On Wednesday, August 31st, it was time for me to depart home and go on what would be the adventure of a lifetime. I’ve traveled a fair amount in my life, but I have never embarked on such a big journey without my family. This is one of the main reasons I signed up for a study abroad program: so that I could take a step outside of my comfort zone, meet new people, and above all, experience what it is like to live in Paris as opposed to just visiting it. I have been to Paris once before when I was 10 years old. Therefore, one of my expectations for this program was to get to see Paris from a different point of view. In other words, now that I am 9 years older than I was then, I felt that I would have the ability to really absorb the culture.
Another major reason I signed up to study abroad is that I really wanted to spend time outside of the classroom and get to see what I was learning about in person. Art History, Film, and Photography are no doubt interesting subjects. However, I believe that these topics are better learned through experiences as opposed to just learning the terminology and reading. Additionally, I have been trying to study abroad since my junior year of high school. When I heard about this trip, I knew it was the perfect opportunity.
Week 1 was eventful and fun, and I immediately knew I made the right choice in choosing this program. My first full day in Paris, which was Friday, September 2nd, started out with an orientation followed by a group lunch at a Parisian bistro. One of the first things I noticed is that Parisian restaurants are a lot smaller than those in America, as our group of 30 filled up the entire restaurant. I work as a server, so this shocked me. A group of 30 people is big, but in an American restaurant like the one I work at, there would still be room for other people. I found this observation consistent with other cafés and eateries.
One of my fears at the beginning was that I would have a difficult time bonding with other people. However, right from the start, I realized that the group of people I was traveling with was kind and super easy to interact with. One of the perks is that we had the entire first weekend not only to recover from jet lag but also to bond with one another. Many of my new friends also felt the same way and were impressed with how much we got to do over the first weekend. Between visiting Notre Dame, visiting the Parisian underground ruins, and seeing the Eiffel Tower light up at night, we quickly adapted and got plenty of experience using the Metro.
Overall, my expectations for the program were met after only Week 1, as I’d already met many new people and visited the Louvre as part of my art history class. There is much to look forward to over the next several weeks, including more museum visits and getting to see more of what will be my new home for the next month.
