Learning to Live with Strangers
SA: Penn Semester in Lyon
Gabrielle, one of the Semester Abroad Correspondents, shares her experience abroad during the Spring 2025 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed.
When applying to college, I created a list of 9 non-negotiables that my school absolutely
had to have. At the top of this list was “Study abroad in Paris.” So, when it came time to start my
study abroad application process, Lyon, a city that I had never even heard of, was nowhere on
my mind. But, after going to a France specific study abroad information session and hearing how
much my big loved her experience here, I began to consider veering from the Paris semester that
I had always imagined. And one of the unique aspects of Lyon that helped change my mind was
the opportunity to live with a host family. A friend of mine had loved staying with a host family
in high school and was even still in contact with them, and so I was eager to have a similar
experience. Similar I’m not so sure about, but an experience it has been…
My story with my host family got off to a rough start. Maybe my expectations were a bit
too high, but I had a picture in my mind of my host family standing at the airport with a big
welcome sign like you see in the movies. My arrival couldn’t have been further from this image.
Unfortunately, my host family was out of the country when I arrived, so I had to find my own
way to my apartment, lugging my huge suitcases through the public transport of Lyon. I had
trouble finding the building itself and proceeded to struggle with how to use the buzzer system to
get into the building. Once my neighbor welcomed me and I started to settle in, I went to get
lunch and could not figure out for the life of me how to use the key to get back in. Thankfully,
my neighbor helped me once again and it was mostly smooth sailing from there.
By smooth sailing, I mean as smooth as it can be to live with complete strangers. My
mild social anxiety certainly did not help and left me spending the large majority of my time in
my room. It was difficult not to feel like a burden or that I was encroaching on their space. But, it
is so easy to remember that they volunteered and wanted to have a host student. And my host
parents constantly remind me of this and always make sure that I am comfortable and have what
I need. Another difficulty came with adopting the rules of their house. I am absolutely an
environmentalist and am all for saving energy, but keeping my thermostat below 66ºF and taking
showers that last no more than 10 minutes with my long curly hair seemed impossible. Luckily,
some extra blankets and determination mean I no longer think about these things.
After getting past these challenges, I am now able to enjoy all of the perks and reasons
why I was so excited to live with a host family to begin with. First, living with a host family has
made my life easier in so many ways. To start, I didn’t have to give one thought to where or how
I would secure housing for the semester. While hearing stories from friends whose housing plans
fell through, who were having trouble finding roommates, or whose on campus housing didn’t
cover the full semester, I was super appreciative of this fact. Second, my host family does so
much for me. I don’t worry about cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning, or even having clean
clothes. Every weekday breakfast and dinner is provided, we have a cleaning lady come every
week, and my laundry is done for me.
Second, living with a host family means that I do every aspect of life in French, which
has completely accelerated my language improvement. I explain how to do my laundry, ask for
recommendations, celebrate holidays, and recap my day all in French. Through this I have
learned so much new vocabulary, which is my main struggle in French. Plus, as much as I would
love to speak in French 24/7, it’s just too easy to switch to English when I’m with my American
friends. So, I love that I am actually forced to speak in French at home as they don’t fully
understand English. And their goal is to help me learn French so they are happy to explain
anything that I don’t understand, teach me idiomatic expressions, and wait patiently when I
struggle to find my words.
More than just the language, I have learned so much more about French culture through
my family. At dinner they often share what the French opinion is on many topics, ranging from
American politics, to lunchtime, to environmentalism. They have helped me learn how the
French system operates in terms of school, vacation, retirement, and more. I’ve also gotten to try
many French dishes, such as a quiche, a chocolate crêpe, and the French version of steak (which
I’m pretty sure is just a hamburger patty).
And the aspect for which I was most excited is the family atmosphere of which I get to be
a part. Having dinner together almost every night and sharing about our days is something that I
grew up with in my home and so is very special to me. I’ve been treated as one of the family,
getting to spend time with my host parents’ children and grandchildren. And my host parents
even act like quasi-parents to me, between sending me out the door with cookies for my weekend
trip, telling me which areas to look out for in the city, and even shaking their heads at me for not
bundling up enough when it’s cold out. And, like parents, I can ask them for advice on things like
what fun day trips I can take, where I can go to buy xyz, and what museums are worth seeing.
What’s even better is that I happen to practice the same religion as my host family, which has
allowed us to celebrate the Jewish holidays, go to services, and play Jewish geography together.
They even offered to give me extra food during the week-long holiday during which we have
dietary restrictions because they know how difficult it can be.
So, while it definitely took a bit of adjusting, I am so happy for this unique opportunity to
live with a host family who have taken me in like one of their own.
Read Related Blogs
To India and Back: the Growth of Friendship within my PGS
WRIT 0120 members enjoying their visit to Qutb Minar in New Delhi on their last day in India PGS: Science Accessibility in India Charlize, one of the Penn Global Seminar Correspondents, shares…
A Heartfelt Farewell to My Beautiful Brazil
PGS: Perspectives in Afro-Luso-Brazilian Culture Anna Maria, one of the Penn Global Seminar Correspondents, shares her experience abroad during the Spring 2025 PGS. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and…
The Land Speaks: How Argentina Shifted My Understanding of Identity
PGS: People of the Land– Indigeneity and Politics in Argentina and Chile Hillary, one of the Penn Global Seminar Correspondents, shares her experience abroad during the Spring 2025 PGS. Follow along…