French student loves USU’s relaxed atmosphere
Utah Statesman: Where are you from?
Lauren Ayne: Montpellier, France. It is in southern France on the Mediterranean.
US: What is the best thing about living in Logan?
LA: I really like skiing. I usually only ski one week every year during vacation because we live at sea level.
US: Why did you decide to come to USU?
LA: I have family around here and I thought it would be a good experience to improve my English. I am American and French so it would be good to live in the states and see how it is here. I’ve only come here in the summer and I never got to experience active life in the U.S.
US: What do you love about USU?
LA: Everyone here is very welcoming here and there is a lot less competition between students. It is more relaxed.
US: What do you miss about France?
LA: I miss the food, my friends and my house. It is hard being far from everybody. I miss not being able to go home on the weekends and for Spring Break.
US: What is better about the U.S.?
LA: The teachers are nicer in the classes and they are more forgiving, patient and the school days are so long in France. Here I can have time for myself.
US: What is it that makes French food better?
LA: It is way better because the dishes are more sophisticated. They spend a lot of time on the presentation. Here there are a lot of chain restaurant but France isn’t that way. In America you can have the same thing everywhere, like Olive Garden, where in France every restaurant has its own specialty.
US: When you get free time what do you do with it?
LA: I go skiing and spend time with my family and friends. I hang out with my lovely roommates.
US: Why did you choose your career path?
LA: I have always wanted to be a veterinarian ever since I was little. It never changed. I volunteered at an animal shelter in France and I always had animals at home. I was always involved in horseback riding so I’ve always taken an interest in animals.
US: The rumor in America is that French girls don’t shave their armpits. Is this true?
LA: No, and the only person I know that had hairy armpits was my biology teacher and she was really stinky. She was all about nature and said it was natural. I have never seen a girl with hairy armpits at school but if I did people would probably make fun of her.
US: How are you connected to American culture while living in France?
LA: Some of the media, movies, television channels and the Internet are from the U.S. We don’t only talk about French stuff, we talk about important things that happen in America because America is so important in the world. All the movies that are famous here are famous in France, they just translate them.
US: What is your hometown like?
LA: It is really close to the beach and during the summer there are a lot of tourists. It was voted the number one place for young people in France because it is really active and transportation is really good. It is almost always sunny and a lot of people want to move there because of this weather.
–catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu