Courtney and Courtney in the metro
I was extremely exited to have this opportunity to leave the United States and come to Paris. Upon my arrival, I was immediately immersed in the true definition of French culture. We did end up having some trouble getting into our hotel, and finding it. Once we finally got out of the metro, we realized that we had no idea how to get there, and both of our phones had died from the plane ride and so we had to go to the nearest restaurant to charge our phones and use the wifi because we were lost in a new city. However once we finally got settled, I could then begin to appreciate the way of the French. I was very relieved to find out that most French people are super nice, and friendly, especially when I need to ask for directions, which I did have to do many times my first few days in the city, even still sometimes. France is a very beautiful county, and I was not aware, but am now, of how much history there is here. You don’t even have to look for it, as it is everywhere. Even on the way to my hotel, we passed a beautiful, old and Gothic-looking church, and I did not think about it at the time, but now that I do, that building is probably older than America, which is a very perspective-altering thing to realize. Being brought up in such a young nation really shelters my knowledge of the history of the world. Also on one of the tours that we got the privilege to take, our tour guide pointed out the very first Gothic building ever to have been erected. This really fascinated me as I love architecture and the different styles of buildings that the world has seen. I look forward to learning so much more about the history, memory, and culture of France.