Aaron Kaplan: France

EIL: Between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean

Central area in Perpignan, France.

Homestay

The homestay was an incredibly beneficial experience for me. I was fortunate to live with the wonderful Podlunsek family in Perpignan, France for about two weeks. Located in Southwestern France, Perpignan is a nice, relatively small town. My family’s house is located shortly outside of the main downtown area. My host family consists of the parents Michele and Vincent and their son Juliann (14 years old) and daughter Satine (9). They also have one dog and two cats. During my time with them, I was able to experience French language and culture firsthand. For me, it was important to see France through the eyes of a suburban family like my own. Whether it was enjoying the home-cooked meals to going to a French movie theater to seeing a rugby scrimmage to spending time at the water park “Aqualand” on my birthday, I feel that my homestay helped me to notice differences between American and French culture and yet to realize how similar our lifestyles are. From a language standpoint, the homestay was a useful time for practicing and putting to use my French language education. I am hoping to Skype with my host family soon and plan to stay in touch.

Me with my host mother and siblings outside of Carcassonne on July 14th (Bastille Day).

Landmarks

The Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) in Paris, France.

On my program, my group traveled through parts of France and Spain. In doing so, we were able to visit many of the famous landmarks. In Paris, we visited the Tour Eiffel, the Sacre Coeur, and the Louvre, among others. In Barcelona, we visited the Sagrada Familia and the Park Güell, both famous works of Antoni Gaudi. We saw the works of Picasso and other artists at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. During our homestay, our group met up on weekdays to do local activities, such as a scavenger hunt, and to take day trips to surrounding areas. Towns to which we traveled included Collioure, Ceret, and Villefranche. By seeing these landmarks firsthand, I was able to see the famous aspects of the local area while also witnessing the less well known cultural subtleties of daily life.

The Sacre-Coeur in Paris, France.

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

In front of a stunning view of Collioure in Southwestern France.

Travel

View from the bus during a bus ride.

On an individual note, I gained a great amount of experience traveling. I learned to wear a money belt in big cities such as Paris and Barcelona and became an experienced and efficient metro passenger, for example. As this trip was my first outside of the United States, I was able to take in the whole process of traveling abroad by going through airports and customs, etc. Taking the SNCF train in and out of Paris allowed me the opportunity to travel in a way that is not as common in the U.S. When riding in the bus, I saw incredible scenery out the window, especially when traveling in the Pyrenees area.

Friends

My group at the top of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France.

Making new friends in my program group was extremely gratifying and was a vital factor in my program’s being a really enjoyable, pleasant experience. My group hailed from all over the United States. We came from Washington, California, Colorado, Kansas, Texas, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Hampshire. Whether it was playing basketball or eating at cafés, we truly enjoyed each other’s company and developed great group chemistry. Spending four weeks in a foreign country together united us, regardless of our previous backgrounds or ages. Every one of us was unique in some way, but it was easy to embrace each other’s differences in interests, skills, and personality. I plan to stay in touch with all the new friends I made. 

I would like to thank the Wilson family for their generosity in making this trip possible. My experience was life-changing and I know that the benefits of this experience will be long-lasting. It has and will continue to enrich my outlook on the French culture and language as well as international travel in general.

Thank you also to Mr. Gaither and Mr. Paolicchi for their efforts in coordinating the trip and to Mr. West and Mrs. O'Connell for preparing me excellently for life in France.