From French family dinners to Moroccan adventures

Liam D., a junior at Seton Hall University, spent his fall semester living with a host family in Pau, France. He went from decoding French rap slang to learning the proper way to cut cheese at family dinners and quickly discovered why a portable charger is absolutely not optional. He celebrated his 21st in Paris, drank mint tea in Morocco, and can confirm the Sahara Desert is very real.

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Colette Horton: Welcome back to THE Study Abroad Pod. Today we're hearing from Liam, a junior at Seton Hall University, who spent his fall semester living with a host family in Pau, France. During his first time traveling solo internationally, he went from decoding French rap slang to learning the proper way to cut cheese at family dinners, and he quickly discovered why a portable charger is absolutely not optional. He celebrated his 21st birthday in Paris, drank mint tea in Morocco on the weekend, and can confirm, the Sahara Desert is very real. 

[00:00:38] Josie Sobek: Hello, my name is Josie Sobek and I am a representative with USAC. I studied abroad many moons ago, but I've traveled all over the world, including living in San Sebastian, Spain, which is actually where USAC originates from. I'm super passionate about study abroad, I'm super excited to be here today with Liam. Liam, it's so nice to meet you! 

[00:01:04] Liam Davis: It's nice to meet you too, Josie. Thank you. 

[00:01:06] Josie Sobek: So Liam, remind me what university you're from and you studied abroad in France, right? 

[00:01:14] Liam Davis: Yes, I go to Seton Hall University in New Jersey, and I studied abroad for the Fall 2025 semester in Pau, France.

[00:01:21] Josie Sobek: Oh, cool. Um, what made you choose France?

[00:01:24] Liam Davis: So, in 2013, I visited Paris for the first time with my family. And from there I just fell in love with France overall. And I told myself at some point I'm gonna come back and I wanna live here and I want to study here and do all these really cool things. So I studied it a little bit in middle school and uh, I didn't really take it as serious 'cause I didn't really care.

[00:01:47] I didn't think I was ever gonna need it. So, um, I stopped for a few years. Got back into it my senior year of high school, and that was actually the year my sister went abroad in France. So I was like, all right, well she's gonna do it. I might as well try it myself. So, uh, I decided to do it and it was, uh, one of the most exciting parts of my life, so I really enjoyed it.

[00:02:08] Josie Sobek: That's so awesome. What specifically did you fall in love with about France when you like initially went and when you went the second time? 

[00:02:17] Liam Davis: So the first thing that really caught my eye was, I know it sounds cliche, but the Eiffel Tower, that was the first thing that really got me like hooked onto it. And then I would just say the language in general just sounded really beautiful to me and I really wanted to know what they were saying.

[00:02:32] So I remember I was at Disney, Disneyland, Paris with my family, and one of the workers, we asked him for some directions and he responded to us in French, and I'm like, uh. I, I don't understand anything. So from that moment forward, I was just really hooked on it and I really wanted to just learn more. 

[00:02:51] Josie Sobek: Nice.

[00:02:52] And did you live with the host family? Did you speak 

[00:02:56] Liam Davis: Yes. 

[00:02:56] Josie Sobek: French with them? How did that go? 

[00:02:58] Liam Davis: Yeah, that was great because my main goal going there was to speak as much French as possible. Don't speak English. And the best thing about my host family was. They all spoke French. No one spoke English, and except for my host brother, he spoke English.

[00:03:15] But um, we all just spoke French together, so it wasn't, uh, um, it wasn't easy at all. But after a couple, I would say it with them specifically, it was super hard to understand my host mother because she just spoke really fast. So it was super difficult. But my host father was really understand to under easy to understand him because he, he was from the north of France, so he, had 

[00:03:37] a lot slower way of, um, you know, speaking. So it was a lot better that way for me to understand. But it was the most helpful thing living with the host family for me, because I was forced to, you know, speak their language and I, there was no way out. So it was, it was a good thing. 

[00:03:57] Josie Sobek: That's so cool. And I think that cultural immersion can really be like

[00:04:02] the spark to really that growth and within you, and especially with making, you know, relationships. You said you had a host brother. How old was your host brother? Um, did the family help you adjust there? Tell me all about it. 

[00:04:18] Liam Davis: So I had a few host brothers. One of them lived there, the other one was in college.

[00:04:24] He lived over in, um, a few hours away. So he would come over every couple of weekends, but not super often. But he was my age. He was about a year younger than me, so we hung out a lot. Whenever he'd come over to the house, we'd go to the gym together. We would play ping pong, we'd watch some movies. And then my other host brother, the one that lived there, he was a lot older than me, I would say maybe about seven, eight years older.

[00:04:45] But he would, he lived there, I would say four, five days outta the week. He was super helpful because obviously he spoke English. So if there ever was a time where I really wouldn't understand something, he would say one or two words in English to, you know, help me understand better. So that was the most helpful part, I would say, was him.

[00:05:03] So that was, uh, that was great. 

[00:05:06] Josie Sobek: That's awesome. And your host parents, how did they help you feel comfortable settling in? 

[00:05:15] Liam Davis: They, it, it just felt perfect. I was super welcomed as soon as I stepped in. Um, they just took me around the house, you know, explained all their house rules and they just were very open people and they really helped me have a, you know, a great, a great experience as I did.

[00:05:30] Josie Sobek: That's awesome. Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. How was it like making friends with others while you were there? 

[00:05:38] Liam Davis: It was, for me it was, I won't say it was easy, but it wasn't the most difficult thing in the world. I'm a pretty sociable person, so I didn't. Have any problem, like asking people like, Hey, you mind if I sit here at lunch?

[00:05:51] And they would say, yeah. So, um, the first time I was with one of my American friends in the USAC program, and him and I were kind of on the same page of, all right, let's try to split away from the Americans for a little bit and try to meet some of the, the local students, because that's pretty much why we're here.

[00:06:07] And um, so we did that one day. So a few days later, I was on my own to have lunch and I had nowhere to sit. It was a super packed cafeteria. This is when I realized I needed to get outta my comfort zone and make some friends. So I went up to a table with a few guys and I asked them if I could sit down and they said, sure.

[00:06:27] Sat down, and they started talking to me, going back and forth a little bit. And then I started having a little bit of trouble understanding him because he was speaking so fast. And you know, sooner rather than later they realized I was a foreigner. I don't really understand everything that they're saying.

[00:06:43] And they asked me where I'm from. I told 'em I'm from America, and then instantly they're all like, holy, you're American. Wow. They started asking me all these questions and, uh, even a couple of stereotypes about Americans and I was, you know, telling 'em like, yeah, I'm American, it's my first couple of days here.

[00:07:00] And, um, I know that they wasn't, they weren't trying to be, you know, rude when they were asking certain stereotypes, but they were just genuinely curious because they. I'm sure they haven't met, you know, a lot of Americans in their lives. So it was really good to meet them and be able to, you know, see their perspectives and just, you know, get outta my comfort zone and meeting different people, you know, at the, at the university.

[00:07:25] Josie Sobek: That's awesome. I'm glad that you were able to handle that and navigate that type of conversation because sometimes it can be really daunting, the different bluntness from different societies. And seeing how you can navigate something that can be really personal or, um, we may think is personal, but might not be personal in different cultures.

[00:07:46] Did you have any culture shocks other than stuff like that? 

[00:07:51] Liam Davis: Definitely one of my biggest culture shocks was being able to, you know, for example in, in America, when you go into a store, you don't always greet people. You kind of just walk in. But in France, whenever you walk in, you say Bonjour, when you walk out, Aurevoir, merci, aurevoir, you say thank you, goodbye.

[00:08:10] And it's just, I feel it's kind of funny how Americans, not just Americans, but people around the world have this stereotype of the French of being rude and snobby, but in reality they have a lot more manners than a lot of people would've expected them to have. So that was something that I really didn't expect before I went.

[00:08:28] Because our program advisor told us when we first got on the bus, she told us, you know, when you get on the bus you have to, you know, greet yourself. And then when you, when you get off, you have to say, you know, thank you. You shouldn't have that, you know, level of respect for their culture. So that was one of the things that really shocked me the most that I had no idea about ever.

[00:08:47] So it was, it was definitely a big culture shock for me. 

[00:08:50] Josie Sobek: You encountered a lot of different, um, stereotypes too. Um, how did that impact how you saw yourself being abroad and how you interacted with others? 

[00:09:02] Liam Davis: I wouldn't say it wasn't something I was not expecting. Uh, I kind of knew, you know, based off of, like, I, I've traveled a decent amount in my life, so I kind of know, you know, the different viewpoints and perspectives from

[00:09:18] um, Americans in foreign countries. So I wasn't necessarily surprised, but I would say it, it makes you, um, how do I wanna put this? It just kind of makes you more aware of who you are and you know, the differences between cultures because it's something that you're not exactly used to. So for me personally, it was something that I was interested in, in seeing how other people see us and, you know, the different perspectives even,

[00:09:46] from just, not just the south of France, but even up in, in Paris, like up in the north. Um, but yeah, I, I just think for me personally, it was a good way to see the different perspectives from the French people, and it was a really good experience for me.

[00:10:04] Josie Sobek: So was there any moments there that you were like, I could totally get used to this? I think I belong here. Or nah, I'm going back to Paris. I'm gonna live in the north of France, south of France, or maybe even a completely different country that speaks French? Was there any moments where that really struck you and um, really like sparked some sort of interest to how you see yourself living there?

[00:10:31] Liam Davis: Definitely, uh, I think for me personally, for example, we would go out to cafes all the time. I, my buddy and I would go after class and it was something that we can't really replicate here in the U.S. we would just, you know, go to school and usually just go home. But there, I feel like there's a lot more leisure time where they're able to spend time with friends or family and just take some time to have a break.

[00:10:53] And not only that, they also have these nap times during the day, right after, you know, lunch around 2:00 or 3:00 PM and that's something that is, you know, unheard of over here in the US. So I feel like that's something where I personally could get used to, because I, of course, I do love to work. I do love to, you know, do things for myself, but at the same time, I feel like it's important to enjoy life and spend a lot of time with family.

[00:11:19] I think for me, that's one of my most important values. 

[00:11:23] Josie Sobek: That's totally respectable. I definitely get that. It's like that work to live versus live to work kind of culture, um, differences. And that I am totally on the same page with you. So was there any moment when you had to fully figure something out on your own?

[00:11:43] Was there any moment where you were like. Yikes. , I might be getting lost. I might be like, you know, stranded completely. Like what was that experience like if you had one and how did you navigate it?

[00:11:59] Liam Davis: So I definitely had an experience where I was stranded. That happened my first, I think it was my first three days I got to France. Yeah, I think my first three days. So it was one of my first three days in the city that I was living in, and we just finished a little exploration with that group. And then after we finished up, everyone went back to their, uh, host homes and I had problems with my cellular data.

[00:12:27] So I was just figuring that out with my dad. And then, you know, I was just completely lost with my data. So I was like, all right. And I gotta find a way to get back home. I was around a 15 minute bus ride away from home, but one, I didn't know which bus I was supposed to take. Two, my phone was getting close to, you know, low battery and three, this is a foreign country.

[00:12:48] So I was like, okay, what am I gonna do now? So I'm going around, I'm asking some locals for some directions and how to get back home. I didn't really, I knew my address, but I didn't really know how to get there, which bus to take. So I'm asking them around. People are telling me, sorry, I don't know. I'm like, all right.

[00:13:04] So I get on the bus hoping it was the right bus. Of course, it wasn't the right bus, so it was going the complete opposite direction of where I was supposed to go. I'm like, okay, my phone's at 10%. I gotta figure something out quick. Luckily, I stumbled upon a huge map, like of the entire city with all the roads on it, and I, and it said like, you are here, and like, and it showed me how to get to like my neighborhood.

[00:13:28] So I finally figured out, had to get home from there. So if I didn't have that map, I would've been completely lost. So, uh, from there I bought a portable charger, so I learned my lesson there. So that's also getting into, you know, portable chargers. I think that's something that's probably my best investment in going abroad, because you never know when you're gonna get lost and when you're gonna need a, you know, an extra charge in your phone.

[00:13:52] Josie Sobek: Getting a portable charger is something that you definitely would've gotten prior. Is there any other, like pre-departure items that you would've wished you would've prepared with or like brought or like researched a bit better? 

[00:14:06] Liam Davis: I would say a, if you have the chance to bring a digital camera, bring one as well because obviously it's great if you have like an iPhone or a Samsung, it's great to get 'em on your phone as well.

[00:14:16] But on my personal, personally for my digital camera, I felt the quality was a lot better and it captured moments, um, that are a lot more clearer on that camera. So I, I really thought that was a great thing that I brought, 'cause I was taking a lot of pictures when I was there. I, I still feel like I wasn't taking enough, but everyone was like, no, no, no, you took plenty.

[00:14:36] But you know, for my life, you know, I was like, nah, I should've taken, taken more. But, um, I would say a digital camera for sure. Because you're really gonna wanna relive the moments, uh, when you head back home. I know, I definitely did. 

[00:14:47] Josie Sobek: I was about to ask you, do you have any like, plans of what you're gonna do with those pictures?

[00:14:53] Liam Davis: I was gonna make a photo album. I haven't started yet. I'm a little busy with, uh, this semester now. But definitely at some point I'm going to get like a, uh, little album and, and um, print out the photos and, uh, make a little memory booklet type of thing. 

[00:15:06] Josie Sobek: That's so cool. Are you gonna share it with like your friends that you made abroad too?

[00:15:10] Liam Davis: Yeah, so we're actually planning on meeting up with each other this summer in New York. So we're going to, uh, hopefully get as many of us to come as possible and then I'm gonna hopefully surprise them with that little booklet. Yeah. 

[00:15:24] Josie Sobek: Okay. So that's, that's really cool. But you have like lifelong friends, but you also have a deadline now to get it in by, so, right.

[00:15:33] Did you do any side trips with those friends by chance or, um, any side trips on your own, like any independent travels? 

[00:15:42] Liam Davis: Oh yeah. I tried to take advantage of that as much as I could while I was abroad because I figured I'm already here. I might as well go where I can. So the first trip that we went to, we did a group trip with our program advisor.

[00:15:56] We went to, um, the beach, uh, on the southwest of France. It was right by Biarritz? 

[00:16:04] Josie Sobek: Yeah. 

[00:16:04] Liam Davis: Right in the, on the beach. Yeah. So we were right over there. 

[00:16:06] Josie Sobek: I love that beach. 

[00:16:06] Liam Davis: Yeah. It's, it was my favorite. So we spent the day there, and then we had a choice. If we wanted to spend the night there for the weekend, we could, or if we wanted to go back with everybody else, we could, but

[00:16:17] a couple of my friends and I decided to go to San Sebastian where you said you, uh, lived for a bit. We, we had spent the night there and, um, that was amazing. We had a really good time. So we did that for a night and then, uh, we ended up coming back the next day. So that was really a great trip that we went.

[00:16:35] It was only a day, and that was unfortunately my only time in Spain while I was abroad, so I'm definitely gonna make a trip again at some point. But that was our first trip that we made. 

[00:16:44] Josie Sobek: No way. That made me so excited to hear and I'm so glad that you did. Yeah. Did you take like a seven euro, um, Flix bus over the border?

[00:16:54] Liam Davis: Yep. Yep. It was a quick 40 minute bus ride, so it wasn't bad. 

[00:16:58] Josie Sobek: So easy. It's so great. Yeah. And did you have some amazing food? 

[00:17:03] Liam Davis: We did. I had some, I remember what the, we didn't stay long. We, the next morning I had some, um, I'm not sure it was like an enchilada or something, but it was something, it was really good.

[00:17:14] It was really good. And the restaurant was, it was, it was funny because I was only in France for a few weeks, but I was getting so immersed in the language when I finally got a menu and it was in Spanish. I was like, oh my gosh, why is this not in French? But I was just like, it just threw me off so bad. I was like, oh my God.

[00:17:34] So they just gave us an English one. So I was like, all right, that helps. But. So it was relieving when I went back to France to actually hear French again. 'cause just for a day I was just hearing Spanish and I'm like, I don't know, a lick of Spanish. I'm completely lost. So it was good to hear French when I got back the next day.

[00:17:49] Josie Sobek: Yeah. Spanish or Basque, right? 

[00:17:52] Liam Davis: Yeah. And Basque. Oh yeah, I, I know even less Basque because I was just, didn't even know that was a language until I went. 

[00:17:58] Josie Sobek: Right. Yeah.

[00:17:59] Liam Davis: I had no idea. 

[00:17:59] Josie Sobek: Yeah, it sounds so different. But it sounds like you were almost native level, like your mindset was already switched to French mode and you were like, you probably have your phone and your computer in French, right?

[00:18:13] Liam Davis: Yeah. 

[00:18:13] Josie Sobek: Oh, that's so cool. 

[00:18:14] Liam Davis: It's always in French. Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:18:15] Josie Sobek: Wow. Okay. So, okay, Mr. Native, Mr. Worldwide, um, did you take any train travels by chance? 

[00:18:23] Liam Davis: Yeah. So when we first arrived, we flew into Paris, and then when we went to our host family's home, we went to, uh, we took a four hour train ride from Paris to, uh, to Pau and that was my first time on the, the SNCF trains in France.

[00:18:41] But I took plenty more while I was there. So I would take some, uh, trains to, Toulouse to Bordeaux, and it was. I really loved them. It was very straightforward. It wasn't difficult. I didn't get lost. It was, it was really good. Very straightforward. 

[00:18:56] Josie Sobek: Very straightforward. And I know like the, the buses are affordable.

[00:19:02] Were the trains also affordable? 

[00:19:05] Liam Davis: Yes, they were affordable. You have an option if you are, it was a, if you're a student or if you're some age level, you get a discount on it. So I bought that plan as soon as possible, and I was just taking as many, not as many as I could, but I was, I was going pretty often exploring, so. 

[00:19:23] Josie Sobek: As you should.

[00:19:24] Absolutely. Yes. Live your best life. I totally feel that. If your semester was a playlist, what would you title it? 

[00:19:38] Liam Davis: It's funny, I already do have a playlist of it. It's just France, 2025. 

[00:19:42] Josie Sobek: Oh, come on. 

[00:19:43] Liam Davis: Sorry if I'm being honest, but it, but it is just, it is just, um, French music, so that's, that kind of makes it fit in a little more.

[00:19:50] Josie Sobek: So is it French music that you picked up from while you were there? 

[00:19:55] Liam Davis: Yeah, so it's a basic, it's basically a whole playlist of just the music that I picked up from the second I got to the airport from the second I left. So it's a whole place. And all the songs that my friends told, told me about songs that I heard that I shazamed when I was on a bus or if I was wherever.

[00:20:11] And, uh, yeah, just basically a whole bundle of that altogether in one playlist. 

[00:20:15] Josie Sobek: Dude, you totally have to put me onto some. What was your favorite, like any artists that like really popped out to you that you can't stop listening to now? 

[00:20:24] Liam Davis: Yeah, there are a few. Um, I would say one of my favorite is, is one of the classics, uh, Charles Aznavour.

[00:20:33] He's one of the, um, you know, seventies French music. Uh, and I listen to a lot, so and, and the reason I like, I like it so much is 'cause I can actually hear what he is saying. It's not like the, these French rappers that are just rapping super fast and saying words that don't even exist. So I, I like the slower music where I can actually understand it.

[00:20:54] Josie Sobek: So words that don't even exist, like, um, slang, like any new French slang that you picked up? 

[00:21:02] Liam Davis: Yeah, there's definitely some that I've picked up, but for the most part I don't understand a lot of it, even some in, in English, I wouldn't even understand. So it's even harder in another language. 

[00:21:12] Josie Sobek: What are some of the, the slang that you did pick up?

[00:21:15] Liam Davis: Well, I know that they, what they do is they'll cut a word in half and they'll take the second half of the word and put it in front. So for example, you say thank you is, which is merci they'll say ci-mer, flip it, and then so, so they do that with a lot of words. Yeah. And same with moef, yeah, for, uh, a woman, femme. So it's a lot of different examples of words they do.

[00:21:37] They do that a lot. So that was a big thing for me. I was this, I heard it a lot and I was just super confused. And it's kind of like, um, um, like a French piglatin. 

[00:21:48] Josie Sobek: Oh, wow. I definitely would never expected that. I know in Spanish, sometimes they cut words in half, but like combine it like que instead of.

[00:21:59] But I've never would've expected the complete structure of it switched around. Yeah. That's really cool. 

[00:22:05] Liam Davis: Yeah, it was a big shock for me. 

[00:22:07] Josie Sobek: Were there any habits that you brought home that people were like, wait, who are you again? Like anything that other people noticed about you that like stood out? 

[00:22:20] Liam Davis: Yeah. A few of my friends actually mentioned to me that some of my mannerisms have changed and that they've realized it.

[00:22:26] Like sometimes when I would say like. I don't know, I'll just kind of be like, I don't even realize I'd do what I didn't do, you know, normally and do what I, two of my friends have realized that, and they'd be like, oh, he, he's been in France too long and I'll, I start wearing a lot more scarfs now. I said, I've never worn a scarf in my life until I went there.

[00:22:45] Now I, I can't stop wearing them. So it's just a lot of different things that I've picked up and I think I'm gonna just continue to, to take with me. So. 

[00:22:53] Josie Sobek: Wow. I think you've won your honorary, um, French badge, your like French citizenship badge.

[00:23:04] We didn't talk about food much. I wanna know was did you have any favorite foods or, um, what's something that you wish could be here? 

[00:23:14] Liam Davis: I would say the bread. The bread was so good in the, um, the cheese. Those are my two favorite things. And like, you can't replicate 'em over here. It's just not the same. I refuse to go to a store in the US and buy some of the cheese 'cause it's just, it doesn't hit the same.

[00:23:29] And when I was there I was like, I was always wondering why do the French love the cheese so much? Why are they always so concerned about the way you cut it and this and that? But when you're there you start to realize like, okay, this is why they love it so much. And I can only say so much that you really just have to see it to believe it.

[00:23:44] To actually understand it, so you gotta retry it. 

[00:23:47] Josie Sobek: So it sounds bougie, but they're actually on to something. 

[00:23:50] Liam Davis: Yes, precisely. 

[00:23:51] Josie Sobek: Gotcha, gotcha. Yeah, just like the scarves, right? 

[00:23:54] Liam Davis: Exactly. 

[00:23:55] Josie Sobek: Okay. 

[00:23:55] Liam Davis: There you go. You got it now. 

[00:23:58] Josie Sobek: So bread is not the same here as it is there, which I'm guessing you probably got like just like Belle and beauty in the beast, like fresh bread at the bakery as soon as you're walking to school.

[00:24:11] Did you befriend any of those neighborhood bakers and what was your morning like? Did you actually like go get breakfast on the way to school? What was your day in the life like? 

[00:24:23] Liam Davis: I would have breakfast typically at home, uh, but some depending on my day, 'cause some of my classes were a lot earlier than others.

[00:24:31] I would have to skip it and I would just have to go to my, we had this, um, little bakery on campus that I would get my. Uh, my croissant side and my, my coffee. So I would go there. That was kind of my spot, but when I didn't have class, I would go out into the, the Centreville and I would just have, I had this little spot, my little bakery that I would go to all the time.

[00:24:55] And I would get some, eclairs over there and some, um, some tea. And it was really good. And that was my, my little spot. 

[00:25:04] Josie Sobek: You didn't tell me what exams were like. I'm kind of curious about that actually. So, or classes in general, what classes did you take? 

[00:25:12] Liam Davis: I took Business French, third year French I & II, fourth year French I Literature. 

[00:25:24] That was it. Yeah. And the exams were super hard. I had eight finals and yeah, I had a, it was super tough, but i'll give you an example of how they were. So my easiest exam that I had out of all my classes was, we had to listen to, it was an oral comprehension exam, so we had to listen to a radio call that was around five or six minutes long, and we only had two listen attempts.

[00:25:56] So if you missed it, you missed it, and then it would just give you around like 20 questions. You had multiple choice and you had short answer. And for all your exam, your answers, you had to explain why. So if it was, you picked a multiple choice question, you have to explain why you picked it with an example from the audio.

[00:26:17] And it wasn't like, it wasn't slow radio calls, it was like a regular, any normal radio call on like a news channel and you'll listen to it twice. And if you missed it, you missed it. So that was the easiest exam that we had in my opinion. 

[00:26:31] Josie Sobek: I can only imagine someone trying to use our audio right now as on an exam to learn English.

[00:26:38] Liam Davis: Yeah, I know. Even in English, for me, it would've been tough. So that was another thing where it, it just taught me that, you know, if I'm able to do this in another language, it just made things for me in English ten times easier. So when I got back speaking to people and my confidence, just talking to strangers was just, just completely skyrocketed.

[00:27:01] Josie Sobek: When you were going abroad, like right before, how much do you think you knew, before you actually got there and did you need to know a lot? 

[00:27:11] Liam Davis: I knew the basics. I knew how to, like I could get around, but it wasn't, I wasn't know anywhere fluent. I wasn't anywhere in you know, super detailed conversations. Um, so it wasn't a huge struggle for me at the beginning as much as I thought it would be.

[00:27:29] I would say the hardest part was definitely the speed, 

[00:27:32] um, 

[00:27:33] of how they speak, but overall it was, I think for, for me personally, all I needed was just immersion and it was just something that I had to just get used to because when you're over there, for the most part, you're kind of just completely immersed in it and you really have no way out.

[00:27:51] So you kinda are forced to learn it in a sense. So for me personally, it wasn't, uh, it wasn't easy by all means, but it was, um, I had a bit of a head start with studying in, in school for a few years. Um, but it was, it was definitely a challenge. 

[00:28:05] Josie Sobek: So were there any points where like you tried to weasel your way out and like speak some English or did anyone was like, hold up, let me switch over for you and like, speak English for you, like to you.

[00:28:20] Liam Davis: Oh yeah. That happened to me a few times, my first two weeks, but after the second after then it, I got more comfortable. But I remember I was going into one of the supermarkets and I was asking a lady for, um, I forgot some sort of grocery and, uh, I just, I kept making, making mistakes and she was like, English, and I'm just like, yeah, sure.

[00:28:44] But that was, that was the only time where I, you know, really gave into it and I was like, you know what? I'm just trying to get in and get out and then just go back home. But no, it was, um, definitely a struggle for the first few weeks, but afterwards I got, got the hang of it. 

[00:28:57] Josie Sobek: So you mentioned a lot of great stories and these are definitely moments that I wanna walk alongside with you.

[00:29:04] I wanna see on TikTok, I wanna see them cinematically. Um, and I'm imagining them as you are describing. Um, could you explain any moments that, like you didn't mention, that were totally cinematic, you'll remember for the rest of your life, or anything completely unhinged that you're like, whoa, I'm definitely gonna tell my friends about it when I get home.

[00:29:27] Liam Davis: I would say when my friends and I got split up in Morocco, so it's not as bad as it sounds, but it was a little unhinged, so we very randomly were just like, you know what? Let's do a trip to Morocco and everyone was on board. They were like, yeah, let's do it. Let's do it. Because I found a very interesting three day tour where we'd go to Sahara Desert, ride camels, and ride ATVs, and all that stuff.

[00:29:53] So we all booked a, um, a group tour to Morocco, and it was five of us going. But unfortunately we did happen to get split up because we all bought it individually, and I, and we completely forgot. We should have bought it as a group. It was fine because it was three and them and two of us and we were taking like, so we took two different buses.

[00:30:15] So we all had, we all had the same experience. We're going to the same places. It was just like a little, like a 30 minute time difference between us doing them towards the end of the tour. We all met up at the same campsite, so it was good to see each other again. But it was a little unfortunate, but it was, we all had a really good time and it was honestly probably one of my favorite trips that I went on when I was abroad.

[00:30:37] Josie Sobek: Wow. Um, yeah, we actually just launched a program in Morocco and we're 

[00:30:43] Liam Davis: Oh, really? 

[00:30:43] Josie Sobek: Super excited about it. Did you love Morocco or what? 

[00:30:46] Liam Davis: Oh my gosh. It was honestly my favorite country I visited. I loved it It was so nice

[00:30:51] Josie Sobek: I definitely can agree. That's definitely one of my favorite ones I, I experienced mostly because it looks like nowhere else in the world.

[00:30:58] Did you also think like that? 

[00:31:00] Liam Davis: Yeah. I remember when we were driving into the Sahara Desert. It literally looked like a movie set. It just, it didn't look real, and I was just like, I couldn't believe it. 

[00:31:09] Josie Sobek: Were you able to use your French in Morocco? 

[00:31:11] Liam Davis: Oh, yeah. So the whole tour was in French, so we had, it was a French family that was also, I wouldn't say the whole tour, but we booked it in French to continue practicing while we were there.

[00:31:21] And there was also a French family that was in the same bus as us, so there was a few other Americans that were in there as well. So the, the tour guide was going from French to English, but with me and, my other buddy, we were, I was speaking in French the whole time, so it was good to continue while I was over there.

[00:31:40] Josie Sobek: Now a little birdie told me that there's a picture of you somewhere playing basketball with locals in Paris. 

[00:31:47] Liam Davis: Mm-hmm. 

[00:31:48] Josie Sobek: I'm dying to hear about this. Come on, fill me in. 

[00:31:51] Liam Davis: So it was my birthday. I just got into Paris like. I think a day or two before that. So I was like really trying to just get as much experience on my birthday as possible.

[00:32:01] I was like, I'm in Paris for my 21st birthday. I might as well just do what I can. So we're walking, I think we just finished up with, we just got back from the Sacre Coeur and we were just walking around waiting for our, our train, and I saw some kids up playing basketball, so I was like, all right, I'm gonna go play with them.

[00:32:20] Why not? I haven't played in a few days. I was like, all right, why you go ahead. So I ended up playing with them. It was, it was very shortlived. It was maybe 15 minutes long, but had a good time. 

[00:32:30] Josie Sobek: So cool, yeah. Did you do anything else while you were in Paris? 

[00:32:35] Liam Davis: Yes, we visited the Eiffel Tower. We did a, I think it was around like 9:00 AM we got up and we went to do a tour.

[00:32:43] So we dealt, we went all the way up to the top, got a whole entire view of the city. And um, you know, also we went to the Louvre. We went to, uh, actually I came back to the Eiffel Tower at nighttime because I wanted to see a sparkling at night. So I did that with, uh, four of my friends, and that was a really good time to meet them early on because I think that was the, the foundation of all of us getting super close was the time in Paris together, because from there it just, it seemed like I met all of them, like, you know, months, months before.

[00:33:19] So it was really good to have the, that experience with all of them at the same time. And it was kind of all of our dreams. Like at one time. It was, it was really nice to, you know, make friends with everybody at that trip. 

[00:33:33] Josie Sobek: I wanna watch this series like this sounds like a really good show actually. Um, I know that you can buy a lot of things in Paris too, because.

[00:33:43] It's the city of love. It's also the city of fashion and a lot of tourist touristic things since it is a capital. Did you get any like souvenirs to bring home to family or like any items that you were like, I am obsessed with this snack. I have to bring it loads and loads back in my suitcase for back home.

[00:34:03] Liam Davis: I wish I could have brought more, but I definitely overpacked, so I couldn't bring as much as I wanted to. But because it was the, it was my birthday, I obviously was like, all right, I'm gonna spend some money. So I went to, uh, you know, a few stores. I bought some clothes for my birthday, but that was just about it.

[00:34:19] I tried to save the rest of the, um, the little small trinkets and stuff for my family when I would go to other countries while I was there. So I ended up getting my mom a rug in Morocco. Um, I got some stuff from my sister, some clothes and stuff, so it was, I was kind of saving that for I, and I, I knew I had more time, so I didn't really get it all in one, but I, I went shopping a little bit there.

[00:34:42] Josie Sobek: Aw, that's so nice that you're being thoughtful of them. Now, I'm gonna ask you to stay in that thoughtful mindset when you think back to who you were before you studied abroad and thinking about who you are now. What feels different? Can you identify anything about your confidence level, your linguistic abilities, your fashion style, anything that like sticks out to you when you reflect on who you were versus who you are?

[00:35:14] Liam Davis: I would say my independence for sure. That's my biggest thing. I, you know, like I said before, I'm not foreign to traveling, but I'm definitely foreign to traveling alone. Doing things by myself. So that was one thing that really showed me like, all right, I'm capable of doing this, I'm capable of doing that.

[00:35:33] And I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do that, you know, six months before. So it was definitely something that opened my eyes and showed me that I have the capabilities to pretty much do anything I put my mind to. And uh, from a fashion standpoint, I would say definitely took a big leap. So that was really helpful.

[00:35:51] I'm glad I was in Paris for the first couple of days, so I definitely restocked on my closet for sure. But, um, no, and, and I would say just my personal ability of being able to just communicate with people I feel helped a lot, especially coming back to the US because if I was able to communicate with people in a language that's not even my mother tongue, going back and speaking English would just be that much easier, and it really was when I got back.

[00:36:20] Besides the fact that I was kind of struggling that first few days because I haven't spoken English for so long. So after, after about like three or four days, I was, I was good. 

[00:36:30] Josie Sobek: I am so glad to hear that you were happy to be in Paris. Also, that the side plots and your overall experience abroad really contributed to who you are now.

[00:36:42] I would love to see some of those new fashion pieces. Any new drip you got. We'll have to say that for another day. For sure.

[00:36:54] So Liam, we talked a bit about your growth and who you've become and who you were, but is there anything particularly that you think from a cross-cultural standpoint, your in France, you wear only black and white and special shoes, or in the US you only wear hoodies and basketball shorts. Like who is French Liam and who is American

[00:37:20] Liam? 

[00:37:21] Liam Davis: I would say French name is somebody who's a lot more open and adventurous and somebody who just wants to, who focuses a lot more on style. I'll say that for sure, because here in the US that's not, I mean, I guess it depends on where you're from, but 

[00:37:38] I would say for the most part it's just, you know, you can kind of go out wearing pajamas or whatever, but that's something a lot different over there.

[00:37:47] So for me, for French Liam, I would say somebody who is more stylish for sure. I would definitely say that. Um, and a lot more adventurous. Somebody who wants to explore somebody who is very open to different things. Not to say that English lamb isn't the same way, but I feel like it just kind of opens a whole new side of me.

[00:38:11] Josie Sobek: Awesome. Did you have any, this would never happen at home moments or were there any festivals or holidays that you got to be a part of that abroad that was not, um, were like Christmas in the us you know? 

[00:38:29] Liam Davis: There was some Christmas festivals that I went to towards the end of the semester that was in our city center, and that was just a really good time that I would spend with my friends towards the end, knowing that my, uh, time was almost up, we would just go there and we would, uh, you know, play some games outside.

[00:38:47] We would watch some fireworks and, uh, brought up the Christmas tree lighting in the city and it was this really good time to, um wrap up my semester and spend as much time as I could with my friends. But I went to a few things, few of those festivals. 

[00:39:01] Josie Sobek: I read this book once that said, you can go all around the world to different places and see similar things, but the one thing that is always different and never leaves, you are certain smells or there any smells that, um, unfortunately will never leave you

[00:39:19] or fortunately you hold near and dear to your nose. 

[00:39:23] Liam Davis: Funny you mentioned that. I was just thinking the other day of the smell of the classroom that we would have our class in, 'cause most of our classes were all pretty much the same classroom. Not all of 'em, but the majority. And that classroom had a specific scent to it.

[00:39:38] And I was just thinking about it actually. It's so funny you mentioned that and then we was, uh, very nostalgic and I'm, I'm hoping at some point soon, I can just walk back in there one more time and just, you know, enjoy it again. Aw. 

[00:39:52] Josie Sobek: Very specific to the place. Gotcha. Nostalgic even. 

[00:39:57] Liam Davis: Yeah, 

[00:39:58] Josie Sobek: it definitely sounds like you got bit by the wanderlust bug for sure.

[00:40:02] Liam Davis: Yeah. 

[00:40:05] Josie Sobek: I'm dying to know where's next. Do you have any ideas that you're gonna go to an, any new countries based off of, um, the French that you have, your level, any other French speaking countries? 

[00:40:18] Liam Davis: I live not too far from Quebec, so I've actually met a lot of Quebecers throughout my life and I have a few friends that live there.

[00:40:27] So even though it's a different type of French with the dialect and the region, it's, you know, I can still understand and communicate with them. So I definitely want to visit because I've never been to Canada before, even though I live so close. Uh, it's definitely something that I wanna do to continue to practice and, um,

[00:40:44] just, you know, continue with my studies in the French language. I also have been planning at some point visiting Switzerland because I actually met somebody from Switzerland on my trip to Morocco and we're still in contact. So hopefully we'll be able to meet up soon. And, um, yeah, it's, it's really just been a good experience because I really wanna see, not just, you know, go back to France, but I want to be able to go to, you know, maybe Belgium or Switzerland or some of the African countries to speak French like in,

[00:41:13] you know, Benin and Togo. So I really wanna just explore as much as I can and continue with my, um, in my language learning. 

[00:41:21] Josie Sobek: I can only imagine how like, awesome and enriching those experiences would be. And please blog it or something because I would be your first subscriber for sure. Um. Is there any, like wrapping up now, is there any advice that you would give to prior to you from before or advice to someone who's thinking about going to France specifically?

[00:41:47] Pau? 

[00:41:50] Liam Davis: I would say just do things that make you uncomfortable because. It makes your experience so much better if you do things you weren't expect to do. Like if I, I had a little bit of a checklist, but it wasn't as detailed as I thought it should have been. But I just told myself, you know what? Just explore.

[00:42:07] Do what you think is gonna make you happy. Obviously be safe and do the right thing, but you know, you're only there for a certain amount of time and you know, if you have a good experience, you're really gonna dread going back home. So just do what you can while you're there, because you're gonna have a great time.

[00:42:23] If you kind of do things, you know, you know, right on the spot spontaneously, because I did a lot of things where I, I didn't really put a lot of thought of, you know, alright, you know, when am I gonna go to Italy? You know what, I just kind of booked it, you know, I just wanted to explore while I could and, and just have a good time.

[00:42:42] Don't overthink it too much and just really enjoy the time that you're there. 

[00:42:46] Josie Sobek: That's awesome. That's so awesome. Well, Liam, thank you so much for sharing your story. It's been incredible hearing how Pau shaped your confidence, your independence, your perspective, even the side plots too. We really appreciate you being here and giving us your time.

[00:43:05] Liam Davis: Thank you very much, Jose. I really appreciate this. 

[00:43:08] Josie Sobek: Of course. 

[00:43:10] Colette Horton: Thanks for listening to THE Study Abroad Pod, a podcast brought to you by University Studies Abroad Consortium. Please listen, subscribe and review us on Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow USAC on all your favorite social media channels @studyabroadusac, and if you have an idea for a future episode or you want to learn more about study abroad, you can email us at studyabroad@usac.edu.