While studying abroad, I had many initial goals which included expanding my vocabulary in French, being able to communicate with better ease, immerse myself in a new culture, and being able to ease the anxiety of new experiences.  

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Broadening my vocabulary and being able to speak better French was the main goal of studying in Lyon. When I first arrived, I didn’t understand a lot, but as time moved forward, things became much easier through my rigorous courses and daily activities outside of my dorm. I wouldn’t say that I am totally fluent in French, as I am still learning, but I do feel comfortable holding a conversation and being able to safely navigate myself in a francophone country. 

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As I was starting to overcome my anxieties by familiarizing myself with my new home, I decided that I should push myself more by traveling to new countries, some with friends and some by myself. I was also able to visit Germany, the Netherlands and Spain with my friends during the university’s winter break, and I was able to solo travel to Italy, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and Switzerland during spring break. Even though I was only in each of these countries for about 2 to 4 days, I was still able to see how each city in each country that I have visited has a different culture and customs, and how these differences made each place unique. 

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I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and have spent most of my childhood in Dartmouth, a city neighboring Halifax. When I was 10, my parents, sister, and I moved to Greenville, South Carolina. We go back up to Nova Scotia once every 2 or 3 years for a few weeks to visit my mother’s side of the family. Because I am both Canadian and American, I am able to compare my experience abroad in Lyon to both Greenville and Dartmouth. 

 

There are many similarities as well as differences between here in Lyon, Dartmouth, and in Greenville. The biggest difference that I have noticed is the transportation system. In Lyon, there are a variety of options to get around town such as using the bus, metro, tram, car, or by walking. Because the public transportation system is well funded and the city is rather compact, most people use the bus, tram, metro, or walk to school or work. In Greenville, because the city is very sprawling, most people, including myself, use a car to go to work or class. Dartmouth is like a combination of the two because even though there are still lots of room for cars, taking the bus is also a very common method of transportation, though there is no major subway or tram system. With that being said, it was very easy to attend the organization’s regular meetings as walking or taking the bus was always under 20 minutes. A similarity that I have noticed is that the people in Lyon, Greenville, and especially in Dartmouth are very polite and easygoing. Compared to some other European cities that I have visited, I have found that people in Lyon are very pleasant and open minded. The staff at Lire et Faire Lire make no exception as they were also very friendly and ready to help you if you needed it. This made it easier to communicate any problems that I would have. Because of the easy going nature of this internship experience, I felt that I could express my ideas freely without worrying if I did or said something that would be considered inappropriate.

 

Even though I did not experience any negative culturally different moments, it is always important to understand that one’s  habits may be interpreted differently amongst other people in a different culture than one's own, so it is necessary to understand one’s own cultural bias to have an open mind when working in a different country. With this thought in mind, I believe that “local lens” helped me become aware of my own behaviors and habits that might be potentially offensive or bizarre. Up until this experience, I never had to worry about if my behavior was inappropriate, but being that I was in a different continent, I tried to be aware of my actions or my words just in case, but luckily, I never felt that I had to censor what I wanted to say or feel. This international professional learning experience helped enrich my cultural awareness by actually utilising my self-monitoring skills, something that I was taught in an international marketing class in South Carolina as a part of my major. This included asking myself of my own cultural values and biases, educating myself on French culture, and listening and understanding another person’s perspective. Because of some of the skills that I was taught in my major, I was able to put them into practice while completing this program.