In the moment, I felt everyday passing by slowly, jam packed with an unsustainable schedule that left me an exhausted (and I guess content) man. But then I blinked, and all of a sudden, we finished studying abroad. It was surreal leaving Rice Global Paris for the last time, walking around the city for the last time, and getting a meal here with my friends for the last time. All these lasts will definitely become lasting memories as I move forward with the rest of my summer.
I have a habit of walking and thinking, and I did plenty of that in between the chaos that was the class, my friends, and the city. One night, as I trekked by the Seine, I realized that having a perfect solution for anything is very difficult. It takes time and it’s okay if I don’t come to one, even with time. As I prototyped with my team, thinking much harder than I needed to (sleep deprivation tends to do that to a person, I’ve found), we were met with constant failure through iterations because there was always something we missed. And that’s alright.
Dr. Wettergreen taught us that materials look different in different environments. Instead of just seeing something as imperfect, it’s better to consider what it does well and how to make it work. Being in Europe for the first time has definitely broadened my perspective, even giving me a new perspective on “perspective.” I feel like there’s so much more that I don’t know, despite knowledge banks not necessarily expanding at the speed at which I’ve been learning during this short time I have been abroad. It’s all just a problem of perspective. What I see is different from what someone else sees, from what the rest of the world. Our client, Yousra, sees the world completely differently after her accident. The world had become an obstacle. Things that we consider trivial, like weather or roads, have all become major inconveniences. Paris is really cool. But I have trouble walking down the narrow streets and navigating the metro system with normal mobility – how difficult must it be for those with limited mobility? Paris is not the same city when the perspective is shifted just a little.
In terms of my Paris experience, I’ve entertained my inner foodie. I can pretty confidently say I’ve probably eaten more than my peers, just by virtue of me ordering two plates of food for each meal. Shoutout to Max for doing the same as me on our last day (I’m a bad influence oops). My favorite eating experience here was our first meal here, at Little Vietnam, just a two minute walk from our residence. Having such good food for a reasonable price, so close to where we were staying, after so much mediocre food in Amsterdam was amazing. As Taofeekat, with her eloquent, prolific, articulate oration, said ever so expressively, “Wow.” This magnificent comment was not made just once, mind you, but an uncountable amount of times in that I didn’t bother to count it (sorry Taofeekat).
For future iSEED students, don’t come into this program worrying about or expecting something out of the class. Just do what’s fun for you and explore the city. A lot of my learning was outside of the classroom. After all, you bought flights here. Do the tourist things, because one of the greatest gifts the world has to offer is the opportunity to explore it.
