Submitted by Emilee Maull on the 2020 winter session program in Paris, France sponsored by the Department of Art and Design…
Paris so far has been a dream! It took days to hit me that I wasn’t in the United States, but now I can’t imagine going back and hearing English everywhere I go. The language barrier has been a bit of a challenge for me, but after a couple of French lessons here I’m feeling better about communicating. We’ve packed in so much into our first week in Paris that it feels like I’ve been here for many weeks. We’ve already been to multiple museums including the Louvre, the d’Orsay, Louis Vuitton Foundation, and the Jeu de Paume. Another challenge on this program has been transportation around the city. There has been a transportation strike going on since December 5th so there are limited buses and metros running, making them extremely packed. One night our bus never came to the bus stop and another night the bus skipped over our stop, leaving us in an unknown location. Despite some low points of our program, I’ve also had the most amazing times already. Seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle for the first time was magical and afterward we walked the streets of Paris, across the Pont Alexandre III Bridge for an amazing view. The street fashion here has also been surreal, seeing everyone dress fashionably everywhere I go. And finally, the FOOD!! Everything I’ve eaten while in Paris has been delicious and a croissant for breakfast every morning has become one of the highlights of every day here. Paris has very quickly become my favorite city and I can’t wait to see what else it has in store for me. Au revoir!
