Study Abroad Experience Analysis

When I discovered that I would finally be able to travel abroad through Centre’s study abroad program I was beyond ecstatic. Due to basketball I really have never had the opportunity to go abroad, because if we were to we would end up missing parts of our season and I just skip parts of the season. However I had heard so many great stories from all my friends about their experiences and how the trips not only changed their lives but also changed their outlook on how different cultures live. A bunch of us decided that it would be a lot more fun if we went as a group as we would not only have more fun, but also come closer together as a team. We decided on the 3-week Strasbourg/Paris trip and the rest was history. In this paper I will highlight some of my most memorable experiences, as well as how the trip changed my views on European culture and how …show more content…
One of the things that I will remember for years to come occurred on the very first day. We were touring the city and getting acquainted with where we were located, and then all of a sudden we turned the corner and here was this stunning cathedral that towered over the rest of the city. The sheer size and detail on the cathedral was stunning enough but then to find out how long ago the cathedral was built just makes you question how something of this magnitude was accomplished without modern technologies. Another thing that struck me as amazing was that while every statue and intricate design added a sense of beauty to the structure most of it had a greater meaning behind its creation. For example over the right portal are several life sized statues of women who seem to just add a sense of beauty to the door structure. While some of this might be true their main purpose is to tell a story. The statues are titled “The Parable of the Ten Virgins” and were of significant importance during this time as they had a very religious representation. Just a brief