Go Great, Go Grenoble!

All my life I've dreamed of seeing the world outside my New England city, so when I decided to study abroad, I dove in head first- the full academic year. I chose API Grenoble first and foremost for the price; a year in France was a little LESS than a year at my home university. Who can say no to that? I coulnd't! However, after looking further into the program I realized it was perfect. The location, the school, the excursions, it seemed flawless- and to my surprise, it basically was! I studied from Fall 2010 to Spring 2010, and I lived with a host family in a small suburb set higher up in the Alps just outside the city. It was absolutely beautiful and my family was so charming and welcoming, I felt as if I were at home (if home were a dream set in the French Alps of course..)My daily commute to class was easy- my house was about a two minute walk to the bus stop, which brought you directly to the tram, which then brought me right to campus. On warm mornings, it was even as easy as a walk through town to the nearest tram stop. My classes were engaging and intellectual, with fun and interesting teachers genuinely interested in your learning. After a day of class I returned home to some fresh home-cooked French cuisine prepared by my host mom (or sometimes slightly burnt, but equally French cuisine prepared by my host brother.. it's the thought that counts!) With its central location in regards to surrounding countries, weekends brought trips to Switzerland and Italy, and longer vacations and a hop on a plane brought Ireland or a train to Belgium or the Netherlands. Or for a weekend at home, a easy stroll or a grueling hike up the Alps was always appealing, with a trail leading right from my back yard. I'm not the first person you should ask about the social scene in town because I can't honestly say I participated in it too much, but the few times I did, I was never let down. The city has such a young population so there's always something exciting to do and new friends to make, whether it be at a local bar, restaurant or board-game café. Being a year student, I feel I had an advantage over semester students in getting a real hold of the language and the culture. After getting over the culture shock (if you experience any, it wasn't too bad for me) and the realization that "Yes, this is real. I live in France. I live in the Alps. This if my life" the semester goes by quick. It's like, just when you get settled you have to pack up and go home. But for me, all I had to do was move my belongings into a corner, frolic around Europe for a few weeks, then settle back into my French way of life. The second semester brought hardly any nerves with school, my family, and travelling, and on top of all that, it brought lasting friendships. I met people who I would consider some of my closest friends, who I would have never met had I not studied abroad. Thinking back over the year, I can't recall any major difficulties I encountered that would be of interest to potential students. I had a few personal health problems, but even that was taken care of by the program. The resident directors and the students were like a second family, besides my host fmaily. If anything went wrong at all, whether it was a flight cancellation, thus weekend plans uprooted, academic problems, problems back home, personal issues, anything at all and API was there. I never felt lost or alone, there was always someone to help. Choosing to study abroad with API Grenoble was definitely the best decision I have made to date and I would recommend it to (and I have!) anyone who is even remotely interested in going abroad!