Abroad in Paris with Steve

Posted by Anonymous August 03, 2018

Abroad in Paris with Steve

Le Tour Eiffel- view from Palais de Chaillot above Les Jardins du Trocadéro- Paris, France

Introduction

My name is Steve A. Maravillo. I am currently an incoming second-year undergraduate student at the University of California, San Diego in pursuit of a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health. I am currently 18 years old, native to California, U.S.A., with no previous travel experience across the Atlantic Ocean prior to the Summer of 2017. This blogpost was written and published two weeks after my departure from France, and my completion of my study abroad program for the Summer term of 2017.

In the case of my experiences abroad in France, the most difficult question directed to me by my friends and family came down to four words in the form of, "how was your experience?". Through the entirety of my study abroad program, I was unable to provide an effective response to such a dynamic question, due to its immense open-endedness and my prior inability to thoroughly reflect on behalf of my experiences abroad. However, it's been two weeks since the completion of my study abroad program in Paris, France and I am alas prepared to attempt a legitimate response to a question that possesses a number of experiences that have undoubtedly changed my life and outlook for my future.

A Beautiful Disaster: My Unexpected German Adventure

Maritim Hotel- Berlin, Germany

Berlin Victory Column

My journey to Paris wasn't as smooth as I initially expected, and I mean that in a very literal manner. My travels to France experienced major complications due to a disaster that ensued with my connecting flight from Berlin, Germany to Paris, France. This being my first time traveling across the Atlantic Ocean, I expected to have the easiest of times in flying from Los Angeles, California to Paris; but I ended up stuck in Berlin due to my flight departing an entire hour after the scheduled departure time. Ultimately, I arrived in Berlin about 30 minutes after my connecting flight to Paris departed Berlin, leaving me no choice but to immediately make my way to the help desk and retrieve further information on the next flight to Paris. And although I expected the worst-case scenario of everything that was bound to occur, I was ultimately granted a flight for the next morning to Paris, and an overnight stay at the beautiful Maritim hotel in Berlin, alongside five other Americans who boarded my same flight from Los Angeles.

Once I arrived to the hotel, I reconnected with the other five Americans included in this beautiful disaster alongside myself, and decided to venture out and explore downtown Berlin for the entirety of the afternoon and evening. Unexpectedly, Berlin, Germany surpassed every expectation I initially envisioned for the city. Prior to my experiences in Berlin, I had no intention of traveling to Germany, due to my lack of familiarity with the country and its many attractions. However, my travel experience in the capital city renovated my outlook on the country and its potential to infuse a life-changing experience to foreigners like myself. For one, bike lanes are immensely respected and enforced in Berlin, as pedestrians are obligated and expected to commute solely on the sidewalk without stepping foot on the given bike lane. Bike lanes occupied about 30% of a sidewalk, which I thought was fairly large for a bike lane, as there are none to be found in my hometown nor would they be as enforced. Nonetheless, I saw true fascination in this minute behavior among the German population in Berlin, and found it to be very courteous among all to respect the given bike lanes to bicycle commuters. Yet the most prominent characteristic of Berlin was the overwhelming amount of courtesy that German citizens accommodated to, for Americans. The level of generosity and courtesy expressed by local Germans exceeded all expectations I had on behalf of the general behavior towards Americans, like myself. And although I can't directly pinpoint the exact reason as to why Germans project an overwhelming amount of generosity and respect to Americans, their welcoming energy was well appreciated and made every bit of my German adventure that more comforting.

Breakfast at the Maritim Hotel

A huge benefit of my stay at the Maritim Hotel was the buffet-style meals provided for breakfast, lunch and dinner. After a 10-hour flight from Los Angeles, and a disaster at the Berlin Tegel Airport, the accommodations reserved for us were an absolute relief.

The Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe- Berlin, Germany

Pictured above is the most emotionally impacting memorial I have ever stepped foot in. Located in downtown Berlin, The Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial, brought forth heavy emotions- mainly due to how large of an area the memorial occupies, and the lack of identification for the Holocaust victims memorialized. Although I wish I would've had the opportunity to have visited this memorial in broad daylight, I'm fairly positive the experience and emotions received from this memorial would've been the same.

My group of fellow Americans in Berlin

Displayed above is a group photograph of myself and the fellow Americans that accompanied me on this wildly unexpected German adventure. I send my dearest gratitude to: Nasar, Matt, Margaux, Mandie and Becky, for making my unintentional stay in Berlin into a very memorable experience. I'm very grateful for our cooperation and journey from Los Angeles to Berlin, and eventually to our final destination- Paris, France.

Berlin Wall display in Potsdamer Platz- Berlin, Germany

I was fortunate enough to meet eyes with a fragment of the Berlin Wall, displayed in Potsdamer Platz, a metropolitan area within downtown Berlin. As I re-evaluate all that occurred in Berlin, I recall a sense of immediate satisfaction with my experience in the capital city, as I initially found satisfactory pleasure in exploring the city as a tourist. However, my arrival in Paris, France would immediately show me the importance of a widespread familiarization and appreciation for the culture and society within a city of high tourist attraction. Ultimately, my first-hand experience with the beauty in effectively integrating myself into a society and culture abroad would completely renovate my outlook on international travel.