"...the six weeks I spent studying Art and Music in Paris were probably the six happiest, most fulfilled, and most memorable weeks of my life."
If I had to choose only one word to describe my experience this past summer, I would choose this: community. I participated in the Columbia Summer Core in Paris: Art Humanities and Music Humanities program. This program was so uniquely different from anything I had ever experienced. Everything about it, from the professors, the students, the administrators, and the excursions, was oriented to build community.
Sometimes it can be hard to build a strong community and have intensive learning experiences. In between studying, classes, homework, and projects, a strong social life can be difficult to maintain. Moreover, I have found that much of my learning on campus at Columbia is often very individualized and separate from my classmates around me. This is not the fault of Columbia’s, nor the professors, nor the students. It’s just that each person has their own life with busy schedules full of numerous extracurriculars. But in the Paris program, even amidst all the valuable homework and studying, all the students live in the same dorm, take the same classes, and have the same excursions. This works to develop an experience of shared learning in which we all can help each other since we are together most of the time. In other words, the program is designed in a way to both build community and help us learn.
Outside of academics, the shared experiences that we all had in the program were some of my fondest memories, whether it was getting chicken schwarma sandwiches from our favorite Lebanese place (Sama Loubnane!), visiting Monet’s garden in Giverny, eating MyNoodles with our Music professor after a day of pouring rain, or watching fireworks for the French national day. I can honestly say that the friends I have made in this program are friends that I would like to keep with me for the rest of my life.
When I applied to Columbia, I knew I wanted to study abroad. I even knew I wanted to study abroad during the summer at Columbia’s Global Center | Paris, Reid Hall, doing the Summer Core in Paris: Art Humanities, and Music Humanities. However, I did not know how I was going to afford the program. But, I wanted to find a way to afford it, and that is exactly when I found the Global Learning Scholarship program. Not only did this scholarship allow me to go on this program, it allowed me to thrive, making the most of the beautiful city of Paris and all that it has to offer. Simply put, the six weeks I spent studying Art and Music in Paris were probably the six happiest, most fulfilled, and most memorable weeks of my life.
