Nick Grimes
Co-op Spring 2015
American in Paris
Job: Intern at the United States Commercial Service (a division of the Department of Commerce) at the American Embassy in Paris
Beginning:
a) The main reason I chose to do my co-op in Paris was to experience something new and to achieve fluency in French. Also, it is a very unique experience to move to a new city and country at only 19 and I think it will open the door to many great opportunities in the future.
b) Overall, I expect this experience to make me a more worldly and mature person. Spending time abroad makes me look at my life in the US very differently. I enjoy gaining perspective on everything that goes on in the world and also being able to incorporate aspects of other cultures into my daily life. In addition, I think I am going to learn a great deal about myself during these six months in Paris.
c) I have three goals for my time here in France. My first goal is to become completely fluent in French. I already speak French very well and I’m comfortable in pretty much any situation, but I want to speak like a native after my internship. It is a high objective, but I think if I work at it, I can do it. Second, I want to make contacts and start planning for future co-ops and careers. So far, I only have a few ideas of what I would like to do when I’m older and I have very few contacts. I hope to have a better idea of what interests me and to have a larger network. Third, I hope to make some life-long American and French friends while I’m here.
d) Sometimes, I can be a bit inhibited and negative, mostly because I’m naturally an introvert. However, I’m hoping that these weaknesses of mine won’t inhibit me from making the most of this great opportunity. Thus far, I’ve taken every opportunity to meet people and to have new experiences here, so I plan to continue!
e) What I’m most looking forward to while I’m here is traveling! I haven’t been to many places in Europe, so I’m very excited to get around more. I plan to go to London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and some other places in France during my stay.
Week 1:
a) I’ve been to Paris three times before, so I didn’t really have a first impression this time. For the most part, I think this is, without a doubt, the most beautiful city in the world. There is simply so much to see and I know that I won’t even come close to it in my six months here. The neighborhood where I’m staying is new to me, luckily, so it’s been fun exploring. I’m staying in the 16th arrondissement, which is known as the wealthy area of Paris. While it’s beautiful, I find that there really isn’t much to do for young people here. The area is very quiet and most cafes, restaurants and bars are very expensive, which is quite difficult for someone on a college budget. However, I do really enjoy coming home at night to a safe, quiet neighborhood. Even in my neighborhood, I discover something new every day!
b) As for a program orientation, all I can comment on was the lack thereof. There was nobody there to greet me on my first day and I wound up waiting for a half hour outside of the embassy. I was not at all pleased with the job the first day because not only was I the only intern, but they had no work prepared for me and they didn’t even have my computer log-ins set up. Thankfully, since then, things have improved tremendously. Several new interns have arrived, and I’ve gotten to work on some really incredible projects. My two favorite so far have been working with US food chains to enter the French market (names include Dairy Queen and Johnny Rocket’s) and working at two embassy events during which I got to go to the Ambassador’s Residence and the George Marshall Center (where the Marshall Plan was signed after WWII). Pretty cool stuff!
