As my year comes to a close, I have come to realize how amazing this opportunity has been. I’m not from a small town or even a small city, far from it. Los Angeles is an immense city with many vibrant cultures that I encounter every day. However, I had never been outside of this bubble and I was so accustomed to everything I saw. Paris, on the other hand, provided a breath of fresh air. As soon as I stepped off the plane, I was met with what would be my home for the next year. The sky was cloudy in Parisian fashion, and the city was crowded with locals going on and living their lives. I was enamored by the small cafes and the typical European architecture. Even as I struggled to carry my luggage up four flights of stairs, I was not deterred in any way. I knew I was going to make this place my home. So for the next week I made sure to go around and visit many places as I could around the city. With just some tennis shoes on and a bit of money in my pocket, I made my way through the city. Seeing something new that I have always been anticipating seeing was so thrilling. To this day, that first week is stored as one of the most memorable times for me.
As I came to know more about the city, it meant that I got to know more about its people and the culture. And I can say that I had definite culture shock. Simple things like crossing the street irrespective of whether or not the light is red to learning and experiencing that French people are more likely to be closed off to strangers. This exposure was completely different to what I’m used to but I welcomed it with open arms and the willingness to assimilate. The good thing was that I was not alone in my journey but that many other students like me were in the same boat. That is what I loved about Sciences Po.
Learning at a prestigious school like Sciences Po was an amazing experience. With half of the population being exchange students, I felt like I could fit in. We were all coming from different backgrounds and we all came here with a common desire to get the best experience possible. The first semester there was one of my favorites because I got to take classes outside my specific major and learn more about European law and culture. One of the classes that I really enjoyed was that of Women’s rights and how different women across the world perceive them to be. It was a great way to start talking about feminism but at a deeper level and with points of views from different cultures. In all honesty, having professors from different backgrounds and walks of life also provided to be incredibly refreshing and made classes more engaging. All in all my first semester was filled with a lot of trial and error but it was completely worth it. That semester I also made many new friends and got in contact with old faces. People are right about how spending a year abroad with friends is magical and how you make some of the best memories.
That being said, second semester provided to be a lot more difficult for myself both academically and socially. I was faced with my closest friends going back to the States and with classes being more challenging. Unlike the last semester, I decided to challenge myself to take one more class in French and it was my first experience with a French lecture class. More than 200 students filled the auditorium and many were first-year students with hopes that they would do amazing that semester. And I also took it upon myself to take more political science classes than last semester (as I ended up taking none). The only exception was the script writing class I decided to take that was taught in French. And it gave me a break from the purely academic classes I was taking. If I had not taken that class, I am pretty sure I would have been strongly disappointed the entire semester. But, taking all these classes provided me with groundbreaking insight about myself. This entire year was filled with self-discovery but the most important was that maybe the career path I wanted to take was not right for me. Before coming to Franc I was so sure that I wanted to become a lawyer and go to law school, but in actuality it provided me with more confusion as to what I want to do with my life. In a sense I am incredibly grateful because not only did these classes provide scholarly insight but also personal.
Leaving now feels like a dream because of how long I have been here but also the life I have constructed. I honestly do not think that I am going to be the same once I go back home, but that is good thing because it shows personal growth. Am I prepared to go back to UCSD now? Not in the slightest. Even if at times Paris seemed like it dimmed in comparison to home, it made such a huge impact on my heart that going back to UCSD feels a bit saddening. But I’m sure that I will be back in the future, if not for academics then I’ll be there visiting friends that I left behind. I will never forget this experience in a million years, and I’m incredibly grateful that you all made this experience possible.