Being home is comforting and strange. I constantly catch myself saying “pardon” (pronounced with a very nasal French accent) instead of “excuse me” in public places. Hearing English everywhere is confusing. I was walking around the King of Prussia mall with a few friends yesterday, and they laughed when I stopped and spun around when I heard two people behind us speaking French.

It’s difficult to respond to the question “How was France?” I don’t know how I could possibly sum up the past four months into any sort of decent reply. So many days, so many experiences. I think I’d rather leave the answer vague, instead of attempting to reduce my time abroad into simple adjectives of praise. I’m feeling more and more that France and the French language are my own private world, a place that none of my friends or family can really know. It’s my reality, tucked away for now in memories and a bag of ticket stubs and photographs.

That being said, I’m looking forward to talking to other students about studying abroad. It’s a hard decision to make – leaving everything you know for a few months to a year to go somewhere completely new and unknown, where you may not speak the language or understand the culture. But it’s an experience I think everyone should have, and that I’m looking forward to having again.

Location: Bethlehem, PA