And So It Begins...

A friend of mine who studied in Paris last semester ended her blog with this quote. I figured it would be appropriate to begin mine with it. Not just because it adds a nice little sense of continuity between two people's European adventures, but because this quote perfectly describes my feelings towards my next 6 months studying abroad in Paris.

I never thought about studying abroad when I came to GW. This was completely unlike the countless other classic GW kids whose life goal (apart from being President or CJ Cregg from The West Wing) is to reach every corner of the planet by the time they're 25. Not me. I was happy in my own little American world, cherishing memories like playing baseball as a kid and eating my Mom's homemade apple pie. After getting into GW, I planned every semester down to a T, never thinking to waste a semester abroad which would do nothing for my post-grad plans.

But then I kept meeting more and more people from outside the U.S. or U.S. citizens that have lived abroad and I kept hearing all these cool stories about these amazing places that I was told I just had to see. Here's where Twain's quote comes in. In 20 years, I want to look back and know that I didn't play it safe. I took risks. I got in trouble. I made memories. I lived. Sitting in Gelman studying for the LSAT didn't fit that description.

So that brings me here. Sitting at the kitchen table of my apartment in Paris, jetlagged as BALLS, anxious as all hell, and totally out of my comfort zone. But that's just it. I'm here. I did it. My comfort zone is an ocean away. Where it belongs.

Bring it on World. Bring it on.