Peck, Audrey

Audrey Peck

Why did you choose to study abroad and how did you select your program?
I've always had a passion to see the world and explore new cultures. It's also been a goal of mine for a long time to become bilingual, so what better way than immersing myself in the culture and language? My mom also studied in France her junior year of college and hearing her stories made me even more eager to jump at the opportunity to study abroad. I've spent some time in big cities and knew that Paris might not have been the best option for me; Montpellier, a smaller city in the south of France, seemed like the perfect size. It's also a great city to study abroad in because it's home to many universities, too. The coolest part about the program UNC in Montpellier is that students are required to stay with host families. As I mentioned, I wanted to be fully immersed in the culture and knew that would be the best way to achieve my goals of being bilingual and really understanding the French culture.

What did you learn about yourself?
It was definitely tough at times living with a host family and speaking only in french. There were certainly conversations here and there that were harder to get through than others. I think the most important thing I learned through my experience was how important it is to be patient with myself and with others. Thankfully, my host parents were very understanding and supportive and would help with with phrases I didn't know or couldn't say. Most people I encountered in the city were also patient as I would try speaking to them in french. As the months went on, it became easier to speak without being so hard on myself about every error I made or without becoming frustrated if I couldn't get my point across the first time around.

What is one of your favorite memories from your program?
One of my favorite memories was hiking the mountain nearby Montpellier, Pic Saint-Loup with 3 friends from the program and one of their host parents. It was around March so the weather was finally starting to get nice out again. While the four of us were fairly in shape, my friend's host mom, at around 70 years old I believe, was kicking our butts on the hike. I think the hike took us close to 4 hours and we were huffing and puffing the entire time. It was still a great experience though; when we got to the top and were able to see the entire city, it was truly breathtaking.

What advice do you have for future study abroad students?
It's crazy how big the world is. Obviously I knew that going into the program, but being able to travel and see so many different places and meet so many different people really blew my mind. I was lucky to be able to go to Dublin for St. Patrick's Day, and that experience really amazed me at how many people from around the world gather in the same city to have fun and celebrate. It's great to be able to take advantage of traveling to so many different places rather easily while abroad, but one piece of advice I would give is take time in your home-base city, too. I was able to find a good balance between travel and spending weekends in Montpellier, and some of the weekends in my city were the most fun I had while in France. It's also easy to get burnt out traveling too often, so definitely give yourself a break if you need one!

Could you share any experiences where your identity played a role in your time abroad?
I attended a Passover Seder with a local family in Montpellier which was such a great experience. The night played out exactly how it would at my house, only in french! I had never met the family before, but they were so gracious and welcoming.

Memories