Lilloise pour toujours: 5 Months in 1 Minute

A Brief Preface

In January 2022, I took my first plane ride ever across the Atlantic, touching down in Lille, a city in the north of France, cozied up to the Franco-Belgian border. It was a place that I eventually learned like the back of my hand, a place where I made memories that I’ll never let go of, and a place that I called home for five months.

When I discuss my study abroad experience in France, I never want to be dishonest. I never want to sell the image of a romantic European getaway that sounds more like a vacation than a learning experience. I never want to tell people it was a breeze or the most natural thing that I’ve ever done. In truth, it was one of the most difficult experiences I’ve ever undergone, and one of which I think could be one of the most difficult things anyone could do. However, all of the discomfort of shedding my American exterior and stepping into the French way of life provided me with an invaluable experience.

The adversity I faced and the hurdles I overcame were essential to my growth and development abroad. I learned to go with the flow of life. To enjoy slow moments along with the fast. To understand cultural differences on a minute level. I made friends from every walk of life, in every corner of the world. But, I also struggled with housing issues, academic adjustment, an unexpected staycation at the local hospital, and the classic language barrier to come to these conclusions. Not everything was picture-perfect, but it was integral to the cultural immersion experience that was so deeply important to me.

I want to preface my video compilation with this because though my video showcases the beauty of France, as well as other places I traveled to, it doesn’t show the hardships. You don’t photograph things that you don’t want to remember, and frankly, when discussing study abroad, many people are afraid to represent the multi-faceted experience that it is. It’s okay that my study abroad had rough patches; studying abroad is about living abroad and life is full of difficult experiences you have to work through. Despite this, I would do it all over again, hardships and all, if I could have the good that made this experience so worth every minute of those not-so-great moments.

There is a term in French to describe one who is from Lille, which is feminized as “Lilloise.” Though I’m not from Lille, I believe that I reserve the right to wear my Lilloise badge of honor due to the trial by fire that I experienced. It made my cultural learning richer, experiencing the France that they don’t show you in travel pamphlets. Yet, I look back in fondness on my time there. And though studying abroad is a unique experience in time for many, building a brief little life, a bit of Lille sticks around with me wherever I go. I have said it before, but I’ll say it again for you all: Lilloise pour toujours. Lilloise forever.

The clips I will show you next are just a small portion of why I say this. But in this, you don’t see and know all the lovely people that I met, feel a night out on the town after a few cherry beers, and you don’t see the ugly that made me grow into a better person than I was when I left. Those are moments that can’t be photographed or videotaped.

Those are the moments of a study abroad that you’ll have to find out for yourself. It is hard, yes, but it is formative and unforgettable. If you’re considering it, don’t be afraid of the imperfect but rather look forward to the adventures in between and take the leap into a place unknown.

Thank you and please enjoy some of the pretty parts of Lille and beyond.

- Grace Figueroa (ISEP Exchange, Spring 2022 to Université de Lille in Lille, France)