Findings Friends and a Community in France

Location:
Le Puy-en-Velay, France
Latitude/Longitude:
45.042768000000, 3.882936000000
Journal Entry:

Living in another country and leaving behind your culture and customs can be a challenge. When I began my journey in October, I thought that integrating into my new community would be a piece of cake. I had studied abroad and spent a summer interning in different parts of France, so why would moving to Le Puy be any different? Then I realized there was one big difference: I didn't know anyone in Le Puy. Before, I had had friends from my university that I met and lived with. NowI was all on my own. Without my usual network of friends, I found myself getting lonely. If I was going to make friends and truly integrate into the community, I was going to have to meet new people through my work and hobbies. 

One of the first ways I met new people was through singing, an old passion of mine. I joined a choir that meets every week during Thursday evenings at a performing arts center in town. At first, I was very shy and didn't talk to my fellow choir members. Then we started singing a song in English, and the choir director asked me to read the song aloud so everyone could hear the correct pronunciation of the words. This helped to break the ice! Little by little, I began to introduce myself to the ladies sitting around me.

Pages