Bonjour, mon ami!

Bonjour, mon ami, from Paris!

I went to Paris with my friend, Matt, who is studying abroad in Palma de Mallorca, Spain! This trip was by far one of the most rewarding experiences I have had while abroad. I found it to be deeply reflective and liberating. It reminded me of everything I had learned at Holy Cross, and I consider the trip to have been a turning point in my life. I went to Paris as one person, and left as another. And it was so much fun to share this experience with Matt!!

On the first night we were there, we took the metro to the Louvre Museum. As we walked toward the entrance, a trumpet player was sitting alone in the corner playing the song “Summertime,” a famous song from the opera Porgy and Bess. I had learned about the song while taking a class called “From Opera to Broadway” at Holy Cross. Listening to that as I walked toward the Louvre was particularly meaningful. I went up to him to give him a Euro and he nodded back gratefully and winked at me. It was  I experienced the odd mix of seeing an entirely new place with the feeling of nostalgia.

I went inside and saw the Mona Lisa for the first time in my life. (There is a picture below of Matt and the Mona Lisa!!). After that, we headed back to our hotel with one of Matt’s friends who joined us. On our way, we saw the Eiffel Tower. I realized then that although everyone sees pictures of famous places throughout the world, nothing compares to standing beneath the Eiffel Tower and watch it glisten in front of you. I literally had tears rolling down my face. The Eiffel Tower itself isn’t particularly beautiful, but at the same time its completely and totally magnificent. Seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time will be something I never forget.

We mapped our our second day and headed out into Paris! We went to the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées, the Notre Dame, the Sacre Coeur, and more! I ate my first french crepe (which was incredible and I am now obsessed with Nutella). Matt and I pretended we spoke french all day which was entertaining, and we had  many random encounters with people in Paris who were so kind. The second night, I decided that I wanted to go back to the Eiffel Tower, so I planned to meet up with Matt and his friend a little while later and headed off.

Walking to the Eiffel Tower alone was incredibly liberating. It was the first time where I was actually able to reflect on my experiences abroad. As I absorbed the glittering lights, I thought about the last few months I have been abroad. Thinking about the fact that I was in Paris, a place I have always wanted to visit, was just unbelieveable. I felt like I had changed for the better. Being abroad has given me confidence and independence that I never knew I could experience.

My advice to everyone abroad/considering going abroad is to “just embrace it.” I found this lock on the famous Lock Bridge in Paris and I have been using it as my motto. Being abroad is an unbelievable experience. I love Holy Cross and have grown so much from it, but being abroad has given me the opportunity to embrace everything I have learned and apply it to my life. That’s a gift I will always be grateful for. Although I wish I could be at Holy Cross, I find being abroad to be an even more rewarding experience than the alternative. I have one more year at Holy Cross that I will absolutely love, and knowing that is consolation enough.

So moral of the story is, go abroad, go to Paris, and go with one of your best friends, because that’s what makes the experience worth it.

Love,
Jackie

P.S. Here are some pictures from the trip!!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 17th, 2013 at 6:41 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed.