A week before flying ten hours across the Atlantic Ocean, I was told that when I got to France I would more than likely experience what is known as “culture shock.” I was told that the smallest thing like homesickness would probably set it off and that I would end up hating France. Well, the exact opposite happened. I mean, I did get to France and realize my debit card didn’t work and I kept falling down the stairs of the metro but I wasn’t going to let anything stand in the way of my having a great time.
I actually fell in love with France. I don’t know how else to describe it. I have never been anywhere so beautiful and now that I’ve been home for a little over two weeks now, I find myself a little depressed because I miss it so much! If you have ever studied abroad or even been abroad, you're probably missing most of these ten things:
1. Your friends
When I first got to France, I didn’t really know anybody that was going but I quickly became friends with the best group of people! We did everything together and honestly, they are probably a huge reason of why I had such a great time! When we left to come home, we all split up to go home to different states.
2. Public transportation
I live in a city where I drive myself everywhere and while I love having my own personal space, I love public transportation even more. In France, we paid a little over 20 euros for a month of unlimited metro transportation. Everywhere we needed to go we could get to with a 20 minute tops subway ride.
3. Day drinking
In France, people were already drinking when I was on my way to class in the morning! Thank goodness we only had class three days out of the week. Very few things are better than sitting outside with a beautiful view sipping on a mimosa. And I mean, VERY few things.
4. The Guy
I know what you’re thinking. I thought we were talking about France, here. We are. I met a guy in France who was from Albania and my friends just called him Albania… and I did too. I know I only knew him for a month, but seriously? I miss the guy!
A word of advice: don’t meet a totally amazing guy while studying abroad. But who knows, maybe we’ll meet again! *fingers crossed*
5. The view
I was in awe of how intricate the architectural design of the buildings were in France! Everything was so old and so beautiful. Where I live, they never stop building. If they put one more new building up downtown, no ones going to be able to move! It’s ridiculous. Everywhere I went in France, there was a beautiful view.
6. Exploring
There is nowhere to “explore” in Columbia, South Carolina unless of course you count the bars in Five Points on the weekend, which you shouldn’t. My friends and I went so many different places and just explored! We could walk anywhere and find a new place to check out. Walking around the big, beautiful city was a favorite.
7. Cheap flights
My friends and I literally hopped on a plane to Barcelona one weekend and only spent 100 euros on the round trip ticket. It was nothing! Now that I’m home, it costs just as much money to fly to a different state as it does to fly to a different country. I am really going to miss that freedom.
8. No worries
In France, I wasn’t worried about ANYTHING! The only thing that was even a tad bit worrisome was whether or not the restaurant on Yelp was really open or not. That’s it! When I came back home, I had to worry about finding a summer job and then starting a summer course online. The worries never go away.
9. Good coffee
Yeah, the cups were extremely small but the coffee was extremely good! We were all so used to drinking at least two big cups of coffee in the morning that we felt like we needed more than the small “cup” of café but more than one cup of coffee in France was sure to make you break out in a sweat and have the shakes!
10. The food
Obviously I saved the best for last! I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing the food was in France! Everything was so fresh and so amazing! If you ordered a sandwich, you know the bread was baked that morning and if you ordered a croissant, it literally just came out of the oven. The food was so much better than the pre-packaged food they sell out of a drive thru window in the States. *sigh*
Thankfully I’ll get to see my friends when I go back to school, but things like French baguettes and pain au chocolate will NEVER be found here. There are taxis, but no subways where I live and if you go somewhere for a drink in the daytime, you might be the only one drinking. There are no real “views” at home unless you count the ocean or a mediocre cityscape. I’m already stressing out about school and the best coffee here comes from an over-crowded Starbucks or out of a Caribou coffee k-cup.
This list sums up about 500 different smaller things I am going to miss about France and if you've ever been to France or Europe or ANYWHERE, chances are you're missing a lot of the same things (maybe even the guy)!
Everyone told me that the people in France were rude and that I needed to be careful because it was so dangerous, but I can honestly say that I had an amazing time and have never felt so carefree before in my life. I will always remember this trip to France and hold it close to my heart.
