Year Abroad - Part One

February marks the end of my semester in Geneva and the beginning of a weird transition period into Madrid. Although it started off really uncomfortable with having to adjust to all the new changes, I am glad I pushed through to see what the last two months had in store for me. During my time in Geneva I met so many amazing people, was able to experience incredible moments, went on my first proper solo trip to Berlin, travelled to beautiful places in France and Switzerland, discovered more about myself and improved my confidence in French.

Château de Chillon, Av. de Chillon 21, 1820 Veytaux

“I will not lie and say it was all good memories. There were a few difficult moments, from experiencing micro-aggressions and assumptions, to straight up racism...”

Before embarking on this experience, I was nervous about my language skills and asked numerous students (who had already done the year abroad) if they really saw an improvement with their French. They all replied in the same way, "Yes of course, I feel a lot more confident with the language". After completing this semester, I have the same response. I feel as if there is a massive pressure on language students who study/work abroad when it comes to learning the language (often self imposed as in my case), and honestly speaking I would say that I feel so much more confident with the language, and especially with my accent which has improved massively from being around native speakers all the time. However, I would not say that I am fluent with the language yet and I am actually happy with this. I have one more year left of my course, and I am excited to continue falling in love with this language (LOL I cringed hard when writing this). Obviously my comprehension has improved and my vocabulary bank as there are so many words you learn each day, even from just sitting on the tram hearing other people's conversations

I will not lie and say it was all good memories. There were a few difficult moments, from experiencing micro-aggressions and assumptions, to straight up racism, surprisingly from a fellow British student and one traumatic experience (I was followed home). I think it's easy to be bitter about all the nonsense I had to deal with at times, but I am incredibly proud that I handled them on my own and turned them into learning moments. I do not want to scare anyone off from doing their semester/year abroad by writing my experience, but I do want to present a real life description of things I faced. It is a reality for many of us that when we leave our home, whether in the same city or abroad, we may face hostility from the outside world. From reading year abroad blogs before I left, this was not really spoken about and I'm sure it would be interesting to be aware of this as an ethnic minority language student. That is not to say that you will one hundred percent experience such things, but none of my teachers made me aware of this and I would have appreciated a more balanced review of the year abroad. Then again, maybe I just have bad luck lol, because even in the UK literally a day before I was leaving I got called a racial slur by an old white lady as I was doing last minute shopping in superdrug.

I want to stress however, that overall my semester abroad was incredible. The negative moments were only a handful and your home university does support you through them. In general, the people in Geneva were extremely friendly and welcoming. When I look back on this semester I am so grateful and lucky that I was able to study and live in Geneva. Home to numerous international organisations, it is a very diverse city where you can come across so many different types of people. I studied at the University of Geneva in the Faculty of Translation and Interpretation, and chose some amazing modules which reignited my passion for translation. I am even considering possibly returning to do my Masters at the university. In terms of the teachers, they are very understanding of international students and many of the modules cater specifically towards them. UNIGE does not have many societies but nevertheless I was able to connect with genuine people during my stay, who showed me so much kindness and hospitality. Having so much free time, I was able to explore Geneva thoroughly. One of my favourite places to relax in is Les Recyclables, it's a mix between a café and a second-hand book store.

Les Recyclables, Rue de Carouge 53, 1205 Genève

Advice for those going abroad

Some of my biggest tips for anyone thinking about going on a semester or year abroad are:

• Socialise with people who speak the language you are trying to learn, and don't fall into the trap of being around english speakers 24/7.

• Try to do some form of sport whilst away - I went to the free football and basketball sessions held weekly by the university. Not only is it a good way to meet other students and speak the target language, but it is also helps to relieve stress.

• Be independent, and don't be afraid to do things by yourself. Some of my best memories were alone!

• Try new things and go out of your comfort zone.

• Find your people - don't feel like you have to be around certain people just because you share the same classes or even come from the same university - branch out and meet people who you genuinely like and value.

• ... and most importantly, enjoy your time away. You might not get this opportunity again.