Chapter 2

Well, that's all folks. Yesterday, I took my proficiency exam in French. It was a really difficult article on the banning of the burqa and niqab in France, and there is nothing I can do except wait for the results in a week or two. Luckily, we also received our final presentation grades. I did pretty well, despite the harsh critique of my exposé depth and pronunciation skills. What's done is done, and last night the group celebrated in style. Many of the students are off to America today, and others like me will be traveling Europe with family or friends.

Stephen arrives from the United States tomorrow! It's going to absolutely amazing to experience Europe for 2 weeks from a traveler's perspective instead of from that of a busy and hard-working college student. It's 3 days in Paris, including Bastille Day tomorrow, and then we're off to the rest of our journey in Spain, London, and Dublin.

While this program in Paris was not exactly what I wanted or expected, I certainly can be proud of myself for how far I have come. I moved to a new country for six weeks. I lived with a host family and communicated with them in French. I made great strides in my language skills, and I feel that I can finally function in a foreign language. I meet some great people from Georgetown who I would not have had the chance to meet otherwise. I lived in a beautiful city with everything you could possibly want from the largest metropolitan area on continental Europe. Overall, it was a great experience in Paris, but I am ready to move on to the next chapter. First stop: a grand tour of Western Europe!