I chose to do The Art of Travel in Paris because I wanted to challenge myself by traveling to a place I was not familiar with and where I did not know the language. I did little to no research before this trip. I didn’t practice French and read very little about French customs and practices. This probably sounds like a recipe for disaster in unpreparedness. However, I looked at this as an opportunity to approach this trip to France with an open mind and heart.
Traveling to Europe was a chance for me to be submerged into another culture I had not experienced before. I took advantage of this by striving to interact with French people throughout the trip. As I didn’t know French, the language barrier was obviously a large obstacle. The phrase “Parlez vous Anglais”, which means “Do you speak English”, was one of the key phrases I picked up early on. Though there were some that didn’t know English, there were many that did. I found that even those who would say they only knew a little bit of English were actually fairly fluent.
When I told people that I was going on a study abroad trip to Paris, people would state the well-known stereotype that French people are rude, specifically to Americans. Though I’m sure there are French who purposely are rude to Americans, I found this French unfriendliness to be misunderstood. In interacting with the French, I learned that they often aren’t super open or friendly like Americans are in conversation. I found that I liked this practice. There was no need for sugar coating. It made conversations straight and to the point.
Despite this cultural misunderstanding, I never felt more aware of my Americaness than while in France. Though I was born in America, since I am Mexican, I never really considered myself American. Despite my brown skin and proficiency in Spanish, I often stood out like a sore thumb because I could not speak French and spoke perfect English. While in Paris I had the opportunity to interact with French people of Latino heritage. I found that even though we spoke the same Spanish and could bond over Latino music, there was still a cultural difference between French and American interpersonal practices.
I met a group of French Peruvian friends early on in the trip in the Latin Quarter of Paris. They were born in France but their families were from Peru. One of the friends in the group spoke about their belief in the importance of remembering their Peruvian roots despite being born in France. They were fluent in Spanish and mentioned how they wanted to explore their Peruvian roots unlike the friends in their group who fully claimed their French nationality and did not find importance in learning about their cultural roots. This interaction reminded me of how I perceived my American identity as a Mexican.
Traveling to Paris pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to operate outside by bounds of familiarity. I learned how I operated in another country that I did not know the language and culture of. I also learned and found similarities in the struggle of fitting into cultural identity in another country. This experience has inspired me to explore other countries and cultures. I hope to return to Paris in the future and I look forward to the new experiences I will have on my next visit to France.
