Good Memories I’ll Miss

Studying abroad is definitely a life-changing experience and has opened my eyes to several aspects of life in France compared to back home. It hasn’t been easy of course with lows and highs. Before I leave a couple of days from now, I would like to take a moment to share with you all some of my favorite moments or aspects of life here that I’ll miss. This isn’t an exhaustive list nor in a particular order, but it’s just to give you an idea of some of my favorite moments abroad.

1. Of course, one thing I will miss is discovering something new every day. Be it something new to see or new information about France.
2. My favorite kind of travel during this time has to be spontaneous trips with the students. Like get-togethers on the weekends or even planning weekend trips like going to Bordeaux with about 10 students.
3. Because of the trips and little adventures, I’ll miss the inside jokes like Sophia and a fear of bathrooms, Sophia’s husband Pikachu, or “Chad Daisy.”
4. I’ll miss when Kierstan thought it was a good idea to put her foot in the closing elevator doors which then got stuck with two students inside. As everyone was freaking out, I casually walked up, did a little bit of pushing, and fixed the elevator. I became known as “Chad Daisy” for my heroic act.
5. Although it took a lot of planning and added stress during midterms, I enjoyed the entirety of Fall Break (apart from the excruciating pain in my feet in Paris), especially as it showed we could be adults and plan our own vacation in France.
6. I’ll miss checking off a bucket list item: Dressing up as Santa Claus, especially in France. I did this for presenting Christmas to the kids for my teaching internship.                  
   

7. Another thing I’ll miss is little perfect moments:
   1. squealing with other students over seeing cute dogs and cats. 
      

   2.  being surprised to see a random dog in a purse on the bus.
   3.  hearing a child tell their papa “AU REVOIR, PAPA!” with a smile on their face getting on the bus to go to preschool.
   4. Seeing sunsets leaving my internship.
   5. Pink or purple skies in the morning.
   6. Feeling the weekend sun through the window of the bus; the time I feel the freest like I can go anywhere.
   7. Hearing my host dad play with the cat or listening to my host family talk about something they are passionate about. Laughing with them and discussing weird things about French and English.
8. I’ll also miss being surprised over all the new ways I’ve developed beautiful connections with other students. For example, I was feeling really homesick when I got sick, and Ella and I ended up face-timing connecting over that but also talking about so much more.
9. I'll miss creating a heart with my boyfriend through Messanger on Thanksgiving. It took several tries, but we successfully lined it up!                    
   

10. Another thing I’ll miss is spending a while getting to know about Amanda’s favorite thing besides the Nantes soccer games: Kitten Academy. It’s like a foster home for cats, and they have a live stream YouTube channel, a website, and a steady following. It’s truly adorable and a wonderful thing to help cats get adopted. (If you would like to check them out, here’s a link to their website: https://kitten.academy/ ).
    

11. One last thing I’ll miss is having my host family’s cat keep me company on weekends or randomly showing up to demand affection. I’ll miss her a lot!

All in all, I’m eternally grateful for this opportunity to study abroad. Thank you to everyone who made this all possible! The academics have been really challenging, but I have to say I will miss the other students very much as they’ve made this experience even more special. With how COVID has put life on hold for a while, the one thing I’ve noticed with this experience is that it’s really made me remember what it’s like to feel alive. In order to enjoy life and live it to the fullest, we have to put ourselves out there. Connect with others. Risk pain, discomfort, failure. Just sitting in a comfortable room cannot give you moments like the ones I’ve listed, nor will every moment be as rosy-colored. Nevertheless, like my friend Sophia would say “La vie,” and I would respond “en rose.”