Walking through walls

How has my experience abroad affected me? Well, first off, before this trip I had never travelled outside the United States, taken a train, eaten duck, or experienced another country’s memory of war. After the first day in Paris I had accomplished all these things, except the duck. That came later. It is hardly enough to say that this has been a life-changing experience, one that has sparked my interest in so many areas of life. Above all else this trip has reaffirmed my desire to travel and experience as many different cultures and societies as possible.

It’s pretty tall

I learned a great deal while abroad, and was able to see firsthand, examples of things I had learned about in previous classes. Seeing the product of the campaign to beautify Paris, known as Haussmannization, was more than awe inspiring. One of the most important things I learned is the difference between how we perceive war and how other societies, particularly the French, perceive war. For me war has always been a somewhat distant construct. Even though my family members have served in the military and been deployed during war, it was still happening far away. For Europeans, war has been close, in their back yard, at their door step. It is a much more real entity for them, one that leaves a very physical memory. It was an amazing experience visiting some of the war memorials such as the memorial at Mont Valerien, and the American memorial at Normandy. Entering the memorials was humbling to say the least. I could not help but to feel the weight of what those hallowed grounds represent, and the tragic memories they pay tribute to.

Great sight from the river tour

So, how has my experience abroad affected me? How has it not affected me is the real question. I have such a strong desire to return, and explore even more of Paris, and Europe altogether.

Memorial at Omaha

The trip opened my eyes to how much history lies in the stone facades of the buildings, the sprawling fields where battles were fought, and the amount of memories waiting to be uncovered yet.

Week two of our study abroad trip is already behind us. As a teacher, it has been rewarding to see how far the students have come in their abilities to navigate around the city, order food by themselves, interact with locals, and communicate in basic French. In addition, students have become much more adept at “reading” the landscape around them. When they first arrived, they walked by many types of war memorials without noticing them. Memorials are in plain view throughout the city, but with so many other visual elements competing for attention—people, advertisements, stores, sculptures, architecture, traffic—they can escape attention.

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