Kenzie Barter

Kenzie Barter
Ba-Ed Secondaire

Recently, I had the pleasure of embarking on a wonderful journey to LaRochelle, France. I came across this abroad exchange trip when I was doing my monthly checking of my school email. I figured that this would be a wonderful opportunity for me as I’ve been a French immersion student since my elementary school years. I currently attend the University of Alberta‘s campus St. Jean campus (The small francophone campus a few kilometers away from the main campus), where I am studying a secondary education degree, with all of my courses in French.

I grew up in a small Alberta town called Stony Plain. Have you heard of it? Probably not…It’s located next to Spruce Grove, which is next to Edmonton. Because of my small town beginnings, I never thought that travel would be accessible to me, however upon looking into the program, I found that it was reasonable and affordable. I was able to mentally justify the trip due to the learning experience as well as the cultural advantages. To me, this was a wonderful opportunity to fully immerse myself in the French language, although, after no more than three days into the trip, I learned that it would be much more than that.

I had the pleasure of being placed in Françoise’s house; a strong, idealistic woman whom I enjoyed having in-depth intelligent conversations with, as well as bonding over things such as theater and our shared love for cats. The first few nights were hard as I’ve never been that far from home before let alone in another country 16 hours away. I would argue that the first night was the worst and only bad part of the trip because there was a giant spider as big as my hand in my room. I told myself to put on my big girl pants, let the spider outside and embrace the change that I was about to face.

Now let’s talk about the city! It was a quaint, gorgeous environment with lots of people and so much fun to explore. The food was delicious. The sites were breathtaking and the ocean was right there. Every day after class I found myself swimming in the ocean and collecting seashells on the beach. That being said, school didn’t really feel like school as the lovely coordinator Julie Tarif made it engaging and interactive. You know you’re gonna have fun when your homework is to go explore the city and eat ice cream. Every week we went on excursions and one of the weeks we went to this incredible place called Puy de Fou Which is essentially a theater theme park that has shows with fire and cool water effects (Seriously, google it!)

School was an important factor of the trip, but there was ample time for exploring and discovering on our own due to the long weekends and shorter school days. I was able to do my own European excursions where I went to Paris for one of the long weekends and Bordeaux for the other with some of the students from the trip. I hadn’t met any of the students who were on the exchange prior, but I can proudly say that now they’re all very close friends of mine. Of course I got closer with some than others, but we all got along very well and the ones I got closer to are still some of my good friends. We did things such as enjoy the nightlife, go shopping, and even planned cute small outings, like picnics or bike rides.

I didn't know what to expect before going on this trip, but what I got was worth more than anything I could’ve imagined. I created friendships and core memories I will never forget such as getting a tattoo impulsively, jumping off a 10ft pier into the ocean, and finding myself when I felt lost back home. I also felt it was so advantageous to my French language as I was able to fully immerse myself in the language and speak it freely in social everyday contexts.

I will forever remember and miss this trip. Giving my host Françoise flowers on the last day, as we shed tears and said our goodbyes shattered my heart. I can’t eat another croissant without thinking about how much better they tasted in France. I also can’t go outside without missing the ocean breeze and the sun shining bright. Long story short, if you’re considering this program, stop considering it and just do it! You’ll learn so much about yourself, you'll try things you can’t necessarily try anywhere else, you might even find love; who knows. I found love in the forms of the ocean, in friendships and in French culture.

Don’t hold yourself back from fear. Jump off the pier and dive right in to the best choice you’ll ever make in your life.

P.S. Pack your sunscreen, Save space for ice cream, and apply for one of the many grants available for abroad student programs!

Bon voyage!