Being able to experience a different environment and custom will give us a new perspective on everything we thought we knew and understood． Maybe, going abroad is an opportunity to look again at not only the country and the people who live there but also ourselves． I had never expected to visit Paris． The French culture didn' t interest me that much, and Paris seemed too big, too touristy, too much． But when I found myself standing next to the Opera National de Paris, completely alone and totally lost, I knew I was in for an interesting ride． I had decided to take a summer history class abroad, and Paris just happened to be where it was set． My teacher eventually found me and other jet-lagged students and walked us down to where we would be staying． Even then, tired, hungry, and feeling displaced, I was unable to keep myself from marveling at the beauty of the city． The next day in the grocery store, trying to decide if the box I was holding contained butter or cream cheese, I suddenly realized I was a foreigner that didn’t speak the language．The cashier and I had a conversation completely with gestures． For the most part, it didn't seem to bother the French that I was utterly incompetent in speaking their language． In fact, from my first unclear "bonjour" , many of them would directly switch over to English． Time Hew by． In the mornings we had class, and in the afternoons we were given a lot of freedom to do what we pleased． We explored everywhere in the city, becoming experts at using the Metro, and walking so much that our legs were sore every night． Living in Paris was a huge change in my lifestyle． Everything I did was more relaxed． I stopped worrying about the future and instead focused on living in the present． I stopped wearing a watch because time didn’t matter．We ate when we were hungry, went to bed when we were tired and explored in between．I no longer mind that Paris is so big; it' s an old, beautiful metropolis full of culture and history．On one of my last days there, standing on top of the Arc du Triumph with a 360 degree view of Paris, I finally admitted something to myself．The city that I had never wanted to visit had turned into the city that I never wanted to leave． 小题1:The writer came to Paris because ______．
|