Studying as an Athlete Abroad – Staying Active in Rennes

When I decided to spend my summer studying abroad in France, I had a lot of questions: Would I be able to speak French with my host family? Would the French classes be difficult? Could I adapt to the cultural differences? All these unanswered questions filled me with worry, but in addition to these worries, I had one more important concern: How would I stay active during my time in France?

Let me start by explaining that I am a division 1 soccer player, so I knew that staying in Rennes for a summer meant that I needed to find ways to stay active. Typically, I would have my routine at home that would prepare me for the upcoming soccer season, but being away from home also meant being away from my comfort zone when it comes to staying active. I was concerned about being in a different country and going on runs alone, or the difficulty of finding a field where I could practice in Rennes. With these concerns in mind, I emailed my program directors asking them for suggestions, and with their help, I was able to have an amazing experience and make local friends practicing with a pre-professional soccer team in Rennes.

I was invited to practice with this team two times a week for four weeks during the beginning of my eight-week program. The weekdays that I had practice would consist of my courses in the morning and afternoon, then free time with my classmates after school before returning to my host family and taking the bus to the soccer fields. At first, I was anxious to practice with a team that I didn’t know, especially in a language that I was still learning, but after some time I looked forward to every practice because I knew I would get to learn something new about the culture of soccer from a French perspective. For example: when you arrive to practice you make sure you say hello to everyone and shake their hand, or how instead of saying “good job” to encourage a teammate you say “bien joué.”

This unique experience of being able to play with a team also allowed me to meet new friends from Rennes and gave me the opportunity to practice my French with others. These new relationships were super exciting to me because I was able to meet up with my new friends outside of soccer and explore the city from a local perspective. I learned where the best restaurants were in Rennes, where to go to shop for trendy clothes, or even French slang words and phrases, which are super funny. Talking in French with my new friends wasn’t as scary as I thought either. They found it super interesting that I was learning French and speaking with them helped me grow my confidence in my knowledge of the language.

Before I knew it, the team’s season had ended, and I had just finished my last practice with them. I was sad that it was over and that my time with them had finished, but I knew that this opened more opportunities for me to stay active in Rennes in my own way. Now, with the season over, I’ve found myself exploring Rennes more than I ever have. Despite my worries, there is no lack of public soccer fields in Rennes, so often after school I find myself taking the bus 15 minutes to a new soccer field in the area. Now, more than ever, I feel like my worries of staying active in Rennes have turned into excitement. Initially, what I thought could be a constraint has allowed me to discover new places, new people, and allowed me to learn more about French culture.

Norah Roller 

Furman University 

CIEE-Rennes Summer Intensive French Language