Hello everyone! My name is Pranavi Vedula. I am currently a senior at Phillips Exeter Academy. I’ve lived in New Hampshire for nearly my entire life. Recently, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Grenoble, France for almost three months. During this time, I lived with a French host family and attended a local French high school. It was truly a dream come true and exceeded my wildest expectations.
Background:
I’ve been learning French for four years but do not come from a Francophone background. However, my school offers language immersion programs for seniors. Before my study abroad, I’d never stepped foot in Europe, much less France, so I was thrilled to spend time in a country I had no familial or cultural connection to. Over the summer, I was matched with a host family—Marc, my host father; Sophie, my host mother; and Apolline, my host sister, who was the same age as me. Before the study abroad, we kept in touch through social media and email to get to know one another. I left for France in September and would return in late November.
Life in Grenoble
Adjusting to life in France proved to be an exciting task but not without its fair share of cultural shocks. Geographically, Grenoble is located at the foothills of the Alps and is only a train ride from Switzerland and Italy. I was surprised by the accessibility of public transportation and the lack of cars. My host family, as well as other inhabitants of the city, preferred walking or biking to driving—it should be no surprise that Grenoble is considered one of the most ecologically friendly areas in France and was even named the European Green Capital in 2022! I was also pleasantly surprised by the availability of fresh, healthy, and affordable food. My host family could simply walk down the street to a local bakery and purchase warm baguettes, still steaming from the oven. My host family, as well as the families of many of my friends, followed primarily plant-based diets. As a vegetarian, this made it easier to integrate with them and partake in many good meals!
Something I wasn’t prepared for, however, was the openness around certain topics otherwise considered “taboo” in the United States. For example, my host family and French acquaintances (even those I didn’t know well) would openly ask what religion I followed or how much my school tuition costs, despite reminding them that I received substantial financial aid. These led to awkward conversations where I often felt “exposed” to having revealed “too much” about myself.
Another major cultural difference was the normalization of smoking and drinking alcohol. Students would smoke during school breaks, sometimes alongside their teachers—something that I was not used to. In Grenoble, teens aged sixteen years and older are legally permitted to enter bars and order beverages. Having never stepped foot in a bar in my life, I suddenly found myself barhopping on Friday nights with my host sister and friends. Although I chose not to drink any alcohol (and was strictly forbidden from doing so by the rules of my program), I discovered a newfound love for sirop, a sugary and colorful liquid generally mixed with water. I particularly enjoyed sirop de pin (pine syrup) and sirop de menthe (mint syrup).
My Host Family
I was fortunate to have been matched with an INCREDIBLE host family. They truly treated me as though I were their biological daughter, so I never felt homesick while I was with them. We were very close and have stayed in regular contact even though my trip has ended. Luckily, we shared many interests, hobbies, and values, making integrating with them very easy.
I had a warm and loving relationship with everybody in my host family. My host father and I would spend hours at the dinner table, discussing politics, philosophy, and personal woes. Sometimes, the cuckoo clock would chime and we would jolt, having completely lost track of time. On weekends, he’d knock on my bedroom door at 8:30 am, reminding me to get up to work on college applications. One night, the whole family traveled to the city of Lyon to watch a musical, Starmania. After the musical, we walked around the city for a little bit, noticing the various landmarks. My host father and I were walking together—upon passing an old church, he asked me about my religious beliefs. It wasn’t the first time we’d talked about religion, but I was taken aback, unsure how to describe my own complicated emotions. However, he didn’t press further. Sensing my physical discomfort, he took my hand—and the whole night, he stayed by my side. It was such an unexpected yet powerful act of care and one that deeply moved me.
My host mother was an amazing writer and would always check my school homework, patiently correcting any French errors. If I asked her an obscure question on French grammar, she would put aside all her work to pore through online articles, refusing to give up until she’d found an adequate answer. Every morning, she would ask me how I was feeling, providing words of encouragement for the day ahead. In the car, she enjoyed playing my favorite French songs, especially the hit “Demain” by Maître GIMS and Carla Bruni. And on Halloween, knowing I was missing trick-or-treating back home, she bought candy just for me. Her cultural sensitivity and kindness were heartwarming. She also made the BEST gratin dauphinois!
And my host sister was, of course, my closest confidante. We enjoyed gossiping together and exploring the city. She pushed me to try new things and to step out of my comfort zone. Although I was (and still am) a stubborn introvert, her extroversion slowly rubbed off on me, and I was soon speaking with ease with peers, teachers, and strangers—something that would have been unthinkable at home. Once, feeling mischievous we decided to belt the bilingual French-German song “Je ne parle pas français” in the metro. Did we earn disgruntled stares? Yes, but we made quite the spectacle! Seeing how much my host family valued work-life balance also pushed me to start prioritizing self-care and physical exercise, as well as simply carving out leisure time. I am immensely grateful to have been a part of their lives and I’ll always cherish the lessons they’ve taught me.
Stay tuned to hear more about my adventures in school and a bit of cultural shock next week in Part 2!
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