June 2, 2023 – Mckenna Slavik and Kennedy Wagner
Mckenna (Graduate):
Being in Paris is amazing. I love Paris. This is my second time being here, and it is always a blast. It was a tiring day from all the walking, but I’m excited to walk some more and further tour the city. There are so many things that I want to see here. It was a really fun day being able to walk around and learn about some of the history that’s here and wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn if we hadn’t visited those places and all the little shops. The food is so much better. I don’t even know the proper words to describe it, it’s that good. It is so fresh and tastes so good, including the Nutella crepe I grabbed while we were on the walking tour. My favorite part of the day was walking by a man that was playing the accordion that had a cat sitting on top of it. Tomorrow, I am excited for our team picnic at the Eiffel Tower. I think it is going to be really cute and be a great spot for pictures. All in all, this is my second foreign tour. I am grateful to be on a second one, and the timing worked out perfect for me. I think it is so much fun to hear from some of my teammates who have never left the country before how crazy. It’s cool to be able to be here with them and experience these moments alongside them.
Kennedy (Freshman):
We landed pretty early this morning, probably 4 a.m. Eastern time, so it was a hard adjustment at first to the time change. When we arrived at the hotel, having a moment to sit down, eat some lunch and clean myself up from the flight helped to wake me up for a full afternoon touring the city. It was so much fun being able to explore and see how different it is from the United States. We were able to see what areas of the city were crowded and further learn how much everyone walks to different locations rather than driving. I know that is a big cultural shift from America, so it was a unique thing to look at. My favorite part of the day came towards the end of the day when we visited the Jardin des plants de Paris. Being able to see everyone chilling and know that that is where everyone goes to relax was cool. Looking ahead to tomorrow, I am most excited to see the Eiffel Tower in person.