France or Japan as Exchange student?
Okay so next year i've decided to go overseas as a foreign exchange student but I don't know which country to go to. I'm tossing up between France and Japan. Anyways I was wondering if anyone had any good experiences or bad experiences or both and how they treat foreigners. etc Thanks so much everyone (:
Studying Abroad - 3 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
i personally think that you should go to japan, because france is really similar to any other western country. they have some sightseeing stuff, but i dont think that that is too interesting. japan has a totally different culture. they eat differently, their food is different...but if you dont like squishy places, then i dont think that you should go to japan.
2 :
French people don't speak English unless they absolutely have to. You'd be expected to use some French. But i don't say this from personal experience. It's just what friends who went to France told me.
3 :
I'm in Germany right now with Rotary as an exchange student, so of course I have a little bit of a bias towards Europe! Have you studied French or Japanese? If so, I would choose the country that you have more of a language background in. I have taken German for 4 years, so my transition to the language was easier than some of my friends who have never studied German. If you don't have language skills in either, then it's a tougher decision! It's going a lot different than being a tourist, so you can't believe the stories of being treated badly by the French just because you're American (no personal experience here, just a common thing I've heard). I think both cultures would be very fascinating. Perhaps in France you might have more of a party lifestyle, but that's just speaking from my experience with Germany. All in all, just go with your gut. Pick the one that sounds the most interesting/fun to you. Don't discount a country just because you've heard a couple negative things about it. It's your year! Make the most of it! Good luck!
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