Here we are: last week of school and last article of my journey writing for SDSU Be International. It has gone by so fast!
I am leaving full of memories, to give space for new international students that will come next semester. So, in order to sum up my journey here in this last article, I will give them a hint of what they should look forward in their semester abroad, from super legit to incongruous:
9 a.m.
I wake up because of my phone vibrations.
It may be 9 a.m. here, but it’s 7 p.m. in France. My friends and family may have sent me messages during the night, but I always wake up to the last vibrations of my phone.
Maybe it’s because my subconscious knows that I only have few remaining hours to talk to them before they go to bed.
Continue reading “Live a Day in My Homesick French Girl Life!”
In another article, a few weeks ago now, I talked about the phases I was experiencing here in the USA as an International Student. Indeed, first, I experienced a honeymoon, then discernment, and finally, conscience. In this last phase I was in at the time, I was talking about the fact that I still liked it here, but that I realized that I do not belong here, because I do not feel 100 percent connected to the culture.
Well, there is more now. At the end of my article, I was asking myself if there would be more phases, and I am now right in the middle of a new one. Which is commonly called homesickness.
Here we are, already halfway through my journey here in the USA.
I cannot believe that, in only two months, I’ll be on a plane heading back to my beloved France. Of course I will miss my friends and my home here, as well as the city … but there’s more!
Here is a non-exhaustive list, in no particular order, of things we do not have in France, that I will miss very much.
Dear SDSU students and staff,
I was about to title this article “Why the SDSU Campus is not internationalized at all,” but I thought that might be too much, considered presumptuous and make it sound like I’m unhappy with my experience here — and it is really not what I want to express here.
As you read in my previous articles, I am struggling quite a bit with the whole flirting process here in America compared to France. After few weeks of living here, I started to come up with some individual assumptions, and I was really starting to wonder if I was right or wrong. In order to be sure, I made a form asking American and French people their thoughts. Today, I am really happy to share the results with you!
I’ve always dreamed about coming to California. I remember, since I was a little girl, I had posters of San Francisco on my room walls. I learned about the history of the country, its system, and all the music and classic movies you are used to.
Continue reading “The Earth Is Round For You to Come Back Home At The End”
Last year, the United States had an election — for better or for worse. It was quite an emotional time and it occupied every facet of our lives for a year. During the last fall semester, I had made friends with exchange students from Germany and they were quite surprised at how prevalent the election was in the media and on campus. (They would later do a road trip to the inauguration). Now it was my turn to see a foreign election, but in Europe!
Americans are really proud. Proud of who they are, proud of where they live and proud of what they do. They also want to share it to others, which creates a very strong community spirit. This is very interesting for me as a French exchange student, because it is considered very haughty to be proud in France. Let me illustrate this thought with three examples!
It’s time once again for the SDSU International Photo contest, featuring photos submitted by SDSU students! This year we’re choosing our People’s Choice Award through a 40-photo tournament, with winners decided by online voting right here on the Be International blog. Voting is now open for Round 2 below, so pick your favorites of the 20 photos remaining!
(NOTE: VOTING IS NOW CLOSED)
Continue reading “2017 International Photo Contest Tournament: Round 2”
The global experience, as told by SDSU students 