During the spring semester of 2014 I attended the University of Savoy (L’Université de Savoie) in Chambéry, France. Chambéry is in the southeast of the country, found in the Department of Savoy in the Alps.

L’Université de Savoie

One important reason that I decided to study at the University of Savoy is due to the Institut Savoisien d’Études Françaises pour Étrangers (ISEFE). The University of Savoy is one of the only French Universities to include a program as such that attracts trained faculty specifically to teach and share to foreign students and professionals the French Language, the French Culture, the French Business methods, and a wide range of other topics. ISEFE was also a good program for me as it allowed me to take courses that can transfer to UT for my French minor.

While there, I took about six courses (about fifteen credit hours) which included three ISEFE Level 8 courses: French Advanced Grammar and Concepts, French Civilization and Politics, French Reading/Writing/Vocabulary/Speech Improvement, and three university courses: Techniques of Expression and Communication, English-French Translation, and French Literature of the 18th Century.

Compared to the STEM classes I had been taking since my freshman year at UT, this was a whole different experience. I slept more and truly felt more relaxed, and I could do homework relatively quickly instead of taking hours upon hours; nevertheless the France professors tended to grade a little stricter than in the USA, but it all worked out at the end. I also wanted to test how good my French was by the end, so I decided to take the DALF exam (Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française) which is an international French language aptitude test, and contains the highest two diplomas that international students can obtain (DALF C1 & DALF C2).

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I took the DALF C1 which is the sixth of the seven highest levels of the international fluency test, and I passed all portions of the exam and made the satisfactory score. I will be mailed the DALF C1 diploma in August. With this diploma, I have a pretty good advantage should I want to pursue international career, service, and educational opportunities in engineering, business, and etc. in Francophone nations.

All of my classes were in French for the most part, except for the Translation class which was basically an advanced English course for French students. I had already developed quite a bit of fluency in the language before I arrived. I wasn’t shocked at how much I understood the professors, but writing down what I heard in French was tough. Taking notes in French as somebody spoke was totally new. I definitely got lost with the speed of the class while trying to simultaneously take notes and worrying about my own spelling and written grammar mistakes.

So I decided to make brief summaries in English for a while. But after the first two weeks, I knew this would be something I had to change, so I forced myself to stop taking notes in English and did it in French no matter what mistakes I made. Besides missing out on some gender/plural agreements, by then I had made big strides in French note taking which would only improve as the semester went on.

Life in Chambéry

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Unfortunately, I arrived in Chambéry during an unseasonably mild and extremely wet winter. While Knoxville was enjoying tons of snow and cold, there must have been at least fifty inches of rain that fell from January to March with no hint of snow except in the taller mountains surrounding. Many residents complained to have never seen it like that, and I was definitely expecting and wanting some snow before I came. I lived with a family (Les Muris) who rented their second floor rooms to students. Although I did not participate an in exchange program where I would have had more extensive contact with them, we got along pretty good. They often invited me to dine with their family where they would joke about other regions of France, and where I would do my best to tell them about America.

They also showed me several French recipes. Because of them, I can make any type of quiche I want. Before I left, their backyard was filled with a plethora of blooming fruit trees from cherries, apples, grapes, apricots and some others I forgot, so they had several jars of jam they insisted on giving me throughout my stay and even three more to take back to America. The husband had music/jamming room in the basement and since I had taken my guitar to France, he always invited me to play and practice with his band. Unfortunately, I had to go out of town during the family’s huge annual spring party where I would have played.

In the beginning of my stay in Chambéry, I often traveled via the city’s STAC bus system, but later rented a bike from the Velostation (bike rental station), which was 20 Euros for four months. That’s how I got to class which was about ten or twenty minutes away depending on how my legs felt or how late I was running. With a bike, I had the freedom to go anywhere, anytime. I even journeyed to nearby towns just for fun and to tour the region.

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Whether it was a friend calling me for a late movie at Cinéma Astrée, lunch/dinner at their home, or to go to the Buisson Park, having a bike made my life quite a bit easier and adventurous. I also found a weekly church at which to worship and have fellowship with other Christians of my denomination. Though I was in a foreign country, I was really comfortable in my environment. Today, I also miss having a bakery in every corner where I could buy Flutes (400g baguettes) and Tom Savoyardes (departmental cheese).

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Voyages

Some places that I traveled during my trip include the Megève and also Les Deux Alpes Ski resorts (my first time skiing occurred in Megève), the Mediterranean, the French Riviera, Dijon, Paris, Monaco, and several more cities in the Alps. During my trip in Paris, I stayed in the suburb of Yerre with a family who I had met at church in Chambéry. If I remember correctly, the house they live in is older than America which isn’t surprising, but the interior was pretty nice. They prepared me really well before my tour of Paris and also fed me throughout. After my trip there, I was fully capable of understanding most of the city’s metro/bus/train system. I also toured the city on the Seine River via the Batobus touring boats for a really cheap price.

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I didn’t get to travel as extensively in Europe like most students who go abroad. I know I could have planned that a bit better and also have taken advantage of some opportunities, but I truly feel satisfied with my trip. The relationships that I made and just the experience of truly being out by myself in the world relying on my overall education since birth to interact with a foreign people in a foreign tongue-all of it was suffice and made my time there even more unique. Anything I didn’t do then during my time abroad, I definitely look forward to doing soon down the road. This trip also really opened my eyes to global traveling experiences, so I definitely wouldn’t mind going abroad again even if just for a short vacation back in Chambéry or somewhere else on earth. There are definitely a few things I had intended but did not get to do, so this gives me more reasons to return to France while reconnecting with the people I had gotten to known.

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I am very grateful to have had this experience. Thus far, since I’ve returned to America, having been in France really seems like a dream. It’s unbelievable to think that I actually lived there now. To go abroad away from the place you’ve lived in for so many years isn’t an opportunity that many people receive. And before I left, several graduates and professors that I know told me studying abroad was one of the best parts of their academic career where they had moments they would never forget. After enduring a few rough semesters at UT, I didn’t yet believe them then, but now I know and I see how the whole experience will have truly enriched my college experience and my life. After coming from France, I have developed a greater appreciation of documenting memories, taking photos, and making connections. Because of my trip, my upcoming senior year at the University of Tennessee is a part of my life that I look forward to instead of mope about as I did before I left.

I thank you again: Dr. Roger Parsons for having reviewed and accepted my application, Alcoa, the UT College of Engineering, and all other fellowship sponsors for having all made this opportunity and blessing possible for me.

— Johnson Luma, summer 2014