In the Spring of 2023, I studied abroad in Montpellier, France, for three and a half months. While there, I completed classes at the L’Universite de Paul Valery III that propelled my French speaking, writing, and listening skills but, most importantly, immersed me in French culture. I also completed an internship at a small local boutique called “Have A Nice Day.” Going into the program, I wanted to be able to solidify my French fluency and be able to travel across France and Europe to experience as many cultures as possible. I was able to do all these things while learning a lot about myself along the way. I had to be resilient when I failed and confident when I was uncertain. It surprised me how even the smallest tasks like going to the grocery store, were intimidating feats in another country.

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Montpellier is in the south of France, about twenty minutes inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is the seventh largest city in France and has an extremely young population, with an average age of under thirty. The city reflected the youthful population with crowds of students in every park, plenty of cafés, and energetic nightlife any day of the week. I lived in the medieval part of “centre ville,” the town center, and was grateful to be in the heart of the city next to “la place de la Comedie,” the main square. My main mode of transportation was either walking or taking the tram for public transportation. After returning to America, one of the things I missed the most was the ability to walk wherever I needed to go. Montpellier reflected many European cities, which are extremely pedestrian-centered and do not even allow cars in certain areas. Where I lived in the medieval section, the streets were not even wide enough to fit a car.

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Aside from these small day-to-day differences, I was able to fully realize some of the major cultural differences between France and the United States. The one that affected my four months in France the most was the ongoing strikes across the country. While I was settling into Montpellier, the French government was going through the process of passing a law that would raise the retirement age in France from sixty-two to sixty-four years old. Once the law eventually passed, much of the French population was outraged. It is more common in France for workers to go on strike when faced with a disruptive law that affects their work lives. Whereas in the U.S. it is less likely to happen so often. The French citizens are legally protected to go on strike and organize “manifestations” which are planned marches and rallies that give them an entire day off of work that will still be compensated in their salary. These planned days happened at least three times a month or more and caused a great deal of disruption to daily life. For example, university classes were always canceled on strike days, which meant that students were delayed in completing coursework. My university course did not complete the necessary material over the semester to take the final exam, so we ended up substituting it with a final paper. Not only were schools affected, but so was public transportation. The tram system either had a half-day shutdown or worked at half capacity to accommodate the workers on strike. This meant that many people could not get to their place of work on time or even at all. I even experienced a three-hour delay and flight cancellation because the French air traffic control was participating in the strike as well. This shows how seriously the right to strike is taken and accepted within the country.

 

As an American student witnessing this display of solidarity, I was both impressed and in shock. In the United States, strikes are reserved for extreme situations and are viewed as rebellious behavior. They are also usually reserved to one company or industry in the U.S., whereas in France, people from every type of job were participating nationwide. It was hard for myself and the other American students to understand how the entire nation was not shocked when days of school and work were canceled. The strikes made me realize how the authority gap in schools in the U.S. is much stricter than those in France. At the French universities, the professors had to mold their class schedules and curriculum around the student's right to strike. I imagined that in the same situation in America, teachers would have a stricter authoritarian role that would force the students to come to class. If a student in the U.S. were to miss class to strike, it would not be an excused absence.

 

As I reflect on my time in France, I am grateful that I got to witness such an important time for politics and French society. While it may have felt turbulent and overwhelming at the time, it gave me one of the most enriching experiences for a study abroad semester. I had candid conversations with locals about their own opinions and was able to be educated on the nuances of French culture. It was the most immersive lessons in diversity, adaptability, and acceptance that can only happen outside of a classroom.