Back to Colorado!

I have been back in Colorado now for about 2 weeks. I was actually starting to miss the hot sun and dry weather here in Colorado! I think that 4 weeks in Paris was the perfect amount of time to spend studying abroad. I have so many great stories and memories of this trip that I will remember forever.

The teaching style in Europe is a little different in comparison to US schools. The European style focuses more on group projects and personal learning experiences. In US, we are used to lectures and tests to show our knowledge. Our teachers in Paris tried lecturing with their powerpoints, but since they aren't used to teaching that way the lectures tended to drag on. Monday- Thursday we had class frow 10-5 with a 1 hour lunch break. It was difficult for all of us to sit in a hot classroom and listen for such a long time. I would have liked to do more projects rather than lectures. Our French teacher taught us a few French survival classes and also took us on field trips. I wish we could have gone on more field trips as our contact hours and did case studies outside of class and then discuss them in class.

Even after being home for 2 weeks, I still enjoy telling people stories about Europe. The European lifestyle is very different from the US lifestyle. I don't think either one is better than the other because they fit with each culture. For example, Europeans eat dinner from 7:30-10 pm. Restaurants aren't even open for dinner until 7pm! It took me a couple weeks before I finally got used to eating dinner later. Yesterday, my parents and I went to dinner around 5:30 and I thought it was way too early to go out to dinner! In the US, we eat dinner before 7pm. Now I am getting adjusted to the American dinner time again!

I would definately reccommend this trip to anyone thinking about studying abroad. I think it is important for business majors to understand first hand what it is like living in a different country and adjusting to another culture. I have learned so much and am so thankful I got this opportunity.