everything was close enough I chose to walk most everywhere! It was an absolutely incredible experience, and lyon is an amazing city to live in: great food, lots of amazing art, and an overall buzz of a fantastic place to be.

Imagine strolling along a river, almond croissant in hand, on your way to class. That was me, just a few short months ago. I always dreamed of living in France, fully immersing myself in the language and culture. USAC made that happen for me. I studied abroad in Lyon, France for five months in the spring of 2017. I had never heard of Lyon before, but after one interest meeting, I was on board.

Fast forward a few months and I was on a plane to France.I lived with a host family for the total duration of my stay, and it was one of the greatest decisions I made. My French dad was outgoing and goofy, always putting on a show, and my French mom was sweet and relaxed. I also had a 17-year old French brother, with whom I watched the newest Star Wars movie dubbed in French during my first week. We ate meals together almost every night, speaking entirely in French, which pulled me out of my comfort zone and significantly improved my language skills.

French professors at the university taught the majority of my classes, and my classmates were international students from countries in North & South America, Asia, and Africa. It was tempting to speak in English with fellow Americans, so the professors grouped the Anglophones and non-Anglophones together, making sure that we were only communicating in French. I worked on long-term projects with natives from Colombia and Ghana, which gave me an even greater intercultural experience.

USAC provided two field trips over the course of the semester. The first was a ski trip in the French Alps and the second was a tour of the Beaujolais wine region. Both trips allowed me to get to know students who were not in my classes and explore the beauty and various cultural aspects of France. USAC also offered opportunities to volunteer with English Clubs at French school. I ventured out to a French school once a week and organized activities for a group of middle school students wishing to improve their English.

Lyon was such a beautiful city to live in, with two rivers running right through the center of the city. The university’s campus is situated next to one of them, making it easy to enjoy a lunch or walk by the river in between classes. I participated in Lyon International events, which turned into some of my favorite memories in Lyon. In January we were hosted for a night of wine, cheese, and dancing, which is where I learned that these three foods are considered France's "Holy Trinity" of the table. In May, the group took us on a dinner cruise on the rivers, allowing us to take in the beauty of the city as day turned to night. On the evening before my flight home to the U.S., I attended an Olympique Lyonnais soccer game, realizing that while the French and American definitions of “football” might be different, our team spirits are one and the same.

My experience abroad was one of the greatest times of my life. I was challenged in ways that are not easy to explain, but I have returned to the U.S. with a multitude of new memories and a new perspective of the world. A small part of me will now forever be Lyonnaise.

It's hard to condense five months into a short review, but here it goes. For a semester I studied in Lyon, France and lived with a French family. I took an internship USAC offered, teaching high school students English, and spent my days learning in a genuine French classroom with a stereotypical baguette in my bag and a smile on my face - nearly 24/7.
Now I say nearly, because living in a foreign country and speaking a foreign language are not by any means, easy tasks. There are days my head would ache, I would want to hide from language embarrassment, and just want to be in my American bed back home. But that's where USAC came in.
USAC gave me the opportunity to do something entirely out of my comfort zone, with resources, guidance, and program directors who were there for me, every single time I needed them. Those difficulties were turned into moments of growth and I was able to take situations that may have completely shut me down, to opportunities of recognition for how far I had come, and how much I had accomplished. I spent my days challenging myself learning a language I loved, exploring the streets of a stunning city, and making friendships with incredible humans, of all ages and nationalities.
Studying abroad gave me a second family, on the other side of the world, who I still talk to on the daily. My French "Mom" and "Dad" were individuals who truly changed my life - and I would not have been so fortunate to make such a bond if it wasn't for USAC, once again. The person who stepped back onto American soil in May was not the same person who had left it 5 months earlier - the world that opened to me was one that gave me confidence, strength, and a love for challenge and cultural understanding - and I have USAC to thank for it.

USAC and the team in Lyon are great. Josephine is one of the best advisors, great in her ability to mix professionalism and friendliness to aid fellow students in feeling both safe and feeling like they have a confidante as well as a friend. All the staff make you feel very safe and provide the best activities--well thought out and easily available for everyone. I loved the weekend trips with all of the USAC students. It provided a sense of culture and I was able to bond with many other students; friends, I'm coming to find, for life. Many of the people I studied abroad with went on to do much more travel, some participating in the peace corps, Africa, Asia, South America, etc., and others going back to France through TAPIF or other job opportunities, like myself. I would've never felt so independent and capable if not for this program.