The Final Countdown

So, I have two weeks left in the city, and I’m rapidly preparing to head home. I thought, since I had a countdown to my flight here, oh so many months ago, I would do something similar for my flight home. This time it isn’t going to be tips for repatriation, or on tips for how to pack for an overseas flight. There are plenty of blogs out there far better equipped to answer those questions than mine.

No, I’m going to be a bit selfish. For the next seven days, I’m going to list the seven things I’m going to miss most about my study abroad experience. The week after, I’m listing the seven things I’m most excited for about returning Stateside. I’m hoping these lists will not only help me sort through the massive wave of emotions, but that they’ll motivate me to go out and catch what little of the city I have time left to explore.

So, without further ado, number 7 on my list of things I’m going to miss most about studying abroad: The Language Barrier.

It’s true that I’ve complained about not being able to speak French well enough, but I can’t ignore how much this experience has helped my French speaking abilities. Sure, I’m not fluent still, but my speed has increased so much, and I’ve learned a lot of vocabulary and slang while I’ve been here.

It’s also an amazing feeling, once you get used to it, to be able to look at a sign in a foreign language and just… understand. There’s that strange moment where you’ve stopped consciously translating in your mind and the understanding just happens. I’m going to really miss that sensation.

And not everywhere I went on this trip was French speaking, either. When I went to Switzerland, I was in an area where German was the primary language, and many inhabitants didn’t speak English or French. In fact, I remember one slightly overzealous cashier trying to give me directions to the ATM in German. It taught me that we have a lot of ways to communicate, and we sometimes we have to give them all a try to make ourselves understood. It was eye opening, since I think I rely too heavily on my words sometimes.

It was also interesting in reverse. When I went to Ireland, it took a couple of days for me to get used to greeting strangers in English and saying “Thank you,” and “Excuse me,” instead of “Merci,” and “Pardon.” I’m interested to see if I’m going to have the same adjustment when I return to the U.S.

Finally, I’m a little worried about what is going to happen to my French skills once I return to the United States. I wanted to take my university’s French Civ course, but I had already taken an equivalent at KSU, and my schedule wouldn’t really fit it. I’m really hoping that I can commit to French Tables as they get started up again though as long as they don’t happen when I have class. I’m also hoping that maybe a refresher trip to Montreal and Quebec every once in a while will help keep it alive in my mind, not to mention, help my frequent flyer miles.

So, in the end, as annoying, painful, and embarrassing as the language barrier could be, I really am going to miss it when I get back to America.