Forming the Squad

One of the many things I have learned while traveling abroad is the importance of having people you can depend on. Thankfully, it has been surprisingly easy to make friends during my trip. Even though we come from totally different walks of life from all over the country, we are all united under one thing: learning French. This week, I wanted to talk about the friends I have made on this trip so far and what I have learned from our new friendships.

Squad Member #1: Carson

Me! I was the first to join our 'yet-to-be' squad. I remember before I came on this trip and I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to make any friends. I am normally a pretty shy person, and so I feared I wouldn't click with anyone that was on my program. However that quickly changed when I met...

Squad Member #2: Cameron

Cameron was the very first friend I made while on this trip. I'm not sure what drew me to him: his kind demeanor, his French speaking abilities, the fact that he is almost the size of a tree. I didn't know. But, Cameron has taugh me a lot about conversational speaking in French and about having a steadfast work ethic. Even when others might question Cameron in English he responds in French so he may practice. Cameron is hardworking and an awesome friend to have during this program.

Squad Member #3: Daniel

Our two became three when Daniel started to hang around Cameron and me. What is truly interesting about this group is that everyone in it except me is vegetarian. However, no matter how much I tease and make fun of them for not eating meat, they never take it seriously –– especially Daniel. Both Daniel and the person I will show next have been speaking French for the past 11 years; it's impressive, I know! Daniel has taught me a lot about circumlocution when it comes to French. Circumlocution is a strategy used when studying another language when you lack the vocabulary to say exactly what you want to say. Instead you rephrase and describe the object rather than state it outright. Daniel always keeps going and tries to get his point across no matter what, and I admire him a lot in that respect.

Squad Member #4: Nikita

Taking up the last spot in our squad, we had Nikita, Daniel's twin brother. When Cameron and I began to hang around Daniel, it seemed only natural Nikita joined in too. I admire Nikita in that he always has his thoughts collected when speaking French. In addition, he has also spoken French for 11 years like Daniel, which renders him extremely well-versed in the language. Sometimes, our teacher will tell Nikita to slow down his speaking because she doesn't even understand him. I am so glad that I have met Nikita, and I've made a lot of memories with him so far.

Although these are the people I have spent the most time with, I definitely do not limit myself to them. What is so cool is that everyone on this program is here for a purpose, and therefore we can all talk with each other. I've attached some photos of other people in our program to show some memories they've made with their friends, so feel free to take a look!

Until next week...