CEA CAPA Paris

I studied abroad in Paris, France in Fall 2024. It was a bit of an adjustment but I was fine with the transition. One thing I think helped with this is that I kept my expectations reasonable. I had the beautiful, timeless, and dream-like image of Paris I think a lot of people have when they think of it, but I did not forget that it is still a big city, and therefore has the problems that come with that. Something that I wish I had more information about before leaving is how to get around/out of the city. Learning how to use public transportation is extremely helpful. The Paris metro system is truly amazing, and better than any of the other places I traveled to. You may have to make a transfer or two, but the lines are so interconnected, and run very frequently, that you can go anywhere easily. Plus, right after arriving CEA CAPA provided us with Navigo passes, a monthly pass that allowed us to travel on the metro and bus, and taught us how to use them. While abroad I did a lot of traveling too, and Paris, being a major city in the world, made trips really accessible. From the train station Gare du Nord, which is connected to the metro, you can take international trains. The Eurostar, a major high-speed train company, runs out of it. Also, there are two airports close by, Orly and Charles de Gaulle. I never went to Orly, but from Gare du Nord it is only about a 30 minute direct train on the RER B to get to CDG airport.

One aspect about studying abroad that I found especially challenging was going to a country that spoke a different language. I had taken beginner level classes before arriving, but even if I had a little more proficiency, it still would not have prepared me enough for being immediately immersed in it. I took Intermediate French I there, but it was taught completely in French, and I found it really hard to learn it in that way. Even so, going around I really did not have any problems communicating with people. Almost every person I talked to switched to English after hearing me speak and realizing how bad I was. Then whenever I encountered someone who did not know English, as well as for reading and traveling, the translation app DeepL really came in handy.