Last Reflection

HelloGoodbye AppleThe most rewarding experience for me has been the friends I have made both American and French. Most of them I will probably never see them again, but there are some that I hope to maintain my friendship with. No matter the memories made here with them forevermore will be unforgettable ;) The biggest problems I had to face were definitely the currency exchange and the apartment situation. Changing currency was difficult because with the economy as we all know the euro is more expensive then the dollar and having money wired transferred from my American account to my French account took several days. Moneygram charged me with unnecessary charges, so I will NEVER do that again unless in an emergency. Even then I might not do that again. Instead I opted for an ATM withdrawal, but you are only allowed to withdraw 300 Euros a day. So plan ATM withdrawals days ahead if you have to pay rent or other bills. Go through the school for housing. Unfortunately since NYU in France does not have dorms. They provide you with a landlord. I went through an agency instead a choice I still regret but I canceled that lease and went through NYU after a month and the landlord treats me as though I were her own daughter. Take care of all necessary things BEFORE you leave the states. I had contacts and my glasses and I thought if I just ran out of contacts I would just use my glasses. Unfortunately they broke and I went around Paris for several weeks with broken glasses. I just got contacts last week. When I get home, I will practice my French more and learn Creole hopefully. Thank God I live in Louisiana!;) I will spend more time with my family and friends. I have missed them more than I ever have. I’ve lived away from them for more than 4 years, but it took coming here to be this homesick. But I plan on getting a job and moving out ( I haven’t told mom that yet!) I like living in my own apartment being this independent. It was different from being in the city. Finally, I have learned to sometimes just do what you say going to do. I’m a procrastinator, but now I like doing things ahead of time so I won’t have to worry about them later! In other situations, in mostly taking a chance even though I don’t myself sometimes. I found that I am stronger than I believed and I can stand on my own two feet. I kind of like the new me. I just have to figure out what I’m gonna do with that in my life, but I’m excited to find out. What I will remember most are experiences that I don’t believe I would have had in the States and which I will not reveal, but definitely these memories and the friends I share them with will remain in my heart. As far as NYU goes: get us dorms and better courses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you guys had fun and enjoyed your own experiences at your own sites!! Have fun and thanks for everything Steve.