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One Month Later

Mimi Price
January 21, 2014

It has been over a month since I left Paris. Little things remind me of Paris all the time: rows of baguettes in the grocery store, French words on a billboard, the black and white photos covering my walls. Transitioning back to life in the US had been strange. The first day I got back, I was walking down the street and all around me I could hear people speaking in English. I was so overwhelmed because hearing English just didn’t feel right. I felt so uneasy and out of place, all I wanted was for someone to speak French. Now, I open my wallet to find change, but American pennies and dimes suddenly seem so foreign to me. I couldn’t figure out how to make 23 cents because I can only think in Euro coins. If I’m distracted and bump into someone, I still say “pardon” and walk away before realizing that I spoke in French. When the cashier as the store speaks to me, I have to stop myself from automatically responding in French.

I’m glad to be back at school, back with my friends, back where I am comfortable. I also can’t complain about the California sunshine. That definitely beats Paris’s cloud cover and chill days. But I think about my time in Paris every single day. People always told me that study abroad would change my life. I didn’t really believe them because I thought that it was just like a long vacation. But Paris did change my life, and it changed me as well. I left Paris far more independent than I could imagine myself ever being. If I could take care of myself in a foreign city, than doing that here is no problem. I feel more confident, like I can handle anything.

The best thing I have taken away from Paris are my memories. Even though there were ups and downs, my time in Paris was perfect. I saw and experienced so much, and left Paris feeling as though it was my city. The people I met, the places I went, the sights I saw, it was all perfect. 

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Mimi Price

<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">Hi! My name is Mimi Price and I am a junior at Santa Clara University where I study French, Economics and International Business. I have been looking forward to study abroad my whole life and I am beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to study in Paris. By the end of my program, I hope that I no longer feel like a tourist, but feel that Paris is my home. My goal is to embrace all that Paris has to offer from the language to the culture to the history. My hobbies include shopping and eating, so I think that Paris will be a good place for me!</span></p>

Home University:
Santa Clara University
Major:
Economics
French Language
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