While studying abroad last summer in Biarritz, France, on her way to class, Camila Soto (10) stopped by a local bakery called Boulangerie Kleber. There, she would buy a freshly baked pain au chocolat, a chocolate-filled croissant. These authentic, hand-made croissants are commonly found in  Biarritz, a bustling city on the southern coast of France where Soto stayed last summer. Over two weeks, Soto soon made friends with the baker, something that encouraged her to come out of her shell and work on her French. 

Through this ritual, Soto said she felt as though she was a lifelong French citizen.

“The experience of walking to class and passing by the French bakery made it feel like it was actually my life, not just a vacation—that I was living in France,” Soto said. “If I were late, I would just buy [a pain au chocolat] and eat it on the way, but a couple of times, my roommate Ruth, and I would get a sandwich and split it for lunch. It was really nice having that little part become routine for the time I was there. It really made you feel like you were living there and immersing in the culture.”

Their normal day would consist of walking 10 minutes to her French language class. After the two-hour school day, they would get an hour break before joining a group activity like going to a museum, learning to surf, or visiting a castle. Often, she ate dinner with her host family. At night, students in the program could go out until 11 p.m. on weeknights and 3 a.m. on weekends.

Soto originally got the idea to study abroad after seeing a newspaper advertisement for the program and decided to go because of her passion for learning and eagerness for new experiences.

Before going to Biarritz, the group toured Paris, where Soto said she enjoyed the Louvre and a small farmer’s market.

After visiting Paris, the students traveled to Biarritz and met their host families. 

“They were really nice,” Soto said.  “They would try to speak French to you in order to help you be more immersed.”

Through the widespread agency that the program gave Soto, she became less shy and more confident in her abilities to make decisions for herself and talk to strangers. According to Soto, the biggest impact of studying abroad was how it helped her social life.

“I think, in general, talking to people [was something that changed me], because one thing that I realized when I was over there was that if I had a problem, I couldn’t just go to my parents,” Soto said. “If I had a small problem, I had to figure it out on my own.”

Once Soto came back from the trip, she said she found herself speaking up for herself.

“At the beginning of sophomore year, I had my schedule messed up,” Soto said. “I feel like before, I would have just left it because I tried to fix it already. But after the trip, I really didn’t mind going to the counselor and explaining the error in my schedule.”

After Soto had come out of her shell, she was able to experience the full spectrum of cultures and experiences that were around her. 

“I think I’m a little bit more outgoing after [my study abroad] because it was out of [my] comfort zone,” Soto said. “You get to experience things that you wouldn’t hear and talk to people you wouldn’t normally talk to. Even just at the layover in the airport, I talked with two girls from Italy and one girl from Spain who was staying in Arizona. It was just a wide variety of experiences that I got to learn about.”

With the influence of other members of the group, Soto became more adventurous while in Biarritz. 

“We started our night off at the beach, then we walked down to the water where there was a beautiful sunset,” Soto said. “After sunset ended we met people from Sweden that were interested in how life was in the different places where we live. It was definitely scary, but especially having those other people that had a lot more life experience than me, they helped me get out of my shell and try things I would not have done before the trip.”

In the end, Soto said she grew as a person from her experience and believes it will have a long-lasting impact on her. 

“Trying new things,” Soto said. “And having new experiences like this one carries on throughout your whole life so if given the opportunity you should do it.”