On the late afternoon of January 27, 2019, I hastily pat the streams of warm wetness that had trickled down to the tops of my cheeks and then hesitantly waved my last goodbye to my family just outside of the entrance for the TSA queue. After I tore my eyes from the wistful gaze of my parents and turned my back to them, I ventured, alone, on a semester abroad in Paris, France.

My STEP signature project entailed pursuing an educational experience at a venerated foreign institution for four months. Participating in the Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne program, I enrolled in courses that were exclusively taught in French that covered a multitude of subjects including, but not limited to, French linguistics and phonetics, and discussions of various aspects of French culture and civilization, such as modern French art, the role of women in classical French theater, and the history of the castles of the Loire Valley. As a French major, I was driven to hone my French language skills and cultural knowledge.

My time abroad was marked by a variety of personal and academic transformations. Above all, I was able to fulfill my overarching goal to develop my written and oral expression and comprehension skills in French. However, my language skills were not my only abilities that progressed and improved while in Paris. On a more personal level, I gained more confidence in my ability to adapt to new situations and environments. As a result, I grew more comfortable with accepting and moving beyond failure. Consequently, I became more willing to take risks and step outside of my shell. In addition, this trip allowed me to develop my self-sufficiency and become more independent.

As previously mentioned, upon completing my semester abroad, I am able to clearly recognize the immense progression I have made in my fluency in French, and I further recognize my study abroad experience as undoubtedly instrumental in my improvement. Immersion in a country foreign to me required that I consistently make concerted effort in my French to perform simple daily tasks such as buying eggs or locating the metro. I was thrust into an environment, unlike that of the classroom at OSU, where I could not revert back to English if I found myself struggling to express my thoughts, feelings, and ideas in French. Even in the classroom at the Sorbonne, I had to forgo English as a crutch, since my classmates were from all of the world (China, Iran, Belgium, Sweden, Korea, Russia, Ecuador, etc.), and often, the only common language we shared was French. In this way, my education abroad experience obliged me to continue on which my French, even if I faced difficulties in conveying myself, and to work around these difficulties. For instance, if I was talking to someone in French and I did not know a word for something, I would have to describe that word or find synonyms so the other interlocutor could understand. Consequently, I improved the speed and accuracy at which I am able to understand and produce language in French.

Relatedly, I became less afraid of failure. In expressing myself in a language that wasn’t native to me, I faced issues of misunderstanding and miscommunication. Sometimes, the other person with whom I was speaking simply didn’t understand what I was trying to say at all. However, I had no choice but to endeavor in my French to rectify misunderstandings and correct what I was trying to say. With each failure, I learned something new that would secure the opportunity for success in the future, whether that was the “polite” word for excited (the word I had been using meant excited, but definitely not in the connotation that’s proper among friendly acquaintances!) or that “gare” (train station) was pronounced distinctly from “guerre” (war). Seeing that my mistakes were ultimately making me better, I cared less and less about appearing “stupid,” and asked the questions I felt were necessary to aid my understanding without shame. Even after returning from my time abroad, I see that this transformation has stuck. I used to be very hesitant to express confusion, ask questions, or request clarification out of fear of seeming ignorant or uninformed, but now, this registers far less as a concern for me because I know that in being frank about not understanding something and asking for further explanation, I am ensuring that I will understand down the line.

In addition, my stay in Paris marked a profond development in my independence, as it was the first time that I was truly separated from my friends and family. At OSU, I am constantly surrounded by my closest friends and my parents live just a mere 20 minutes away. However, in Paris, I was distanciated, in terms of physical proximity and time zone, from these people on whom I relied for advice and help in the challenges of life. Instead, I had to learn to depend on myself to resolve my own issues, make my own decisions, and find my way around a variety of unfamiliar European cities. As a result, I am now far less dependent on the comfort and assistance provided by others and have gained confidence in myself.

Overall, as I studied in and learned to navigate an unfamiliar city, surrounded by unfamiliar customs, culture, and language, I attained an enhanced understanding of the French language that I otherwise would not have been able to achieve. The transformations I underwent during my education abroad experience have been and will be irrefutably valuable in my personal goals and future academic and professional goals. First, I have improved my fluency in French, which not only satisfies my personal goal of understanding and conversing in a language other than English, but also satisfies my professional goals since I want to work in an position and/or environment in which I will be able to use my French. Additionally, I was granted the opportunity to experience French culture, in addition to a variety of other cultures (via international classmates and my own travels throughout Europe), which has improved my intercultural literacy and communication. This is indispensable since I seek to work where I am able to serve as the bridge between cultures to further foster understanding, whether that be as a diplomat, a liaison for an international company, etc.