There are many aspects of life in France that differ from life here in the US. For example, I wasn't used to how everything was closed on Sundays (& even Mondays in many instances), I felt there were many examples of bureaucracy and inefficiency, and I didn't particularly enjoy the handful of times I was affected by the public strikes. As time went on, however, I discovered that these experiences were a part of a style of living that was in some ways worse than in the US but also in many ways much, much better. Towards the end of the semester, I really learned to enjoy the slower pace of life in the suburbs of Paris, spent more time with hall mates instead of in meetings, gained more patience, and learned so much about the rest of the world. Those are lessons and experiences that I am so thankful for, and will never forget.
I think the greatest takeaway I have from my semester abroad is that before this semester, I feel like I had been living in a bubble of college applications, then joining clubs & enjoying college life, then the stress of finding internships and jobs. I paid attention to American politics and current events, but I really didn't keep up to date about what was going on in other countries. From countless conversations with my exchange classmates who came from all over the world (literally), I've learned so much about their respective countries and cultures and I hope to bring this expanded worldview back to Penn. After all, there is a whole world out there, beyond club meetings, OCR, Penn, the US...
It has been truly an amazing semester abroad, from traveling all over Europe, to trying all sorts of foods, to meeting wonderful people from all over the world. I arrived in France in August not really knowing what to expect from the entire thing, but I'm so grateful to have had this experience. I am glad to say that I have missed Penn & I can't wait to be back on campus in a couple of weeks! :)
Hope everyone has a fabulous rest of break and a Happy New Year!
1 comment:
It is so great when you get to go abroad to study. That way you can not only learn in a different way, be in exposed to another language 24 hours a day, but also be in contact with a new culture from which you will take the experience and use it in the future to be smarter in life. I went to Argentin study for a semester too. I rented apartments in Buenos Aires during the time I was there and met many many people from Argentina and from other parts of the world. The experience enriched me so much that I decided to to it again. I actually got a job thanks to the Spanish I learnt while in Argentina!
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