When I was approached by my roommate last fall about a month abroad in France, I naturally had a few doubts and hesitations. For one, I had never even been to Europe before, much less for four weeks. I chose to take a leap of faith and follow along, leading me to now speak on my first two weeks and what I’ve seen so far. From the minute we got off the plane in Paris, I was convinced that we were in over our heads. It took us almost an hour to figure out how to get to the train station in the airport and buy a daypass on the trains. Before I knew it, we were en route to the sparkling city for the rest of the day. All of my worries disappeared after I climbed the steps out of the underground and saw my surroundings. Towering over me was the most jaw-dropping cathedral I had ever laid eyes on. This was just the start of the almost overwhelming cultural learning I’ve been exposed to while abroad.
In two weeks, I have now been to three different countries, all with wildly different cultural norms and traditions. I have done my best to expose myself to different foods and have had my fair share of embarrassing conversations due to my lack of understanding local languages. However, I can confidently say that I have yet to have a bad experience and that each day so far has been a step in expanding my knowledge of different European cultures. This past weekend, I went with some friends to Switzerland. In our short three day stay, we got to see multiple towns, beautiful lakes, and mountains in any direction you looked. The trip was a perfect encapsulation of the beauty and uniqueness of the area. Switzerland also helped me get out of my comfort zone as the Airbnb we stayed at certainly was in a different condition than anywhere I had stayed before. We essentially were in the attic of an apartment building, which provided its own unique challenges. However, I believe the apartment was an essential part of the weekend and contributed to our experience in Switzerland.
One thing I have not been particularly fond of is the train system to get from town to town. This is because sometimes we have been in situations where we had less than five minutes to get off the train and across the station to our connector. With experience has come wisdom as I have gained more confidence in conquering the train station. Examples like this are just a few of the ways that I have developed new skills and knowledge from being in a new environment. I look forward to the last two weeks to continue to broaden my cultural intelligence.
