On my way to Paris I felt a myriad of emotions. I was so young and it was not only my first time abroad but also my first time flying anywhere on my own. There were so many firsts ahead for me and on my flight to Paris I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
I flew to Paris in late August and just eight months earlier I had laid in a hospital bed dreaming of that moment. Recovering from the thyroidectomy that had helped me become cancer-free gave me a lot of time to reflect on what I wanted in life. I knew above everything that I wanted to make the most of life, without letting fear or anxiety hold me back.
So, from my hospital bed I filled out an application to study abroad in Paris. I had no idea if my application would be successful, or if my financial aid would be enough to cover the costs, but all I knew was that if I didn’t at least try, I would regret it forever.
The scariest thing for me about going abroad for the first time was being so far away from my friends and family. I knew I would miss my family and I was afraid of everything that I would miss out on being away from my friends for almost five months.
Nevertheless, my desire to travel, to experience and to grow outweighed my apprehensions.
I landed in Paris with four years of studying French under my belt and yet I couldn’t understand a word of what anybody said around me. I was overwhelmed not only by the language, but also by the different climate, culture and I feared getting lost in the city. However, that fear soon turned into elation and it was a feeling unlike anything I had ever experienced before. That was my first travel “high” and I have continued to chase that excitement every time I travel somewhere I’ve never been before.
On that sunny August day, the study abroad coordinator welcomed the new arrivals at the airport and put us in cabs to take us to our accommodations. Driving through Paris for the first time in a Taxi Parisien, I looked out my backseat window and I was absolutely blown away. All of the streets, monuments and landmarks that I had seen in my French textbooks stood before me in real life: Les Invalides, Arc de Triomphe, La Tour Eiffel. It was love at first sight: Paris stunned me with her beauty and I couldn’t wait to venture out and discover everything she had to offer. My first night in Paris, I went to sleep exhausted, exhilarated and elated knowing that the best was yet to come.
Paulina’s Passport 