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 I felt it would be appropriate to compile my thoughts into a few final blog posts, containing the most noteworthy memories and lessons and how they impact me today.
It was a Thursday morning when I started feeling unsure about the future of my program in France. I had just heard that my friend studying in Italy had been sent home due to the coronavirus outbreak, so I dreaded the possibility that my program could be canceled next. My worries turned out to be justified; That same Thursday evening, the students were informed that we would have to return to the United States as soon as possible. This thrilling chapter would soon come to an abrupt end. Fast forward just one week, and I would be sitting in my room in California in isolation, a real-life juxtaposition of circumstances.
In addition to the isolation, the COVID-19 pandemic also brought about many new challenges. There was so much uncertainty that suddenly, I felt forced to confront my personal beliefs about the world we live in. It was almost too overwhelming that I did not feel that I was in the right headspace to continue blogging. For that reason I have always felt like I left this blog unfinished. Although I will not be discussing the details of my quarantine experience (they are outside the scope of this blog), they certainly affected the way I remember aspects of study abroad. Surely, this will be evident in the following series One Year Later.
Matt en France 