Hundreds of students study abroad each year from The Ohio State University. Many of these include time in French- or Italian-speaking locations. The value of these experiences cannot be underestimated. Each student returns with a broader social, cultural, and linguistic perspective - and, best of all, fun stories! Here are a few from students returning from their experiences abroad:
Andrea Nadolny, Italian Studies and International Relations and Diplomacy double major - Sant'Anna Institute, Sorrento, Italy
My name is Andrea Nadolny, a senior double-majoring in Italian Studies and International Relations & Diplomacy. This past Spring semester, I studied abroad at Sant'Anna Institute in Sorrento, Italy! During my weekends, I traveled to England, France, Sicily, Ischia, and even rented a van in the Italian Dolomites!
The most meaningful part of my time abroad was meeting a local Italian high schooler named Martina. We instantly became fast friends and still text to this day! Exploring Sorrento with Martina strengthened my Italian skills and appreciation for the culture. I know that I will always have a home in Sorrento because of her!
Ilyas Nur, Radiologic Sciences and Therapy major - France and Morocco: "Diversity of the Francophone World"
This May, I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in France and Morocco as part of the Between France and Morocco: Diversity of the Francophone World program. Over three weeks, we explored how history, colonial legacies, and cultural exchange have shaped the identities of these two nations. Visiting places like Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Casablanca, Rabat, and Marrakesh gave me profound insight into the enduring impact of empire, migration, and community on the Francophone world.
Growing up in a neighborhood and religion(Islam) where North African, especially Moroccan, culture was present, I was fortunate to feel very connected to Morocco during the trip, so much so that if I had to pick a second nationality, it would be Moroccan. Spending years studying French in high school made it exciting to practice the language and adapt to French culture while abroad. This experience broadened my worldview, reminding me how vast and diverse the world is. And like my Professor on this experience Dr. Fouts said, is that every culture has valuable contributions to society, some obvious, some hidden, but all deserving of exploration.
I have a moderate familiarity with the Arabic language, but hearing Darija(the native Moroccan Arabic dialect) spoken on the streets was eye-opening. Even though I had heard it before from my friends’ moms yelling at their sons to come back inside from soccer, experiencing it in Morocco itself showed me just how distinct and rich this dialect is. It added a layer of connection and curiosity, highlighting the diversity that exists within languages and how language shapes cultural identity. I've caught myself eavesdropping on accident to try and recognize any familiar words!
As an ice cream connoisseur, one funny memory is from Paris: I’m not sure what was in the ice cream and gelato, but I basically got ice cream high on a walk back to the hotel with a core group. Holding a giant cone with four flavors, I found myself laughing uncontrollably at everything I saw or heard and stumbling around which made it hard to finish the cone .It was pure joy and silly but unforgettable moment shared with amazing and humorous people.
Joshua Farley, Public Management, Leadership and Policy and English double major - Global May Paris
The Global May Paris program broadened my cultural and language-based knowledge quite a lot. I have always enjoyed reading about world cultures and history, and Paris really is filled with landmarks around every corner. I couldn't help but notice something interesting and historically impactful everywhere I went. Going abroad allowed me to transform places I had read about, such as the Bastille, Versailles, Notre Dame, and more, and turned them into real places that I got to explore alongside my cohort. That lends itself to an entirely different understanding of history and the culture that it has shaped. I understand French politics, arts, and daily life much more after two weeks being there than I have after twenty one years of studies. I got to live in the same neighborhood as many important sites.
Before studying abroad, I had never spent so much time in a place where a majority of people speak a primary language other than English. By being immersed in another language, I learned how challenging it is to retool your thinking and put others' needs first in communication, when both parties are used two very dicerent cultural norms. I felt my problem-solving skills grow while trying to get my message across when my language skills were lacking, and I got direct experience that helps me empathize with people who come to the United States and are worried about being understood, themselves. I would not have encountered this newfound awareness without my time in Paris.
There are impossibly many fun stories about Paris to relate here. I really enjoyed sitting along the Seine at night with my friends, talking and enjoying the warm nights. We all became close so quickly, because we were all thoroughly in love with the place we were in. Studying abroad brings people together who have dreamed all their lives about going to a place. When you get there and bond over that fact, you have found the best of all conversation starters.
By the time we left, we felt like we belonged in our neighborhood in the 11th Arrondissement, near the Bastille. We learned to use the Metro, got to nearly all the landmarks we had hoped to see, and had built our confidence in ourselves greatly. We got to know the geography of the city, dared to dive deep to find the experiences that only locals know about, and even shared a waltz in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. The trip, we were told, was what we made of it. We made the most out of it, thanks to our world-class instructors and classmates.
I also developed a quick passion for scouting out good restaurants around our neighborhood. The best places we found came through observation. I got the best meal of my life, a fantastic rotisserie chicken, from keeping an eye out on our daily walks.
Last, I want to mention jazz. Paris is home to a strong jazz scene full of artists who bring their absolute all to producing live music. For less than 20 dollars, I got into a live concert in the basement of a 500-year-old building at one of the most famous, and exciting, jazz clubs in the world. I never thought I would get to experience so much of the fine art of the world in such a short time, but that's just what studying abroad did for me. I know my new friends and I will be reliving our time in France forever.
Leah Ronski, Communication Design major & Business and Art History minors - IAU, Aix-en-Provence
Over this summer, I attended a six-week course at the Aix-en-Provence campus of the American College of the Mediterranean. While there, I took two classes at the university while living in a student apartment in the heart of centre-ville (town center). When I wasn’t in class or doing homework, I took every opportunity I could to get to know the south of France (and sometimes neighboring countries when given the chance).
I grew up traveling all over the world with my family; Because of that, I’m always looking for the next adventure, the next experience that will push me out of my comfort zone. I’m lucky enough to frequently fly on my own from where I live in Central America to OSU, but other than those times, I hadn’t yet had the chance to travel extensively on my own. I was so excited for the challenge. I wanted to seize every opportunity to venture out on my own, to see if I could find my way using my knowledge of the language and the extensive public transport system in France. My wish was definitely granted, as I was challenged in so many ways throughout this trip—in all the best ways. As a result, I feel I know myself far better now, and I trust in my ability to persevere.
Just after first arriving, the universe already put the first challenge in my way: the airline lost my luggage. I arrived in Paris with nothing more than my backpack, the clothes I had on, and a train ticket to Aix-en-Provence. I wasn’t distressed—I thank my previous travel experience for numbing me to these sorts of things—but I was already preparing myself to sleep in my travel clothes, ration my four euros, and stretch my remaining small airplane toothpaste. For the next five days, which included the first days of classes, orientation, and a class field trip, I washed my clothes nightly, reused the same pair of socks, and borrowed my amazing roommate’s pajamas (Thank you, Mallorie!). Thankfully, I made do with some basics, which held me og until the airline returned my luggage after five days.
Here is another anecdote of a fun travel mishap: During the weekends, I loved going online and scoping out the cheapest destinations to travel to (that were also time-permitting with my class schedule). One of the places I really wanted to go was the Côte d’Azur; particularly Nice, Menton, Villefranche-sur-Mer, all of these gorgeous seaside cities. I took a two-hour bus in the morning, walking about half an hour to get to the bus station. When I arrived, my friends and I found our way to the train station. Here’s where I thank my two travel companions, Gianna and Hailey, for keeping up with my crazy travel shenanigans. We had only planned to go to Nice center, but I noticed the train went all the way to Menton… so we stayed on for the extra half-hour. And it was so worth it! Menton is so gorgeous, only about 2 km from Italy, and has all that Mediterranean charm and delicious food I very much miss.
Over a lovely Italian lunch, I happened to realize our return train was not, in fact, at 6 p.m. that day—but at 6 a.m. the next morning. I felt terrible and ogered to get new tickets for my two friends, who had not signed up for an overnight adventure. But they said, “Why not?” as long as we were back for class the next day, they were happy to figure it out. It gave us more time to discover the coast, at least. With that extra time, we stayed out as long as we could, traveling to Villefranche-sur-Mer, walking around Nice, and getting ice cream by the ocean during the long twilight common in the French summer. We ended up finding a cheap hotel room, which was the best thing I could’ve asked for, especially after joking all day about camping out on the beach!
There are so many little stories I have like this—of unexpected hurdles I either figured out myself or with friends. Though these experiences were rather stressful in the moment, I am grateful for all of them. I’ve always been somewhat resilient, but going through situations like suddenly being stuck in Nice for a night, or lost in Mallorca with no cell service or map, or taking a random bus to a town I’d never heard of to hopefully catch a sooner bus to another small town. Those moments reminded me that there is always a way to figure things out. And I have that ability.
One of the things I was afraid of missing out on, not being in a homestay, was the French immersion I was so excited for. However, this aspect of my experience was not lacking, and I loved getting to flourish in my French practice with my roommates, teachers, friends, and people in town. I’ve had limited experience learning French, only taking one class in high school on a whim and teaching myself from there onwards. My desire to learn the language has come from my love for French culture and media, the community I’ve built in the French Club, and the friendships I have with people who happen to be French. But because of my limited academic experience, I had little understanding of my level in French, feeling like there was no way I was making progress just teaching myself. However, I was very happy to find the world suddenly open to me when I arrived. I was able to hold conversations, ask questions, discuss grammar topics with my friends, and make my way around. I felt at home with the language, though there was still so much I didn’t know. Taking the three-week French class helped immensely, too.
While I was originally in an easier French class, having never taken a college-level French course, I was moved up, and I’m so glad I did! Thank you to all the amazing teachers in that French department for helping me make that change. The class was one of the most difficult I’ve taken, due to its aggressive schedule and workload, but I learned so, so much. While I was vaguely familiar with all the topics, I learned grammar and application that helped me immensely with accessing the language—especially in writing. It’s reinvigorated my love for the language, and I only hope to keep improving. Now that I have more of a grasp, I feel like I’m back at square one with everything I still have to learn to be close to fluent. But I am newly determined to keep pushing forward—motivated by knowing that progress is possible, and by loving the language, I’ve come closer to understanding it. Shoutout to Mallorie for all the convos in and about French, for introducing me to French CINEMA (you know what I’m talking about), and for supporting my French journey with amazing, wonderful books that I will never ever lose.
I firmly believe the universe puts things in our path for a reason, and this study abroad was a reagirmation of that belief. All the people, the classes, the trips, the books, the movies (everything I got to experience there) has made me, if not a better person, at least a person I know better now. Not just in a “this study abroad opened my eyes to new cultures” kind of way, but more in the way that Gianna, Mal, Sam, Dosi, Matt, Thomas, Hailey, Kareena, everyone, had something interesting to teach me about life. Especially my conversations with Gi and Mal, who taught me about being a stronger person truly, not just in my ability to survive practically. I hope to take these lessons into the next year and into the rest of my life.
Mikiah Fant, Sociology major and Clinical Psychology minor- France and Morocco: "Between France and Morocco"
Studying abroad in both France and Morocco was extremely rewarding for me. Learning French and Islamic history, sociology, and immigration law changed my societal perspectives on culture and even world language.
While in France, I struggled with a lot of language barriers but could understand someone’s vocal tones. For instance, the French people express more of their emotions when speaking in their language. Even though I am not fluent in French I could understand the tones of some conversation when out in public. For example, I remember a lady speaking in French, she sounded so excited and happy. Without even understanding their conversation, I instantly knew that they were celebrating her graduation! I never knew I would be able to do something like that nor be able to understand another foreign language due to someone’s tone!
Going to Morocco also changed my cultural and language perspective. Looking from a cultural perspective, Morocco is filled with Islamic culture. Visiting Islamic mosques such as, “Hassan ll Mosque,” was absolutely remarkable and beautiful. I even took time even looking at the "Mosaic tiles” which was extraordinary how someone could spend so much time doing artistic detail on hundreds of thousands of tiles, creating places of worship! Another cultural perspective I did not realize was the number of cats that was in Morocco (especially Rabat). Moroccans use cats for rodent and bug control. Cats are also viewed as “sacred” and “pure” in the homes, which is why they are all throughout the country! We also got to visit a small village in Marrakesh, Morocco called “Tildili Messfouia.” It is known as one of the poorest villages in Morocco. Going to this village changed my world language perspective. While the education is poor and lacks a certain number of resources, the children of the village are happy and excited to learn. They learn three different languages which are Arabic, French, and English. I even heard a little kid speak all three languages when talking to their family (how amazing!).
A fun memory I had during my time abroad going camel riding in Marrakesh! Me and a group of students went around sunset, which was such a beautiful and aesthetic experience that I will cherish for a lifetime.
Tasneam Al-Hashemi, Psychology major and Studio Arts minor- France and Morocco: "Between France and Morocco"
Having the opportunity to experience two distinct cultures within the span of three weeks is one that was truly life changing. We got to experience both Moroccan and French culture through the food, artwork, architecture, and people. There was a strong sense of hospitality seen in the way Moroccan people would care for us, whether that was a vendor on the street stringing together kind compliments with a mix of Arabic and English or Moroccan students who were so open to sharing their culture with us through dance and music. Further understanding the effects of post-colonization on Moroccan society as well as seeing the effects of immigration on France allowed me to deeply understand the current social state of both countries. This changed my perspective and allowed me to look past the surface when it came to many of the stereotypes, we as humans make about these different cultures.
Looking deeper into languages, I was brought up speaking the Iraqi dialect of Arabic. I noticed that Moroccans would mix French with Arabic due to French colonization. This made it more difficult for me to understand their dialect but was interesting because it widened my vocabulary when it came to different Arabic dialects. I went into France knowing simple phrases, but nothing well enough to hold a conversation. The French were very open and willing to teach me their language; they would also kindly correct me when I made a mistake in speech. There’s a strong notion Americans hold that the French can appear unkind, but I experienced a lot of patience and compassion that really allowed me to learn their language and culture. The trip was an amazing opportunity that I will forever cherish as I made many close connections and was able to deepen my cultural competence.
A funny story that comes to mind from the trip is when the group was in Morocco. Every year the program visits a village where the young kids, ranging from 9-14 years old, play in a soccer game against the traveling OSU students. Although I didn’t participate in the soccer game, I remember going into the game and seeing our group was so confident because they thought it was just kids so it would be easy. The children ended up beating us by 14-1 without breaking a sweat, while our players were covered head to toe in sweat from the beaming sun. All of us were so dumbfounded by the talents and abilities of these young kids, we had no choice but to laugh because of how badly we lost.
Zella Poarch, Psychology and Music double major - Sant'Anna Institute, Sorrento, Italy
I would first like to say that overall, this experience completely shift me as a person. I took every ounce of opportunity to be immersed in Southern Italy and it completely paid off. I loved my courses - both courses shifted my outlook and perspective on cultures and led me to a deeper understanding of the Italian language and the psychological process of being immersed in a new culture. This was all so incredible but the aspect that truly changed my entire experience was my internship.
The primary role that I serve as a psychology intern is to assist staff with projects, planning projects of my own, communicating with staff, and any other necessary people. Other roles I tended to fill were helping with homework, entertaining and playing games, and observing daily office operations. About 5-10 hours every week would consist of planning projects and trying to figure out creative ways to entertain the kids.
I created a project proposals, listing the timeline of each activity, the resources needed, and if I would need additional help, i.e, one of the nuns translating for me. I was competing with myself constantly, daily, on how little I could use a translator/Sister Juve to help me communicate with the kids. It was always important to me that I, personally, make the connection with the kids, not through a third party because genuinely I believe there is something literally lost in a translator. With this, the largest part of my job as intern was learning Italian.
One of the biggest challenges—and ultimately, the greatest area of growth—was navigating the language barrier. From the beginning, I made it a goal to minimize the use of translators and communicate with the children directly. I strongly believe that something meaningful is lost when relationships are mediated through a a translator or even the sisters translating for me.
By the end of week 3 or 4 I was mostly alone with the educators communicating in half-Italian, half-English. The heaviest & hardest part of learning to speak Italian was embarrassing myself to the full extent. I pronounced a lot of words wrong and spoke really slow most of the time, but we were all trying. There is consistently this look that the educators and I give each other when either one of us speak too fast and it always ends in us dying laughing. No matter how much we had to use our hands or how hard we were laughing, the feeling of being understood was so satisfying it was worth it.
While working abroad certainly adds a level of rigor to my résumé and LinkedIn profile, the real impact has been personal. The past two months as a guest in Sorrento have reshaped how I see my work, my values, and myself. I’m deeply grateful to Sant’Anna and Coop. Sociale for making this experience so meaningful.
You can read more about Zella's experience on her blog/portfolio.