I recently returned from a semester abroad. I arrived home tired, disoriented by the transition back from the alien world I had been inhabiting since the end of August. The long journey had taken its toll on me, and the transition between time zones was going to take some getting used to.
After all, it's rough going from Eastern time to Central.
Wait wait wait, you say. You said you were abroad!
Well, yes. I was in Canada.
The decision to spend a semester in a country that oftentimes seems like an alternate version of the US strikes most people as odd. After all, I didn't even leave the continent. Canada is a place you can go for a short family vacation if you live in the northern United States. (In fact, I took a weekend trip to Montreal and discovered that one of my classmates back in Pittsburgh was there on the same weekend).
So why did I go to Saguenay, a small city in the northern woods of Quebec, instead of someplace exciting like Paris or Marseilles?
I'll readily admit that many of the main factors in my decision were practical. I saved tens of thousands of dollars by going to Quebec. Travelling within North America is significantly less expensive than crossing the Atlantic, and the cost of living in a small town Canada is far less than in a major European city. The exchange rate in Canada is also favorable to Americans, whereas it is slightly unfavorable in the Eurozone. By far the biggest money-saver was that I directly enrolled in a program that only cost about two thousand dollars, whereas most programs done through a third-party provider can cost between 15 and 25 thousand dollars per semester. And thanks to NAFTA, I barely had to deal with any bureaucratic loopholes. Since I was spending less than four months in Canada, I didn't even need a visa or study permit!
But of course, I didn't just choose to go to Canada because it was easy. I chose it because it was unique.
French and French Studies classes in the US- and around the world- tend to be overwhelmingly not just Eurocentric, or even Francocentric, but Paris-centric. It is unfortunately rare to learn anything in depth about the literature, history, or film of any of the 83 other countries that are part of the Francophonie. By going to one of those other countries, you can expand your knowledge and experiences in ways not possible by going to France.
Quebec, in particular, is unlike anywhere else in the world. It clings fiercely to its unique culture and language, yet is part of a country where the majority speaks English. It is fiercely nationalistic and quite socially conservative, yet much of its sense of independence derives from its strongly leftist economic system. Much of its identity is found in the land and in the historic agriculture, lumber, and fishing industries, yet it boasts one of Canada's largest metropolitan areas. Its dialect is rich in sound changes and peculiar vocabulary, and it has a vast cultural heritage of literature, music, and art. And don't forget the delicious food!
My time in Quebec allowed me to learn about French North America and its role in broader Canadian and North American society in a way that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. But more than that, it has expanded my sense of the Francophone world, the French language, and my own place in society.
My point isn't that you should absolutely go to Quebec. Rather, if you're a French student, I want to remind you that there's a whole world of French-speaking countries and cultures out there, and you'll benefit greatly from learning more about it. And if you're studying another language, this still applies to you. Don't be afraid to explore the full range of the culture you're studying.
Now, I'm not saying that it's bad to go to a major city. Paris is awesome, and you can have an amazing experience there. But I want to challenge you to think outside the box a bit. Think about even just going to a smaller city in France, or going to Switzerland or Belgium. Think about going somewhere like Senegal, or Morocco, or Madagascar.
But don't forget to look in your own backyard.
