SAVANNAH MOZINGO
STUDY ABROAD: Ottawa, Canada
Specific program: Killam Fellow of Fulbright Canada
Location: Ottawa, Ontario; Canada
Date: Fall 2014
I had no idea that I would end up spending my second study abroad in Canada. Thanks to “Mad Men,” I knew that there were parts of Canada that were French speaking, but my dream had always been to go to France itself. I had the confidence that came from having had a previous study abroad experience and another year of language courses under my belt; I was ready to pack it up for Paris.
The L&IT program requires that students spend a semester abroad in a university in their target language. If I’d ever had any qualms about choosing to study L&IT at Clemson, this stipulation would have wiped them all away. It was what I’d been looking forward to as the highlight of my college career. Because I was focused on taking more in-depth French courses on subjects such as Economics and Marketing, I decided to go through a third party as their partner schools had more curriculum options.
Unfortunately, towards the end of my pre-departure preparation with my third party provider there was a financial snag that prevented me from going at the last minute. This situation showed me how real the Clemson family is because Clemson faculty members and advisors were quick to help me remedy my predicament. At the advice of the study abroad office, I applied for a competitive Killam Fellowhip to study in French-Canada. The Fellowship, administered through Fulbright Canada, was recognized as being highly prestigious and I nervously awaited their decision. When I was picked to be among the 20 accepted Americans, you can only imagine how excited and humbled I was.
After receiving my acceptance, the Fellowship committee then placed me with a participating university in Canada. My first choice had been McGill University, but I was ultimately placed at the Université d’Ottawa. The bilingual public research university was located in the heart of Canada’s capital city, Ottawa. It’s a requirement for everyone working in government or service positions to exhibit fluency in both French and English so conversation with others was always an interesting experience. You’re greeted with a “Bonjour, hello!” nearly every time. It leaves the floor open for the respondent to decide which language to continue the conversation in. Of course, I always chose French. The Quebecois accent was unique and at first quite difficult to understand. For example, their consonances are far more drawn out which could warp the sound of an entire word. Overall however, I realized that it really strengthened my comprehension skills because when I heard a straighter Parisian accent, I found that I absorbed what they were saying far quicker and more accurately than I had before.
Academically, I think I can easily say that this was the most challenging semester I’d ever had. I took environmental economics in English then a macroeconomics course, French literature and Québécois literature course all in French. My other classmates were all native French and Quebecois speakers so the professors moved along at a rapid pace. It took a lot of concentrated effort and conscientious in my schoolwork for me to keep up. My macroeconomics class used a lot of language I wasn’t familiar with but because economics relies heavily on graphs, I found that this was perhaps one of the best subjects for me to take in another language outside of literature.
My French literature class tested my writing and analytical skills. We read a variety of authors — Camus and Collette for example — and would have to provide a 3 page synthesis of our reading at each class meeting. Québécois literature opened me up to an entirely new genre that I didn’t even know existed. I gained a better understanding of the Canadian identity crisis and also how that contributed to the larger European French culture. Besides all of the French that I spoke in class across a variety of subjects, my roommate was also Québécois and the majority of our conversations at home were done in French. These informal conversations helped me identify weak points in my language skills such as remembering certain nouns or conjugating a particularly common irregular verb.
I learned a lot about Québécois culture, a culture in which we don’t really study in the States and the internal Canadian tensions that stem from Quebec. For example, in Montréal and Quebec City they are particularly really adamant about using only French. Unlike the rest of Canada, Quebec feels really connected to its French heritage and is a staunch protector of its European culture and customs. It seems that the rest of the Canadian provinces resent Quebec as being uppity and snooty about their French whereas the Quebecois are angry and prideful in that they feel they are the most concerned about preserving a unique identity and culture.
My best memory of my study abroad experience was how the friendships seemed to just magically fall into place. I found common ground with international students through some of my favorite activities like bouldering and hiking. I joined the Plein Air club, which organized a variety of outdoor weekend events from camping to ice fishing to snowshoeing. The most memorable experiences during my trip were definitely on the weekends while we were traveling. Understanding that there were people around the world who could be bound together through as simple a thing as the desire to enjoy its nature was a powerful realization. International relations no longer seemed to be as complicated as my textbooks would have had me believe. I learned how important it was to understand and be confident in yourself. The better you know yourself, the better you are able to find other persons to interact with.
Now that I’m back in Clemson, I feel like I understand my international business classes much better having experienced real political and cultural tension like I did in Canada with regards to Québécois culture. I am able to make more insightful connections in class and I feel like I have become a harder working student who can tie her classroom ideas into real life practices. My study abroad experience has only enhanced my dreams of wanting to work on an international level where I can travel and experience even more cultures. My French language skills are invaluable to me. They allow me to experience the world with a new depth, understanding and empathy. While I will continue to practice my French after graduation through participation with my local Alliance Français and with international colleagues, I don’t plan on stopping there. Thanks to my L&IT experience at Clemson, I have an insatiable desire to continue learning new languages and integrating the international community into my own life in real ways.