One Month Later

It has been over a month since I left Paris. Little things remind me of Paris all the time: rows of baguettes in the grocery store, French words on a billboard, the black and white photos covering my walls. Transitioning back to life in the US had been strange. The first day I got back, I was walking down the street and all around me I could hear people speaking in English. I was so overwhelmed because hearing English just didn’t feel right. I felt so uneasy and out of place, all I wanted was for someone to speak French. Now, I open my wallet to find change, but American pennies and dimes suddenly seem so foreign to me. I couldn’t figure out how to make 23 cents because I can only think in Euro coins. If I’m distracted and bump into someone, I still say “pardon” and walk away before realizing that I spoke in French. When the cashier as the store speaks to me, I have to stop myself from automatically responding in French.

I’m glad to be back at school, back with my friends, back where I am comfortable. I also can’t complain about the California sunshine. That definitely beats Paris’s cloud cover and chill days. But I think about my time in Paris every single day. People always told me that study abroad would change my life. I didn’t really believe them because I thought that it was just like a long vacation. But Paris did change my life, and it changed me as well. I left Paris far more independent than I could imagine myself ever being. If I could take care of myself in a foreign city, than doing that here is no problem. I feel more confident, like I can handle anything.

The best thing I have taken away from Paris are my memories. Even though there were ups and downs, my time in Paris was perfect. I saw and experienced so much, and left Paris feeling as though it was my city. The people I met, the places I went, the sights I saw, it was all perfect.