Celine Bellegarda
"As the program went on, my French only got better and better. By the end of my time abroad, I was blending in with the Parisians and speaking in French was instinctual (sometimes words would come faster to my mind in French than in English!)."
I always knew that I wanted to study abroad during my college career. The Berkeley Global Internships Program immediately interested me because it allowed me to spend a summer interning abroad, gaining both technical and language skills. I am French so I chose to do my internship in Paris, France, to be immersed in Parisian culture!
This was my first time living in France independently, not accompanied by family or hosted by relatives, so it was an eye-opening experience! The most fascinating part of my time in France was seeing the culture all around me. Luckily, I was in Paris during Bastille Day and when France won the 2018 World Cup, and it was incredible to feel the unity all across the city as Parisians beamed with pride for their country.
When I first arrived in France, I really could not believe that I was actually in Paris. I was a bit intimidated by the fact that I did not inherently sounds Parisian; I had an accent (and that's okay!). As the program went on, my French only got better and better. By the end of my time abroad, I was blending in with the Parisians and speaking in French was instinctual (sometimes words would come faster to my mind in French than in English!). Total immersion from being in Paris and pushing myself to strike up conversations with my coworkers really helped develop my language skills.
After waking up and grabbing breakfast at Le Foyer (where we were housed), I would walk about 25 minutes to my immunochemistry research internship. It was in one of the biggest hospitals in Europe, La Pitié Salpêtrière. There, I would collaborate with coworkers to analyze Indirect Immunofluorescent Assays to determine if any hospital patients had possible auto-immune diseases, and later use ELISA and Immunoblot techniques to identify them. After eating lunch with my coworkers in a large park on hospital grounds, we would return to work, and I would spend the afternoon reading gel electrophoreses and serum immunofixation tests to ascertain if patients had any abnormalities in their plasma blood cells. After work, I would explore more of Paris by foot, usually strolling along les quais de la Seine and appreciating all of the city's beauty.
In addition to my immunochemistry research internship, I took French 197 and UGIS W158 (Global Citizenship), which are both courses that are taught by Berkeley professors. While it may seem like a heavy course load, the program still allowed me enough time to adequately explore everything Paris has to offer!
I had so many memorable and meaningful experiences during my time in France that it is very difficult to pinpoint exactly one! La Fête de la Musique, a music festival that originated in France and is celebrated on June 21st, was one of my most magical nights in Paris; I could not walk anywhere without hearing some type of melody coming from a variety of musical instruments, almost always accompanied by Parisians dancing, singing, and clapping. I will forever remember the unanimous joy and happiness of that night, and that was when I realized that I had fallen in love with Paris.
Studying abroad gave me a greater appreciation for French society and culture, and really opened up my mind to the possibility of living and working in Paris in the future. It also helped me become more independent and self-sufficient. In a country where people speak a different language, I became more confident with living outside of my comfort zone, as well.
STUDY ABROAD!! While living and interning in France may seem a bit intimidating at first, I promise that it will be one of the most amazing experiences of your undergraduate career. Studying abroad is an opportunity of a lifetime that is too valuable to pass up!