When arriving in Paris, France, there were many emotions running through my mind. I was excited for the next four months of my academic career to play out overseas, but I was also nervous and intimidated by the differences I might encounter. I knew that my life abroad would look vastly different from back in the U.S. However, I found that visiting the iconic parts of my host city as well as finding beauty in the lesser known areas helped ease my anxiety. Exploring the city has made it feel more like a home rather than a place that I am staying in. I would invite everyone who is studying abroad to spend the first week or two seeing all the sights you can and making a mental map of your new residence.

So, my first week abroad was packed with amazing firsts, and this made any complications feel incredibly worth it. After landing in Paris, I took a few hours to get settled into my apartment and rest after the long day of travel, but that night, a few friends and I visited the Eiffel Tower. It was incredible to see in person, and it also served as a nice reward for all the work that it took to get everything settled in order to go abroad. I knew, as I took in the iconic view, that the effort put into finding a program, getting accepted, getting a visa and more was going to pay off.

Throughout the next week, the incredible friends I met here came along with me to monuments such as l’Arc de Triomph, the Sacré Cœur and the Louvre. Of course, these monuments were incredible to see, but it was also quite interesting to take in the general difference of architecture and infrastructure while we were making our trip to them. The neighborhoods of Paris are unlike anything we might find in the U.S., and they alone are special to experience. Even a month in, I am still in awe of the beauty of my host city, and it reminds me how amazing of an opportunity studying abroad is. I would say that I am very well-acclimated to life here hugely in part to these little voyages with my amazing friends.