In January 2018, it was brought to my attention that this study abroad opportunity was a viable option for me this summer. At first no part of me wanted to go. I am from Honolulu, HI which is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I go for about a month every summer. And by the end of the second week of that month long vacation, I am ready to go back home to Pittsburgh. I feel this way for various reasons. I like my friends in Hampton. I hate not working during the summer because I feel like I need to be making money. So for me to give up a month of my summer to go to Europe and study? If I can’t even spend a month vacationing in Hawai’i, why would I enjoy studying for a month in Paris and Rome.
A few months later and my application to join the program was submitted. I’m not sure what changed my mind. I think a part of me was hanging on to something at home that I knew I needed to let go of. A month away from it would help. Another part of me knew that if I didn’t study abroad now, I may never get to.
I always hear “take advantage of every opportunity you’re given.”
Sometimes it’s from my mom when she’s ranting about something that isn’t even close to a big deal. Sometimes it’s from a guest speaker who has been through an entire lifetimes work before I’ve even begun mine. I guess after hearing it so many times it got the best of me.
So here I am. One week into my study abroad adventure in Paris, France.
Through 7 days, I have 11 distinct thoughts that have crossed my mind so far. 11 thoughts that will mean something to me when I leave this place and sit in my suburban home in Western Pennsylvania. 11 thoughts that will hopefully still mean something to me when I’m sitting in my home whenever and wherever my career takes me.
Movies and TV shows are more influential than we may think. I have never been to Europe before this trip. But I have seen Europe in movies and shows constantly. Whether it’s some action movie like Mission Impossible where they drive through the streets and tear through street vendors or a couple sharing their first kiss in the rain on the cobblestone sidewalk, the first night I was in Paris I saw them all flash before my eyes. I stood against the side of a restaurant with a Corona Light with lime in my hand. The awning protected me from the steady rain that fell onto the ground just in front of it. And I just sat there and observed the wet buildings around us. And I felt like I was watching a scene from a movie or TV show. Maybe because I had never seen rain take over any scenery quite like the one before me.
Security is taken very seriously in France, and not in the United States. This is not a political bullet point. I’m simply stating that I have seen more policemen in Paris in 7 days than I may have ever seen in a single place in the U.S. I’ve also heard multiple locals tell us about how much the recent terrorist attacks have meant to them and their country. It’s just interesting that it seems like everyone here has a joint understanding that safety is really the most important thing in the world. Forget actually being safe. Just the feeling of being safe is necessary to everyone in Paris. In the United States there is a tragedy almost every week. The entire country mourns together. But it seems as if half the country wants to do something about it and the other half would rather open their drawers or glove boxes to see their own gun than sacrifice it to save the lives of innocent people. Paris has a better handle on what’s truly important in that regard.
Food costs way too much here and it’s not even good. I like to be dramatic with my opening sentences. It keeps you reading. Let’s be real here, I’ve had some very good food since I’ve been here. I’ve also had some not so great food. No matter what it tastes like, it costs a fortune. (I’ll estimate conversions to make it easier to understand). A lemonade at a restaurant, no refills, costs about $8. Any full sized meal will cost you no less than $16, no matter what it is. You can tell it’s all very healthy too. It tastes honest. But in doing so it lacks some of the flavor that American food gives you. Americans really do have a passion for food and it pays off. Food in America trumps food in Paris any day of the week. It’s still okay, but I’m hoping Rome is a little bit better food wise.
Confirmed: Eiffel Tower is a bucket list item and it should be moved to the top. Somehow I hadn’t seen the Eiffel Tower while walking the streets of Paris the first few days. It might’ve been that I just wasn’t looking hard enough. But the first time I saw it was when I exited the metro station. As I emerged from beneath the ground floor I slowly began to see it from the top down. And then I was suddenly looking directly at it from the perfect distance on top of a viewing deck. It was the stereotypical shocking feeling. At first it didn’t really hit me. My group was taking pictures and I was just off by myself as I usually am. Then I just sat down and looked at it. I stared at it for 15 minutes straight. There’s not much more to say. It’s something that you don’t think is real until you see it. It’s one of the world’s most famous landmarks and for good reason. At night it’s even cooler. At 10:00 pm it starts to sparkle. As the tallest building in the city, it shines bright no matter where you are at night. Just breathtaking.
French people are awesome. I’m not sure where this stereotype started but I have only ever heard that French people are rude. I guess I can see why that’s a general idea. When you walk the streets, no one says hello, no one gives a smile. Everyone is head down, get where they need to be. For me, I like that. I’m all about getting things done. When you actually engage with someone, however, they are so kind. They all know English and a majority know it very well. It’s funny because every once in a while you’ll hear one of them say some super American phrase. Like “no worries” or “that’s actually crazy”. It’s something small but it makes me realize that they’re just like us. We are all people. It kind of sucks that Americans don’t really know another language unless they have certain circumstances that warrant it. Whereas in France and frankly the rest of the world, they are all taught English religiously in school. They grow up all knowing two languages. Their own, and ours. They have all been so welcoming and although all of our conversations are in English, it’s almost like they’re the ones being patient with us.
College nightlife and European nightlife are two different ends of the spectrum that sometimes cross over. As a college student, it’s become normal to have a schedule every night. Knowing that you’re going to go out, it goes without saying that you’re going to pregame with your friends and then go “party” together afterwards. I’m not sure if this is necessarily European or just an older way to go about it, but they all just go to a bar or a pub and stand outside. It was amazing. Friday night I saw about a dozen bars with at least 30 people standing outside on a small patio area. All of them smoking a cigarette with one hand and holding a drink in the other. All of them just talking amongst one another. When we arrived at The Freedom, a pub on a side street with a DJ and a cozy feel, we sat down at a table and ordered drinks. Nothing went wrong at all. Then we saw about 6 French people stand up and start dancing to Beyonce. It was awesome. So all of a sudden our group got up and started dancing with them. Before we knew it there were about 30 people all dancing together to American music. Just a great environment. I love the French people.
The metro system is genius. The way we get everywhere that isn’t walking distance is via metro. There are metro stations everywhere and they take you really close to anywhere you’d ever need to go in the city. On top of that, they come once every 3-4 minutes. You’re never waiting for them. Although strikes have delayed some of Paris’ public transportation, it’s still a great system. New York City’s system is so dirty and inconsistent that it’s not relied upon as heavily as the system in Paris. It seems like the government in France just knows what’s most important and focuses on perfecting it. I’m really impressed with the metro stations here.
It’s hard to comprehend how old things are here. All of these incredible landmarks and buildings I walk past everyday are hundreds and hundreds of years old. My professor said it best. The United States literally began in the 1700’s. The oldest things we have are at most 300 years old. That is the age of some of the youngest buildings that we see here in Paris. The architecture is unbelievable. The Arc de Triomphe is just beautiful. It’s hard to believe that something like it was built in 1806. When our advanced technology was nonexistent and there wasn’t anything even close to it. Multiples of people used to die trying to build things like it. When I walk along the streets everyday and I notice how nice every single building is, it’s because they were so exquisite when designing and constructing them that they are still able to stand and look magnificent all these centuries later.
It is really hard not having any connection to the current events in the United States, especially sports. Not only do we not have a TV in our apartment, but we barely even have wifi. Essentially I am cut off from the United States as much as I possibly could be. I only talk to my friends for a few hours a day at most. Sporting events? Forget about it. Thank god the Penguins aren’t in the Stanley Cup Finals and thank God that the NBA Finals aren’t even relatively competitive. In that sense, I am lucky. But basically I fall asleep before the primetime games even begin and I wake up after they’re already over. Even if I was awake for the games, there would be no way to watch it because I don’t have a TV and the wifi can barely stream a website, let alone a live event. In a way it’s nice to be slightly removed from technology that I’m so accustomed to using in the U.S. But it’s definitely weird being a sports journalism major unable to even watch championship games.
I’ve never been a big tennis guy, but I may just become one. Going to the French Open was one of the coolest things ever. The Roland Garros grounds were beautiful. I even remarked once that it reminded me of The Masters. Just an impeccable environment and the prices for merchandise and food weren’t increased at all. In fact they were so reasonable that I didn’t even feel bad buying both. We walked in and expected our 15€ ticket to get us seats to watch some no name junior players. Instead we walk right up to the first stadium we see, which is rather loud from the outside. As we enter, we see the scoreboard before we see the court. “V. Williams, S. Williams”. What? I thought we had to pay for the 250€ ticket in order to watch the big name players. We sneak a few pictures and begin to walk away. All of a sudden the usher (a very kind French woman once again) opens up the gate and we walk right in. She didn’t even check our ticket. Before we knew it we were 20 rows back watching the greatest female tennis player of all-time and arguably the greatest female athlete of all-time. She’s returning from pregnancy, but every once in a while she hit the ball at a speed that was at another level than the other 3 women on the court. Chase and I just looked at each other like “oh shit.” We then watched a 17 year old American from Florida, Sebastian Korda. He was playing a juniors match against a French kid. Of all the people in the stands, we were the only ones rooting for the American. Obviously the French kid had the crowd behind him. A little bit of the competitiveness in our group came out and it felt like a Hampton vs. Mars game. Back and forth it went. It was a great match, but in the end Sebastian came out on top. We were so happy for him. After the match he came right up to us and took a picture. We jokingly asked “did you hear us?” He responded with “Oh yeah, I definitely heard you guys.” Just awesome. Big tennis fan now. Bigger Sebastian Korda fan.
No offense Paris, but I’m thinking about Rome. I feel slightly guilty, like I’m cheating on Paris with Rome. But since I visited the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe in the first few days, the other landmarks I’ve been to haven’t wowed me as much. Now I feel a little comfortable with the culture. I don’t think it’s Paris’ fault. I just think I’m hard to please. Definitely a little stubborn. But I’ll give my friend back home Noll a shoutout here. He obsesses over Rome, Italy. I’m more a chill guy. My favorite things to do are relax and enjoy a moment. I don’t need to be doing something in order to enjoy myself. I love just kicking back with a drink and eating good food and making memories with people. I think Italy will be more like that. Our entire group will be in the same apartment complex and the food will be better. There will be less of a city feel and more of a rural feel. I’m excited to see even older buildings and landmarks. But I’m even more excited to just sit back and take in the great weather. The Amalfi Coast looks like a life changing place. Paris has done me well and I’m not taking it for granted one bit. However I know that there’s even more good times to come.
I’m just so blessed to be able to experience Europe this month. I’m just 7 days in and there’s so much going through my mind. Check back later to see what else is new.
Some additional photos:
