The Mount Holyoke News

Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: Perspectives

Crystal Boateng in France.

[Click to enlarge]

[Click to enlarge]

I had been anticipating this day ever since I received my acceptance letter for the Mount Holyoke year-long Montpellier program in France. Realizing my inability to freeze time and cherish this moment forever, I mounted up all the courage I had left and hugged my family goodbye in the departing terminal of Newark International Airport. "You're going to be fine, girl," my mother said to me as she noticed the tears welling up in my eyes. This was not like my first day at Mount Holyoke when I said farewell to my parents after they had helped me settle into my room, only to see them the next day at my door with a bag of items that I had forgotten to pack. This time, I was not going to be merely 30 miles away from home but rather, thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Despite all the anxiety that I felt, there was no turning back at this point, and I boarded my flight en route to France.

To be honest, I didn't quite know what to expect when I arrived in France on Aug. 14, 2008. Because I had never visited the country before, a lot of my expectations were influenced by the books I had read and the comments I had heard about French culture and rude Parisians. After nearly six months, I have come to accept and love the lifestyle in this country, and especially in Montpellier, where I am studying at Paul Valéry University.

The way of life is drastically different from that of my little town of Wilbraham, Ma., but I have fallen in love with the differences. For example, French people enjoy sitting in restaurants and cafés both during the day and in the evening conversing with friends, family and sometimes even complete strangers. Because of all the rumors I had heard about the rude and cold behavior of the French, I never expected to strike up a discussion in a café or bar. But during my six-month stay, I cannot account for all the conversations I've had with French people and how some of them have developed into close friendships.

My most recent experience of this was when I went to the city of Marseille to attend a concert on the day of President Obama's inauguration. My friend Tanya and I wished to witness this historical event. We walked into a cafe and asked the waiter if he knew the commencement time for the event. Without hesitation, he found out the information for us and changed the channel to the live broadcast of the inauguration. We ended up staying there for nearly two hours, chatting with the friendly patrons about the past election and life in the United States. Later the same night, at the bus stop, we befriended a couple of students who escorted us to the hotel since we had missed our bus. This encounter, among many others, gradually changed my tainted vision of French people.

I landed in Montpellier a complete stranger with many uncertainties and very little hope that I would find my place here. But now I know my way around my neighborhood and call it home. I arrived not knowing anyone who resided here, but now I have developed relationships and friendships that I will cherish for many years. Throughout these months, I have learned to expect the unexpected.

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