They helped me get out of my comfort zone and better understand my host country’s culture. Also, I was still in the early stages of my French speaking skills before coming here and sometimes understanding native French speakers was hard. But it’s important to have a smile and be comfortable asking someone to please repeat what they said. It’s perfectly normal! These were tiny things that might have been difficult at first but help me grow as a person in the end.
If you could take away one thing from my trip, it is the importance of traveling. It doesn’t have to be far--even the closest city or state is great. I think that traveling is important to understand others while understanding yourself better, too. After studying abroad I feel as if I have a better understanding of myself and where I come from. An example of this is when I would meet people and they would ask where am I from. My hometown of Cleveland, Ohio was usually followed with more questions because a lot of people don’t know much about Ohio. I had to be able to think about where I come from and what does it mean to be from there. Also, I now have more experience working with others from different countries. I was in classes with students from all of the world and it was interesting seeing other points of views on how to approach different tasks. Travel as much and as far as you can, you won’t regret it!
As my days in France are coming to a close, I am sad but also excited to return home. I will miss all the new friends I made, the availability of French baked baguettes and the excitement I get from speaking French on a daily basis. But I am ready to see my family and friends again face to face and not on a screen, eat my favorite foods and drive my car.
