I have come a long way in the past four months. I’ve always been drawn to trying new things and going new places, and these months have been full of new experiences, as I’ve done just that. I had studied abroad before, but with each new trip I learn more and more; I acquire new skills and capabilities. Four months in Europe have taught me many things that my Latin America travels did not, and built up even more the skills I acquired on my other trips. Since I have left Paris behind me and am preparing to head to a new continent entirely, I thought I would reflect a bit and demonstrate some of the things I have learned, some of the things Paris has done for me.
• I am a lot more laid-back. The RER's on strike and another one won't come for 26 minutes? No big deal. Plan out where I'm going and what I want to do before I get there? Pshhh I can ask at the hostel and they'll be able to give me a lot better info than the internet most of the time anyway!
• I have a great desire to cook. Of course, it's the one time in my life that I can't, but I am so excited to go back and try finding recipes for all of these pastries I can't get enough of. I want to put potatoes on my pizzas too, and have some salad without horseradishy mustardy something sauce as the dressing. Yummmm.
• I am amazingly resourceful. Give me a map and a point of reference and I will run with it. I have always had a horrible sense of direction, but I've found I'm a surprisingly good navigator. I can't tell you which way's north, but I can figure out relations between things. I can also figure out alternative routes when public transportation isn't working so hot, I can work the metro system like a pro, I can turn a baguette and cheese into a feast. I don't know how any of this happened, but I am glad it did! I used to be afraid I would get lost in airports even after studying what gate I was arriving to and which I was leaving from, but now I approach the ticket counter with nothing in hand but my passport and I've made it all over this continent without any problems. I'm in shock at how far I've come!
• I have confidence. Of course, when you realize you can do all of those things and cease to worry about them, confidence kind of comes with the package. I am able to project confidence too though, which is essential if you want to blend in on the streets of Paris. I walk everywhere like it's imperative I get there NOW, but without seeming in a rush. It's a weird sort of image, but the Parisians manage it, and I seem to have done all right at picking it up myself.
• I am more aware of how American and French actions differ. Sometimes I will catch myself grinning and it feels weird. I've been told that I smile a lot actually, and that's after trying to tone it down a bit. I've come to wish that my fellow Americans, if not already my friends, wouldn't go to the same places I'm going because they tend to be loud and obnoxious. Not to say that I don't participate occasionally in this habit as well, but I at least try not to. In Barcelona, Tiffany and I actually started speaking Spanish with each other so we wouldn't be associated with the shrieking American girls around us. And, as chance would have it, we made some friends by doing so. I'm able, in Paris, to tell if you're American or French just by looking at the way you dress, the way you walk, etc. and think I've only guessed incorrectly a couple of times. It's a fun game actually! You hear stereotypes about the American tourist, but I have found most of them to actually be true, which is unfortunate. It's not so hard to try to blend in just a little, even if you don't speak the language or look the part.
• I speak French. I have no idea how this happened. I came to Paris with four semesters of the language under my belt and armed with Spanish vocabulary which I tried pronouncing in a French fashion, and I left being able to obtain a visa for another country with no problems whatsoever. The weird thing is, I didn’t work at it. I had to work really hard to get where I am in Spanish, by reading books and listening to music and practicing the language every chance I got and concentrating really, really hard. My French skills, on the other hand, seem to have seeped in through my pores or something. I am still not where I would ideally like to be, since I had very little interaction with my peers and know absolutely no slang. I was really only exposed to the language through hearing it in my classes and at the apartment and speaking the bare minimum in those situations. I spoke it at the boulangeries though, and planning trips and escaping from creepy guys. I think my Spanish skills definitely helped me out a lot, but other than that I am really not sure where this skill came from!
And since we’re making lists, here’s another. Highlights of my last couple of weeks in Paris, très rapidement: Die Walküre at the Opera Bastille, wine and parks galore with my friends Amanda and Jessalie, returning to my favorite streets and food places one (or two or three) last time, witnessing a large demonstration from my window, the catacombs underneath the city (lots of creepy bone piles!), going out with the girls, watching the world cup kick off at a giant screen by the Tour Eiffel. That’s all I can come up with at the moment, but I’m really bad at journaling so I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few!
When I left Paris, I met up with Kate Olsen (TU student and sorority sister) in London and we went to Ireland, where we are in the middle of a week so amazing I can’t even begin to describe it. I’ll probably save the Ireland blog for my flight to India. I mean, what else am I going to do with my 9 hours in the air? Certainly not sleep.
Final thoughts:
• Sorry this is so unorganized!
• It’s really weird to be saying all of these goodbyes, seeing friends I haven’t seen in months, and embarking on a new and completely different adventure. And not going home when all of my friends are.
• It’s also weird to be two thirds of the way done with something I’ve spent my entire life looking forward to. I am feeling already that it is going to be a really difficult transition back to life in the United States, especially since I have no idea what I’m doing after graduation. After my previous study abroad experiences, I always had this one to look forward to. I know I will come back to Europe someday, but I think it will be hard not having a set time anymore, especially since I’ve been planning this trip since about second grade. I’m not going to worry about it yet, since I still have a month and a half of incredible India before it’s even an issue, but for those of you that have to deal with me when I get back…You’ve been forewarned!
And so it is. I am supposed to have wi-fi in areas of my campus in India, so hopefully I can keep you updated fairly regularly. I will have to be inside at 9 p.m. every night, so I will have plenty of time to blog!
Oh! And one more thing. The French, instead of saying a week, frequently use the expression “8 days” and for a fortnight, it’s “15 days”. Just a fun fact.
Bisous,
Kristin
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