By: Megan Callahan, News & Campus Life Editor 

A summer in Paris includes time in a new country, a new town, and several new experiences every day. I was lucky enough to spend a month in the heart of Paris on a study abroad program at Cité Universitaire.  

During my time there, it was shocking how different things were there than in the States. Including transportation, the food there and how it’s prepared, and people living their day-to-day lives. 

The program was filled with students from different schools like Kennesaw State, Georgia College. Valdosta State, University of Georgia, and others. Eight other students who go to VSU also went on the study abroad trip and had their own experiences of what Paris was like for them. 

When it comes to transportation in Paris, it was surprising how many bike lanes there were on the streets. The University System of Georgia Goes Global (USGG) program warned us about transportation beforehand, especially about their Metro train stations, but we found out about the bikes on our own.  

It’s pretty well known that the roads in Europe are very narrow. But once you get used to biking around the narrow roads, the bike lanes were pretty accelerating. A group of USG students and I all went on a midnight bike ride to Notre Dame, which is one of the most famous landmarks in Paris, dating back to 1182. 

This experience was extremely scary at first, but once we got used to the bikes, as well as the bike lanes it wasn’t so bad. Once you feel the wind rush against your skin as the bike speeds up, take in the beautiful sights of Paris.   The adrenaline starts to rush through your veins. 

However, biking at midnight versus during the day is a completely different experience. I went on a second bike ride to a coffee shop the next afternoon, and since traffic is so much busier that time of day, that particular biking experience was much more stressful.  

The bike lane sometimes went from an actual bike lane onto the actual road where buses, semitrucks, and drivers who honked their horns every few seconds were very close to each other. 

It was a very scary experience if you bike by yourself, especially if you’re new in Paris, but if you go with friends, it’s not so bad. However, there are plenty of people in Paris who use bikes as their only source of transportation, so I guess it just takes some time to get used to the business that is Paris.   

Now biking is one thing, but the Metro train station is a whole different ballgame. During the time I was in Paris, there were multiple occasions where a group of friends and I took the wrong train and took twice as long to get back to where we originally wanted to go. 

I knew getting around Paris was going to be a challenge mainly because the program advisors warned us multiple times about this before even getting to Paris. But when it came to the food, I was surprised at some aspects of it and not at other aspects of Paris cuisine. 

I was pleasantly surprised to know that all of their fruits and vegetables are locally grown, meaning I got to experience the freshest fruit I think I’ve ever tasted. It’s probably the reason why people love French wine. Locally grown fresh grapes equal great wine. 

Another thing I was kind of surprised about was how if you order something at a restaurant, you’re not allowed to ask for a to-go box. In Paris it’s considered rude to take your food to-go, so you’re expected to sit there and finish your food, even if it takes hours. 

This definitely made me miss to-go boxes in Paris. Don’t get me wrong, I loved staying in Paris, but there were times when I really liked what I was eating, but I couldn’t take the rest to go.  

I wasn’t surprised at how truly amazing the French desserts and pastries. Every dessert I had was amazing, from the macarons to the gelato to the tartlets. But my favorite was the croissants, which were as light and fluffy as everyone says they are. 

 There was this little cafe right by the dorms, which had the best croissants I have ever had. They had pistachio and strawberry with a light and sweet filling topped with a sweet glaze brushed across the pastries. They topped the strawberry with a dollop of cream and half a strawberry dipped in the glaze. The pistachio was also topped with a dollop of cream and added a pistachio.  

When it came to people living in Paris, we spoke with German, Arabic, British, and Swedish people. A common thing that a lot of Americans think is that Parisians tend to be very rude to tourists who come to Paris, which can be true occasionally. 

However, what several people forget is that Parisians seem to live their lives very reservedly. We were there on the weekend of Bastille Day, and the Parisians watching the fireworks seemed very proud of their culture. 

The weekend of Bastille Day, the city of Paris usually falls silent out of respect for the holiday. Bastille Day is when the French celebrate the beginning of the French Revolution; it is a day of peace for Parisians to really appreciate their culture.  

However, this particular Bastille Day, that didn’t end up happening because that same weekend France lost to Spain during the World Cup, so people were pretty upset. 

Coming back from this trip, I definitely have a new respect for Paris. In a perfect world, I could definitely see myself living there. Who knows, maybe I will someday.