Paris, I’m here!
If you followed my posts last school year, you’re probably aware of my highly anticipated junior year in Europe. I made the decision to study abroad in Paris in fall and London in spring before college had even begun. It was a no-brainer: my self-proclaimed destiny. I spent the entirety of my sophomore year preparing, despite the fact that you can’t even sign up until the semester before your planned trip. Personally, I would suggest it, considering the extra time to prep study abroad scholarship essays is a gift you should give yourself. So, now that I’ve made it here thanks to my year of planning and the scholarships I was given (or “free money” as the wonderful head of the Study Abroad Office, Chris Deegan, likes to call it) I want to keep you posted on my venture abroad, whilst passively convincing you to do the same.
It’s been nine days since I’ve landed in the city of love and, while at risk of sounding incredibly corny, I cannot deny the fact that it has stolen yet another heart. My mother is Parisian and is the reason I grew up a total Francophile who would inevitably decided to live in Paris for five months. This brings me to my second piece of advice: when choosing a place to study abroad, choose somewhere with meaning. Now, there are loads of students I know that chose somewhere completely random and absolutely loved it, because with study abroad, you can’t really go wrong. However, because of my ties to the country and my quest to become fluent in French, this trip has already felt so meaningful, and is probably why I have yet to feel any pangs of homesickness.
Another reason freaking out over the fact that I won’t see Chicago until May has eluded me is because every moment spent here I’ve been learning. Whether I am in class or walking to the market on the corner, Carrefour, I’m learning. I’m learning about the history and current trends of Muslim immigration to France in class. I’m learning about French customs when I am told to put my bread on the table, not my plate, during dinner. I’m learning new French words while conversing in Bastille. I am constantly learning, and constantly realizing how little I know, and it is fantastic. I’ll be sharing all of these observations over the next nine months, but I wanted my first post to warn you that by the end of my documentation, you’ll find yourself on the fifth floor of University Hall.
Lucy Teruel is a junior majoring in communications and minoring in political science. Born and raised on the North Side of Chicago, Lucy loves music, French, shopping, going to the gym and traveling. She’s also an avid sports fan with a particular penchant for the Chicago Cubs. She hopes to one day become a sportscaster, so don’t be surprised if you catch her on the nightly news a few years from now.
