I never really thought about it, but I always knew I’d study abroad. I love to travel, and it seemed like it was an essential part of the perfect college experience, so for me, it made sense. All of a sudden, I found myself to be a junior in college, and the time came to take the plunge and leave my friends and family for four months for an experience of a lifetime.
I looked through all of SMU’s study abroad programs, attended the information sessions, asked my friends who had studied abroad in the past and finally chose the SMU-in-Paris program. Even though it was something I always wanted to do, the apprehensive feelings became more and more frequent as the time passed last semester, but I headed home for the holidays after saying my good-byes and even though there were so many things I’d be missing out on at SMU, I knew there were so many more things for me to see in Paris.
After saying goodbye to my family and my friends from home, I boarded my flight to Charles de Gaulle and at that point, I knew there was no turning back. This was happening, and it was happening to me.
When I landed in Paris, I was the typical bewildered American student, and as the group came together in the arrivals hall to meet our director, I realized this was going to be my new reality for the next four months. No more southern food, no more sweet tea, no more unnecessarily large sport utility vehicles and most importantly- no more speaking English. And although I wasn’t aware at the time, these weren’t the only things I’d be giving up.
Another thing I’d be giving up was space. As I sit on the twin bed in my attic apartment, it’s almost as if I forgot what “space” looked like, but now I know I’ve always taken it for granted. Paris is so different from anything I’ve ever experienced, regardless of how small my bed might be, because this isn’t just another big city. This is a huge city, and a city where English is not the primary language. And when I arrived in January, the holiday tourists had just left and the Parisians finally had the city to themselves- and they were not in a hurry to once again be hospitable to another foreigner. After growing up in the South, and attending SMU, I didn’t understand how mean people can really be, but really saw it during my first few weeks in the city. This was not going to be a four-month vacation. This was simply going to be four months of my life, in a city where it’s impossible to tell whether the weather or the people are colder.
It took a while to become accustomed to life here, where people rush past each other to get wherever they’re going without even thinking of making eye contact or saying a word to one another. But these people have places to be, and things to do.
At first, I became so sick of being run into in the subway without an apology, that I would have to take walks through the Ile de la Cite, home to the famous Notre Dame and close to the apartment of the family I’m living with, put my iPod to the most American play list I could create, and pretend that everyone around me was speaking English and being nice to one another. This is what kept me sane the first few days of my trip, and even though it might sound strange, it’s necessary. It’s impossible to adapt to an entirely new way of life in a matter of hours.
It takes time, and for me, time is exactly what I needed. I can now proudly say that I too am a member of this culture, and I rush, I don’t make eye contact, and I don’t even think of speaking to someone on the street. Because that’s what life is like here- it’s busy, and it’s rushed, and it’s impolite, but it’s reality, and I too have places to be and things to do, just like everyone else. And in order to really experience life in Paris, I had to accept it, and although it wasn’t easy, it’s what has made this trip something I will remember for the rest of my life. So if you see me rushing out of Dallas Hall next fall, with my iPod in hand and my sunglasses on, not noticing I just knocked a few people over, tap me on the shoulder and remind me that “Sam, you’re not in Paris anymore.” See y’all in the fall.
