Arts and Humanities

During my junior year of high school, I had an art history class. We took a week to study cathedrals, many of which were in Paris. At the time, I thought it was super boring and even had a hard time staying awake in the class. It has been about 5 years and now I am actually in Paris. I visited many of the cathedrals that we studied, including Notre Dame. Having the knowledge and understanding of all the work that was put into these cathedrals made it so much more enjoyable. Seeing cultures and art first hand changes my perspective. It is not boring information, it is peoples' lives, their hard work, and their creativity shaping cultures. It is important to strive to understand and appreciate the differences in others, whether it is in another country today or is a part of history.

One of the best things about studying in France is that the humanities skills picked up while I am here will always be useful. Becoming a clear communicator, appreciating other cultures, and understanding who I am in the world around me are all important to have in my upcoming career. As I am an international business major, personal skills are extremely important. My ideal job would be traveling and doing community based work. Integrating oneself into communities is almost impossible to do without at least a basic understanding of humanities. My time in France is not just about being here, but it is about testing and pushing myself for my future benefit. I am most looking forward to seeing the difference of how I view the French culture now to how I will view it just before I leave.