10 questions to Abigail WhyteInternational student at UA

Abigail Whyte is an Australian student from the University of New England (UNE), located in the town of Armidale in Eastern Australia. She is currently studying Old French and Latin at the Faculty of Languages, Humanities and Social Sciences and will stay in Angers for 5 months. She has kindly agreed to answer our questions about her background and experience in France. 

First name: Abigail
Last name: Whyte
Age: 53
Nationality: Australian
Educational background: 
My first degree was in chemical engineering. After a few years of working in the dairy industry, I moved into accountancy. In 2015 my husband’s professional situation changed and I suddenly had more time. I was helping one of my sons with his French homework and I realised that I enjoyed it and missed it. So I enrolled at the University of New England (UNE) to learn French… and fell head over heels in love with Latin. 8 years later here I am in Angers! UNE is unusual in that about 75% of their students study off-campus, and many of those are mature-age. The vast majority of our courses are remote or hybrid. It works really well.

Where do you come from? Can you describe how it is there?

I was living in Geelong on the Southern coast of Australia, Victoria's second-largest city, and recently moved to Melbourne, the state capital. Melbourne is probably the closest thing I have to a hometown – one of my sisters lives there and my mother has a place there too. 
Melbourne is a fabulous city. It has got a lot of culture. It is renowned for its coffee. It has an excellent culinary scene and the restaurants are fantastic. There is also the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The Greater Melbourne area has a population of over 5 million.
It’s a classy town. It’s not brash like Sydney, it’s not garish like Perth, and not just for retirees like Adelaide, (and each of those cities will hate that characterisation).

Why did you choose Angers and the University of Angers?

At my home university, each language student is required to do 2 semesters in the country of their target language. And for each language, it has links with two different universities. So I had the choice between Angers and Saint-Etienne. This is my second time here – the last time was about 6 years ago. 
Angers is a medieval town with a lot of history, the city of the Plantagenets dynasty, and a student town where I could study what I wanted… whereas to the best of my knowledge, Saint-Etienne is a post-industrial town that hasn’t got a lot going for it. And you can’t study Latin there. So it really wasn’t a difficult decision!
For my second semester abroad, I briefly considered looking at Saint-Etienne but again all of the reasons why I chose Angers in the first place were still there.

How did your arrival in Angers go? What about your first weeks in Angers and at UA?

I knew the city already but a lot changed in 6 years. The tram runs up to the university now – it’s fabulous! And the tram sounds exactly the same as back in Melbourne, so every time I hear the tram ding it’s like a little touch of home, and the tram style is quite similar. 
Last time I came it was difficult because I arrived on a Sunday without realising that all the shops are shut on Sundays and so I didn’t have any food! This time round I turned up on a Friday. Also this time the owner of the place where I am staying came and collected me from the train station – which was really nice. I also knew that I had to go and buy some emergency supplies straight away so that I wouldn't be without food on Sunday.

Do you enjoy living in France and in Angers? What do you like here?

My interest is in ancient and medieval history. Australia has an incredibly long and rich history but it does not have the millennia-old built environment that can be found in Europe. Things are genuinely old here. And so being able to easily visit chateaux and see real half-timbered houses just walking down the street is just so delightful. 
Partly because much of Europe is fairly compact and you’ve got excellent public transport systems, it’s also actually very straightforward to go places. You don’t have to have a car. And the train system is brilliant. Last weekend I took a train out to Saumur and I am planning on going to Lyon next weekend for my birthday. I also really like that UA’s International Office has organised various trips.
There’s an adage that says: “In Australia, a hundred years is a long time. In Europe a hundred miles is a long way!”. In Australia, some people commute 70-80 kilometres to go to work each day. Whereas doing that here in Angers would be insane. 
Aside from the built environment, I love the food. One of my favourite French dishes is moules-frites. In Australia, mussels are quite big and chewy whereas here they are delicate and so cheap. I don’t actually need the frites. Just give me a big pot of moules marinières and some lovely fresh bread and I am in heaven! 
At UNE I have also done a Master’s in Ancient History and my research project was on ancient Roman recipes for cheese making. Last time I was in Angers I sampled 48 different French cheeses for my 48th birthday!

What do you miss about your country?

I miss my family, I miss my boys. They are 23 and 20. I miss the sunshine, the warmth and the beaches. I miss speaking my own language too. My French isn’t awful but it’s not great – so it can be a little isolating but on the other hand, there are so many things to try and I can’t study Old French in Australia – as far as I know, there just aren’t any Old French courses there!

What are your hobbies and interests back in Australia?

I did roller derby in the past. It’s fun! As someone described it, it’s like “playing chess on skates while bricks are thrown at you”! I also used to sing in a choir and some dance classes, played field hockey as a goalie and got my black belt in taekwondo. I also really miss my dogs - we have two rescue greyhounds, and they are the laziest, sweetest dogs.

What do you think this mobility experience will bring you (study-wise and on a personal level)?

Back in Australia, I was involved in an Old French reading group. We went through the Chanson de Roland for instance and I really enjoyed it because old French is a combination of my 3 languages: modern French, modern English and classical Latin. 
The course I have been doing here in Angers is exactly as I hoped and I’m delighted with it. I’m also buying a number of books that you just can’t get in Australia. 

What are your future plans?

Following recent changes in my personal life, I will have to reinvent, to recreate myself.
Also now that my kids are older and independent, for the first time in my life I am not geographically constrained.  
I want to continue studying and I’d like to take a course at the Sorbonne in Paris. But I first need to reach C2 level in French, which is not the case yet.

Anything else you'd like to share?

I would love to encourage other mature-age people to give it a burl*.

Thank you Abigail!

* Give it a burl : expression mainly used in Australia and New Zealand meaning “to try something”