Chapter 11 short study abroad in france

Shortly after graduation, I went to study abroad in France.It was a place near the Alps called Grenoble.Grenoble is the central city of the Alps and home to Grenoble University, one of the eight universities in Europe.It lives up to its reputation as a city of culture and art, violinists can be seen everywhere, and large and small performances are often held here.It is also a famous base of the movement against German fascism in World War II. There are many foreign students here, so the identity of an "Oriental girl" rarely arouses curiosity from others.I plan to finish the language course in Grenoble first.During college, I have learned French by myself for several years with books and tapes, but I still need to strengthen my language skills if I want to learn professional courses well.

Life in Grenoble is generally quite free. Although at least one entourage will be arranged for me, his whereabouts are quite low-key, and I have never even been noticed. Like other international students, I lived in a host family near the school. The auntie’s husband passed away very early. She ran a host family and raised her two daughters alone.Auntie has a bright personality, excellent cooking skills, and is very positive about everything.Besides me, there is also a Canadian student there. There are always many topics to talk about when we eat together. They will ask me about Korea, and they will also kindly introduce the customs of France and Canada to me.

One day my aunt introduced a family to me, and they invited me to an Easter party, which was held in their villa, and I happily accepted the invitation.The villa is near the Alps, and it takes a few hours by car.The magnificent scenery along the way gradually unfolded in front of my eyes, and I was immersed in the beauty of nature for a long time and couldn't extricate myself. During the few days I lived there, I experienced the simple life style of an ordinary French family.Early in the morning, my father went to town to buy bread, and my mother prepared thick soup, hot coffee, hot milk and salad. After the meal, the whole family cleaned up the dishes together. Each family member had their own tasks: the children cleaned the table, and the father washed the dishes , Mom prepares desserts, the family atmosphere is orderly and warm.You chatted with each other while sharing desserts, and the whole family played and sang along with the guitar, all of which seemed very harmonious.Looking at their happy appearance, I also began to describe my future, thinking that if I could meet a suitable partner one day, it would be great to form a warm family with him...

The students who attended the class together came from Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, etc. Because of different countries and races, everyone was very curious about each other.The class I am studying is composed of students with a little knowledge of French, and there are generally no problems in daily conversations.There are about twelve students in each class, and the way of teaching is very free.Everyone sat around the round table and decided on a topic and started the discussion. The topics discussed included French history, cultural differences, animal cruelty, human rights issues, etc., which were very diverse.Everyone will open the encyclopedia dictionary and participate in the class discussion seriously, and immediately look up the content that they don’t understand. Of course, the most important part of the class is to ask questions to the teacher.

One day the teacher asked me what impressed me the most in class, and I answered that it was the difference between Korean and French teaching methods. "In France, instead of the teacher standing alone on the podium and unilaterally teaching, the students are guided to actively participate and discuss freely. This impressed me very much." Different from the boring Korean classroom, this active discussion learning method gave me a lot of insights.Eastern students tend to be shy or hesitant when faced with teachers’ questions, but European students are quite lively and enthusiastic. From this point, we can clearly see the difference in the way of education since childhood.

Students from Europe also have a strong curiosity about the cultural differences between the East and the West.One day after class, several classmates proposed to hold a book club and invited me to the coffee shop in front of the school for further discussion.The cafe serves very cheap coffee and sandwiches and is very popular with students.International students with limited financial resources will also take cheap sandwiches home for dinner after school, just like some Korean office workers who go out without breakfast, they will simply eat toast or seaweed rice rolls in the small shop in front of the company to fill their stomachs Same.

European friends often ask me a lot of questions. What impressed me the most was a blonde German girl. She was particularly curious about South Korea, not only because the political situation in South Korea was similar to that of Germany at that time, but also because she had a special interest in oriental culture. I am interested and dream of working in the United Nations in the future. "I heard that the floor of the room in your country gets hot?" "I heard that you will be scolded for kissing on the road?" Sometimes some of her questions make me laugh.One day I asked her where she heard about these things, and she replied that a relative had worked for a German company stationed in Korea.

"It's true that we don't kiss in the street like Europeans, but it's just a cultural difference." Her French is not very good, and I tried a lot to let her understand Korean floor heating culture, etiquette, customs, etc.; later I found that her English is better, so we immediately switched to English for communication, and we will talk about it later in the discussion. Open the French dictionary to look up difficult words, and usually she will come to my dormitory to have dinner together. In her early twenties, she has a vivaciousness and humor commensurate with her age, and she is a very good friend.A few months later, she went back to Germany because of her family’s emergency. Not long after, I also received the news that I had to return to South Korea urgently, and the two lost contact.

Usually, my principle is to go home as early as possible and have dinner with my aunt.It's easy to get lost in loneliness when you're out and about by yourself, so I set myself some rules, like drinking tea with friends only once a week.My plan is to study at the University of Grenoble after finishing the short-term language course. Every time after dinner, I would help my aunt wash the dishes or prepare simple refreshments. My aunt’s dream when she was young was to live like a gypsy girl, and she often asked me some questions about Korea.She is particularly interested in Korean food, and considering that I would be homesick, she even allowed me to use the kitchen freely and cook Korean food by myself occasionally.Once I proposed to make a representative dish of Korea - barbecue and have a party, and she was also very happy.

Every night, I would think of my family. My father's favorite song "Desolate City Historic Site" often echoed in my ears, and the figure of my mother knitting wool often appeared before my eyes.I often write to my parents, and it is one of my pleasures to wait for their reply.My father would personally take photos of the azaleas, lilacs, and magnolias blooming in the courtyard of the Blue House, and attach explanations to each of them. He would also say that he was looking forward to receiving my reply. However, life in France did not last long, and I returned to Korea after six months.When I was moving towards my dream step by step, I didn't expect that the biggest storm in my life was coming towards me.