Planning for this study abroad actually began in January of 2011, so it is hard to believe that now I am about two months away from takeoff. Paris has been my dream for a long time, and I'm lucky enough to have people in my life that are so supportive of me in all of my endeavors. When I was trying to decide what I wanted out of study abroad experience, I called my mom. I was debating between several programs, and trying to determine if I wanted to go for a semester or for a year. She asked if the year program would be possible, and it was. "Do the year", she said, and I haven't looked back since.
My mom actually grew up in Ecuador, and studied abroad in the United States for year when she was 15. So she knows what it's like to travel and love the culture that you come into. I am so ready to have that same experience. Maybe one day, like her, I will find my home in the country I have adopted, rather than the one that I was born into.
I will be spending my 9 months in Paris studying at L'Institute Catholique, a beautiful and historic school at the heart of Paris' 6th Arrondisement. It is located mere blocks from the Luxembourg Gardens, the Quartier Latin, and St. Germain de Près. I'll get to spend my days studying (and not studying) in the most beautiful places in the world.
L'Institute Catholique de Paris
In the next few days I have an appointment with the French consulate to apply for my student visa and then this adventure can really begin. À nous deux, Paris!
"America is my country, and Paris is my hometown" - Gertrude Stein
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