I had the incredible opportunity to spend a semester abroad in Strasbourg, France spring of 2017. After much preparation and help from those at the Study Abroad office as well as from my academic advisor, I felt ready and excited! I arrived at the beginning of January, with another Purdue student in the same program. We were baffled by how picturesque the city was. The first few days were filled with figuring out necessities, like housing, insurance, etc., as well as so much exploring of the city. Once classes started, the semester flew by! With a heavy course load, and being completely immersed in the language, I had a bit of trouble getting used to how classes were taught in France. I think I was pampered by the professors at Purdue. Instead of having a lot of in class discussions, and interactions with the students, the professors would merely lecture for a couple hours, then be done for the week. That first week of classes my notes were riddled with question marks and blanks.
One thing that I was very thankful for was the program that the University of Strasbourg had for ERASMUS and other exchange students. They offered weekly language exchange nights at a local café as well as trips where students could snowshoe in the mountains, sightsee in nearby villages, and learn about the many museums and monuments within the city. It was through this group that I met most of my friends. It was very important to me that I became connected to ones in the city, to make the most of my time abroad as well as to make the transition easier, and thanks to this group and the church I was connected to, I did just that.
As the semester went on, I learned so much… obviously. I did devote a lot of my time studying, but the education extended far beyond the classroom. Being in such international city – seeing that it is the official seat of the European Parliament, and home to the Council of Europe – I was exposed to many cultures and traditions. Most importantly, since Strasbourg is part of the Alsace-Lorraine region that had been fought over by the French and German multiple times in history, I lived through this unique mix and balance that settled in the city.
Okay enough talking, I took a good amount of pictures during my time abroad, and I want to share some with you.
-Ana Carolina Corey
Linguistics & Sociology major
Purdue CLA Abroad 