Reflecting on top 5 things I wish I'd Known by API

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When I arrived in Paris, a few days later, we had an orientation and we got many papers and packets that, to be honest, I didn't bother to read most of them.

Now that it's towards the end of the semester and I am trying to clean and get rid of most of my papers, I came across a small piece of paper that says "Top 5 Things I Wish I'd Known By: Former API students"

I sat down and read it and I couldn't agree more on what the API students said. In the beginning, I thought about these things a lot and now I am thinking about them even more and reflecting on all these things.

1. Adjusting to a different schedule 
2. The European Classroom
3. Integrate from day 1
4. Don't be afraid of public transportation!
5. Patience, Patience, and Patience!

In the beginning, adjusting to a different schedule was a lot of work because here at Diderot, my classes are only once a week and some of the classes don't have a discussion class. This gives me time to do many things and explore Paris but at the same time, I forget what the last lecture was on. 

The European Classroom is very very different. The professors are the ones that mainly talk while we sit back and listen the whole time. On top of that, we don't get a lot of quizzes or tests and the final exam is the main thing we need to be concerned about. 

The one thing that I told myself I'd not do is hang out with American students or students from API in particular. I see a lot of API students only hanging out with each other and I'm just happy that I told myself not to do that. I integrated the best I could and I don't regret anything. I already had friends in Paris and I'm not the type of person who likes making new friends for a short period of time so I stuck with the friends that I already had and decided to make only a few. 

You should not be afraid of public transportation if you are coming to Paris because metros, RERs, and buses are the fastest ways to get around. Its hard to get around Paris with a car but if you live in Ile de France, it is much easier. One of the students said that this is also an exercise in language and conversation and I definitely agree with them because a lot of people may ask you questions and since you probably take that route every day, you'll know the answer.

It was really hard for me to adjust to the European classroom because like I said because it's very different and, to be honest, I don't think I will ever adjust to it. I've tried to be as flexible as possible and I've realized that adjusting takes time and maybe six months is not enough.
 

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