So… I feel like housing found me. I know so many other people looking for apartments right now in Rennes and I’m having anxiety for them! I’m telling you I got really really REALLY lucky. There seems to be a bit of a housing crisis in Rennes because so many students and people are trying to move into the city and agencies are overbooked. After finding out my exact placement, I joined the TAPIF Facebook page and found the link to join the WhatsApp group for TAPIF assistants in Bretagne (Brittany). I think I was a part of the group for a couple weeks and then that’s when my roommate’s girlfriend messaged in the chat. She wrote out a whole paragraph describing her boyfriend Ludovic’s apartment (which was in a perfect location being only a 15-minute walk from my placement and it was only 425 euros per month) and how one of his roommates would be moving out. I knew I wanted to show my interest right away and I saw someone else typing so I made sure to send it out quick and say, “I know there are a few of us placed in Rennes but if you wanna send his number in the chat that would be great!” The other person messaged right after but I made sure to text her boyfriend as soon as she sent the number and then pretty much the rest was history. I asked him if he could send pics of the apartment and the place looked much nicer than the places I had been looking at and it had a living room which the place my référent (the english teacher I will be assisting) sent me did not have. Definitely did not want to feel like I was back in a dorm. Ludovic gave me the landlord’s email address and then within the next few weeks I got the contrat de location (renter’s agreement). I did a wire transfer for my deposit. DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY UNLESS YOU KNOW THE APARTMENT IS REAL. SCAMS EXIST! I knew I was good to send my deposit because my référent went to visit the place and spoke with the landlord.
I would say meeting my roommates was pretty natural. I met Ludovic first and he was very welcoming and then I met my other roommate, Prince, later that day and he was also super nice. I’ve lived with these two guys for a little over a week now and it’s been really chill. One of the first things we did together as roommates was go to Marché des Lices which is the second largest farmer’s market in France, and they have it every Saturday. They helped me buy two large avocados and then Ludovic and I got cooked duck (as well as a sausage for me) and potatoes for lunch. Ludovic and Prince are pretty much my big bros. The other day my friend and I went to the grocery store with Ludovic and she even said it’s like we were following our dad haha. He was getting items to cook chili con carné for Prince, Prince’s girlfriend, and I. I was very confused when I thought he said shitty con carné thanks to his accent, but I wasn’t the only one who thought he said that haha. The dish was very delicious and spicy, which I love. I felt like the last time I was here I didn’t have access to much spice, so I was really happy to have it. When he was cooking in the kitchen, we were all just hanging around chatting. Somehow, we ended up talking about flexibility and Ludovic made the joke that his body is a wooden plank and then proceeded to point to a wooden cutting board and said, “that’s me!” I mentioned I had done yoga before, so I jokingly said I’d knock on everybody’s door to do yoga at 5 in the morning to help work on flexibility.
Ludovic speaks French and English and Prince only speaks French. I really need to make sure I only speak in French if I want to improve my speaking skills, but if you decide to do TAPIF/study abroad don’t be too hard on yourself if you catch yourself speaking a lot of English when you first arrive, I have been meeting some cool people who speak both languages. It’s so easy to give up and slip into English, so try to sign a contract with yourself that you will try your best to only speak French. I wrote 10 personal goals before I got here and speaking only in French isn’t my number 1 (my list pertains more to my lifestyle and what I hope to work on, but I believe making a list of goals helps to visualize what you want to work on and help you think of the steps you need to take to achieve them):
Learn as much as I can from my students and give them the best language learning/cultural exchange experience I can give.
Focus on my mental well-being (therapy/doing things I love)
Make the most out of my friends studying abroad in France at the same time
TRAVEL!! (Even alone)
Only speak in French (okay, I see it is underlined but it’s still not number one haha)
Learn how to cook (like actually cook)
Join Régates Rennaises (rowing club)/gym (already rowed this past weekend!)
Keep up a weekly/bi-weekly blog (Hello there!)
Try to read more
Look into grad programs
Now I gotta figure out what renters’ insurance I should get. Definitely should have figured that out beforehand. I’ve been recommended maif so I’ll let you know how that goes. I’ve now hit the start of the storm of documentation I need to fill out after arriving in France. I’ll make sure to ask other assistants to see what websites they used to find accommodation and share them with you in another blog.
This past Wednesday I went to Vannes for the day and met some other TAPIF assistants. It’s only about an hour and a half away from Rennes on the southern coast of Bretagne. I decided to ask people in the Bretagne group chat if they wanted to join and three other assistants showed up. I will most likely go back again. It’s less than 20 euros round trip on the train unless you go with a TGV. Here are some pictures from that day:
Writing to you from 6 in the morning thanks to some beautiful jet lag. I am officially back in France! It feels so surreal being back. As soon as I arrived in the U.S. after being sent home Spring 2020 as the Covid shut down began, I looked up the steps I would need to take to apply to the program TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program In France). TAPIF is a program where the French government will provide you a monthly stipend to work in one of their academies as a language teaching assistant and in my case an English teaching assistant from the beginning of October to end of April. They also offer opportunities in their overseas “outre-mer” departments like Guadeloupe and Martinique. I knew since my first year of college that I wanted to do this program but being sent home early from my study abroad motivated me even more to apply. I attempted to apply for the Fulbright scholarship to go with it, but I sadly did not get it. Although I was denied, all of that time and work I put into those essays didn’t go to waste. I was able to transfer most of my ideas into my TAPIF application essay. The TAPIF essay must be written in French, so if you go through the same process, I recommend not directly translating your Fulbright essays. The TAPIF essay is only around 500 words long when the Fulbright essays are two separate essays single spaced full pages.
I was notified on April 21st, 2021, that I was accepted into the Académie de Rennes. TAPIF allows you to put down the top three regions you would like to be placed in. Rennes was my first because I decided I would really like to go back to the same region I did my study abroad in even if it meant I didn’t get placed into the city center (but I got lucky, and I was placed in Rennes proper!) My second choice was Grenoble and my third was Rouen. I think I remember hearing that those who are more qualified will be placed into their first choices more often. I just recently graduated May of 2021 and my major was French – Education K-12 with an ESL certification minor, so that probably helped me get placed where I wanted to and into the city center, since I put down that I wanted to be in a larger city. I officially start October 1st, but I decided to come here earlier since my lease started the 1st of September. I will write about my housing situation in another blog.
The Journey Here:
I went up to New York City August 9th to apply for my long-stay visa. I was not able to set up an appointment until I got my work contract (arête de nomination), which is normally sent to you when you get your official placement within the Académie. My passport/visa came back to me pretty quickly, but I planned to buy my ticket about a month after my appointment so it would come in on time. My flight was at 6:50 p.m. on Wednesday the 8th and arrived in Paris the morning of the 9th. There was a small delay about an hour long. The only thing I hated this time traveling was sweating like crazy since it’s still pretty hot out and I had to lug around all of my stuff, while wearing one of my jackets. I got a lil lost when I got to Gare de Lyon. I took the metro and had to climb up some stairs with my bags. A really nice guy helped me with one of staircases. Somehow, I ended up exiting at the completely wrong end not really close to the Gare and had to walk all the way back up to it. I ended up staying at an alumni from my college’s place my first night in France, but I was a dummy and thought he was meeting me at the Gare. I should’ve just walked to his apartment right away because I ended up waiting longer than I probably should have. I was too tired to use my brain in that moment, but hey I still made it.
That evening we went out to dinner with one of his friends. I tried escargots for the first time, and I thought they were delicious! I’ll probably try them again to see if they are made differently at other places. I do not have my passe sanitaire yet, but I haven’t had a problem yet with showing my CDC vaccination card. I got the Johnson and Johnson vaccine back in March. The passe sanitaire is a QR code you need to have to show that you are vaccinated and can go into restaurants and museums. The next morning, I went to Gare Montparnasse to take a OuiGo (TGV) train to Rennes. I wish I had more time in Paris, but I wanted to get moved in and there was an open house at the rowing club I did the last time I was here that coming Saturday and I wanted to go get information. I’m so excited to start rowing again! I was happy to catch glimpses of Sacré Coeur and Notre Dame on my way to Gare Montparnasse and even happier to see the tip of the Eiffel Tower on the TGV on my way to Rennes.
Les escargots
I met my référent (the teacher I will be assisting this academic year) at the front of a food stand at the Gare in Rennes. She was very nice and greeted me with a warm welcome. We took the metro to the area my apartment is in, and we met my landlord at the apartment. The last stretch of pushing my dreaded suitcases I thought. My referent was very straight forward with my landlord and was asking about the apartment and the furnishing and acted honestly like a new mom which was awesome. She also gave me a quilt to use later on in the day because I needed to get sheets. My landlord was able to provide me with some and I found it ironic that they had gingko leaves on them since that was a big symbol at my university in the U.S. 😊
I am really happy to be here, and I can’t wait to share more of my adventures with you. In my next blog I will talk about meeting my roommates, how I found housing, and what I did my first week here.
Here’s a list of some key places and some of my favorite spots in Rennes.
Place de la République
This is a center where all of the bus lines meet. The Palais du Commerce and shopping buildings across from it, form the square. The Musée des Beaux Arts (Museum of Fine Arts) is walking distance just down the road, but you could take the C3 bus because that’s the first stop after La République. Every first Sunday of the month, you can go to the museum for free. You can find the metro station in front of the Palais du Commerce. There is an open area in the middle of the square between two streets where you can find plants, a couple food stands/trucks, and it acts as a walkway from the shopping center side to the Palais du Commerce side. The Vilaine river runs through underneath la République.
Left photo: Here are some of the plants that decorate the one side of the middle walkway. The Palais du Commerce is the building on the right. This is only a wing of the Palais.
Right photo: Point of view from the C3 bus stop. The Palais du Commerce is the building sticking out from the left.
Place de la Mairie
Walking distance from la République, you can find la Place de la Mairie. This is an open area between the Opéra de Rennes (Opera house of Rennes) and La Mairie (the city hall). There is a carousel and there are a couple restaurants near by. There’s a restaurant/Brasserie right next to the opera called Le Picadilly Rennes. I actually had class in there with my program director when the normal CIREFE classes were cancelled due to a strike. You can usually find kids running around and playing with the bubbles from a bubble maker in the center. This gives la Place de la Mairie a blissful feeling.
Opéra de Rennes
This was taken when I was standing next to a crêperie. You can see the Opéra de Rennes poking out from the left. The opera faces the town hall which is not pictured, but would be found on the right (pictured below). You can see the Palais du Commerce from la Place de la République straight ahead in the center of the picture.
La Mairie (The city hall) across from the opera.
Palais Saint-Georges
Also walking distance from La République is the beautiful Saint George Palace. There is a garden in the front that you can walk through. I think it’s not far from a cat café called Le Chat Puccino. Inscribed on the face of the palace is MAGDELAINEDLFAYETTE (Magdelaine de la Fayette).
Place du Parlement
If the Opéra de Rennes is on your right, you just have to turn right onto the street next to it and you will end up at the Parlement de Bretagne (Parliament of Brittany). Here, you can find the parliament building and different kinds of small shops that surround the square. I know for sure there is a stationary store and a Bretagne (Brittany Region) themed souvenir shop. Also, not far from here is a large book store. You can also find O’Connel’s, which is an Irish Pub that has an English language exchange on Monday nights.
Place Sainte-Anne
La Place Sainte-Anne is one metro stop away from La République. The metro stop takes you up to a section of the city where there are a ton of cafés. Right at the top of the escalator you will find the Basilique Notre-Dame de Bonne Nouvelle de Rennes to your left and the Crêperie Sainte-Anne and Columbus’ Café straight ahead of you. In the other direction, this is the area where you will find access to La Rue de la Soif (Thirsty Street) where the Rennais like to go out to on the weekends. This part turns into Place Saint Michel. You can also find le Couvent des Jacobins which is a convent that now serves as a convention center.
Place des Lices
This is where the second largest farmer’s market in France takes place. It’s called the Marché de Lices and it happens every Saturday morning. You can also find many cafés and restaurants in this area. There is a bar in the lower area down the stairs called Delirium.
Photo on the right credits: Emily Crandall
Place Hoche
You can find this area by walking through the shopping mall right by the Sainte-Anne metro stop if you walk straight past Columbus’s café. This little area also has a carousel. You can find a book flea market and then behind it, a space where you can find people sitting and enjoying each other’s company. This is also a hot spot for skateboarders. You can find a grocery store and a convenience store for more on-the-go items on the outsides of the square. The one side of the area is formed by one of Université Rennes 1’s entry-ways and buildings.
A building a part of Université Rennes 1
Parc du Thabor
Once you exit the shopping mall and are looking at the book stands, if you look to your right you can see the street leads you to the Saint-Melaine church. Right next to this church is one of the entrances to Parc du Thabor, which is a decent-sized park. Through this entrance, you can find a wide open green space. A lot of the times I saw joggers running around it. The park has a lot of open green space. The paths of the park lead you to different sections. There is a bird house, duck pond, and a waterfall. The area is decorated with fountains, flowers, and statues. One area has a rose garden. There is also a café and an orangery.
Cathédral Saint-Pierre de Rennes
On the other side of the city from the Parc du Thabor. There are a lot of side streets where you can walk around. This is the area where you can find the alleyway and the Cathédral Saint-Pierre pictured below. You can find a lot of the half-timbered houses and some of the oldest building in Rennes that survived the fire in 1720. The city does it’s best to maintain these structures. Inside the Cathédral, there is golden detailing surrounding the paintings on the ceiling.
More Spots in Rennes
Esplanade Charles de Gaulle: This is where larger concerts are held.
Bus stop Plaine de Baud: This is where I would get off to go to rowing practice, but this may also be a good place to get to the river if you want to run on the trails beside it. There are probably other starting points to this trail though.
Metro stop J.F. Kennedy: This is the stop right after Villejean-Université and it is walk-able from Université Rennes 2. If you are a student at Université Rennes 2 you can find a boulangerie, a Carrefour, and other food places if you don’t want to eat at the university. Any place is really accessible thanks to the metro.
Stade Rennais: This is the football (soccer) team’s stadium. When there’s a game there are buses that take you directly to the stadium.
I can’t wait to see the city of Rennes again one day.
Rennes is such a lively city that I miss so much. Here’s some random aspects of the culture of Rennes I experienced while living there.
La Place Saint-Anne
Right by the metro station at Saint Anne there always seems to be travelers sitting around outside. They always have dogs with them as well. The dogs usually aren’t on leashes and most of the time the travelers entertain them by playing fetch. Sometimes they play music loudly. I’m surprised that the police do not tell them to stop loitering, but it’s probably become more of a norm for them to be there.
Manifestations
One time when there was a large manifestation at La République. I wasn’t there to see it go down, but I saw the aftermath. There were clean-up crews cleaning up the broken glass from the advertisement panels connected to the bench’s of the bus stops. There was also white spray paint all over other advertisements. Strikes and manifestations are a big part of France’s culture. They definitely got me out of class a few times. It’s better to avoid getting involved at a strike because tear gas could get involved.
Shopping
Do not forget to greet the store clerks as you walk in. “Bonjour” or “bonsoir” (good evening) will suffice. It’s pretty similar to the way you would act in an American store. Sometimes they’ll ask you if you need help, but if you just want to browse, you just have to say “non, merci” (no thank you). And don’t forget to say thank you and goodbye as you leave with “Merci. Au revoir.”
It’s like Black Friday every weekend during the four week winter sales. The best time to go is during the week when most people are at work or school. Almost all of the stores in the city had “SOLDES” (Sales) signs in their windows. It might be a good idea to bring your passport with you when you make purchases with a debit/credit card. When my friend wanted to buy something at Pull & Bear the cashier said she needed a form of I.D., but her driver’s license wasn’t enough proof. I’m not entirely sure why this happened. I never experienced that while purchasing with my card at other places.
On the other side of the shopping mall where you can see the church at Parc du Thabor, there is a little book market. My friends bought a couple books there. It’s not really watched over that much and the man selling the books is laid back. You just have to go up to him, say “bonjour”, and pay for the books. This is an open area right by one of the grocery stores I would go to and Université Rennes 1. In this same area you can find people sitting and enjoying each other’s company as well as skate boarders riding around and attempting tricks.
Clothes
To me, the French dress very chic. You won’t really come across someone just wearing sweats or leggings. I definitely wore jeans almost every day. Also, when it is colder, you’re going to notice almost everyone wearing a scarf. I never really wear scarves in the U.S., but I definitely feel like I wore one everyday while I was in Rennes.
Food
Galettes and Crêpes are probably some of the most important foods in the Rennais culture. This is the region where crêpes were invented. The most popular are the galettes complètes (wheat crêpe with ham and cheese, with a sunny side up egg on top) and the galette saucisse (whole sausage wrapped in a wheat crêpe). For dessert, a crêpe with butter and sugar, or jam.
You can find a Brioche Doré or a normal boulangerie all around the city as well as cafés. I feel like Rennes’ form of fast food places are Kebab joints. There are quite a few by la Rue de la Soif (Thirsty Street). They are definitely there to feed the people who like to party hard. My favorite was the Royal Kebab not far from the little shopping mall by Saint Anne. I always got a panini-kabab and fries with mayo and curry sauce on the side. They also have tacos with fries inside of them.
Une Galette Complète (Home-made by my house mother)
A Perspective on Americans
Most cafés are opened late and usually have an outdoor seating area. One time when I was sitting with my friend in the outside area of a café, a random older man came up to us and asked if we wanted to buy jewelry. He ended up talking to my friend for a while making conversation. He complemented my friend’s french and asked where he came from, which was Syria and then found out I was American. Right away he said thank you to me. I remembered hearing how some of the French are so grateful because of the Americans helping out in the World Wars. I just smiled and laughed accepting the thank you even though I wasn’t even alive during those times.
Strange Occurrences
These aren’t really aspects of the culture, but I just thought I would share these experiences.
There is a Franco-American Institute that you can volunteer at. I only visited it once for a tour. They have American books in different genres and they also have a section for those at different reading levels (A1-C2). Something weird that happened was while a couple of my friends and I were leaving the tour a random guy started yelling in our faces. We turned around and walked back towards the institute ignoring him. This was the first time this happened to me, but supposedly it happened to my friends another time before.
One time when I was waiting at my bus stop at La République. A woman started saying something like a prayer and walked up into people’s personal space. When she came near me, I just stayed focused on my phone and just let her do her thing until she moved along to other people.
Just be wary of your surroundings, but don’t be surprised if this stuff happens. You are in a city.
Football
The Rennais are very proud of their football (soccer) team. The buses change their destination signs to have a football player on them. There are also buses that will take you directly to the stadium from La République. They won’t care how full the buses are after the game. I was pretty much standing next to the bus driver on the way home. The doors opened by accident while we were turning. It’s a good thing my friend was leaning against them.
Smoking
It’s very normal to be asked or to ask someone on the street if they have a lighter. Smoking is a very prominent pass time in France. I experienced my friend who smokes, ask someone for a light while walking by the river and they kindly gave it to him. Another time he was able to give a light while we were walking around the city. Also, when we were in another city, Nantes, a couple asked him for a light and he gladly gave it.
Celtic History
The region that Rennes resides in was not a part of France until 1532. The Celts came down from Britain during the Anglo-Saxon period. There is a lot of Celtic influence and the Breton language can be seen on some of the signs in the city.
There is also a Breton dance that is offered as a club you can join.
There are definitely other aspects I didn’t list, but I hope this can be used as small window into the everyday life of Rennes.
While studying abroad you are bound to do some travelling if your budget allows it. Luckily, I had been saving up the past few years so I was able to check out the cities listed above.
Booking Travel
Nantes and other cities near Rennes: For booking travel to a city nearby there is usually a Flixbus, Blablabus, or Ouibus you can buy a seat on. Blablacar is another option which is kind of like uber but in advance. You can also check the day of if someone is going there with Blablacar, but then there is less reassurance that you’ll have a ride. I originally booked Flixbus to Nantes, but there was a cancellation due to concern of Covid-19. My friend and I were able to find a Blablabus instead. The bus takes you to La Haluchère train station where you can catch a train to center city. This is the same place you have to go back to for your bus back to Rennes. This was the weekend right before I left France.
From Rennes to Paris: Paris is a little bit farther. It takes 3-5 hours or sometimes longer by bus (depends on extra stops the bus might have) but it is usually a lot cheaper than the TGV (high speed train). I have found bus tickets for under 20 euros. I was able to find a deal where I took a bus the Friday night of my trip and then a metro to get to the hotel I was meeting my family at. Then, I took a TGV for around 15 euros or less early Monday morning heading back to Rennes. There’s a specific platform for the TGV with OUISNCF at the station Paris Montparnasse 1 Et 2. I went straight from the Gare in Rennes to the university for a class that morning. The TGV is the quickest option making the trip only 2 and half hours long. Sometimes the price ranges from 35 to 60 euros, but it also depends on the time and day you book your travel.
Rennes to Paris to London and Back: I think it’s possible to take a train all the way to London, but I’m not sure about pricing. My friend and I booked flights from CDG (Charles de Gaulle Airport) to London Gatwick. The flight was around 8 p.m. so we took a bus around 11 a.m. so we would get there on time. We took a Flixbus directly to the airport. The bus drop-off and pick-up is right by terminal 3, which is where we had to go. Our friend on the same bus had a different flight and was able to take the CDGVAL (light rail) to her terminal. Once we got to the Gatwick airport, we took a train to the center city and then took the tube (metro/subway in London) to our hostel. On the way back home to Rennes, I took the tube to St. Pancras International and took a train (around 12 pounds sterling) to the London Luton airport for my flight back to CDG. The train takes you to a shuttle to the airport that costs around 5 pound sterling. Once I landed at CDG, I waited for a couple hours and then took a Ouibus back to Rennes, which was found at terminal 3 where we were dropped off the start of our trip.
This is the plane we took to London. We waited on a shuttle before walking up the stairs. It was pouring rain.
Packing for a Weekend Trip (Nantes & Paris)
Nantes: I could have honestly just brought one of them, but I brought a backpack and a tote. My friend used a duffel bag, which I feel like is the best option. I mainly had my backpack, so I could bring my laptop just in case I needed to do something about a flight back to the U.S.
Here’s a list of what else I brought.
Wallet/purse
Clothes for Saturday and Sunday
Underwear, socks, etc.
Pajamas
Jacket
Hairbrush
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Shampoo, conditioner, and other shower products (My Airbnb included these but I brought some just in case it didn’t)
Razor
Deodorant & spray/perfume
Makeup & makeup wipes
Moisturizer
Hand sanitizer (Covid-19 prevention)
Jewelry
I only wore boots that weekend which were fine, but it probably would have been smarter to pack sneakers since we were walking everywhere.
Paris: Paris was a little bit of a longer weekend from Friday until Monday morning, so I had to have clothes for Monday as well. I used a carry-on and backpack. I mainly brought my backpack for work I needed to do and then my carry-on had all of my clothes. I pretty much packed exactly what’s in the list above into my carry-on.
Packing for a Longer Trip (London)
Don’t forget your passport! My house mother told me about the person before me was at the Nantes airport and was flying out of the country, but she completely forgot her passport. My house mother was nice enough to drive it to her, but that might not work if you’re at CDG which is three more hours away.
My friend and I booked our flights with Vueling Airlines, which allow only one carry on and a personal bag. I had a separate flight back with easyJet, which has the same rules. We stayed in London from February 25th to March 1st, but both of those days were mainly traveling, so we really spent four full days in London. I packed things that could be reworn, so it didn’t make my carry-on too heavy. I kind of wish I had an extra pair of pants to sleep in, because my leggings felt gross by the last night we were there. We shared a hostel room with eight other girls.
I only had my carry-on. Here’s what I brought.
Passport
Wallet/Purse
4-5 shirts/sweaters
3 pairs of pants
Underwear, socks, etc.
Pajamas (Leggings and a t-shirt)
Jacket (I brought my rain jacket as well but I just used my regular coat)
Sneakers
Bathroom products (shampoo, conditioner, etc.)
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Deodorant
Moisturizer
Spray/Perfume (small 3-5 oz bottle for travelling)
Hand sanitizer
My friend brought a lock to put onto our storage locker in the hostel (It was also possible to borrow one from the hostel)
Hair ties
I’m going to be honest London is a really expensive place. I’m happy I got to experience four full days of it, but the cost of the tube and the food was a lot. I don’t think I’ll be back there anytime soon, so I would say it was still worth it since I had always wanted to visit it.
To-do Before Going to Another Country
Don’t forget to call your bank and tell them that you will be travelling to another country. (I forgot to do this and my debit card was eaten by an ATM at the London Gatwick airport. I assumed that it would be fine since the bank knew I was in Europe. My friend became my debit card for the trip and I paid her back once we got back to Rennes.)
Make sure your phone plan will work while you are in the country that you are visiting (I had Free while I was in France and I only paid 9.99 euros a month. I was able to use it most of my time while I was in London. I did run out of data by the last day, but you should be able to manage it so that that does not happen.)
Just an extra reminder to remember your passport 🙂
I knew I was going to be behind on my work when I got home, because there were still in class sessions up until the Friday before I left. I didn’t go in that Thursday or Friday because I got the email about going home on Thursday morning. My friend explained to everyone in my classes why I wasn’t there, but I emailed all of my professors ahead of time as well.
I didn’t do any work while I was in the hotel or on my way home on the flight, because I didn’t want to put extra stress on myself. I did stay in touch with a couple professors to keep them updated on my situation. After a day or two being home I tried to start organizing myself. My program actually shut down right before all of the schools shut down in France, so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do my classes remotely for a split second.
CIREFE had decided to switch to online for the rest of the semester, since no schools were allowed to be open as an order from the president of France. The president of the school wrote to everyone not that long ago that they are still not certain about how they would give us final exams or whether this semester would count towards a diplôme in the language level (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, or C2). My French professor at my home university says they would still transfer over the credits no matter what CIREFE does, because they wouldn’t want to penalize me anymore than the situation already has.
I actually didn’t hear back from one of my professors for a couple weeks. All of my classes, except for one or two, felt completely unorganized in the beginning. I miss having a set schedule. Unlike my home university who is currently using Zoom (a video chat service) for all of their classes, all of my classes are just assignments so far.
For my study of the language class, he sends us the assignments and then gives us the correction the next time we are supposed to have class. Sometimes he has us submit the work he has us do, so he can correct it and use it as the answer key. I just had an evaluation for his class at home and he gave us three hours to do it. I took it at 8:00 a.m. while those in France took it at 2:00 p.m., which I was fine with. I’m happy asked to make sure the times worked for everyone.
For my reading comprehension course, she gives a PowerPoint that has links to assignments we need to do. In this course we mainly read and answer questions to upload onto a google drive. I feel like I’m still a little behind with this course because she gave us a packet to do before everything shut down. She said we can do it on our own time, but I prefer due dates.
I don’t really do much for my oral comprehension course. We had one evaluation from home. She pretty much just gave us a practice test to prepare us for the final examination. She could end up assigning us something randomly, but I doubt that.
For civilization, he is just giving us notes to read through. I really like the way he formatted them because it’s how I normally write my notes. My creative writing teacher decided to use Padlet to assign work, which seems to work well for this class. For TEFL, we are going to be watching videos of past students teaching and basing reflections on them as well as creating our own lessons. We will most likely speak on Skype for class, but we’ve only done that once. For our lab class for pronunciation, we sent in recordings of ourselves for our first exam. This class would probably profit in using Zoom, so she can hear us and correct us but she pretty much just sends the lessons on paper with diagrams of how your mouth should be when pronouncing different vowels.
I’m still waiting to see what my oral expression professor decides to do. She’s the one that hadn’t reached out to us for a couple weeks, so I emailed her. She ended up emailing back the next day to everyone. She assigned some work to do to make up for the lost time. She’s still just trying to figure out how she wants to teach the class, which is understandable because it is meant for us to speak and interact. I suggested using Zoom to her, but we’ll see what she decides.
I miss having real classes and interaction with other students so much. I really wished some of my classes used Zoom, so I could have real input from hearing and speaking the language. I feel like I am just constantly doing homework, since I don’t have any lectures and I have to teach myself or at least review. I know I’m lacking the entire immersive experience that my study abroad was supposed to be, but I do all of my work and I’m pushing myself everyday trying to stay connected to the culture and language. I know I wont reach the level of competency I could’ve gained by the end of the semester if I were still in France and none of this ever happened, but I’m trying my best to fill those gaps.
Currently we are on a two week break. I really wish they would’ve decided to just push through it so we wouldn’t still be doing work three weeks into May. It’ll probably help get some of the teachers organized though and if the quarantine goes on until June then at least I’ll have something to keep me occupied.
Stay safe and healthy everyone.
À bientôt
– Nicole
My friend sent me these along with a card to spread some positivity during this quarantine
About an hour north of Rennes is a world heritage site known as Le-Mont-Saint-Michel. It is located in Normandy, but there’s a little argument about whether it is in Normandy or Brittany. I had been wanting to visit this place since early high school because there was a poster in the French classroom and I remember thinking to myself that I have to go there one day. This was made possible when I chose CIEE’s Rennes program. Sadly I only went on one, but the program includes three excursions throughout the semester. I didn’t make it to the second one, because I went to Paris with my family from the states. The second excursion got moved to the weekend my family was planning on visiting. That was two weeks before I had to leave.
CIEE recommends not planning travel until you get to Rennes, because sometimes the excursions do not have set dates. They aren’t mandatory but they are included with the program, so if the bill wasn’t covered by scholarships or grants then that means you paid for the excursion and you’re missing out on it if you don’t go. Also, the excursions are really fun so I highly recommend going. After classes start at CIREFE, you might not see the others from the program that often if they are in a different language level than you, so the excursions are a great way to bring everyone back together.
For our trip to Le-Mont-Saint-Michel, we met at Université Rennes 2 at 8:00 a.m. and loaded onto a charter bus. People encouraged me to sit closer to everyone when I got on. I’m just so used to sitting towards the back of the bus because that’s where I normally sit for crew races. This time I sat at the very front. I actually really enjoyed it because the driver pointed out to me, Le-Mont-Saint-Michel in the distance.
When we arrived, we got off the bus and headed to the welcome center. There were interactive information boards. We all used the bathroom before we headed onto the shuttle that would take us to the island. It’s during low tide that the shuttle takes you and the shuttle was pact. We were the first few on and then more and more people got on. It felt like the metro in Rennes, but honestly a little more squished. The ride had to be no more than ten minutes though. It drops you off at a distance where you can get a full landscape picture of Le-Mont-Saint-Michel and then you walk the rest of the way to the entrance.
Be prepared to walk up hill. I’m honestly super happy that I wore my knee brace that day. I have one because my left knee is a little weak and I wanted to start wearing one for when I go on runs. I also walked around Rennes for a long time the day before, so my legs were already a little tired. It is called a mount for a reason. Once you enter the little village you are constantly going up hill.
As you walk up the hills, there are little cafés and souvenir shops along the pathway. The pathway is actually pretty small. It’s just enough space to either walk up or down. There are lantern lights that hang over you as you walk along it (first picture above). I remember when we were leaving, someone giving a tour at the bottom the stairs said “this is where most people give up.” (middle picture) There is a small plateau area after you get to the top of the first set of hills and stairs. There are different levels you can walk up to. The view from up there is already amazing. You can see the sea expanding all around the island. (Picture on the right is the start of the tour after the plateau and another set of stairs)
We were only with our assistant director and she got us our tour phones. As we walk through the abbey, we type in the number we see on the signs on the walls and listen to recordings by holding the phone up to an ear. The recordings were in English but there are other languages available.
You’re outside most of the time during the tour and the heat isn’t really regulated inside the abbey, so if you’re going when it is colder be prepared to layer up. When we went it was super windy and I made sure to wear a sweater and my wool coat, since it was early February. The tour gives you the history of the abbey and of each room you walk into. Also, you learn about the monks and nuns that lived there in 966. At the end of the tour there is a gift shop. I noticed there were a lot of leather notebooks and items with the abbey on them. Most of the merchandise was very expensive in this shop.
After the tour, I went and sat with my friend at a stone ledge, which seemed like built in bench by a window to eat lunch. You could buy lunch there, but most of us packed lunches. We were free to walk around a little bit afterwards. My friend and I bought some post cards.
We all met at the entrance at a specific time to head back to the bus. The wind got super crazy and it felt like I was going to lose my earrings as we ran towards the shuttle, because we didn’t want to miss it. We went to the welcome center one last time to finish eating some of our lunches and used the bathroom before we left.
For the second part of the excursion, we stopped in a town called Dinan on our way back. Our bus driver made a wrong turn, but he also seemed like he knew where we were. We stopped at this random open field, but there was a monument next to the road called Le Menhir de Champ-Dolent. It was just a giant stone that sat straight up and it had an oval shape. We have no idea why we stopped to look at it, but we had fun and took pictures. I read that it’s the tallest standing stone in Brittany at over 9 meters high.
In Dinan we walked around and the group split up into smaller groups. We ended up going into a lot of different jewelry stores. I like thinking about how happy my one friend was when she bought a ring and a matching bracelet and another friend who bought a mineral bracelet. I think the other group went on a search for crepes. My group also ended up walking on top of the bordering wall where you can find a nice view of the town.
It started to rain a little bit when we left. There was a really steep hill we had to walk down and a few people in the group were slipping. At the bottom, we found a river and could see a large bridge. The bus driver arrived to pick us up only a few minutes after we got there.
I really enjoyed this excursion and I was happy to see the whole group together again. Definitely use these excursions to make the most out of your study abroad experience.
Sadly I didn’t get a chance to row in any competitions while I was in Rennes, but I’ll be using this blog entry to provide the different options you have if you decide to row while you are there!
Conveniently, both clubs are at the same boat house. This building is huge and has a kayaking club sharing it as well, separating the two rowing clubs. It sits right next to the Vilaine River near the Plaine de Baud bus stop. The commute takes about 30 minutes by bus (C4 direction Saint-Sulpice) from University of Rennes 2 (you can probably make this shorter if you take the metro to la République from the university). It’s closer to where I live, so one time I walked to practice which took around 25-30 minutes.
I actually didn’t decide on a club until the week before I had to leave. I had practices with the university through their program called SIUAPS every Thursday. I think the thirty euros that you have to pay to join a club with SIUAPS was included with our payment for the CIEE program. This was with the same coach that ran one of the clubs. The process of meeting the other club also took a really long time because it was hard to get into contact with them.
Société Des Regattes Renaises
The Clubs (Hours)
Société Des Régattes Rennaises
Framed slots:
Tuesday & Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (practice on land, erg machine, weight lifting, etc.)
Wednesday & Saturday from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (water practice)
Possible times to practice on the erg machines (Free practice/come as you please):
Tuesday between 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Thursday & Friday between 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The cost of registration is 85 euros (in cash), but because I decided on a club late and I was only going to be there for three more months, the coach reduced the price for me.
Créneaux encadrés :
Mardi et Vendredi de 17h à 19h environ (pratique au sol, ergomètre, musculation, etc…)
Mercredi et Samedi de 14h à 17h environ (pratique sur l’eau)
Pour les heures d’entrainement au sol sur l’ergomètre, il y a possibilité de venir n’importe quand (pratique libre) :
Mardi entre 9h30 et 18h30
Mercredi de 14h à 18h30
Jeudi et vendredi entre 9h30 et 19h30
Samedi 8h30 à 17h
Le coût de l’inscription au club est de 85€ (en espèce), mais parce que j’ai décidé un club plus tard et j’allais être là seulement trois mois, il a réduit le prix pour moi.)
REC AVIRON
Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. : row on water when weather permits, footing, erg machine practice, video analysis
Thursday at 2:00 p.m. : row on water (depends on day light savings)
Thursday at 6:30 p.m. : row on water when weather permits, footing, erg machine practice
Saturday at 9:30 a.m. : row on water
Sunday at 2:00 p.m. : row (unless regattas, outings…)
The cost of registration is 75 euros for foreign students and students registered with SIUAPS (The price was also reduced for me but it was still a little bit more than the other club)
Horaires en Français :
Mardi à 18h30 : aviron (tant qu’il fait jour), footing, ergomètre, analyse vidéo
Mercredi à 20h00 : (gymnase du SIUAPS), ppg, musculation
Jeudi à 14h00 (varie dans l’année) : aviron Jeudi à 18h30 : aviron (tant qu’il fait jour), footing, ergomètre, analyse vidéo
Samedi à 9h30 : aviron
Dimanche à 14h00 : aviron (sauf si régate, sorties…)
Le coût de l’inscription est de 75€ pour étrangers étudiant en France et étudiants déjà inscrits au SIUAPS. Il y avait une réduction sur le prix aussi, mais c’était encore un peu plus que l’autre club.
Practices
I would go to the practices on Thursdays when I first started. After class I would grab something to eat or buy something to eat on the bus and then head to practice that started at 12:15 p.m. You can choose to either go to the 12:15 p.m. practice or the 2:00 p.m. I chose the 12:15 p.m. because I had class later that day and I needed to get back to school.
It was a little hard for me to understand the coach at first because he talked really fast. Also, I was a little shy talking to some of the team members. I was kind of surprised the coach didn’t introduce me. He just carried on with practice as normal. I did get to talk to one girl a couple times, and I ran into her at Université Rennes 2 the day I found out we were leaving, so we kind of got to say good bye since it was when I wasn’t sure if I did have to leave or not.
The first practice with SIUAPS was on land, because the wind was a little too fast. We stayed in the boat house and lined up the ergs (rowing machines) in rows of two facing a projector screen. The coach had a training video. It was in French, but I was able to just follow the movements of the guy in the video if I didn’t understand right away. The video lasted the whole practice.
The second practice was on water. I still had trouble understanding, so I just followed what they were doing. We all worked together to take out the two boats we were using that day. I found the way we took them out kind of strange. Since the boat had a wider shell than my team at home’s boats, we carried them at hip height until we got outside. Then instead of going up to shoulders and overheads, we flipped the bloat to face upwards and held onto the sides of the boat. The inside was lined with a piece of wood we could grip onto. Once we got to the dock, we placed the boat gently into the water.
Another thing I had to get used to was that this was a sculling boat. For the majority of my practices and competitions in the U.S., I am in a sweeping boat which is just one oar per person. Sculling is with two oars. It’s a good thing I learned how to row by sculling with my home university. Since I was actually one of the more experienced rowers there, I was the stroke seat for my boat (I lead the pace). There weren’t enough people to fill up both boats so instead of four people in the boat, there was a coxswain (person that tells us what to do and steers the boat) and three rowers. I had a lot of fun and I talked to the coxswain when we slowed down. They actually switched coxswains halfway through, so someone else could have a chance to row.
One of the last practices I remember was another indoor rowing video. These videos had three sets of twelve different exercises, and we did stuff on the erg machines that I had never done before. One exercise was having one leg on the erg (seat moved out of the way of course) and stepping up with our opposite leg. We almost went on the water that day, but then the wind got worse and it started to rain. I talked to more people during this practice. I was really surprised to find out most of the people had only been rowing for about a year.
The day we found out we had to leave, there was actually supposed to be an indoor competition I was going to go to. It got cancelled due to the virus and the rule of not having a large amount of people in one space. This would’ve been a really cool experience, but maybe I’ll get to do something like it when I go back one day.
I decided to join Société Des Régates Rennaises because the hours worked better with my schedule and I already knew the coach since it was the same one that worked with the students from Rennes 1 and 2 (SIUAPS). I only got to go to one of their open practices where I just weight lifted a little bit and rowed on the erg machine. That was the last time I was at the boat house. It was all still a very fun experience.
On March 12th we received news that the CDC would declare France as a level 3 travel advisory. This meant that many of those in the group would be obligated by their home universities to leave. The emails were sent out around 3 a.m. while we were sleeping, so a lot of us woke up to the devastating news. Throughout all of this I thought I would be staying because I had the choice in whether I wanted to stay or not as long as the school and program was still running. I would just not be a part of my host university’s study abroad program. I was completely upset because a lot of my friends would be leaving. We all ended up at the CIEE office, which is in the same building where most of our classes took place.
We were told there would be a meeting held that afternoon, so we went into town to buy last minute souvenirs and gifts to get our minds off everything. I only bought one thing, because I thought I was going to be able to come back to buy gifts for my friends later on. I’m happy I did buy what I did, because it was something I truly wanted to get no matter when I left and I ended up not getting the chance to go back. Outside of the souvenir shop, a girl noticed us and told us how she was buying flowers for her host family. She was in high school studying abroad. A lot of the others decided to do the same and buy flowers for their host families.
At the meeting we found out those who had plane tickets to leave the next day would need to sign forms for a withdrawal. Since the program would still be running (at least during those last few hours), it would be considered a withdrawal if they left. At that point only me, Bri, Claire, and Anri would be staying, so everyone else had to sign the papers. While they got the forms ready, we all decided that we would go buy food somewhere and then meet up at Parc du Thabor. It was pretty nice out and we sat at some benches in between the two fountains. I couldn’t believe it was the last time we would all be together. We were all upset, but we still enjoyed each other’s company.
I hung out with some of them as they actually went back to the area of the souvenir shop and then went home after some of the others got their flowers. When I got home I told my house mother I thought I was staying. It wasn’t until after dinner that I saw the email that CIEE would be shutting down their programs in Europe. I felt like I knew it was coming, but it still completely tore me down. I decided not to go to class the next day because I was trying to figure everything out. President Macron had decided to shut down all of the schools in France that night. At least those who had to withdrawal would no longer need to accept the w and will be continuing classes online. It’s still very uncertain about evaluations and credit transfers, but it should get figured out.
I emailed about changing my ticket, but I had to wait for my travel agent to get into the office on Monday March 16th. I tried to change the ticket myself, but since it was purchased by a third party I had to wait. I wasn’t planning to leave until then anyway, because I had made reservations to stay in Nantes with a friend that weekend and I’m so happy I got to have that last weekend before I left. I don’t know if I would have been mentally prepared if I had to leave the next day like the others.
Hotels Shutting Down
My travel agent got back to me that Monday. I was receiving emails from my school and the scholarships team making sure everything was getting done. My travel agent found a direct flight to Newark on Saturday March 21st, but when I told my house mother she told me everything would be closed down by Wednesday and there wouldn’t be a way for me to get to Paris. I asked my travel agent if she could find any sooner flights. She found two, one on Wednesday to Detroit with a transfer to Newark and one on Thursday to Frankfurt, Germany with a transfer to Newark. I chose the Germany one because it would be a short flight and then the long one. Now thinking about it, I should’ve down the Detroit one.
I left Tuesday at 6:21 a.m on a TGV to CDG airport in Paris. There was only one train available on both Tuesday and Wednesday, but I decided to take the Tuesday train because who knows if the Wednesday one would have been cancelled. Every train after 6 a.m. those days were cancelled. There was a really nice lady on the train who asked if I wanted a mask, because she saw me wrapping my scarf over my mouth and nose. I also got to say goodbye to my friend Anri at the airport, because we took the same train. There was a free shuttle service from the airport to my hotel. This is when things started to get rough…
The hotel I had originally reserved was in the middle of closing down when I got there. They said they would reimburse me for the reservation. I was pretty much in a neighborhood created for hotels for the airport, so I asked the desk receptionist if he knew of any that were open near them. He mentioned the Holiday Inn, but he said it with a strong accent so I needed to ask him to write it out for me. I had to walk about fifteen minutes with all of my stuff to find it. I used google maps, but it lead me through a park when I really only had to walk straight. At least the park was super beautiful.
Park by the Holiday Inn Paris Roissy-En-France
When I got to the Holiday Inn the receptionist said they weren’t sure if the hotel would be open the next day. She said I could go try across the street, but she’ll be there if I need to make a reservation. The hotel across the street was much more expensive and they lead on at first that they would be open for two nights, but really they had no idea. I called around to the other hotels in the area to make sure there wasn’t a cheaper option, but they were all going to be closed by the next day. Since I was already at the more expensive one with all of my stuff, I tried to reserve a room but my card was denied. My aunt sent me her card as a picture, but they wouldn’t accept it. I went back to the Holiday Inn hoping they would accept it. I talked with the angel of a receptionist again and when my card was denied again she manually put in the numbers from my aunt’s card. I have no idea what I would have done if I had no where to stay. I probably would have had to stay at the airport.
I spent my first night there not knowing whether the hotel was going to shut down the next day. Also, I needed to buy food from a grocery store a few minutes away, since there was no food service provided by the hotel. My emotions kept and keep coming and going in waves. I’m fine at one point and then sadness just comes over me. I distracted myself with Netflix and Youtube. I was definitely not in the mindset to get started on my homework. I was able to get an extension on some of my work due to travel. CIREFE (the international school) was getting organized to officially start classes online.
The next day, I showered and dressed myself in what I thought would be the most comfortable to stay in overnight at an airport. I was so relieved to find out that the hotel would remain open another day. The receptionist let me reserve with my aunt’s card again. I had to change my room, because the side of the hotel I stayed in the first night had closed down. Once I got up to my second room, I contacted my bank through a chat service on their website. I wasn’t able to call them because I didn’t have international calling. They told me they took off the hold on my card after I explained that I needed it to buy food on my way home from France, but later that day when I went to buy my dinner and breakfast for the next day it didn’t work. I only had eleven euros left on me.
I called me aunt, but I wasn’t able to use her card like I did at the hotel. She was able to call a family member she knows that works at the bank and she fixed it after a couple more times of trying my card. I paid for what I could with the eleven euros and then tested my card at the other supermarket across the street. Thank goodness it worked, because then I was able to buy lunch and snacks at the airport before my flight the next day.
Flight Changes
My original flight was 11:15 a.m. so I got there three hours early to check in and get through security. When I got to the check-in area for my flight, the receptionist talked with the lady next to her saying in French how it was impossible for an American to go to Germany right now. She sent me over to another desk, because she couldn’t retrieve my ticket. I was surprised when the other lady said I would be flying to Montreal, Canada and then to Newark instead.
I headed to the Air Canada area to check in and I used a kiosk to get the tag for my suitcase. I was confused where to put my checked bag, so I asked security where I can do that but he wasn’t sure either. The check in area just wasn’t open yet. I got in line like an hour early and thankfully I did, because the line was huge. I ended up meeting a really sweet girl from Ontario, Canada who had been studying in Nantes since September. We talked about how crazy the whole situation is, how fast everything is changing, and how people need to start taking it seriously. Once we got to the desk receptionists, I found out that Canada was also not accepting non-citizens. I was sent to another desk to see what could be done. The girl came over and we said bye to each other after exchanging our information. She seemed so concerned for me when she left, it broke my heart. I made sure to message her right when I found out my flight had changed again. It was then a direct flight to JFK with AirFrance.
I had to lug my stuff all the way to the other side of the terminal again. I did the same thing at a kiosk and put the tag on my suitcase. I sent it onto the conveyor belt and then made a mistake when asking for directions to the gate. The ladies all turned to me and started expressing how I would need to check my carry on. They saw I had a backpack as well. One lady expressed rudely how I would need to check it and I calmly replied, “okay, where can I do that?,” when she probably thought I would argue back with her. I only started breaking down a little bit when I said “I’m just trying to get home.” My card didn’t work in this area, so they sent to me to find where to pay for it around the corner. I was just really frustrated at that point. Checking the bag costed me around $90. I just felt a little defeated, but I finally had a flight home.
After talking with my director on the phone I went and bought my lunch and snacks by the gate. Loading the plane went pretty smoothly. I’m happy I got to choose my seat. It was a window seat and I was next to a really nice older man. He immediately put on a comedy and his laughter made me feel better. I decided to watch the live action version of Aladdin for the first stretch of the flight. I accidentally ate my lunch right before the airline fed us, but I was able to hold onto the food after everyone was done and threw out their stuff. I slept for a couple hours during the middle of the flight and then ended the flight by watching Creed. I liked Creed the best. I feel like I chose it since I was on my way home and it was filmed in the city I was born in and don’t live far from.
When we arrived, we weren’t allowed to leave right away. We were given forms for the CDC to fill out earlier during the flight. We filled out where we had been and whether we had been in contact with someone with the corona virus. We waited for the CDC for like forty minutes and we thought they were going to come onto the plane. Instead, we were told we could leave but on our way out we handed the form to someone and then someone else took our temperature and let us know if we could leave. It was only based on temperature and not what was put on the form. The lady that checked my passport gave me attitude when asking me to put down my scarf and how I spoke quietly about what kind of food I had, but I remained calm and just spoke louder and did what she asked.
I finally made it out of the terminal, connected to WiFi, and called my aunt. I didn’t have to go far to find my aunt and cousin. My cousin waved vigorously, did a jump like “ta-da” with jazz hands, and ran towards me in excitement when he saw me. I was surprised when he gave me hug since that probably wasn’t the safest idea. We got my stuff into the car and then we headed home.
I still have jet lag and wake up at 5 or 6 a.m. sometimes. It’ll go away at some point. Now I’m just trying to get myself organized for online classes and cancel reservations for things I had planned. I’m heart broken, but there is nothing I can do about it and I have to remind my self I will go back.
I’m going to be honest. I wasn’t able to find a therapist that speaks English. They are available in the city, but for any therapist you have to pay around 50 euros per visit unless you have an international insurance. If you do look into international insurances, I would look to see if the insurance covers therapists that speak English or any therapist in Rennes (if this is where you choose to study abroad/live). Due to my situation, I had an insurance covered by my home university. This insurance is called GeoBlue, but it only covered up to five sessions and the only therapists nearby that accept this insurance were an hour away in Nantes. One really nice therapist decided to Skype with me once a week. I feel like these five sessions helped me get things off my chest when the overwhelming feeling of adjusting to a new country surrounded me.
The Search
First, we started at the university health center. This was kind of a frustrating experience for me, because the assist director couldn’t go back with me to the office. I was already a little stressed, but the nurse had a really hard time understanding me which kind of upset me. She was able to explain how there is a long wait to see students, since it is such a big school and I wouldn’t be seen until the time I would be leaving to go back to the U.S. She gave me a call about a list of English speaking therapists in Rennes, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford to go to one.
Second, my director sent me to talk to a psychiatrist just to get another professional opinion. He suggested it since that’s where students in the past had gone to. The psychiatrist pretty much listened to me talk about my life and how everything has lead me to feeling and thinking the way I do today. The whole thing was in French. He only knew a few key words kind of like the therapist. He said he would’ve wanted to have sessions with me, but only if I was French because there would definitely be misunderstandings if we did continue. Psychiatrists are able to write prescriptions as well if they think that is what you need.
Third, my assistant director helped me to find a therapist for the five sessions. She called all of the therapists covered in Nantes and she found the only one that accepted the offer to Skype. The CIEE directors of the Rennes program are all very supportive and are there to help you with anything you need. I started Skyping with the therapist a week after she contacted her.
Therapy in French
At first, I felt trying to express myself in French took up too much time because I was trying to find the words to describe how I felt. Sometimes I didn’t even know the words in English, but as the weeks went on I felt like I could express myself more. I just didn’t want to feel cheated out of an hour because I was trying to figure out how to say one thing. I found out from the director of the program that most of the time the French only get a 30 minute session.
The therapist I talked to was very nice. When I wasn’t feeling the best mentally during the primary adjustment stages I was able to speak to her about my history and then I expressed what I needed to. I feel like she could see after the first session that I was just looking to find ways to help cope with how I felt sometimes. I was able to express more after she was able to understand my history better.
GeoBlue
Since I was unable to go to my therapist, I had to pay for my sessions through the GeoBlue app. It was pretty easy to use. I just searched for my provider and then requested direct pay for the provider. I looked into adding more sessions, but I would personally have to pay for it or have to have a doctor sign off that I needed more sessions. It would be beneficial to have more sessions, but I feel like I got a lot out of the five sessions.
MySSP app.
Another option I have is the MySPP app. This is CIEE’s very own app and only CIEE participants can use it. I haven’t used it that much since I haven’t felt the need to, but all you have to do is put your personal information and what program you are a part of to create your profile. There’s a news feed page, but the main reason for the app is to have the ability to talk to someone 24/7. You are able to message or call through the app.
Personal Well-Being in France 