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Hello! My name is Amaris Richardson, and I participated in the La Rochelle program in 2024. I am doing a Bachelor of Secondary Education with a major in Social Studies and a minor in French as a Second Language. I had just finished my second year when I went to La Rochelle. I think that it ended up being the perfect time to go as I was more accustomed to the university experience, I had already taken a variety of French courses, and I was able to enjoy something new and fun right in the middle of my degree.

I grew up in the French Immersion program (K-12), so I had quite a bit of experience learning the language, but there were other students in the class who started their French journey in high school or in university. So if you are hesitant about joining the program because of your level of French, don’t worry! Everyone is experiencing the same thing for the first time, and you will be able to build a support system over the course of the trip to help you through anything.

I had been very anxious going into this trip. I had never travelled to another continent before—let alone by myself—and I had only met a couple of the other students in passing. However, I really wanted to challenge myself to partake in such a special and meaningful opportunity. It was definitely a chance for me to step out of my comfort zone (or rather, jump out of it), and I am so glad that I did. I met so many lovely people, learned so much about French culture, and made memories to last a lifetime.

So, where do I start?

Every student will receive a host family, and mine was absolutely lovely! I lived with an older couple, Françoise and Joseph (and their beautiful dog Roma). They were incredibly thoughtful and wanted to make me feel comfortable in any way they could, whether this was through showing me around the city, sharing stories about their family, or even working around my picky eating. I felt very welcomed in their home, and they had such a positive influence on my experience. I still keep in touch with them today!

The same can be said for the program coordinator, Julie Tarif. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She is so understanding, supportive, and passionate about what she does. It was an absolute pleasure having her as a professor both on campus and in La Rochelle. If you have the chance to learn from her, whether through this program or her new organization “Once Upon a French”, I highly recommend doing so. She made the coursework engaging and relevant, and gave us so many opportunities to explore the city. While there are assignments to complete, they allow you to engage with the culture and the language in fun ways, and you will still have lots of free time to go to the beach, eat ice cream, and socialize with the other students. Additionally, the class outings to Puy de Fou (a historical theme park that was the highlight of my trip) and to Sainte give you further opportunities to experience the culture.

You will also have the chance to travel on two long-weekends; I stayed in La Rochelle for one of them to explore the famous towers, the cathedrals, and the aquarium, and then I visited Bordeaux for the second (I highly recommend checking out the Bassins des Lumières if you go!). I also had the chance to visit Paris at the end of the exchange before going home.

Going on this trip ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made. It had its ups and down, it had its fun and its stresses, but overall I can say it changed my life. I was exposed to so much history, culture, and language, and I also learned so much about myself in the process. If you have the chance to study abroad, I say go for it! An opportunity like this does not come around every day. Even if you are anxious or scared, it will be SO worth it. If you still have doubts, don’t hesitate to reach out to people who have done the program or ones similar to it, as I can almost guarantee that everyone will have some encouraging words for you. You will never know how it could go until you try it. The best advice I could offer is to just give it a chance, and then enjoy it as much as you can!