Did YOU study abroad?! If so, where and what inspired you to go?
Devon: In high school, I took four years of French and was crushed when I got a 2 on my AP exam. A 2! Not even enough for college credit. As I explained my frustration to my French teacher, Mme Stephenson, she reassured me that it was not the most important thing in life (but it sure did feel like it at the time!).
“What’s more important,” she asked me, “getting a 3 or actually speaking French and living abroad?” I kept her words with me through college, completed my Dance major and saved a fifth year of Global Studies courses to study abroad. I learned that Toulouse was a student town in the southwest part of France and on a recommendation, chose it as my destination!
That first year was one of the hardest years of my life – I was older than most students, was thinking about life after college (a career!), and as my AP score showed, my French was not stellar. But I pushed through, and here I am, 10 years later, living and working in Paris. I still make grammar mistakes and mix up the le and the la, but that’s okay, because what’s more important – right?
What was your favorite traveling experience?
Devon: Just last year, I traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia. I bought my guide book, did all the research, packed my 11-kilo backpack and off I went! I took a taxi to the hotel and as I stepped out onto the humid, bustling streets of Hanoi, I wondered what on EARTH I was doing there.
It was exactly how I’d felt my first day as a study abroad student in Toulouse, as I got settled into my dorm room and watched the French students walk down the halls. What was I doing here?! It’s good to be reminded of this feeling – you end up surprising yourself in the best way possible!
It was in Vietnam that I explored a dark cave, knee-deep in mud with only a head lamp. I hiked into the forest and slept on the floor in one of the villager’s homes, the cows mooing in their spot underneath the house on stilts. When I told our lovely host that I was from Paris, she just shrugged – she didn’t know where it was.
Being comfortable is nice and reassuring, but when you step out of that zone, you never know what you may find out about yourself, about others and about the world.
What language have you always wanted to learn and why?
Devon: This may sound ridiculous, but I wish I could speak every language. Everywhere I go, I want to be able to speak with the locals, and I’m so frustrated when I cannot. Since learning French, I’ve experienced how much more of the world opens to you when you speak just a second language; imagine a third or a fourth!
When traveling to Barcelona, I didn’t speak Catalan or Spanish, and the hostel manager didn’t speak English, but thankfully, we had a common language – French. Without my one extra language, we would have been a bit stuck! The things you learn about people when you speak their language can be pretty incredible, hence my (crazy) wish to speak them all!
If I had to narrow it down to just one however, I would choose German. My first experience in Europe was in Germany when I was 15. I was limited to Danke, Bitte, Hallo, Gut, and my host parents didn’t speak a word of English. It made for quiet dinners, but motivation to learn the language of whatever country I was in.
Describe a time when you felt especially proud to be part of the CEA team.
Devon: This past January, when Paris was under terrorist attack, the CEA Paris team had to quickly, efficiently and calmly account for every student in the city. As the world watched the events unfold, CEA Paris staff and students experienced it all first hand.
Thanks to our international teams and our home office in Phoenix, Arizona, we were supported throughout the entire time. Our Health & Safety teams kept parents and universities informed while we worked to help students understand what was happening and how to keep themselves safe.
It’s hard to know how people will react in times of turmoil, and I feel grateful to be part of a team that could come together, put student safety first and support each other. Now our job is to integrate the January events into curriculum in class, building understanding and cultural awareness for students who are making Paris their home.