USAC France: Pau - French Language & European Studies

The usac program in Pau is great! It’s a really nice city, and the advisors did a great job planning trips for the group and helping us when we needed it. The only critique I have is that I wish we’d had more events/opportunities to meet the people living in Pau, but nonetheless it was still a great program.

I was in Pau for 4 months and it was filled with outing and cultural experiences. I stayed with the host family and had the opportunity to see what the day-to-day life was like for a French family. Going out, and my life was a big part of my study abroad experience. I enjoyed speaking to the shopkeepers who were always welcoming and speaking to the servers and bartenders who were always interested to talk to the foreign students. This made immersing myself and adapting myself to the culture very easy.

I am truly grateful for my time abroad. Not only did I get to improve my language skills which was my primary goal, but I also found a new community, experiences, and many more things I would not have imagined! Through the constant community and exploration, I was able to make a home from what seemed like a strange place at first. I created a relationships with a host family and friends that I have remained connected with. I was able to explore many parts of France that not many people know about which has made it exciting to share since I have come back home! There is so much that studying abroad has brought me and I will forever say that studying abroad was one of the best experiences I have had thus far!