Christine Del Re in France

Christine Del Re would have never imagined herself studying in Paris but she considers it as her favorite semester in college and encourages everyone to take the opportunity to study abroad. As a French and Psychology major, Christine chose to study in Paris for the opportunity to use the French she has learned at Monmouth. Although her classes were in English at the American University of Paris, she was required to use French outside of her course work. The classes that she chose to take were art participation (to fulfill her general education requirement), communication, art history (to get free admission into museums), and her favorite which was a French song class. In this class, they learned about French popular culture, listened to music, and gave presentations on songs.

While Christine enjoyed practicing French during her stay, she found that many French were eager to practice their English with her. Most people at the tourist attractions were English speaking as well. Christine enjoyed the experience and said, “I always felt welcomed and comfortable in the French society.”  She says that the scariest time of her abroad experience was when someone attempted to pick-pocket her. Luckily, she noticed quickly enough and nothing was stolen. From then on, she kept the pocket on her backpack locked in order to feel safer.

In immersing herself in the French culture, Christine learned a lot that was surprising to her. “They stereotypes we hold are not true,” she said. She was only disappointed about one thing in Paris, “I was surprised to see that old men don’t wear berets.” If that was the only thing disappointing to her, the trip must have been good. Christine also learned that dogs are like children in France, they go to the metros, shopping centers, and restaurants, often without leashes because they are so well behaved. She was also shocked by how much the French like American pop culture. Often, the movies played are in English and display subtitles.

Although very hard for Christine to choose, she said that her favorite time in France was when her family was there to visit her. “It wasn’t their dream, but it was really special to have them there to share it with me,” she recalls. Also, traveling all over Europe was a wonderful experience.