Hello Paris! The two weeks in Amsterdam have been amazing, but now I’m in Paris 🙂 On the day we left for Paris, Jenny, Winson, and I went to the market before our train ride. I liked visiting these markets since there were many small vendors and thrift shops available. In Paris, I have also heard there are many thrift stores and hope to check them out soon! During the train ride, I had a sandwich and slept almost the entire way. I was able to see some scenery, but would quickly fall back asleep.
In Amsterdam, our hostel was in a pretty touristy location. Therefore, it was difficult to find local places to eat and hang out unless we went a bit further our of the main city area. I hope that we will be be able to try better food in Paris, and so far it has been great! Although we are a bit far from Rice Global Paris, since we are out of the center, we have been able to eat at local restaurants that serve very good food. During the first two weeks, we also interacted with students at the University of Amsterdam. I really enjoyed getting to know them and they showed us around the city as well. Listening to their ideas for our group project and working with them is an experience I will cherish. I wonder if we will be able to meet other local students to learn more about Paris and its culture while we are out in the city.
While in Paris, I hope to feel equipped with new information and perspective from another country and ready to pursue a career in human factors engineering in Europe. My goal for this trip is to better understand the intersection of human behavior and design so that I can apply that knowledge to my upcoming courses and my future career. Since the culture is very different in Europe, by being here, I can experience a new perspective and consider various influences to design I may not have considered before. I have already learned about the education system in the Netherlands and can picture myself working/living there, so I want to see if I could picture myself in Paris as well. I am more interested in working in Europe now and want to learn more about the process.
Outside of the course, I am excited to explore various historical sites. I want to see how the architecture has developed and learn more about Paris’s culture and how it influences the designs of products. I want to understand the urban planning and how the designs differ from that in America. Since I was a baby the last time I was in Paris, I don’t remember the trip. So, I am excited to explore the city as a college student and take long walks.
I have bookmarked various locations on Google Maps. I hope to break up the city into different sections and see the bookmarked locations on different days to optimize my time here. I don’t want to pack my schedule, however, since I like having the freedom and flexibility to wander around and check out anything that may seem interesting. Having some goal locations and then the time to wander is the way I like to explore a new city.
In Paris, I hope to make the happy memory of understanding the impacts of cultural differences on design. I have already had moments of feeling lucky and appreciating that I am even here, studying in another country so I want to make the most out of my time here and learn about design differences, causes, and impacts as much as possible. 
