Skip to content

Explore More Than You Study

Hey everyone!

I assume that if you're reading this you are either interested in studying abroad, curious about a life in Paris, or one of my beloved friends or family members. What I have to say this week, for my very first post on how I have been affected by living in another country, will hopefully provide enough insight to make my loved ones understand the cultural changes I have experienced, or will help the wondering and excited students to fully comprehend the meaning of study abroad. I will begin with this: I am no expert, and I don't intend to be one after my three and a half months in Paris. All I know right now is that study abroad is a whirlwind of an experience, one filled with childlike exploration in addition to independent navigation in a world unfamiliar to yours.

My story begins almost three weeks ago when I scurried off the plane in Paris, fatigued and unsure of what I was supposed to do. I had mixed feelings about touching the ground after my six hour flight, something that not everyone necessarily feels but what people even rarely talk about. I was so nervous. Of course there are people that mentally prepare for an experience such as the one I had just thrown myself into, but I didn't give much thought to the fact that I would be living rather than visiting a foreign country for the next few months of my life. This means grocery shopping, completing homework, and using transportation all in a country that I had only seen for ten days prior in a high school class trip.

For me, Paris was always the destination. I have been an admirer of French culture and a dreamer of life abroad since the first day of French class in sixth grade, when my teacher relayed to us his experiences of living in Paris. Having never known this was an option, I dreamed of historic cobblestone streets and the iconic monuments for years. There's something very special about a dream that becomes reality, but it is also a little scary. With a dream this large comes years and years of buildups of expectations, and there is enough social pressure to live out your dream to the absolute fullest to be able to suffocate you. What I have learned these past few weeks is that it is essential to separate what others want for you and what you personally want to get out of your experiences. People seem to think they know what is going on because of the outlet that social media gives to our outer circles, but the truth about apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook is that they don't show study abroad. Study abroad is everything that happens between the uploaded pictures.

Over these past (almost) three weeks, I have learned a lot. I have learned about identity and its constant fluidity as well as how cultural norms are what is hidden beneath the surface of a society rather than what can be viewed by the lay observer. Our identity changes in every environment that we are in, and people will label us based on the characteristic that is most different from them. I have continuously told the friends that I have made here in Paris that I have never been so acutely aware of my "Americanness". I'm not sure exactly what this is, but coming from the United States has a certain meaning in every place you go once you leave it, and it is a tough exterior to break through when you are trying to establish yourself as an individual. Cultural norms are commonly mistaken as solely the little things that you can perceive as different from your own culture, things that are observable on the surface level. I have learned that although these do constitute normalities of a culture, what is truly different and 'shocking' is what is observed after the initial glance. Why do French people act the way they do? Where do stereotypes come from? These are questions that can only be answered after immersion: once you put yourself in the mindset of a French person, you can learn to understand why they do what they do.

On my first day in Paris, my host father told me that the reason that him and his wife like to host American students in their home is because he likes that there are young people who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and become culturally competent in a society unfamiliar to them, especially in the political climate of today. I believe that his reasoning for hosting students is akin to why students should study abroad: to explore a different sphere of the world unlike yours, to understand people better from their own perspective, and to take yourself out of your familiar bubble and explore! As an Anthropology major, I study human behavior and how to comprehend why people act the way they do from their lens rather than from my own. I believe that this notion is vital to getting the most out of your study abroad experience.

Before I left for Europe, my brother said only one thing to me: "Explore more than you study." I will not delegitimize the need to study and perform well academically while living abroad; however, exploring is the goal and the privilege of the experience. Don't take yourself too seriously, and get your head out of those books!