I’m a natural planner in life. As much as I love to say I’m spontaneous and wild, I’m really not with most of my big life decisions. Sure, I’ll take an expected road trip or change plans at the drop of a pin, but with anything bigger than that? I need a checklist, calendar, and time to plan. So naturally, being the stubborn person I am, I was not going to let the pandemic ruin my aspirations of studying abroad in France since eighth grade (literally). 

To say getting here (aka Paris) was hard would be a gross understatement. From constantly checking for approval from the Reves Center, to changing my entire course enrollment literally on the train back from my visa appointment, to stressing over testing and maintaining safety during the travel process — it was quite truly one of the most difficult processes I’ve gone through. Now, of course, the question remains: was it worth it?

Simply put, absolutely. (I should note, this is my first time in Paris and in Europe, frankly, so as someone who has dreamed of traveling and seeing the world my whole life it would have to be pretty terrible if it wasn’t worth all the trouble.) While yes, it is quite disappointing given the current lockdown measures and how terribly France is handling vaccinations, if I had to be stuck anywhere during this, I’m glad it’s here. 

During my time here, I’ve been taking a French language and phonetics course at the Institut Catholique de Paris with other international students. While I was initially terrified at the prospect of being surrounded by an entirely new cast of people, my classmates welcomed me as if I had always been there. Many of them have studied there for a few semesters so they already know each other pretty well, but they welcomed me into their group with open arms (and lots of questions about America). They come from all corners of the world: Poland, Egypt, China, Japan, Colombia — the list goes on and on. And all of them are learning French for unique reasons. Getting to know them and their lives has been a highlight of my time here and I cannot even imagine the day when I’ll have to say goodbye. Outside of my class alone, I have met the most wonderful cast of other “Americans in Paris”: my roommate, Annika, and my friends from ICP that are here with another study abroad program. 

Outside of learning and refining my French, which has vastly improved since I beganliving here and speaking the language daily, there have been so many other personal growth opportunities. No, I am not going to sit here and go, “Ooh study abroad changed me” (I mean it has, but I’m going to try really hard not to be THAT person), but in the last two months, I’ve had the chance to reflect on my upbringing and think about my place in the world. Coming from a tiny town with next to no diversity, I think a place like that can cause two reactions in people: comfort in staying or the drive to leave and explore. For me, it has always been the latter. Paris has given me the chance to learn about different cuisines, religions, and cultures from those around me and close to me like my classmates, and even the people I meet in the local Monoprix (French Target). These new experiences have encouraged me to step back and reflect on how and why I approach things the way I do from a cultural standpoint and question how I want to move forward. It’s so weird for me to step back some days and take a moment to acknowledge where I’m from and where I am now — my young self never could have imagined actually living and being here. My dad jokes with me when we chat on the phone that he can’t believe his kid is in France and I love to laugh and tell him I always dreamed of doing this, but honestly, it’s shocking to me too. 

Outside of the personal growth and revelations, what has been more shocking to me is my artistic reawakening. For those who don’t know me or my work, I’m a photographer and have been for roughly five years now. While I adore photography and the work I’ve made so far at the College of William and Mary, I felt like I was in a rut creatively. Every week felt like I was photographing the same topics and subjects, and I was finding myself unexcited to pick up my camera save for every now and then. Coming to Paris and feeling free to photograph whatever I wanted in an entirely new environment has sparked my creative drive again. I carry my camera everywhere and have photographed more in the last two months than I have in a long while. The images I’m producing are different from anything else in my portfolio and are really the first work I’ve made outside of an assignment or for a client. These are images I am really creating for myself. 

Paris has long been hailed as an artist’s paradise and I now understand why, especially for someone like myself who has never experienced living in such a large city where everything is new. The subjects I’m drawn to photographing may be overlooked as everyday life for some, but for me, it is often an entirely new experience. From friends picnicking out in a park to people carrying their groceries home on the metro (especially the metro ), all of these things I’m drawn to documenting are fresh to me, and I think that’s what makes the work I’m developing here so enticing to me artistically. 

So overall, while studying abroad in the COVID pandemic era has posed some difficulties and some disappointments (France, please just reopen museums), I’ve had a very unique experience this semester. While I haven’t been able to travel much, Paris is a city one can live in for years and not fully discover, so restrictions have encouraged me to really appreciate where I am to the fullest. Paris has not only given me new opportunities but new friends and a new outlook on life and my artistic pursuits.