Fashion Culture and Commerce in Paris: The Start

My passport is acquired. My money is exchanged. My flight ticket is printed, my emergency contact info is filled out, my clothes are packed. All that’s left is to calm my nerves, drive to Boston, and get on a flight to Paris. I have never left America—save for a brief trip to Canada in eighth grade. I know that I will be sharing my study abroad experience with people that have visited ten different countries and can speak five different languages.

But, well. You have to start somewhere. So I’m starting here.

France has always been a “someday” goal, all throughout middle and high school. When learning how to conjugate “aller” and “avoir” and memorizing the house of être, I would stare up at posters of the Eiffel Tower and think to myself, “someday this will be useful.” That’s part of the reason I chose Paris; I didn’t want all those years of study to be for nothing. The reason I picked this program in particular is pretty simple—it’s interesting, challenging but fun, and has absolutely nothing to do with my major. Computer science nerd? Meet the world of high fashion.

I want to improve my own wardrobe and sense of style, that’s a given. I want to understand the way that the fashion designers, reporters, advertisers, and experts influence all levels of fashion—from haute couture to thrift shops, and everything in between. I want to keep my eyes and ears open, both in the classroom and on the street, and learn why people dress the way they dress.

I also want to sample as much french cuisine as possible. Looking forward to week two, that’s when I get to talk about food. I swear that I will try escargot at least once. That’s not my biggest fear about studying abroad but it’s definitely up there.

I guess I’m most nervous about not being understood. Not necessarily the language barrier—I have “good enough to get by” French skills, and I’ve heard that most Parisians switch to English at the first hint of an American accent, so as not to hear their language butchered. I don’t want people to look at me and see only my country. That’s something that I’ve never experienced before. Maybe that’s selfish because we Americans act like this towards non-Americans all the time. Still, if I have to pick the one thing that I’m most apprehensive about, I’m picking that.

There is something fun though, about being a stranger in a strange land. A sense that, for the time that you’re there, you can become whatever you want to become. And I’m excited to see what Paris makes me.