1. I absolutely loved studying abroad in Paris, but that's not to say that I didn't have any challenges or face any
difficulties while living away from the US. In the first two weeks, I had to switch home stays because my first
host family was really bizarre and wouldn't let me use their kitchen to cook my meals, among many other not-
normal restrictions. Also, being so far away from my family and my friends was really hard, particularly since I
missed our '14 basketball win against d00k in the Eight Days, Eight Miles saga (I
watched live on my laptop at 3 am though - obviously, I would not let myself miss it
completely!).
Communicating effectively in French was a constant challenge for my brain. But, once I
got assigned a new, amazing host family, and once I realized that my family and friends
would be there when I got back no matter what, and once I understood the fact that it's
okay to make mistakes when you're speaking French because all you're trying to do is
get your point across, I was finally able to appreciate that I was living in Paris - the
greatest city in the world - and that I was eating the most amazing food and learning
things that I could never learn wrapped up in my safety blanket in the US.
Despite all of the discomfort and hardship at the beginning of my spring semester in
Paris, France, I look back on my study abroad experience with a completely adoring mind. I had the most
wonderful, imperfect, and beautiful experience in Paris, and it wasn't just because of the cheese and the bread. I
learned so much about myself. Most importantly, though, I learned that I can handle a lot more than I used to
think I could, and I'm not sure that I would have understood that without my time as a Parisian. All of the
difficult things that I went through paled in comparison to the happiness that glorious city brought to my life.
Study abroad! Above all else, it will make
you happy.
Jessica Edgar
Paris - Summer
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Click here to watch Jessica’s testimonial
“I had the most
wonderful,
imperfect, and
beautiful
experience in
Paris, and it
wasn't just
because of the
cheese and
bread.”