Often times when people travel to a new place they tend to visit tourist attractions, and most locals can tell that they are tourists. A few summers ago, I went to Amman, Jordan with my family. We visited the city of Petra, a popular tourist destination, and while we were walking around, I noticed people giving us looks. I realized it was because of the clothes we were wearing, tank tops and shorts. Most of the women there were almost fully covered despite the heat, because that was their cultural norm. While studying abroad in Paris, I wanted to assimilate to the culture with the goal of not sticking out as American or a tourist. I had travelled to France with my family multiple times in college but for only a couple weeks at a time. Each time I travelled with my family, I learned more about the place we were visiting, but we were visiting family often so cultural experience was not the main focus. After those travels with my family, I realized two weeks really was not enough time to assimilate and really understand a culture. A semester, however would give me plenty of time to learn the ways of the city and not feel rushed in my exploration of what it means to be French.

          I chose to study abroad in Paris, because I wanted to gain a better understanding of the language and I wanted to learn more about the French culture. Before I went to Paris, I had a few preconceived notions about the city and the people. Visiting a place for a short period of time does not give someone enough time to see past the surface of why things are the way they are. There are many stereotypes about Paris and the French, about every culture. Books, movies, and the media tend to portray cultures and ethnicities in certain way. Having a full semester to try and assimilate to the French culture allowed me to form my own opinions instead of relying on the biases and stereotypes I had previously been exposed to.

          I took Globalization and World Regions (GEOG 121) my sophomore year and one of the requirements was to read a current event each week and write journal responses. At the time I took this course, there was a large refugee crisis occurring, many of them traveling into Europe from Syria and North Africa. I wrote my April current event response on an article in the New York Times covering how dangerous migrant routes can be and how Europe was responding to the influx of refugees. Even after these people have survived the journey to a new country, they have to adjust to a new way of life. Refugees often face many biases from the natives of the countries they migrate to, which can lead to them only interacting with people of the same culture. While I was abroad, I was able to meet French students because they were open to meeting people, regardless of nationality.

I participated in a Carolina Intercultural Training when I got back from my semester abroad and the facilitator discussed many of the cultural differences within our campus. As a participant I got to learn about the many challenges exchange students coming to USC experience and how the majority do not integrate into the culture here. This training made me think about the article I read about refugees and how they don’t get to attend an intercultural training. They have to assimilate based on previous knowledge and what they see in front of them. Refugees have to assimilate to a new culture in an intense way, while I chose to assimilate, I knew I would be returning home after.

           During my time in Paris, I had to learn to navigate public transportation, order at restaurants, and speak proper French. All of these things helped me adapt and understand how Parisians live day to day. I was able to discover a different way of living and new traditions. There is a lot to learn from other cultures and stereotypes can often hold people back from experiencing them. In order to form an opinion on something one should actually experience it rather than believing everything they hear. Attending the intercultural training prior to going abroad would have been more beneficial, but I am glad I attended it either way because it allowed me to reflect on my experience.

          Even within a country there are cultural differences, for example the South of France is different from Paris. I had the opportunity to travel to other cities in France and other countries in Europe. This allowed me to observe the similarities and differences in European cultures, while also forming my own opinion about the stereotypes I heard beforehand. I realized stereotypes develop from people being closed off to experiencing the customs of a new culture. My study abroad program, Study Abroad Italy (SAI), had students create blogposts for future study abroad students. One of my blogs focused on the many different places students could travel within and outside of France. I took weekend trips because I wanted to experience and learn about new places. I tried to do as much as I can, even if I was just there for the weekend. Eating the local cuisine, visiting museums and famous landmarks are all things I tried to do in each country I visited.

        If I had never tried to assimilate to French culture, I would not have gotten to learn and understand a different culture and way of life. Understanding where other people come from is important when working with others. I plan on working for a nongovernmental organization in the future, hopefully on an international level. Being able to work with people of many backgrounds would be an important part of the job and adapting to the ways of that culture would help me.