I studied abroad in Paris for one week during my spring break. During that time, we visited four companies: Area 17, L'Escalator, Beyond Form, and Stellantis. Learning from these companies had a significant impact on my understanding of Parisian and French culture. One of my largest takeaways was the vocabulary that people use, different English words to describe similar things. For example, one word the French people use is "profound"; when I use a word like "deep," they mean the same thing at the end of the day, but French vocabulary seems more sophisticated and elegant. Another example was the use of  "chic" instead of "unique".

In terms of communication, it was a huge learning curve. I took French in high school, so I had a basic understanding of basic conversation. There were moments when I spoke to locals in very broken French, yet I still managed to gather information and share some laughs. It was also eye-opening to speak with locals who had no relation to our study abroad; the conversations were very real and raw. I also like to think that the people I spoke with gained an understanding of American culture. One memorable experience was teaching some Italian students how to play some American card games.

During my free time, I learned the most. I went to try different restaurants, got off at random stops on the metro, and walked around (still no idea where I ended up; I like that I've kept this mystery), and I went clubbing to experience social life with kids my age. I learned about bars, shopping areas, and historical areas to visit. I also met other Americans who were there for education and leisure, but it was cool to see that we were all doing similar things, regardless of our purpose. I think this busts the myth that studying abroad is a boring, rigidly structured education. While I did have structured education, I also had free time to do what we wanted, and it was through this freedom that I met really cool people from all over the world and saw many historic landmarks.

The food was phenomenal; it was natural and felt cheap for what I was getting. The culture around meals is that they are supposed to take a long time. I spent at least 1 hour per meal, even if it was just something I grabbed from a cafe. I liked the pace of the city, fast in a way for getting to where you needed to go (found this out through the metro system), but during activities, we took our time. Something that surprised me about the dining culture was how "anti-water" they were. I never got to bring a pitcher of water and always had to ask for it. Another "take your time" aspect of it was that I always had to ask for the bill, the idea being that they don't want to rush you.

• Name: Zachary Lezovich
• Status: Junior
• Major: Finance
• Hometown: Beverly Hills, Michigan
• Program: International Business in Europe