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À Bientôt

Jenna Hughes Headshot
Jenna Hughes
 July 12, 2024
the sky is a bright blue as the sun is starting to set; the Eiffel tower is in view and is lit up

Dear Paris,

If you don’t remember me, my name is Jenna Hughes and just two weeks ago I was running around your streets. I was making memories, trying to use French to the best of my abilities (even when I sucked) and becoming more and more confident in myself. However, now I am writing to you from the U.S.A. ( sadly :/ ).

I just wanted to say thank you for everything. Thank you for helping me to meet Max, Silvia and Izzy     (some of my newest and closest friends ). Thank you to my history teacher, Fabrice, for always making history class fun and exciting. Thank you to Le Cimetière Montparnasse for being the first place I visited in Paris. Thank you to the Les Frères Blavette on Rue Daguerre (or as my friends and I like to call it, the ‘blue café’) for the countless in-between class snacks. Thank you to the lady in the papeterie who taught me that a journal for class notes is called un cahier NOT un carnet. Thank you to the random men who would jump on the métro and play songs on the accordion at any time of the day. Thank you to the uneven roads and sidewalks that caused me to fall nine times (and yes, I kept track because it started happening so often). Thank you to the Eiffel Tower for always brightening my day. Thank you to the countless art museums scattered throughout the city for making sure I was never bored and always had something to do. Thank you to the restaurant, Bistrot Victoires who introduced me to salmon tartare because as it turns out, that is one of my new favorite meals. Thank you to the man at the crêpe stand who taught me that strawberries in a glaze are called les fraises concentrées. Thank you for baguettes that could be found at any boulangerie throughout the city. Thank you to my host mom Claire who practiced speaking French with me at our dinners together. And most importantly, thank you for helping me become the person that I want to be, confident and fearless. 

And this isn’t goodbye forever or even goodbye. This is simply see you soon or à bientôt. I will be back, I promise.

Avec amour,

Jenna  :)

 

Studying abroad was one of the best experiences I have had to date. I gained so much new French knowledge, made amazing lifetime friends and grew as a person in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I can not recommend studying abroad enough, so just do it! Wherever you decide to study, whether it be in Italy, Japan, Australia or any other country, I wish you the best of luck!

And thanks to everyone who has supported me through this journey and followed along as I have documented my experiences through this blog!

For the last time,

Bisous, XOXO

 

My Top 10 Most Favorite Memories While Abroad

 

 

#1 Watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night

 

it is dark outside; the Eiffel Tower is in view across the Seine river and is sparkling; a girl stands and is admiring the tower with her head turned

 

#2 Walking through the streets holding a baguette

 

this is a 0.5 photo; there is a girl in the streets of Paris, holding a bag with a baguette and making a funny face

 

#3 Learning to bake macarons in French

 

a photo inside a bakery kitchen; a girl is to the right and is holding a white box full of different types of macarons that she and her friends made for the first time
a photo of the floor; the floor is black and someone is wearing grey Vans shoes, which are visible in the photo; there are flour on both the floor and the shoes

 

#4 Visiting cafés with friends

 

a photo of a table in a café; to the left there is an open laptop and to the left is a hot cappuccino and a cinnamon roll

 

#5 Admiring art museums

 

the photo is of a painting that was found in the le Musée d'Orsay; the painting is in an impressionism-like style; it is of a boy crouching on the ground outside, who is looking up and smiling

 

#6 Spending time with my new friends

 

this is a 0.5 photo; in the photo there are 4 girls smiling; it is daytime in Paris and the Eiffel Tower is visible in the background

 

#7 Making last minute plans that turned into fantastic memories (such as seeing Olivia Rodrigo in concert)

 

a photo of a stage in a large arena; Olivia Rodrigo is visible on screen and on the stage while playing the guitar
the photo is taken at concert; there are two smiling girls who took the selfie

 

#8 Visiting Monet's House in Giverny

 

shows the inside of a room modeled to look like a painting workshop; there are some chairs, a mini table and various paintings by Claude Monet hung on the wall

 

#9 Having dinner with friends

 

the photo is an overhead view of a table; there are two dishes, a basket of bread in the middle, two wine glasses and two sets of silverware and napkins; the table is a light wood color and the setting is well lit

 

#10 Tripping while walking because even though it was embarrassing, it reminded me to slow down and enjoy the moment :)

 

the photo is taken from the balcony of a residential building in Paris; it is early in the morning and the sun is rising, the sky is blue; there is a view down the street that included views of the buildings on the road

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Jenna Hughes Headshot

Jenna Hughes

My name is Jenna Hughes and I am student at Miami University in Ohio. I have dreamt of going to France since I was 13, so I am excited to go this summer! My favorite things are reading French books, getting coffee with friends and family and my dog.

Program:
Destination:
Term:
2024 Summer 1
Home University:
Miami University
Major:
Francophone Studies
Linguistics
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