Living the Princeton dream, for a year

Maybe you have met one. There are very few. They are the ones who hesitate when they are asked if they are class of 2009 or 2008. They attend the International Pre-Orientation though they are no longer 18. About 10 students from Oxford, two from South Korea, two from Sciences Po in Paris (including me) are currently on campus to live the "Princeton dream" for a semester or a year.

People who see me using a map often ask, "You're a freshman?" Half annoyed — this is my third year after high school graduation — I answer, "No. An exchange student."

"How's the visit?"

The visit is exciting, fascinating and fulfilling.

I discovered Facebook. I also discovered other ways of studying. Reading 300 pages per week for my Woody Woo class instead of writing 10 essays in a semester. Discovering the names of American authors: "Sorry, sir. How do you spell DeLillo?"

Learning to participate all the time even when I don't have something particularly clever or original to add. Understanding German with an American accent when I speak German with a French accent.

I wasn't used to being so taken care of in France. Here, someone helped me choose my classes, and someone gave me advice on what activities to join. If I were homesick or if I were to discover an attraction to women, someone would help me. Coming from a country where people are more formal, cynical and independent, this is simply astonishing. I still can't prevent myself from smiling when the janitor asks me, "Hey honey, do you need help?"

I have learned to live differently here. In France, "college" means middle school. My only encounter with the residential college system was through watching Harry Potter. Even after four weeks at Princeton, I still am under the impression that I am living in a country club.

The culture shock is also quite evident when it comes to extracurricular activities. Aware of Quipfire!'s great importance in the Ivy League, I decided to try out for it. I saw as many Triangle Shows as I could. I joined the Intramural Ultimate team, though I had never played frisbee before — an American sport! I went to the Student Activities Fair and now receive as many emails as an average Princeton student. Too bad I didn't bring a trolley along, because I could have gone shopping for a week. I guess "free food" is one of Princeton's biggest institutions.

Being an exchange student means having slightly different concerns than regular Princetonians. We are generally a little less concerned about grades and very eager to travel. One of my goals this year was to go up the Empire State Building and send home as many pictures I could. I wanted to do all the touristy activities. As a matter of fact, I already have my tickets for the Yankees and for a Broadway musical. I also plan to travel during breaks; because studying abroad is mandatory in my school for third-year students, I have friends all over the Americas.

Very quickly, though, I have already changed my habits as a Sciences Po student and disguised myself as an authentic Princeton student. I wait in line for the machines at Dillon Gym. I follow my friends to the Street which is, of course, very different from Paris' nightlife. I use the word "awesome" as much as I can and recently discovered the phrase "socially awkward," which I quite appreciate now.

I can't wait to attend the American football game against Harvard. Sometimes I forget that though my ID says "2009," I will no longer be in the United States by then. I've learned the lyrics to "Old Nassau." I don't dare walk out the FitzRandolph Gate though I know I will never graduate from Princeton. And I know I am not the only exchange student at Princeton.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

At Princeton, I have already learned a different way of studying and communicating. Studying abroad is a wonderful experience. I will feel a little sad when I leave all these little families that Princeton has created for me — the University community, the college and the RCA group — even though they will be mine for only a year. Soleine Leprince, a visiting student, is a History and International and Public Affairs major from Paris, France. She can be reached at leprince@princeton.edu.