Take Aways from Study Abroad

Shireen Khandelwal
Tue, 18 Oct 2016 16:40:19 +0000

“This semester will be fleeting, so make the most of it.” The voice of my housing director still echoes in my mind as I reflect on how I began this semester. Jet-lagged and tired, my eyes flitted restlessly from one person to the other, scanning the room for potential friends in the large auditorium as our housing director gave a presentation on life in Paris. I had never felt so lonely, instead of thinking ways to make the most of my time in Paris as suggested by the presentation, I could only think about going back home, back to comfort as soon as possible.

Contrary to the nervous doubts about my decision of doing a semester abroad in Paris at the beginning of the semester, Paris has been the best decision of my life (which was a stroke of luck considering my history with life decisions). I have never learned more about people, places and myself as much as I did during my semester abroad.

My experience in Paris was not as I had expected it to be. I had idealized the idea of a study abroad into an experience wholly detached from reality (for the most part). The initial disappointment of reality quickly wore off as my debit card was randomly cancelled and I fell ill. The social pressure of enjoying my semester abroad was also palpable as I desperately tried to plan my Spring Break. Amidst all my complaints, I almost forgot to appreciate the opportunity I had been offered for a brief period of time. Fortunately, a friend from back home made me realize my fault in limiting my view of Paris according to my own presuppositions. I decided to enjoy every moment as a learning experience, an outlook that turned out to be extremely useful when I met with rain and cold in every place that was supposed to be warm during my Spring Break.

As I became more open to experimentation with different experiences, clothes as well as food (except for Octopus, I have limits), I started to enjoy more. The acceptance of people with completely different personalities than me awarded me with some of the most insightful friends with whom the “City of Lights” became brighter. I travelled to different places, both with my friends and alone, but the feeling of coming home when I would return to Paris enhanced the traveling experience. I am almost a little upset that I eventually settled so well in Paris; it would have been easier to leave otherwise.

I had imagined the highlight of my semester to be Spring Break, which is partially true, but I cannot pinpoint those two weeks when I think about all my adventures here. Apart from exploring another city and learning French everyday, traveling alone was one of the most gratifying experiences during my time in Europe. One of my goals for this semester was to travel as much as I could and while I think I fulfilled that, I realize now that I did not get to spend as much time in Paris. This is the only regret I took with me from my study abroad experience, but even that is slightly overshadowed by the different places and cultures I got to experience.

Documenting my sentiments about traveling and this semester through my journals has allowed me to truly reflect on my personal growth and what I learned in Paris. While I love writing, I always forget to write in the moment or about my experiences but with my journals I managed to create detailed memories of my time in Paris. It is those lessons, that I look back on on the page, that make my time here truly special.