Features Reporter
Photo by Brian Wise
What do you want to do with your degree?
Hopefully I can work for a huge company maybe in Europe or America and maybe be the link between two companies. Or maybe manage a huge company. That would be great.
You’re on the swim team now, but how long have you been swimming?
Just two years. It’s pretty weird. I really wanted to be a cheerleader for the high school, but they didn’t have any more jerseys for me. So I was like, ‘okay, I gotta find something,’ and that was either track, basketball or swim, so I thought I’d try swimming. I love it.
How did you get to live off campus as a freshman?
My roommates and I didn’t get along at all in the dorms. None of them were athletes, and our schedules were pretty different, so it was just kind of hard to get along. So then I requested to live off campus, and it worked.
What is the biggest cultural difference between France and the U.S.?
That’s a good question. I’ve been here for quite a bit, so I don’t really see the difference anymore. But I would say just the way you guys talk to your teachers, it’s like they’re your friends sometimes, and it’s like an equal relationship. In France you really have to respect them and use this formal way. I would never call them by their first name. For example, in the beginning of the year [in America], they tell you a little bit about them. We don’t know anything about our teachers in France. I would say the education is way different. In France it’s really hard to do sports and school at the same time. We have class literally from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, five days a week, and sometimes six. We have lots of holidays, though. We have two weeks off every six weeks. It’s kind of hard and overwhelming after a while. I think I really liked starting in France because it gave me a good basis for studying here. The huge gap between high school and college that a lot of Americans find here, I didn’t find that at all.
If you went back to live in Europe, where would you want to live?
Honestly, after traveling a lot, I just feel like I had been living in France for 17 years, and I needed a change. And now, living in America, I don’t think I could work in France. I could probably live there, but maybe live next to the Swiss border and just work in Switzerland. Otherwise, I don’t know. I honestly feel like I would fit anywhere I go, but if I could pick, I don’t think I would stay in France. Europe would be nice though because I’m kind of far from my family right now.
If you had to choose one place to live for the rest of your life and you couldn’t leave, where would it be?
That’s a terrible question! I would say probably Geneva, Switzerland, cause it’s not part of the European Union and it’s a very neutral country, and it’s, like, the most international city in Europe. More than half of the people have to speak English at work. It’s a really cool cultural city, and France is, like, 20 minutes away, so I think it would be a good deal living there.
Would you rather be deaf or blind?
I would rather be deaf because you can still see people and you can write stuff. And the world is so pretty, and not being able to see the mountains or snow… no. I would rather be deaf.
Would you rather be a master of ten instruments or fluent in 10 languages?
Fluent in 10 languages. It would be so cool. I could talk to everyone I want and just pretend I’m from those countries and stuff.
What is your favorite American food?
Mac n’ cheese. Or donuts.
What’s your favorite French food?
Bread. Or real cheese. You might think I’m weird, but I miss snails and frog legs. They’re awesome. With escargot, the texture is good for sure, but the dressing is like a butter-garlic sauce, and it’s really good. My grandmother makes it every Christmas. Frog legs taste like chicken kind of, but it’s way better. It’s really tiny, so it’s really thin skin, but it’s really good.
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