the past month.
Forgot about me? It’s been a busy month, let me just tell you! From trying my first mouth-watering macaroons at La Durée (one nibble of the salted caramel sent me straight to heaven); to writing an essay or two twelve; to celebrating Thanksgiving at a delicious restaurant with great food and great friends; to playing hostess to my wonderful high school friends…
…to watching Paris light up in preparation for Christmas…
…to not-so-secretly continent-hopping to Mexico this past weekend to watch my amazing boyfriend finish his first Ironman…
…to tasting the sinfully delicious hot chocolate at the famous tea room Angelina’s; to visiting numerous museums…
In front of Delacroix’s Raft of Medusa
At the Reina Sofia in Madrid
…to having the unfortunate epiphany that those new blue jeans you just bought cannot in fact go in the wash with your whites (thanks for nothing, Vanessa); to watching a soccer game (France beat USA unfortunately) at the Stade de France…
…to exchanging life stories with my conversation partner at the Sorbonne University, it’s been a busy, busy month.
And as my semester in Paris is coming to a close, I’ve had time to reflect on my past presque three months (can you believe it?) here in Paris. And while I cannot come away from the experience claiming that I have changed into a completely different person (though some kind friends have boldly stated that I have emerged a better story teller with an infinitely better sense of direction), I will say that (brace yourself for nauseatingly cliché study abroad comment) I would not trade this past semester for anything. It has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I will in some way always view this wonderful city as somewhat of a home.
I think it’s safe to say that all of us abroad have grown partial to our cities—becoming overly defensive from even the slightest criticism—and that with each weekend trip taken, we feel more grateful than ever for choosing where we studied, lucky enough to call our amazing cities our “home” for the semester. Each time I take the RER B back to my apartment from Charles de Gaulle airport and throw my carry-on luggage haphazardly on my apartment table, I without fail look back on my decision made over a year ago to study in Paris as the perfect choice for me. No city has compared to the city of lights. No city has had so much to offer as Paris does: the strolls, the museums, the cafés, the sites! There is so much left to do on my Parisian bucket list! As my flight back to San Francisco draws increasingly near, I’m faced with the daunting task of hastily running all over town to cross off as many items as possible.
Next on the list: taking a French cooking class!
