Tafat Boudif
ISEP Exchange: International Student Exchange Program
Majors: Global Studies, Political Science
Pre-Depature
Bonjour, tout le monde! (Hello, everyone!)
My name is Tafat Boudif, and I am a junior studying Political Science and Global Studies with a French minor. I am currently less than 24 hours away from boarding a plane and starting my study abroad journey! In the midst of a busy fall semester and holiday season, my departure date always seemed so far in between my mounting list of tasks and assignments. But now, as I write this on New Year’s Eve, tomorrow will not only usher in a new year, but also a new semester unlike any other!
As far back as high school, I’ve always wanted to study abroad. With my family living across Algeria, France, and Quebec, I’ve always associated international travel with fond memories of family, fun, and cultural immersion. Thus, when I applied to UMBC and later received helpful guidance and financial support, I knew studying abroad was going to be a part of my college experience. To this day, I am very grateful for all the support I’ve received from my academic departments, the Humanities Scholars Program, and the Education Abroad Office in making my and so many other students’ dreams a reality. And now, flash forward to today, I am only hours away from boarding my flight!
This upcoming semester, I will be studying at the Université de Lille in Lille, France through ISEP Exchange. I chose to study in Lille for a couple of different reasons. First, when choosing which country to study in, I knew I wanted to be in a French-speaking country to develop my French skills. Being Algerian, I’ve always been exposed to French in some shape or form from a very young age, in addition to studying the language in school since sixth grade. However, with some gaps in my French studies, I’ve only been able to make slow progress. Therefore, I’m looking forward to being completely immersed in the French language, especially since my mom is adamant that I come back speaking fluent French! Second, I chose to study at the Université de Lille because I was very interested in the coursework they had to offer. Given that I will be taking my non-French courses in English, sometimes the selection abroad is understandably limited. In fact, I initially switched out of my original ISEP placement because I wasn’t a fan of their courses! However, the Université de Lille has some amazing Political Science/Global Studies courses to choose from, in addition to offering an intensive French course for international students tailored to their individual level! Finally, I chose to study in Lille because I have a bunch of family members that live across France and a good number that even live in Lille. Thus, I’m looking forward to seeing them outside of our regular trips back home to Algeria.
Although I am looking forward to all the excitement that Lille has to offer, a lot of preparation went into planning my study abroad. These past couple of weeks, I’ve been completing a number of administrative tasks, including providing documents, purchasing housing and health insurance, and making sure I have all the necessary documents for a smooth arrival. In fact, a huge part of this process was finally applying for a French passport since I qualify for French citizenship. And if you know anything about dealing with embassies or consulates, you can imagine how that went (except make it ten times worse because I had to deal with it in French, which so conveniently leaves my brain when I’m in the French consulate!). With that being said, please start your visa/passport applications as early as possible for your own mental well-being! And of course, there is always the dreaded task of packing. I was actually quite nervous about fitting everything I needed for five months into my backpack, carry-on, and checked suitcase, but I’m very proud to say that I actually succeeded through some strict realism (tip: if you have to think about it, don’t pack it, you’re definitely going to go shopping abroad!).
While planning for study abroad can be overwhelming, I’ve also had a lot of fun these past couple of weeks to balance it out. I’ve been spending time with family and loved ones, especially during the holiday season. On Christmas Eve, my sister and I did some baking. And on Christmas Day, my family has the tradition of going to the movie theater, and this year, we watched Avatar: Fire and Ash. I also saw Zootopia 2 a couple weeks prior, which was phenomenal. The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is also going on right now, so my family has been tuning in to Algeria’s matches. As of today, they have won all their matches, so fingers crossed we secure a third tournament win! There’s also plenty to look forward to once I land in France! I’ve been texting with a couple other students studying abroad in Lille, so I’m super excited to meet all of them.
For most students, studying abroad is a mix of emotions. Although I’m super excited to embark on my study abroad journey, I’m also really sad to leave my family and friends. This will be the longest time I’ve ever been away from my family, so I know that I’m going to be missing them a lot. But, despite my fears and anxieties, studying abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity. While it may seem daunting, it comforts me to know that every international student there, and every student who has come before me, has probably experienced the same exact feelings. Hence, I will do my very best to push those feelings aside and jump at every opportunity to experience something new and forge a new connection.
With that being said, it is time to shut my laptop and prepare for my travels! Tomorrow, we have a layover in Boston, a flight to Paris, and then a train ride to Lille. Thank you for joining me in my journey and I can’t wait to update you on my time in Lille! À tout à l’heure! (See you later!)
In-Country Post #1
Salut, tout le monde! (Hey everyone!) I am now two weeks into my study abroad experience, and it has felt like the longest two weeks of my life! I have been learning how to navigate a new country and university, all while meeting amazing people and exploring what Lille has to offer. Here is what I’ve been up to these past two weeks!
After a smooth flight, and surprisingly some of the most amazing food I’ve ever had on a flight, I landed in Paris on Friday morning. From Charles de Gaulle, I bought a ticket for a high-speed train that would take me straight from the airport to the Lille city center. Once I arrived in Lille, I then bought another ticket for the metro, which stops at the campus where my dorm is located. Despite having to lug my 50-pound suitcase during this whole trip, I found the French metro system very easy to navigate. Once you buy a permanent metro card, the entire city becomes super accessible, making it a breeze to explore. The metro here has definitely become one of the highlights of my study abroad experience. After I arrived at my room in the afternoon, I was really tired, so once my cousin dropped off some things and I ordered dinner, I headed to bed for the night.
The following Saturday, I met up with my friend, Lauren, and we took the metro to the city center, where there is a huge shopping mall. There, we bounced around some stores, grabbed lunch, and bought some essentials, like toiletries and groceries. All our 
rooms have a kitchenette, so I’ve actually been cooking most of my meals until our meal stipends come in! After dropping our bags off in our rooms, we hopped back on the metro to see the city center at night, where we coincidentally bumped into some other international students, Allie, Will, Kai, and Contessa! The six of us then grabbed some dinner and wandered around the city. While the city center is always beautiful, it really shines at night: small lights hanging between buildings, cobblestone roads coated with a light blanket of snow, and glistening European architecture. I am so grateful to be able to experience the lively, yet calm city that Lille is. The next day, a couple of us visited an open-air market in the neighborhood of Wazemmes, where vendors sell all sorts of items at lower prices. However, it was a little overwhelming for me, so I only bought a bouquet of flowers for my cousin, who I was visiting later in the day. We also did a bit more exploring of the city afterwards. Monday night, my friends and I went out to celebrate Kai’s birthday! We ate dinner at a fun restaurant that had a bunch of board games to play and later went to another place to play darts (which I learned is not as easy as it looks in online games!).
After a weekend filled with fun and activities, I think it hit all of us that we weren’t just in Lille to explore, since our French placement exam was scheduled for Monday morning, followed by a week of intensive French courses. While I was initially intimidated by this course, as we would have five hours of French class a day, the week blew my expectations out of the water. Our teacher was so funny and amazing, and she structured the class in a way that made the five hours fly by. On top of useful grammar and conjugation lessons, she taught us about a variety of topics, all in French, such as cults, artificial intelligence, controversial art, the northern French dialect, popular French soccer songs, etc. She also incorporated various activities and field trips into the course. For example, on Tuesday, we celebrated l’Épiphanie, in which the French eat la Galette des rois (Kings Cake), drink champagne, and wait to see which person received a little figurine in their slice, making them King or Queen for the day (which unfortunately was not me)! We also went to the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille, where we admired all the beautiful artwork and architecture. Another thing that made this class so memorable was the other international students there. My classmates came from all over the world, including Italy, Mexico, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Czechia, Hungary, Japan, and Brazil, so it was really interesting to learn about all their home countries! In general, everyone was super kind and accommodating of everyone’s French abilities, making it more comfortable to casually converse in French rather than just switching to English.
The following week is when our classes began. As international students, we actually have a two-week trial period before we have to finalize our classes, allowing us to attend a bunch of them and see which ones we like. While I thought this would be an interesting approach, I actually found it a bit difficult to manage, since I am a pretty structured person who likes to have a routine. Moreover, it was a bit overwhelming to navigate all the administrative tasks we had to take care of, especially since there’s generally less student support at French universities compared to American universities. Nonetheless, I did receive tons of support from other international students and found many of the classes I attended to be interesting. In fact, since Lille is so close to Brussels, where many European Union institutions are located, many of our professors were often current or former employees of the EU!
And that’s pretty much where I’m at so far! For the remainder of this week, I’m looking forward to testing out some final classes and establishing a more solid school and sleep schedule. I also really want to push myself to progress in French and get comfortable with uncertainty and making mistakes. Overall, I’m excited for everything Lille and the semester have to offer! Can’t wait to talk to you soon, au revoir! (goodbye!)
In-Country Post #2
Hello again from Lille! I am now almost a month into my study abroad journey, so let me tell you what I’ve been up to! I’m finally settling into a routine, which feels so good. I have officially chosen all my classes for the semester, all of which have been super interesting! One of the most interesting classes I’m taking right now, Contemporary Perspectives on International Security, is actually an intensive course, which means the entire course takes place within one week. Although the 22 hours of class within one week, 7:50 a.m. start times, and a three-hour session on Saturday is obviously not everyone’s cup of tea, this class has quickly become one of my favorites. Our professor is from Portugal and has a very dynamic teaching style, encouraging us to discuss and challenge our beliefs about topics such as international security, terrorism, etc. Our class also has students from all over the world, so it’s always super fun to compare certain topics within each student’s national context. 
As for my French, it continues to be a work in progress! After several solo trips to run errands or go shopping, I’ve definitely become a lot more comfortable with the basic phrases to use on a daily basis. Even when I’m not necessarily speaking with someone, it really makes a world of difference to be immersed in a francophone country where you can read signs, learn new vocabulary, and become accustomed to the speed in which native French speakers talk while on a crowded metro! I have also started my French classes, and I look forward to starting a separate speaking course with another French student to improve speaking abilities!
The highlight of these past two weeks has definitely been embarking on my first trip to Amsterdam for the weekend! It was certainly an unexpected trip. It all started during a pasta night with my friends, in which one of us randomly threw out the idea. After some research, anxiously watching bus ticket prices increase by the minute, and a number of our cards getting declined, our Amsterdam trip was officially in the books! On Friday, we caught a bus from the station in Lille, and five hours later, we were in Amsterdam! Once we arrived, we were pretty tired, so we grabbed some sushi (which was much needed since I haven’t had it since I left the US) and headed to our hostel. While we were a bit nervous about our first experience in a hostel, it actually turned out to be amazing! The first floor had a bunch of activities including ping pong, pool, air hockey, etc., in addition to a restaurant and bar. And although navigating the politics of one bathroom for eight people was a little difficult, my friends and I all enjoyed our big sleepover for the weekend!
On Saturday, we had a full itinerary. After getting ready and taking the metro to the city center, we headed to Noordermarkt, which is a market held every Saturday selling clothes, souvenirs, food, flowers, and so much more! After browsing the market, we stopped by a cafe to grab some lunch and made our way to the Van Gogh Museum. Although it was a little crowded, I really enjoyed how the museum was organized, chronologically following Van Gogh’s life and providing nuanced descriptions alongside his artwork of his struggles with art and mental illness.
The museum also housed some of Van Gogh’s most famous and beautiful pieces, although I did have to break the news to my friends that they would not be seeing The Starry Night there. Once we toured the museum and grabbed a quick hot chocolate, we headed to my favorite event of the day: a cruise of Amsterdam’s canals! While the historical facts provided during the cruise helped contextualize the history of the city, my favorite part of the cruise was by far the views of the city at night. In contrast to the city during the day, which I found a bit hectic with all the bikes, trams, and cars traversing the roads, the beauty of the city really came out during the night, and I’m very grateful that I got to experience it with some of my closest friends here!
The following Sunday, we had a slow morning and went out for brunch. For the rest of the day, we bounced around different shops and bookstores and even grabbed a stroopwafel before catching our bus back to Lille at 3 p.m. Overall, I had so much fun exploring Amsterdam alongside my friends, and I look forward to many more trips with them during my study abroad here! That’s all for now, can’t wait to talk to you soon, à la prochaine (see you next time)!
In-Country Post #3
Hi everyone, welcome back! I’ve had a bit of a slow past two weeks after being busy with some assignments, but I’m still having so much fun getting to know Lille!
Where we left off, I was in the middle of my intensive course, Contemporary Perspective on International Security, which only got more interesting towards the end of the week. After finishing our course content on Friday, we had to prepare for our final assessment, which was a debate on Saturday morning. One thing about French courses, and many European courses in general from what I’ve heard, is that your grade is usually comprised of only two criteria, meaning that one assignment could be worth 60-80% of your final grade. So, let’s just say when an assignment rolls around, you really have to put your best foot forward. Therefore, my debate group spent many hours on Friday preparing our arguments. Luckily, everything went well and all the teams did amazing. After our debate Saturday morning, the whole class (and even our professor!) made plans to go out and celebrate! I had an amazing night with all my classmates after bonding throughout the week.
As always, since we’re a big group of international students, it is always fun hearing about their home countries as well as their stories about adjusting to France. Despite our differences, it was very heartwarming to be in a community of people that are all sharing the same highs and lows of this experience. Afterwards, a couple of girls in my debate group and I continued to explore the city, discussed future travel plans, and ended the night with some fast food, of course.
I mainly spent the following weekend catching up on some much-needed sleep and working on a presentation for my master’s class, which, once again, was worth a huge chunk of my grade. The following week was a bit of a slower week for me. On Monday, I presented in class, and, on Tuesday night, my friends and I went out to play some pool. Let’s just say I’m not the best pool player, but I did get to speak with native French speakers. It really is interesting how my French skills change depending on the social situation. I have been a bit hesitant to speak in French classes because there are some students who are pretty advanced and I am always self-conscious about making a mistake. However, in a more casual situation like this one, my French really began to flow. The people I was speaking to were also very nice and accommodating and eventually started speaking completely in French with me, which I appreciated. With that being said, learning a foreign language is always a rollercoaster of amazing moments and moments that make you want to curl up into a ball. Later in the week, while walking with a random girl to campus after the metro broke down, I was told I had an accent. And while this by far isn’t the worst comment to make, it’s also been something I’m trying to get rid of, so having it be pointed out isn’t the best to hear. But, once again, you ironically have to find comfort in these uncomfortable situations, resting assured that it is all part of the process.
Speaking of walking and broken metros, I’ve started to enjoy taking a longer walk to my metro station, especially with the slightly warmer weather we’ve been having. Trying to incorporate more steps in my daily routine has really made me realize how big Lille is and how little of it I’ve explored. After being a little sick this past weekend, I mainly stayed in my room to recover. However, taking these walks has really helped me appreciate the opportunity of actually being able to study abroad in a place like this. I was literally stopping and taking so many pictures in a city I’ve been living in for a month! So, to rectify my couch potato guilt, I’m definitely going to try to explore way more of the city. In fact, my friends and I have already made plans to try and hit as many cafés in Lille as possible! Overall, I’m looking forward to spending more time outside with the people I’ve come to love! I also have some travel plans coming up, so stay tuned! À plus tard! (See you!)
In-Country Post #4
Hi again from Lille! These past couple weeks, I have been exploring more of Lille with friends, keeping up with assignments as some of my classes begin to wind down, and making plans for future travels. Where we left off was only a couple of days before Valentine’s Day on Saturday. To celebrate, a couple of friends and I decided to explore more of Lille, especially since there are two streets in particular that are always buzzing with nightlife. We ended up at a place called Café Oz which was very much in the holiday spirit, as they handed us pink, heart-shaped glasses and flowers upon arrival. Overall, Café Oz was a great mix of chatter, music, and dancing, and my friends and I had tons of fun there. After leaving, we had originally planned to grab the metro and head home. However, after we passed by a bar playing Latin music, we decided to quickly pop in and enjoy the music. This place was actually super crowded, but we managed to find a breathable corner after fighting our way through the crowds. After thirty minutes of dancing, we eventually left, quickly grabbed some food to-go, and hopped on the metro to head home.
The following week was a pretty standard school week. On Monday, I had my two usual classes then stopped by the grocery store on my way home. On Tuesday, I actually had the whole day to myself, so I decided to explore more of the city center and take care of some errands. For example, I stopped by a couple bookstores in the city, since I have been wanting to buy a book in French. I ended up settling on a romance book I have been wanting to read for a while now, so I’m super excited to start it while also continuing to improve my French. I also picked up an Amazon package containing a new SD card for my digital camera, which hasn’t been working since I arrived in Lille. Thankfully, it started working again once I replaced the SD card, which was probably the highlight of my week. The rest of the night, I finished up a big writing assignment that was due the next day for my French class.
Later in the week on Saturday, I met up with my friends Hala and Johanna at a café in the city center to finalize some upcoming travel plans together. Once we bought our tickets, Hala invited us to dinner at her place later in the evening, so we set out to the grocery store to buy some snacks, drinks, and ingredients for dinner. Back at her place, after our friend Lale joined us, we rolled our sleeves up and started making dinner together!
Hala taught us how to make a Syrian dish called shish barak, which is a popular dumpling dish across the Middle East served in a yogurt sauce containing ground beef and onions as the filling. Hala made the dough from scratch and we all filled the dumplings together, through trial and error, of course! This dish was so delicious and fun to make, and it’s definitely something I plan to make once I get back home. Afterwards, Hala baked a Swedish dessert, which was very similar to brownies except the center was a bit runny. It was served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, and was, once again, spectacular. We watched a movie together as we ate our dessert and eventually headed home during a brief pause in the rain that night with full bellies.
The following week was actually the start of our first break from school, where we get a week off from classes! Therefore, Hala, Johanna, Lale, and I decided to take a trip to Roubaix, a city in the Lille metropolitan area that is about forty minutes away by metro. We first went to a museum I’d been wanting to visit for a while now called La Piscine, which literally means pool in French. The museum got its name from the origins of the building it’s located in, which used to be a public pool. Today, the building houses beautiful artwork and sculptures, while still paying homage to its roots with the glistening pool at the center of the museum.
In addition to all the amazing artwork, this center room of the museum containing the pool was definitely the highlight of the trip. The room has a stained glass window at each end, letting in a shimmering yellow-toned light even on cloudy days like this one. After spending a couple hours in the museum, the four of us explored Roubaix a bit more, including the church in the city center, and stopped for a quick bite at a café. Afterwards, we headed back to Lille, walked around the mall for a bit, and then headed back home.
Thanks for following along! Tomorrow, I leave for a three-day trip around Belgium and I’m super excited to be visiting more of Europe during my break. Until next time!
In-Country Post #5
Hi everyone, welcome back! Throughout these past couple weeks, I finished up my break with a three-day trip across Belgium and attended some get-togethers once I got back to Lille, and I’m very excited to tell you all about it!
Where we left off was the day just before I left for my quick trip to Belgium with my friends, Hala and Johanna. On Thursday morning, we all met up at the station to board our bus to Bruges, which was only about an hour away. Once we arrived, we lugged our suitcases across the cobblestone roads to our Airbnb (which was chocolate themed!) and began to explore the city! We started by just wandering around the city, taking many pictures along the way since Bruges is such a picturesque place. We also stopped in various souvenir and chocolate shops, where we were able to snag a couple free samples of Belgian chocolate. After a lot of walking, we grabbed lunch and decided to head to a museum about the history of torture, which was recommended to us by a guy we met at the bus station. While it was interesting, except for Hala who could barely stomach many of the displays, it was ultimately very small and not really worth the 7 euros. By this time, it was the afternoon, and we decided to head back to our Airbnb for some rest before dinner. Once we headed out again, we had some time to kill before our reservation, so we decided to check out a park in the city for a relaxing stroll. On our way, we actually stumbled upon an area with a bunch of swans, who looked so beautiful as the sun was setting, so we naturally stopped to take a couple of pictures. We continued our stroll and popped into a couple stores until it was finally time for our dinner reservation. All of us were deeply craving sushi so we obviously ended up at a sushi restaurant, where the sushi was so amazing and filling. Once we finished dinner, we were determined to grab Belgian waffles for dessert. However, one thing about Bruges is that, while it is beautiful and busy during the day, it doesn’t have much of a nightlife. Therefore, we were sad to discover that many waffle shops had already closed. 
Luckily, we were able to find one that was still open. So, after scarfing down a Belgian waffle with Nutella and bananas, we headed back to our room and called it a night. Overall, Bruges is such a beautiful city to get lost in, and I loved my time there! It is a small but charming gem at the heart of Belgium and is a perfect destination for a day trip.
The next day, we had a half-day to kill in Bruges before we had to board our next bus to Ghent. After waking up and grabbing a pain au chocolat from the market, we stopped by a café to grab some coffee. Now, when I say Bruges is perfect for a day trip, I really mean it, because it was at this point that we discovered we had already visited most of the city. To make matters worse, it started to rain, which made wandering around less pleasant. Thus, we grabbed some Belgian fries for lunch, popped into random stores, and just did anything that would get us out of the rain for a little bit. Eventually, it was time to catch our bus to Ghent at around 3 p.m., which is about an hour away from Bruges. Once we arrived in Ghent, it was unfortunately still raining, which meant we had an ugly trek to our hotel with all our luggage ahead of us. We managed to make it to our room, some of us with soaked socks, and decided to take a good hour to rest and get situated before grabbing dinner. After getting dinner at an affordable, Italian restaurant nearby, we explored a bit more of the city and even checked out a fun, jazz club, even though there was no live jazz that night. We eventually went back to our hotel, got ready for bed, and enjoyed some new episodes of Bridgerton before going to sleep.
On the last day of our trip, it was unfortunately still raining and windy, which did dampen the mood a bit. In the morning, we stopped by the grocery store to grab some breakfast and then went to a café to sip on a nice, hot coffee in the horrible weather we were having. Afterwards, strapped with our umbrellas, we explored the city a bit, popping into souvenir shops and exploring some of Ghent’s main attractions. At this point in the day, our friend, Lale, joined us to spend the rest of the day together. Later on, we actually met up for lunch with two of Hala and Johanna’s friends from Sweden who were studying abroad in Ghent! We ate at this amazing Syrian restaurant called My Tannour. Although it is a chain restaurant across Belgium, the food was so flavorful and filling, and I am definitely jealous that they have no locations in France or the US. After lunch, Hala and Johanna’s friends, Elsa and Jonna, showed us some of Ghent’s most famous attractions. For example, we visited the Castle of the Counts, graffiti alley, and even a cool record-themed café. We even snagged some photobooth pictures together! After Elsa and Jonna had to leave, the four of us wandered around a bit more, admired the city at night, and eventually headed to the bus station to catch our bus back to Lille. While Bruges was small and charming, Ghent definitely had more of a big city vibe to it. And despite the awful weather and my now broken umbrella, I really enjoyed my time there!
After returning from my trip on Saturday night, I had a bit of a busy couple days in Lille afterwards. The following Sunday, I met up with my group to prepare for our presentation the following Monday in class, although we lost about 15 minutes when someone in the library decided to pull the fire alarm. Later that night, I met up with some of the other American students to celebrate my friend Abby’s birthday at an Italian restaurant. The following Monday, I had another birthday dinner for Johanna at a French restaurant, where I had a delicious streak-frites! And later in the week on Friday, I actually met up with my friends from my intensive course that ended about a month ago. Since it was beautiful outside, we decided to picnic in a park, during which we all caught up with each other and played a very aggressive game of duck duck goose, from which I now have a stubborn grass stain on my favorite pair of jeans.
And that’s pretty much it! As always, thanks for following along during my time in Lille. I have another trip coming up this weekend that I can’t wait to share with you! Until next time, à bientôt! (see you soon!)