Salut tout le monde! (Hello everyone!) My name is Katherine, and this year I am living in Le Puy-en-Velay (pronounced luh PWEE-un-vell-AY) in France. I work as an English teaching assistant in three elementary schools, helping French students learn about American culture and the English language. I joined Reach the World so I could also share a part of French culture with American students back home, allowing you to see what life is like in the beautiful Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
If you had told me in seventh grade, when I took my first French class, that I would one day live and work in France, I would not have believed you! Back then, I studied theatre along with math, language arts, and social studies, and I wanted to be an actress. While I still like to sing and listen to musicals like Hamilton and Wicked (and I have joined a choir in Le Puy), I have put down my character shoes and picked up hiking shoes instead.
Fast-forward to today: I am 23 years old and recently graduated from a small women’s college named Wellesley in Boston, Massachusetts. At Wellesley, I majored in international relations and French, and my hobbies included volunteering at after-school programs around Mission Hill and Framingham. This is my first job after graduation, and I am excited to take you along on my journey abroad!