Saison 2: (Veuillez noter que cet épisode est uniquement en anglais)-Embracing the Unexpected: A Journey of Discovery through France

Emily Harrington: Before we begin, we would like to recognize that this podcast is hosted from the traditional and unseated territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe. We at CBIE are grateful to have the opportunity to learn, work, and live on this land.[music]Emily: Welcome to Audio Alumni, a podcast that features both Canadian and international voices sharing their lived experiences of going abroad. These conversations offer insight into the opportunities, the challenges, and the transformational impact that an international experience can bring. In this season, we are talking about working and traveling overseas.You'll hear personal stories from our guests about what inspired their travels, what obstacles they had to overcome, and ultimately how their time abroad shaped their lives today. This podcast is brought to you by the Canadian Bureau for International Education or CBIE in partnership with International Experience Canada. CBIE is a national nonprofit association dedicated to supporting the Canadian international education sector in its global engagement through advocacy, capacity building, and partnerships.International Experience Canada or IEC gives Canadian citizens aged 18 to 35 the opportunity to work and travel abroad. IEC provides youth with a path to a work permit or visa to work and explore one of the 30 countries and territories. Taking part in IEC allows youth to gain valuable international work experience while exploring the world and finding inspiration. My name is Emily Harrington and I am so excited to be your host this season for Audio Alumni.[music]Emily: Today, we're speaking with Kathleen Mohammed, whose love for the arts motivated her to build her French language skills by traveling to France, first, to study the language and then become a tour guide at the Vimy Ridge Visitor Education Center. Kathleen firmly believes that all of life's adventures are waiting for those who are willing to take risks and grab opportunities. Hi, Kathleen, it is so nice to meet you. I am so excited to spend some time chatting with you today.Kathleen Mohammed: Yes, thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here.Emily: For anyone who does not know you already, can you give us a brief introduction?Kathleen: Yes. My name is Kathleen. I'm originally from Edmonton, Alberta, but I currently live in Victoria. I had my international broad experience in France in 2018. I studied there and I worked there for a year.Emily: That is fantastic. Now, what drove you to take on that experience in France?Kathleen: I always wanted to live somewhere where French was the official language. Growing up in Edmonton, I'm from an anglophone family, but I did French immersion. I was always learning French at school, but I felt like I never really got to fully immerse myself. I always, growing up, had this drive to be living somewhere where you would speak French every day. I looked at a few different countries, but, obviously, France is the natural call for the language. For me, it was definitely the language push to go there.Emily: Wonderful. Now, what was the process like of making that move?Kathleen: I had originally gone through an exchange through my school, so University of Alberta. I spoke with an exchange advisor and looked at a few different schools that were directly connected to the U of A. There were a few that already had an established agreement that I could go take classes there and it would be transferred back to my degree, which was a Bachelor of Science at the U of A. I looked through a few different schools, and there were actually more than I thought there would be.There was probably 10-plus different schools that I looked at, and I wanted