Well, it is almost that time! After spending a very long summer working retail, doing some accounting on the side, and trying my hand at aerial silks circus classes, I am very ready to board a plane and fly to Paris and begin the study abroad experience! And if we’re being very honest, it will be refreshing to take a break from the regular Rollins routine and find some new inspiration. I study Theatre Arts, with an emphasis in Musical Theatre, and my two minors are in Dance and French. This semester will be an opportune time to dedicate to my French language skills, and experience the iconic Parisian arts scene. My biggest hope is to discover new performance material, be that plays, music, dance technique, or new art forms that I can then bring back with me to Rollins to enhance my well-roundedness as a performer, but also to gain a greater understanding of the scope of global theatre. And who knows? Maybe I find opportunities in the performance industry while in Paris that I can pursue after graduation!
On a more personal level, I look forward to meeting so many new people from all over the US and in France, and I hope to learn from them as much I learn from my academic classes. I am a believer that everyone has something in common, and despite the inevitable language barrier, I look forward to making connections and finding such common ground.
However, I live in Florida, and at the moment, Hurricane Irma is barreling toward the peninsula at full force. Hopefully, everything will work out, and I will be able to say “au revoir” to Hurricane Irma on Thursday and arrive in Paris on schedule this Friday. And if not, I’ll guess I’ll have to kick this semester off with an unexpected adventure!