Vera chose to study in France

Vera from Sweden is on exchange to France.

Bonjour! My name is Vera and I am currently in the middle of my exchange year in France and will be staying here for another 6 months. I wanted to go to France to learn French, to develop as a person and to experience something completely different from what I am used to! And now I thought I would share a little about how it has been so far 😊

My host family

So, I remember the first time I was going to meet my host family, which consists of a mother, a father and two brothers my age, at the train station. I was very nervous, but I immediately got a big hug from the mother and the brothers had a Swedish flag that they waved, haha. I wondered a lot about how my relationship with them would develop, as I couldn't speak the language at all, but now, after six months, we have surprisingly become quite close. They were very welcoming, and I have realised that there are more ways to express your personality than just through language. In the beginning, and sometimes still, it can feel a little strange or uncomfortable to live with a foreign family when you don't know how to adapt to their everyday life, which is very different from your own, but it gets better and better. I am now four months in and I regularly practise yoga with the mother, drink tea and chat with the parents every day, play volleyball and FIFA with the sons, and even travel to and from school with them.

Getting to know the rest of the family has also been fantastic, as I have been incredibly surrounded by French culture, French food and warm, friendly French people. It has been especially cool to get to know my grandparents; I have never been close to my own, but with these I feel like their real grandchild!

Friends

Making friends has been very up and down for me. Not speaking the language makes it difficult to connect with French people. One day, for example, I might come home from school with a smile on my face because I had such a good time with a friend, and the next day it might feel more difficult and lonely. And don't count on being able to speak English with them... English-speaking French people are quite rare. On the other hand, there are other exchange students at the school who I get on really well with, and it's always reassuring to be with them. They're going through the same thing as me, so we have lots of inside jokes about our experiences. Now during the holidays, I've also learned a lot of French, so it will be exciting to see how I can use my new language skills at school, both in class and with friends.

My free time

As I said, it takes some effort to build a life both in and outside of school, but it's also fun because the worst you can get is a no, and you have nothing to lose! Just yesterday, for example, I went to a French New Year's party with my girl friend where we met new friends, tomorrow I'm going to play basketball with friends from my boxing club, and the day after that I'm going to the trampoline park with a friend from school! During Christmas, I also went to Paris with my host family, which was magical. On the other hand, there will be several days and weekends where you have absolutely nothing to do, which can feel very lonely, but then it's important to take care of yourself and be kind to yourself, because it's normal to feel that way!

Tips

1. My tip for anyone going on an exchange year would be: don't wait for an invitation to hangouts, take the initiative and invite yourself! It sounds so awkward, I know, but it works!
2. Don't be afraid to make mistakes with the language, because it's better to make mistakes than not to say anything at all. And you learn so much.
3. Document your experiences from time to time! It's always fun to look back at what you've photographed, filmed or written in your diary.
4. Last but not least: trust the process! Things will only get better and better, even if it's hard to believe when you're homesick or going through a rough patch.

I want to end by saying that despite the difficulties and challenges, I have learned so much and I am very grateful for this experience and what I have gained from it. Now that I have learned the language better, can communicate better and know a lot more people, I am really looking forward to what the rest of this year in France has to offer!

Find out more

• Read more student stories from France
• Read more about a high school exchange in France
• See all our high school exchange destinations