Kendal Howell
ISEP Exchange: International Student Exchange Program
Major: Africana Studies, Sociology
Pre-Departure Post
Woah, I’m about to leave for France. This is crazy. My airplane is moving. I smell a funny engine smell and the people beside me are speaking French. I’m on a lot of medication to make sure my ears don’t hurt on this flight. I’m kinda tired and it’s hard for me to stay happy because of this bittersweet moment. This is a dream come true. to travel the world and still have my business running at home. I have an amazing community and they have been texting me like crazy making sure I’m okay. It’s 6:10 pm now and we were supposed to leave at 5:25. I hope I make my next plane in time. See you in Amsterdam!!!
A few moments later:
I’m a little nervous because I checked 3 bags and I just want them all to make it to my dorm with me 😭
I’m really excited to see the French airport and just experience a new world. I hope everyone gets to do this one day. It’s all honesty. We’re only a plane away from everywhere.
I hope we take off soon. I wanna sleep. Also.. these plane bathrooms are TINY.
Flight 1 update:
It’s been about 4 hrs and I’ve just been enjoying watching people. There’s this really adorable grandpa across the aisle to the left. He has this really adorable brown plaid suit and he was on that tv! Then he went to sleep. Lol when he woke up, the TV timed out and he was pressing everything but the power button to turn it on. Lol! He’s dressed like a character from a cartoon show and I love that.
HOURS LATER:
I finally made it to my room. I really like it. It gives French dorm French College girl ECT. This was the hardest process of my life. I’ve never taken so many modes of transportation in one day. I am exhausted. I am proud of myself, but I am also exhausted. I don’t know how I’m supposed to start school soon.
I don’t know if I have passed the point of no return yet but all I know is that I’m 4,000 miles away from home. It feels surreal because I can still FaceTime my family and call them as much as I want but my mom can’t just drive over to me like she would at UMBC. Oddly enough I still have yet to get super emotional but I know it’s coming soon. My family and I are super close and this is so new for everyone. I embarrassed myself so much at the train station in first class, I packed way too much and I didn’t think it all through. Regardless, the people were so helpful and kind contrary to what I assume France is going to be.
My three tips for future travel are, don’t wear cute shoes when it might be raining, check the weight limits or be ready to pay, and eat before you get on the plane.
Inner thoughts from yours truly,
Kendal Howell
Blog Post 2
It’s official! I survived my first week abroad! Life is so different. One of my favorite things so far has been going to the store and seeing all the new snacks they have. I’ve also really enjoyed the public transportation in my city—it’s so intuitive and useful. I recently found out that I’ll be relying on public transportation to get to a secondary campus that my university has, as well as the downtown area. I don’t care what anyone says: the food here is amazing! I feel like I’m eating a lot cleaner because of the incredibly fresh ingredients. So far, I’ve been craving huge salads and chicken tender wraps—they’ve always hit the spot.
In France, we have all the amenities you’d expect in the US when it comes to food delivery services and transportation options. Uber and Uber Eats work perfectly here. I did order something from Amazon and had to pay $12 for shipping, but then I found out there’s a French Amazon that delivers quickly, just like back home. That was one of the best tips I’ve gotten this past week! Another fun thing I learned about is this ride-share app called “BlaBlaCar.” It’s super cheap and can take you from place to place, though the only catch is you have to share the car with another person.
My school has a huge international student population, which makes me feel less alone. There’s an organization that hosts events specifically for international students about three times a week, and my department also held a welcome event for us. So far, I’ve met people from the UK, Italy, Madagascar, Pakistan, Colombia, and even some other students from the US.
I’m really happy that my French is improving. I think my culture shock is still happening, though—when I look around, I see people, but I forget that everyone is French. My brain still struggles to process things quickly when someone asks me a question. It often takes me a moment to catch up, and they usually have to repeat themselves because my brain is still operating in English. That said, I’ve enjoyed the challenges with the language—it’s forced me to improve my vocabulary and my French accent. I’m so excited to see how well I’ll be able to speak by the end of this experience. I already feel ten times more confident than I did on the first day!
If I had to give one piece of advice in this blog post, it would be to expect your first month of traveling to be your most expensive. Budget to front-load your expenses, and then work out a more concrete budget after you’ve had some time to experience life here.
Blog Post 3
I am having an amazing time as a student abroad. In all honesty, this was the best decision I’ve made in life. I’m navigating new friendships, both the good and the bad. I’m starting to feel at home in my space that includes cooking, cleaning my room, and going to the gym. The gym has been my best friend since I got my membership! I felt like days would just pass by without me being super productive like I was at home. I had to realize I had 3 jobs + running a business. I am now out of the 3 jobs I had, which was relieving, but now I had to figure out what I could do in my free time. I’ve had more time to spend with God(Jesus) and grow in my relationship with God. I have an inclination to discover new hobbies and stick to them with the extra time I have.
I’ve had to change my diet significantly to stay fit enough to walk around and exercise as often as I want to. Something I’ve struggled with is the Metric System. I realized the US measurements mean nothing here. I’ve been using my “best guess” for sooo many things. Another thing that was cool was that I had my first wash day here and I did my own hair so I’m feeling back confident again. Last thing I would say is that… PLEASE please, do NOT bring your hair appliances to Europe or any non-American country. I had a really close call with an electrical fire using my blow dryer wit the adapter in my dorm. It was a matter of seconds before it would’ve caught on fire. Voltage MATTERS and you do need to pay attention to what you plug up.
In other news, I love my classes and I’m having an amazing 1st month in France. I want to stay here forever!
Blog Post 4
Sooo.. I got sick. Really sick. Wasn’t my best two weeks by far at all. Living in the city is such a change because of the increase in germs you come in contact with. Think about it: public transportation, gym, opening doors, hanging out with friends, eating out, all mixed together 4 times a week. Yeah, It’s a germ festival and pretty much every international student here is finding out the hard way. From the stomach flu to the real flu, it seems like everyone is recovering from being sick. One very important thing I learned was that you NEED to know how to express yourself in the event of an emergency for medical care. Yes, online, they may say language accommodations are available but you shouldn’t rely always on those resources. At the very least, know key words in the home language like “help,” “pain,” “this isn’t normal,” “I’m allergic.” These phrases aren’t just crucial for you, but for the doctors to treat you correctly or at least start assessing the issue. This can be life saving advice!
On the brighter side, I’m better now and next week I am going to ITALY! We are having our winter break and are off for a week. I’m so excited to travel for the first time and get out of my own city because it’s a small town. I do love it though! I’m so excited to share more with you all in my next post when things are more exciting.
Blog Post 5
So lately, I’ve been practicing being more present and living in the moment. I think it’s been about a month since I’ve been off Instagram and I’ve really been enjoying being unplugged. I think you hold onto so many things knowing what people are doing and being and everyone else’s business on social media that you are not even fully aware of what’s going own in your life. I think there are real issues we need to address in our lives. It can be easy to escape using social media because the focus is never on you, and, even when it is on you, it is only a socially crafted portion of who you really are. It has been life changing to be unplugged and actually lean into the relationships I’m making here in France. I haven’t even been watching the news or keeping up with what’s going on too closely. It is both been cleaning and eye-opening. Back home I
was a big journal-er and I stopped for a while and decided to pick it up again while I’m in France. Even reading back what happened last week makes me feel good that I have documents of what is happening in the present. We think we will remember every moment and every thought, but everything fades so easily after weeks and months go by. Journaling has also help me process my emotions about certain things and also keep me grounded mentally. I’ve also been making list about things I’ve been noticing about France and every place I go. I want to share that in the last post so it’s complete and detailed.
Last week, I had my first solo trip to Spain and this is my third weekend traveling in a row. Traveling is fun but exhausting. I love seeing the world and it’s hard to take it all in when it’s happening so fast but I’m already cherishing the moments that happened a week ago and I know it’s gonna be all the more worth it to continue journaling, taking photos and living in the moment because my time here is almost up.
All the best,
Keni
Blog Post 6
Soo.. its been about 2 weeks since my last post and since then I went to Cannes/Nice, France which was the BEST trip I’ve had so far. I went with two of my friends and it made me realize how much I don’t like solo traveling. It’s romanticized online, and honestly, it’s just not for the faint of heart. You do have to be mentally tough. It’s just not fun eating every meal, sightseeing and sitting at the airport alone. I think it’s necessary, but personally I love having a buddy around to experience the world with. Cannes, France was like Miami! Every car we saw was a Porsche, Benz, Ferrari, BMV, ect! It’s known to be the place for rich people to vacation, to my surprise. Cannes is a part of the Coast of the French Riviera bordering Nice, which borders Monaco. They are all unique in their respective ways and deserve a visit! I loved Cannes so much that I am returning in the same month with more friends. There’s something about the French and the beach that go so well together.
In other news, the weather in Angers, France (my host city) is getting warmer, and we’ve had like 8 perfect days in a row. No clouds, just a perfect blue sky. I’ve been hanging out with my friends almost everyday in the sun because we just can’t get enough of the outdoors. Springtime is making me fall in love with my city even more, making it harder and harder to conceptualize leaving soon. My best friend that I made here is leaving in about 2 weeks and I only
have one more full day with her as she is out traveling. Every time I think about us parting ways I tear up because I didn’t think I would meet a sister/ lifelong friend while I was abroad. I used to think that people were being dramatic when they would go back to their host countries to visit friends they met abroad but now I see the appeal. There’s a special type of bond you create with people who are experiencing similar things and when you guys make it through together. If I would tell freshman Kendal that there’s nothing to be worried about and that she would have the best time of her life she would rush you off and say I’m too scared to even think about it. But truly this was and has been the most life-changing experience I’ve had and I’m so so grateful. I wish I could do this forever.