Strasbourg, France may be a long way from Marion Patsalides home in Connecticut but she had a family looking out for her from the moment she arrived for her study abroad experience. Patsalides spent the fall semester with Claire Kreuger and her family at their home just a short walk from Syracuse University’s Strasbourg Center.
“One of the biggest benefits for me has been having people I can communicate with and get advice from on a daily basis. I’m still getting better at French, so being able to have someone who speaks English and French and understands the local customs really helped,” says Patsalides.
Kreuger and her husband are originally from Canada but have lived in Strasbourg for years.
“We love living in France and in particular living in Strasbourg. This is such a great city and a great country to live in. The best part of hosting students from Syracuse is getting to share this city with them and getting to see it through new eyes,” says Kreuger.
“Had I been in an apartment or a dorm, I really feel like I would have struggled a lot to manage getting groceries and planning my own meals all the time in a different country. I appreciate home cooked meals daily,” said Patsalides. “Having a family I could ask for help really saved me multiple times. I will always feel like I was lucky to end up with the Kreugers.”
Host families are much more than housing and meals. The Kreugers lent Patsalides a bicycle so she could explore the city.
“When you strike up the courage and get on a bike in Strasbourg, the world opens up at your feet. We live right in the city center so everything we need is within a 15 minute radius by walking, tram or cycling,” says Kreuger. “While Strasbourg is very conveniently located for weekend getaways to London, Berlin or Barcelona, there is a lot to see and do right outside our door.”
From little things like help finding a pharmacy to a welcoming home to come back to each night, Patasalides says the support she has received from the Kreugers has made her study abroad experience more enjoyable on multiple levels.
“Living with a host family absolutely adds to the experience of studying abroad. Both the advice I’ve gotten from Claire about assimilating to French culture and especially with working out how to interact with professors have really helped me,” says Patasalides. “I live in the middle of a beautiful city, but it’s been wonderful to have such a place to call home while I am here.”
