Bienvenue!
This blog follows the journey of me, Matthew Mitchell, during my short but sweet sojourn in France. Interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, this experience proved to be one of the most adventurous and unpredictable periods in my life so far. Feel free to get a small glimpse into my experience through the blog posts below.
One Year Later : The French “Nourriture”
I did not realize it at the time, but my stay in France had a considerable impact on my view of lifestyle and nutrition. One personal value that I have developed during the past year is to be very mindful of the input that I take in. By input, I am referring to any stimulus,…
One Year Later : A Series
It has now been more than a year since I wrapped up my study abroad journey in Bordeaux, France. This period has given me a healthy amount of time to reflect on the many cultural experiences for which I am endlessly grateful. I still find myself thinking and talking about my adventure quite often, so…
An Icy Excursion
The past couple weeks have been some of the best in my experience abroad so far. This is because I had the opportunity to leave France for a bit and explore more of Europe – something I anticipated greatly upon coming abroad. It was the two weeks of my winter break, so I wanted to…
A Short Stay in Marseille
Just had a busy yet productive week of school. This included a French dissertation and a gastronomy presentation, and I got to end the week with a trip to Marseille, France! Here is a photo and short reflection from the experience. I’m currently 6 weeks into my study abroad program and I think this photo…
Social Interaction × Foreign Language
Social interaction can be hard. We all sometimes have trouble deciding what we want to say in a given conversation. We want to react genuinely, say the “right” thing, and express our personalities candidly. Social interaction in a different language can be even harder. Suddenly, not only does one have to read social cues to…
Nothing to Lose in Toulouse
This previous week has had two major highlights. I started my first official week of courses, and I was able to spend the weekend in Toulouse, a neighboring (and rival) French city. The courses that I have decided to take are entitled: Methodologie Française (French) L’Histoire de l’art Contemporaine (French) System de gestion de bases…
Friends in France
In the weeks leading up to my trip to Bordeaux, I pondered what I wanted in terms of social connections while abroad. I knew that it was necessary to make friends in my California program – in order to travel and share experiences about school – but I knew that I wanted to make local…
A City Rich in History
It has now been over a week since I have arrived in Bordeaux, France. There is much that I must grow accustomed to – a great change in scenery, a different way of life, colder weather, and orienting myself in a foreign city with a foreign language. I am living with a host family consisting…
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Matt en France 