Global Stories: Emily Cox, Pau, France

November 28, 2018 7-min. read

Major: Business Administration – Human Resource Management, International Studies, and French
School: University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour
Location: Pau, France

Bonjour from Emily (Sept. 2018)

Bonjour tout le monde! My name is Emily Cox and I am a junior studying Business Administration (HR) and International Studies as a Hamilton Scholar, as well as French. This semester, I am studying abroad in Pau, France at the Universitéde Pau et de Pays de l’Adour.

As my majors might suggest, I have always loved all things international and especially anything Francophone. I’ve known that I wanted to study abroad for a long time – not only is the experience of getting to live in another country obviously super fun, but international experiences are so valuable to employers as well as for personal growth.

Pau is a small town in southwestern France in the Aquitaine region (of which Bordeaux is the capital, for reference) and is very close to the Pyrenees mountain range on the Spanish border. I chose to go to Pau with a non-NCSU program because I knew I wanted to study in the south of France and in a small town where I could effectively improve my French – we toured Paris for 5 days before coming to Pau and it is extremely hard to get someone to speak French with you in Paris!

Also, this program had the option to do a homestay instead of a residence hall and this has been an awesome experience so far, both for the opportunity to converse with my host family every day as well as learn firsthand about the French culture and cultivate local relationships. Not too many people here speak English and the day-to-day experience is very traditionally French. My host mom is an AWESOME cook too!

Although every day has its challenges and culture shock is very real, I’ve adapted to life here more and more every day in my first week, and it’s beyond gratifying to consider all the areas where I’ve improved. I look forward to sharing my experiences with everyone; thanks for reading!

Emily’s First Impressions of Pau (Oct. 2018)

It has been almost exactly a month since I arrived in Pau and what a busy month it’s been! I’ve traveled in the French and Spanish Basque countries several weekends, which are conveniently located very close to the beach. I’ve started classes, which are usually 2 hours long and I’ll have 2 or 3 of them a day. I’ve made some awesome friends from all over the world and have learned so much already about life in France!

A lot of my favorite memories so far in Pau involve exploring the small centre-ville(downtown) area. Pau basically consists of the downtown and University areas surrounding by small “villages” of neighborhoods, where I live. It’s small enough to navigate easily, but I know I won’t get to try even half of the restaurants before I leave. There are fountains in almost every square and you’ll see all sorts of people and families out and about on the weekend especially. That’s also where King Henry IV’s chateau is located – set against a backdrop of the Pyrenees mountains – which is such a cool sight to see almost every time I go downtown.

The most unique things here are the processes that you take for granted at home that you are familiar with – grocery shopping, university administration, even paying at a restaurant. Not only is it less common to pay by credit card here, but you are also expected to have almost exact change (which is impossible if you’re always giving away your change), and should probably go to the bank to exchange any big bills. However, I am thankful to be growing more flexible everyday and learning patience that makes me even more empathetic towards the international travelers I encounter all the time at home.

Despite these trivial inconveniences that test my very American patience, I love my small town. The weather is warm and so are the people. I can’t believe I only have two and a half months left in France! So much left to see, do and learn.

Emily Took a Trip to… Biarritz! (Nov. 2018)

On one of the last warm weekends of this year, my friends and I made sure to take a trip to Biarritz, France, which is a very popular beach town on the southern Atlantic coast and only about an hour and a half from Pau. The beach was beautiful, and we stayed on the shore all day. Many people come to Biarritz to surf and it’s really cool to watch them show off their skills.
Early in the day, an older woman came up to our group and asked if she could leave her stuff with us while she swam. We were a little wary of this interaction with a stranger, but we ended up having a really great conversation with this woman, who was originally from Toulouse. She explained the history of beaches and coastal communities in France, which were not popular nor very developed until social reform movements in the 1930’s mandated paid vacation for workers, which allowed many to experience leisurely vacation for the first time. It ended up being a great way to practice French as well as learn a lot from her.

That night, we returned to the beach from our Airbnb to see one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. We walked the length of the beach to the lighthouse until the sun finally went down! Biarritz was definitely one of my favorite memories in France so far.

Parting Thoughts (Dec. 2018)

It’s crazy that I only have 2 and a half weeks left in Pau!! I’ve had an awesome experience here. I’ve always been inclined to love anything international and learning about other cultures, but there are some things you can only learn abroad. The way that people think and live is different than what I am used to but being put out of my comfort zone is always the best way to grow. My favorite thing has been the immersive language experience – I definitely recommend a small town with a host family if you are looking to improve. I was also able to do an immersive program that was pretty much all French courses. If you can take your business major courses in your target language or get courses for a minor or 201 or 300-level credits, it’s really great to hear French all day every day, and to put into practice in your daily conversations the things you are learning.

Something that has been less “fun” for me has been the inconveniences that come with a collective society – waiting for buses, trains, not being able to go out on Sundays, travel difficulties due to strikes, none of those are things anyone necessarily enjoys. However, it’s great to see a society that works this way – families spend time together on Sundays, the country is united on a lot of the issues that strikers are against (not necessarily the strikes themselves), and everyone who steps off the bus (in my town, at least) says “Merci, au revoir!” to the driver every single time.

I’m excited to come back to the U.S. where everything is familiar, but it was important for me to learn that I am capable of adapting to the unfamiliar! I’ve also learned what I appreciate about home, which can be hard when you’re there. I still have a couple weeks left to travel in Paris, Normandy, the Alps, Berlin, London and Dublin during winter break, but I am happy to be going home to the Wolfpack!