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. Welcome to Part Two of my journey, all about school and cultural stereotypes!
School
Attending a local French high school was both transformational and challenging. Firstly, I took courses that were part of a tronc commun. These were classes that all students were required to take. Then, I took several spécialité courses. These were essentially electives that students could take based on their academic and career interests. As part of my tronc commun, I took a general philosophy class, a general history class, and an integrated biology-physics class. For my spécialité courses, I chose an integrated philosophy and literature course, as well as a political science course. In addition to all of this, I chose to audit an introductory Spanish class. While my teachers were somewhat lenient, they still held me to the same standard as my French classmates.
At first, school was very difficult. I wasn’t used to lecture-based classes. What’s more, individual class blocks were two hours long, without any breaks—needless to say, I found it quite difficult to concentrate! All my classes (even the Spanish one) were taught in French. My teachers spoke very quickly and would dictate long passages, which students were subsequently expected to copy down, word for word. Sometimes, they would even call on me randomly to share my ideas or to see whether I was truly paying attention. However, as I grew more comfortable, I became better at understanding my teachers and the course material. Gradually, I became at ease raising my hand to ask a question or to contribute a point. My classmates were generous and would share their notes so that I could keep up. While I wasn’t the best student, I wasn’t the worst. I was generally able to squeak by with decent grades. One time, however, in my history class, I ended up earning the highest grade in the class on an essay—something that thoroughly shocked both the teacher and my classmates, none of whom held high expectations for the American in the room. Throughout the term, I built close relationships with several teachers and staff members, including the receptionist at the front desk. When school became overwhelming, I enjoyed sitting in the quiet school lobby and completing my work. The receptionist, a kind-hearted Franco-Italian woman, befriended me, asking me about my day and my life in the United States. We became language partners, where she would help me practice my French and I would help her practice her English. On the last day of the program, we both hugged each other and nearly cried!
Not everything was so rosy, however. In my French high school, students were expected to stand when the teacher entered the room. They were expected to remain standing until the teacher permitted them to sit. Imagine my teacher’s surprise—and my own—when I remained the only student sitting, completely unaware of this rule! After he publicly criticized me, I professed a heartfelt apology at the end of class, and we shared a good laugh.
Dealing with Cultural Stereotypes
One major challenge while in France was combatting cultural stereotypes. My French classmates, believing I was a “dumb American,” liked to “test” me. Sometimes, they would “teach” me “useful” expressions, which were actually vulgar phrases (when I would call them out, they would express their surprise that I even understood them). One boy would follow me around school to ask questions about various rappers—he was quite disappointed to discover that I wasn’t personally related to any. He also enjoyed speaking to me in an exaggerated American accent and making jokes about McDonalds and burgers or plus-size clothing. Once, a group of students asked me whether Asia was a country or a continent—to which I responded that it was a continent. They all cheered and clapped, exclaiming that I wasn’t “stupid like other Americans.” Although these jibes were made in good fun, they soon became exasperating. Consequently, I quickly learned how to satisfy their curiosity while defending my country.
Conclusion
My time in France has been one of the most transformative experiences in my life so far. I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to study abroad, especially while still in high school. So for now—merci beaucoup and until next time!
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