To the future student looking to study abroad,
I chose to go to Paris, much like others, to get outside of
my comfort zone. I’ve spent my whole life in Wisconsin, and have only been out
of the country with my family. Choosing to stay so close by to friends and
family that I grew up with has had extreme benefits at times and I wouldn’t
trade it for the world. But, I found myself becoming too consumed with the
needs of others this past year and felt a little out of touch with myself, and
with my work. Paris was so attractive to me because the distance would be
forcing me to take time out for myself and my schooling; something that I hadn’t
necessarily allowed myself to fully do in a long time. I also felt that this
summer would be one of the last, if not the last, where I could fully excuse
myself from the real world with very little consequence. The amount of pressure
that I’m already feeling to figure out what I’m doing after I graduate in the
spring has already started to build up, and I thought that if I removed myself
from my typical environment and threw myself into a completely new one that it
would become more clear to me what it is that I want to focus on.
While I came to Paris expecting personal clarity, I also expected
to be able to experience most of the city in one trip. I quickly learned, that
even with the fast-paced program that was set up for us, that it was absolutely
unobtainable. As soon as I realized this after the first couple of days, I was
better able to digest the places we were seeing. I was so overwhelmed from the
culture-shock that I experienced from the second we got off the plane that it
was difficult at times to take it all in. From the language barrier, as well as
the extreme beauty within all of the buildings in Paris that you are constantly
surrounded by, it’s easy to get lost and swept up by all of the change. But the
biggest thing that I had to keep in mind was that at the end of the day, Chris
and Eric really have your best interest at heart-the schedule that they have
carefully planned is laid out for a reason. The integration and exposure to
museums, archives, and historical landmarks kept me interested. I found myself
pleasantly surprised at the wide variety of places we went to visit and felt
that the ground covered on this trip was suitable for any major. I realized on
this trip the importance of looking at work outside of your usual interest
and/or focus. For the first time on this trip I found myself completely moved
by the architecture at the Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation, which I had
no idea was possible. I found myself extremely interested in the psychology of
painting and the symbolism of color and movement within the Early Abstraction
movement. While I know that I’ve studied some of that in my Art History classes
before, there was a complete disconnect for me between seeing it in a textbook,
and physically experiencing a piece that Paris filled.
I realized after
coming home that I feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin after this trip.
Part of that I believe, is due to the fact that you’re thrown into a completely
different culture and you may be extremely uncomfortable and/or uneasy. I found
that I got a lot of the personal clarity I needed by being more in tune with my
thoughts and emotions because I was removed from my comfort zone. I truthfully
believe that this trip has impacted the way that I look at artwork, as well as
the way that I create. I not only look at work more analytically than I did
before because of the curriculum, but the work the things that inspired me
while I was in Paris were different than what I have been attracted to back in
Milwaukee. The exposure to a new culture and a new way of living and experiencing
the world opened up a whole new side of my photography that I didn’t know was
there. This epiphany of some sorts came at a really significant time-it
answered a lot of doubts that I had about myself as a photography student, and
solidified some ground to help me feel more confident going into my senior
year.
To anyone thinking about studying abroad—do it. Don’t
overthink it. Yes, it is daunting. Yes, you will go through a wide variety of
emotions. You will be exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically after
seeing and experiencing this completely different world. You may or may not
click with the city the program is running in, but you will learn so much more
about yourself once you remove yourself from your comfort zone. And please,
once the program is finished, take some time to yourself before returning back
home. Go visit another city or two-stay a few days longer if you can. The down
time that I had in London before I went back home helped me process through
Paris a lot better. All in all, there is not one person that wouldn’t benefit
from studying abroad. Do it now while you’re in school and you have the time –
it really will shape the way that you look at the rest of the world once you
come back.
-Teresa Gagliano
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