By By Anastasia Tsioutas

Stepping off the University’s Unispan onto the paved roads of Nice might be what some students need. Sticking to the same schedule every week and seeing the same scenery can be boring and repetitive. What if you were transported into a whole new atmosphere and landscape, would that help your studies?

Stefanie Stoler, a junior print journalism major, is among many students at the University who have embarked on a journey and taken their studies to a foreign place. Her yearning for a change of scene landed her in Nice, France with the University study abroad program, where she chronicled her experience.

“Almost a week before the University program in Nice was about to begin, my excitement began to grow,” Stoler said. “I had visions of a trip filled with fabulous cheese, beautiful ambience, white sandy beaches, new friends and most of all: my new host family.”

So on July 1, 2005 Stoler boarded a plane to France and began her adventure in a country whose language she did not speak and knew no one but her fellow classmates.

“At first, the entire concept was overwhelming, similar to any new experience,” Stoler explained. “It is the same nervous feeling as moving to college as a freshman.”

One feature of the study abroad programs was the required excursions that accompanied class time. This offered students the opportunity to gain knowledge of their surroundings but also to experience the wonders of France.

“We went to Cannes, Antibes and the beautiful and luxurious Monaco,” Stoler said. “The excursions were fun and educational, as was the actual class. It was hard to remember we were there to study, as it can be when you first get to college.”

Stoler said it was difficult to make time to study while longing to explore a new country. She said that being at the University, and the excitement of being so close to New York City was no comparison to being in Nice surrounded by such historic and beautiful places, like Florence.

“Balancing the desires to run all over this amazing new country with making time to study and go to class,” Stoler said. “Is as difficult as deciding whether to go to Happy Hour or work on that paper due first thing Monday morning.”

It didn’t help that Stoler spoke no French and her host family spoke very little English. The language barrier began to take a toll on her abilities to function and get around Nice.

“In the beginning I responded to every question the same way, “Je n’ai pas compris (I do not understand),” Stoler said. “I had no idea how to work the public transportation system and on top of everything I had classes.”

Study abroad in each country is different, as each program is run by different faculty and boasts a different curriculum, but the same basics are still there: new people, new country and new classes. They all result in the same scary feeling in the pit of the student’s stomach.

“Traveling in a foreign country is never an easy subject to master,” Stoler said. “It is like figuring out exactly where all the buildings are on campus, but no one speaks the same language to help if you get turned around. Luckily, my bus driver (or chauffeur as the French say) was kind and took me almost directly to my classroom on the first day.”

The difficulties and frustration of understanding her surroundings and finding out where she was suppose to be, brought Stoler closer together with her traveling companions.

“There were only five students from the University in my program, so we became more like a family than classmates,” She said. “Our leader, a fearless and energetic, but ancient Frenchwoman kept a watchful eye out for us.”

(See ABROAD on page B5)

(Continued from ABROAD on page B1)

Yet even in a foreign place where one tries to see and do different things, a steady routine seemed to sneak up on Stoler.

“We began each day together with a breakfast baguette with strawberry jam and black coffee,” Stoler said. “The baguette never ceased to amaze me, and the breakfast routine became familiar rather than boring. I was very lucky to have a wonderful host mother.”

Many students decide to take study abroad course during the January and Summer sessions. This year’s January 2006 sessions can take you anywhere from Greece to Venice, London or Ecuador. If you prefer spending your summers in a far off place, the Summer 2006 sessions can take you to Ireland, Japan, France, Jamaica, Mexico, Sorrento or Spain.

“I think the any study abroad program, regardless of its length or location is a wonderful idea for any of today’s students,” Dan Lantowski, a senior public relations major, said. “The programs that I have read into, all seem to have a nice mixture of both exciting activities and interesting class offerings.”

If you are interested in changing your study scene, or even exploring a new country through an academic viewpoint, taking part of the study abroad program might be the answer. If so then visit the Office of International Students, Study Abroad Programs

“I took many things away from this trip,” Stoler said. “But one phrase my host mother repeated often stuck with me and can and should be applied to all facets of life “‘C’est la vie! On apprend a tout age! This is life; it is never too late to learn!'”

– Based on the journal of Stefanie Stoler.