Nuna Agbodza ’28 in Toulouse, France
I’m a prospective biology major, but I’ve always been interested in learning French. After taking a French class at Dartmouth, I realized that improving my language skills would be much easier — and far more exciting — in France, hence the language study abroad in Toulouse. Learning about art history from the Middle Ages to the present and French literature has broadened my horizons and taught me so much.
Apart from being able to recognize architectural styles of churches and works by certain artists, doing this program improved my proficiency in French and lessened my fear of making mistakes while speaking. Spending every moment of every day speaking French with my hosts, professors and people on the street has given me a newfound appreciation for the language and confidence in my own abilities. I think I’m a lot more open-minded than before, and I feel more confident handling myself in unfamiliar situations.
I have also made some lifelong friends on this trip. We’re a mixture of mainly ’28s and a few ’27s, but we got along splendidly from the very beginning despite having extremely different interests. I know I’ll be making plans to see my cohort a lot on campus. I will sorely miss the rides on the metro, figuring out what to eat for lunch and meeting up in bars for a night out. I’ve loved every second of my time in Toulouse, and I’ll surely shed a tear or two when I leave.
Daisy Triggs ’27 in Oxford, England, and Paris, France
I am a ’27 embarking on a year-long study abroad adventure: the Philosophy foreign study program at Oxford University last fall, the French FSP in Paris this winter and the Music FSP in Vienna this spring. The off-term will find me eventually … but not yet!
My journey began in Oxford this fall studying philosophy at New College. I wrestled with centuries-old questions regarding human existence and political ethics. Outside of class, I joined and competed for the Oxford Polo Club and New College Boat Club, which is a rowing club.
Paris is my current location on the map, and spring’s colors are starting to bloom! Dartmouth’s French department is supplementing this program with weekend excursions to Marseille, weekly trips to theater and museum showcases and French history, literature and grammar courses, all taught in French.
At times, it feels as though I have been whisked into a far away universe. To some extent, that is true. However, Dartmouth finds me in the most serendipitous fragments: intimate organized home concerts, alumni sporting Dartmouth merch outside of a brasserie and new, spectacular Dartmouth FSP friends. And with that, I realize I was never whisked away completely; I was simply carrying home with me along the way.
Sid Singh ’27 in Toulouse, France
I’m Sid Singh ’27, and this term I’m in Toulouse on the French LSA+ program. If I had to sum up my study abroad so far, it’s been adapting, exploring and then realizing I’m already making memories I’ll miss later.
I’m getting used to a new city, a new language and a host family with their own routines and values. Dinner is basically a French listening exam, and I’m slowly getting better at jumping in without overthinking every sentence. My host family’s cat has also decided my desk is its territory, so studying usually includes negotiating for space.
Exploring Toulouse has been my favorite part of the trip. I’ve met people I never would’ve crossed paths with in Hanover, and I’m learning how to be responsible in a bigger city while still actually enjoying it. Toulouse makes it easy to wander: You turn a corner and suddenly you’re in a new neighborhood; you find a spot you want to come back to and your “quick walk” somehow turns into a whole afternoon.
I’m embracing it all. I keep catching myself thinking, “Wait, this is my life right now.” Some of my favorite moments have been the simplest, like taking a study break that turns into sitting along the Garonne River with 16 friends, talking until the sun goes down. It’s a privilege to be here, and I’m trying to soak it up.
