Today we had a pre-departure meeting for our study abroad trip to France next semester (less than a month away!). I even won an all expenses paid trip to Paris! Students from the University of Strasbourg that are international students here at GSU came to talk to us and tell us about their experience, and what we should expect as students abroad.
It was very interesting to hear thier opinions and thoughts on GSU’s campus, and we got a chance to ask them questions of our own. They were very open and friendly, and told us about all the things we have to look forward to next semester. This of course, got me even more excited about the trip than I already was. U.Strasbourg is a closed college campus with weekly events for all international students; however, it saddened me to hear that they did not feel as welcome at GSU. They talked about the differences in people, culture, food, and even schools and the grading system (they are scored on a scale of 1-20, and getting a 50% is a good thing).
Of course it will be a culture shock, but I’m looking forward to becoming immersed in a completely different culture, and learning about a different way of life. Most of all, I am excited to meet and exchange ideas with all the other international students as well as French students at the University of Strasbourg! I’ll keep you up to date on my travels with plenty of details and photos of excursions on my blog:)