Erica Love, Pitt in D.C.-Brussels Summer 2023
Though spending time abroad may present many challenges to daily life, the most difficult thing I found while on my maymester program in Brussels, Belgium was being the only person on the trip capable of speaking the local language conversationally. As a French major, I was very enthusiastic to be able to apply my language skills almost 24/7 while in Brussels, and I am rather confident in my abilities. But with that said, it was sometimes hard on me as basically the only French speaker capable of communicating through more complex situations outside of ordering food, getting around the town, etc.
For one thing, I do have faith in myself to communicate and get things done, but the point where I realized that others were relying on me exclusively changed things. This pressure was often frustrating; a few specific situations come to mind that challenged me in unexpected ways. To preface these, it is true that English is widely spoken in Brussels, especially given that it is the hub of the European Union and other international bodies. However, outside of that quarter of Brussels, and in small businesses and everyday Belgian infrastructure, English monolingualism does not suffice.
With that said, medical-related things were primarily difficult for me to navigate. Of course, apps like Google Translate are readily available and easy to use for anglophones, and I did willingly choose in the beginning of the trip to help speak for others and translate for them in conversation. But this had become too much for me in a few instances when people’s severe allergies to food were at stake and we were dealing with traditional, francophone restaurants.
The other biggest pressure-point I faced in this situation was navigating and figuring out transportation on the large scale.The local metro was definitely a breeze for all of us, but when some of my fellow students and I chose to travel to France and then another city in Belgium for a weekend via train, there were a few hiccups that could only be solved with real-time, face-to-face conversations which only I was capable of having. This meant I was standing for the group and further taking the blame when things would sometimes go wrong. Nothing majorly bad happened; we were all figuring out the train system, especially the French TGV (high speed train) together, but it was hard on me feeling like I had become the main person responsible for us all since I spoke the language well enough.
I suppose the way I overcame this difficulty was by setting more boundaries with myself, telling myself in a sense that it is not impossible for the other students to communicate or get around themselves and that I don’t need to put myself in situations where I am uncomfortable with being too responsible for others. Though this challenge came from a place of me wanting to help others, as well as knowing I was capable of speaking the language and wanting to use it, these scenarios did show me that I do not need to take on unnecessary burdens, especially when I am already in an unfamiliar environment.
For anyone else finding themselves in a similar situation, I would encourage them to look out for themselves first and foremost and to make sure that they are not uncomfortable to the point of stress in helping others communicate or get by. And, I would certainly tell anyone traveling to a foreign country to learn as much of the language as possible as well as have a phrasebook or notes prepared, especially if they have special circumstances they might need to communicate to service people. Our generation is so unbelievably lucky to have the internet and phones that can make staying in a country where you don’t speak the language possible. But, I think overall this experience has highlighted to me that we should not rely on those things—or others—and should come into these environments as prepared as reasonably possible.
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