First two weeks in HWS - what it is really like to work and study in an American college

It's only been two weeks I've started in Hobart and William Smith Colleges but it feels like I've been here forever – I feel home, there's a nice atmosphere and everybody is friendly, colleagues, professors or students.

As a Fulbright grantee, my main role here is to teach my language but I am also allowed to attend two courses per semester. I only teach two classes (a beginner one and an intermediate one) three times a week and I also lead a language table every Tuesday where the goal is to get the students to hold a conversation in French on different topics.

Before starting I was afraid about the very little age and maturity difference I could have with my future students but fortunately, most of them are between 18 and 20 and still behave like teenagers (ok I’m not very fair here because it’s not the majority of them but still...). They are all nice and polite and take their education quite seriously in general. Well, it’s more that they take college seriously: not only do they work hard for their courses but they are also very involved in campus life, playing sports or joining different clubs and events and of course they're really into partying... When I go back home late in the evening (when I’m kind enough to wait until my German housemate has finished her day at 9pm), I pass many houses were college parties seem huge – the music is loud and everyone holds a red cub. How cliché.

Colleges here are so different from the ones in France – it's a completely different experience and there's one thing for sure, I would have absolutely loved to complete my education in the US.

First of all, and unlike in French colleges and universities, campuses are literally small communities – they're HUGE (even mine which only counts 2000 students), you sometimes have to walk long distances to go from one building to another to attend your different classes and everyone (students and staff) is proud to belong to their colleges/universities and they largely show it wearing t-shirts/jumpers with the college's initials. Most students live on campus, they sleep in dorms, they play sports or go to cultural / extracurricular activities on campus and they have breakfast, lunch and dinner at the college cafeteria. And speaking of the cafeteria... I was expecting disgusting fat and greasy American food but no folks – my cafeteria is heaven on earth really. There's so many options and so much choice everyday and for every meal! Omelettes and pancakes cooked in front of your eyes for breakfast ; fresh salads, sandwiches, veggie pizzas, and various hot dishes for lunch and dinner. There's also a faculty cafeteria only opened to faculty members but unfortunately I can hardly go there as they only serve food from 11.45am to 1.00pm and I usually have classes at that time. Their desserts are amazing, so it's actually maybe a good thing that I can't go too often because I already eat too much peanut butter...

One thing I’ve noticed as soon as I started teaching is that the relationship students have with their professors is extremely different from what I've experienced when I was a student myself in France. Although, they (usually) still call their professors by their titles, relationships are much less formal and more friendly. Professors are available at (nearly) all times via email to reply to students' questions and again unlike France, they have office hours every week which means they have to stay in their office if students want to meet them to talk about the course (or about anything else!). As classes never count more than 30 students in general, professors know their students which is not the case in a crowded French amphitheater... I have to admit I love it this way, it's much nicer and it sets a really good atmosphere in the class, no one ever really feels apart or shy.

Regarding the two courses I’m attending, this semester I chose to start learning Italian and lucky me, my professor is actually my housemate, Sara so this makes my time in her class really cool and relaxing. I've always wanted to learn Italian so this was a good opportunity. My other class only occurs once a week and it's a 3 hour lecture about feminist theory. We're only 16 (15 girls and one guy) and we spend most of the course talking and expressing our opinions about the book we had to read for the week (we have to read one book per week and trust me, they’re huge and complex). I've realised that I never really stopped studying – guess I'm bound to be a student forever.

The workload is quite heavy between the classes we lead and the courses we need to attend (and all the readings going along with it...), plus impromptu meetings several times a week... It’s intense but very interesting, I learn a lot everyday and I really enjoy my time here. What I also love here is that I feel completely included by everyone in the college – we (my housemates and I) are always invited to cultural or international events, faculty members want us to become part of the campus community and it's extremely pleasant. I feel important here.

Geneva is a lovely city but I can’t wait to travel! We're going on a daytrip to Niagara Falls today and we’re also planning on going to Boston for a long weekend in October and then of course NYC is on my bucket list as well as Miami and Canada...

But in the meantime, here are some photos of gorgeous Seneca Lake in Geneva...