Obstacles Overcome; Lessons Learned; Now What? Paris (LT)

I have a month left and I feel as if it is just dawning on me that I am in Paris and I have been for three months now. I know that is an odd thing to say, but what I realize now is that when I first arrived I felt like I was a tourist and I didn’t belong here. I felt like I was just visiting and that I needed to go out and check off all the important monuments off my to do list. Than I slipped into the faze of just surviving in Paris, where I still felt out of place. I think back to what Jenny told us about the different phases that we would go through in our time abroad and I would have to say that I have gone through most of them. After the honeymoon phase I started becoming familiar with my surroundings and accustomed to living on my own. In this time I realized that I had to learn how to budget my money and responsibly buy my own groceries. Not lessons I was too keen on having forced upon me by circumstance but I think I now I am grateful for having had the opportunity of being taught to manage my money while in Paris. Now that I have started to understand what it takes to live here, it is becoming easier to step out of my comfort zone and do new and different things.

I feel like the greatest obstacle that I had to overcome was honestly myself. I say this because while I was here in Paris I found that I had to overcome a lot of personal insecurities to feel comfortable and a part of this city. When I walk down the street in certain neighborhoods of Paris I feel judged. I realized very quickly when I arrived in Paris that the people in this city put a lot of importance on how you look and dress. And because I don’t fit into the stylish and chic form that seems to be the fashion here I felt the judgment of those around me. I would have to admit that this bothered me tremendously for a very long time during my time abroad, but now I have decided to stop worrying about everyone around me and start thinking about what I wanted to do and accomplish here. In taking this new approach to my study abroad I feel like I have had a moment of personal growth and a boast in my self confidence.  

View of Paris from the Eiffel Tower

In the end I think my greatest accomplishment is all that I have learned about myself and about France and its culture and people. I have learned so much here and although there are a lot of things that I know I am going to miss tremendously like the little cafes and the bakeries on every corner, the music in the metro and the rich history of the monuments and buildings that surround me when I walk down the street I am still eager to return home.