Overseas Briefing - 4/22

PARIS — I set out on my year abroad with a lot of expectations, one of which was, of course, to become “multicultural.”  Little did I know just how personal this multicultural experience would become for me.  

My abroad year has been a little out of the ordinary in that I spent my first semester in Moscow and am now studying in Paris for the spring.  I went into the Moscow program with no knowledge of the language, which grew frustrating.  I found myself wishing that I could leave Moscow and go to Paris where, at last, I would be able to communicate.  

I was unaware of how my small knowledge of Russian language and culture from that experience would enrich my stay in Paris until I got home for Christmas and my mom had me write a letter to my French family, most of whom I had never met, announcing my arrival and expressing an interest in meeting up with them.  

As it turns out, this French family comes originally from Russia and has kept the language, traditions and religion very much alive throughout the years.  

After a few brief brunches in and around Paris with my newfound cousins, I was invited to a Russian Orthodox Easter service and celebration.  

The service was mostly incomprehensible to me, but the few words I was able to pick up and the general atmosphere of the church and the people surrounding me brought me back to Moscow for a moment and I felt a mix of the excitement of being in Paris and the nostalgia for Moscow, so much so that I finally was able to make the connection between the two experiences, a connection that was finalized at the celebration that followed.  

The after-party was a lively event filled with Franco-Russian people speaking mostly French, drinking mostly like Russians.  
I found myself listening to conversations in a fluid mix of Russian, French and English and even when the Russian was wordy and complicated, I understood what was being said.  

I even tried my hand at conversation in Russian, switching back to French when I had difficulty, and everyone around applauded my efforts, however pitiful they were.  

I feel so lucky to have had two unique and different opportunities this year in my studies abroad, but what is even more fortunate is the chance I have had to reconnect with my origins and, in doing so, find the link between these two semesters.