Bastille Day

Happy Bastille Day!

I thought today would be a fitting day to close out my blogging about France. I'll probably keep this blog going about my personal life, but this will be the last France-centered entry. I've been home since about 8:30pm on Friday. Being in America has never felt better! It's so nice being around familiar things again, and having friendly people around. I thought it would take awhile to readjust, but it kind of felt like it all just fell right back into place.

That's not to say that I didn't have a great experience in France. I miss the people I met in Paris. I miss being able to look out my window and see the Eiffel Tower at night. I miss being able to switch back and forth between English and French depending on what I felt like at the time. I learned so much about culture and how to understand and appreciate the differences between various cultures. The things I learned in Paris are things I never could have learned without stepping outside of my comfort zone and living like a Parisian for seven weeks. There is absolutely no way to explain this kind of experience to someone who hasn't actually done it. It's experiential learning in the highest sense. Hopefully, through my entries, you all have gotten to understand a little bit more about a culture that was a little bit foreign to you.

One of the things that everyone keeps asking me is, "So, is the USA better than France?" The thing is, we're talking about culture here. There's no such thing as a "better" culture. France is different, but it's not better and it's not worse. It's just different. The same thing goes for any culture, whether it be German or Japanese or Egyptian or Iranian or Thai. No culture is inherently better or worse than another. They are just different.

So, time for me to get off of my soapbox. I could talk all night, but really, the only way for you to understand what I'm talking about is for you to go out and do it yourself. If you find yourself with a couple of weeks to spare, seize the opportunity and move to another country. It doesn't have to be forever, and it doesn't have to be a study abroad thing. Just living like a native of that country will change your views, most likely. It won't be easy, but it'll be worth it.

Happy traveling!
Riley =)

A Fresh Start

So, a few of you have been reading this blog for awhile now and may notice a few changes. First of all, the layout has changed. Second of all, all of my old posts are gone. There's a few reasons for these things.

I started this blog with the intention of documenting my travel experiences and it didn't really serve that purpose before. Now, I have been accepted to a study abroad program in Paris, France, for this summer and I want to use this blog for its original purposes, but I wanted to get rid of all of the other, irrelevant stuff that may have detracted from that.

What exactly will this blog be documenting? On May 25, I will be leaving Indianapolis for 54 days and studying in Paris, France, through a program with IES Abroad! I will be studying until July 11, then staying in France (doing God knows what...I'll figure that out when I get there!) until July 18. I'll be staying with a French family, hopefully improving my French speaking skills, and taking classes in French culture and language. It's going to be an exciting experience!

So, I hope you all enjoy reading about my adventures and misadventures abroad! Please leave comments...I'd love to hear from you!

Riley =)