France: Science & Art Study Abroad

             While studying for the Psychology/Sociology section on the MCAT, I came across this interesting concept called the “Paris Syndrome”. It refers to a sense of extreme disappointment exhibited by some individuals when visiting Paris, who feel that the city was not what they had expected. It’s essentially a form of culture shock, but a little more drastic. Fast forward to a few hours before I depart CVG for CDG, it still hadn’t hit me that I’d be spending a week in Paris, let alone Europe, for the first time. As we left the terminal in the coach bus and got on the speedway, a tiny wave of Paris syndrome hit me. The soundwalls surrounding the speedways were covered in graffiti, the sky was gray and bleak, the fact that I hadn’t been able to sleep on the flight may have just slightly tipped my mind towards disappointment rather than excitement.

             Little did I know, not sleeping for the equivalent of 30 hours would be one of the best experiences of my life. Our guide, Fatima, explained Parisian culture to us and we immediately took the metro to visit the first museum on our itinerary. I would be amiss not to mention how spectacular the museums we visited were. The Fragonard museum displayed a collection of écorchés made by one of the first anatomists, Honoré Fragonard. We additionally visited Marie Curie’s laboratory and were able to see her small room in the institute where she discovered radium. It may not seem like a fascinating trip to some to visit a bunch of museums, but I’ve learned about these Nobel laureates for many years of my life. To see their creations, work, and findings in person was unbelievable. As an aspiring healthcare professional, I think it’s astonishing that I can relate what I’ve learned in pre-med courses to what I saw in these museums.

             The time outside of the museums were up to us to explore Paris in our own ways. I had always wanted to visit a Jazz club in Paris. As we were researching and reserving plans well ahead of our departure to Paris, I learned that jazz arrived in Paris during WWII when American soldiers resided there for some time. Jazz music in Paris has expanded since then, but there are a few clubs left originating back to those times that still allow amateur jazz musicians to play sets in front of audiences. Although researching things to do in Paris and directions to go there were quite difficult, the experience of doing this both months before traveling to Paris and while being in Paris was interesting. During my gap year before hopefully attending medical school, I want to travel to other European countries and Asia to experience new cultures and maybe even visit some more museums!

            As I've progressed through college and met people from various different backgrounds, I've wanted to understand where they came from rather than more than just listening to them. I crave learning more about other cultures and want to be more involved in traditional/events so that when I work in the medical field I can offer advice relevant to patients' backgrounds. This trip abroad has opened my eyes to the vast variety of cultures and people located in a single area. It's amazing how simply traveling from one city to another can change what perspectives and experiences people there carry. Going forward, learning from this travel experience, I want to be more spontaneous and talk to locals more when I travel. Even while not traveling, I feel like understanding people requires me to converse more and ask more meaningful questions to develop deeper connections. 

I’m very thankful for Dr. Askew and Dr. Worrell for creating an insightful weekly class teaching us about the history of certain attractions in Paris, but also French culture and the incredible work we’d get to see in the museums we visited.