Hey, Cedarville!
My name is Juliana Mantz and I am now a senior (excuse me, what?!) marketing major at Cedarville. I wrote a blog a while ago that you should stop and read before reading this! This semester I had the opportunity to study abroad in the south of France, from January to the middle of April. I wish I could put into words how absolutely incredible it was, but I can’t. I can, though, give you some details about my semester, in hopes of you feeling like you studied abroad with me! 🙂
In my previous blog, I mentioned how I arrived and classes started almost immediately. Classes met once a week, and for three hours at a time. I thought this class schedule would gradually get easier as I got more used to it, but, alas, it did not! The only plus side of this was that I got a long weekend: Thursday-Sunday!
I took International Business, International Marketing, Digital Marketing, and Financial Analysis and Decision Making. Each of my professors were from different countries and backgrounds, which was such a neat experience. Each of the classes were interesting and I learned a ton, except let’s just say I will see some of you in Principles of Finance this upcoming fall semester.
Throughout the semester, I was able to travel to seven different countries, and various towns within France as well. Train and airplane tickets were extremely inexpensive, so with that factor and my long weekends, it made trips easily possible.
There are no adequate words to describe how breathtaking the views I saw were, how critical the lessons I learned were, and how amazing the experiences I had were.
I want to take time to explain some lessons I learned while abroad.
My roommate and very best friend, Molly Ball, came with me to France. Actually, she was the one who pretty much put the idea of studying abroad in my mind, so here’s her shoutout. I was blessed to have gone through this experience with a believer, so we could keep each other accountable. Without chapels daily and no access to a church in English, prioritizing both of our walks with Christ was challenged. I had to create a schedule to fit in time in the Word and in conversation with the Lord every morning. We blocked out Sunday afternoons/evenings to watch church.
It was challenging at times, but because it was my own choice to make time for Jesus, I have never felt more connected to Him! It might have been hard not to have a Christian community around us, but it was so sweet to have a scheduled time to spend time with the Lord, and I looked forward to being refreshed and revived by time with Him. It was also such an incredible outreach opportunity for us with our other study abroad friends, to be open about our beliefs and faith.
The other lesson I learned while abroad was to appreciate the little, mundane things God has placed in our lives. Okay, let’s be honest, NOTHING was mundane while living in FRANCE, but still…!
In my other blog I emphasized how I crave to be on the go and see new things as much as I can. So, on the weekends I was traveling with friends, I was thriving. On the weekends we were at our apartment at home and having a slower weekend, I struggled more. It might sound silly and ridiculous that I was antsy while being at home in France, but it is so hard for me to have time to rest and do absolutely nothing.
I learned this semester to soak in the peaceful moments. Like waking up to the old man on the street playing his accordion. Or having Mexican dinner nights with study abroad friends. Walking the streets and grabbing a baguette at the market for lunch. Like reading the Bible while looking out on the Mediterranean Sea, or sitting on the coast in a rainstorm with tears streaming down my face that this life is so beautiful. I could go on and on with the little moments.
All this to say, I learned to stop. To look around, to soak in an everyday activity and find joy in it. Now that I am back, I am kicking myself that I was anxious to go on the next adventure when I was legitimately sitting in my apartment in the south of France. But, because I learned this lesson abroad, I can greater appreciate the mundane moments in my life. Because every moment and blessing and hardship in my life serve a greater purpose in my story that God is writing!
Lastly, I just want to express how much I learned and grew in my mental health journey while abroad. I could write a blog solely about mental health, my journey, and feelings about how crucial it is to prioritize. Please reach out if you want to hear more about it, and if you need someone who understands what you might be struggling with!
It was so hard to live life for the last few months because I knew what I was living would be what I will be talking about as the best months of my life. How do you live well when you know this? I could talk about studying abroad for years and I think I will. It was the best semester of my life.
All this to say, please study abroad. You will be forced outside of your comfort zone. You will learn so much about yourself and your Creator. You will be challenged. You will be such a better human after it.
Majoring in Marketing
- Hometown: Kettering, OH
- Coffee Order: Iced Chai Latte with Vanilla Cold Foam from Starbucks
- Favorite Bible Verse: Nahum 1:7
Tags: #experiences, #FrenchRiviera, #studyabroad
Posted in: Study Abroad