Prior to my study abroad, I was anxious about meeting new people and making new friends. I knew I wanted to get to know the culture of France and the people in it but didn’t know how. I have never traveled abroad before so this was a different experience for me. Whenever I had spoken to someone at home about France I was usually told that the French would be rude or not want to converse with me due to my lack of ability to speak French. I came to Paris with an open mind, trying to not let the negative things I have heard form an opinion about the city before I got to experience it for myself. A classmate and I decided to set off and try to speak with other international students on the Cité Internationale Universitaire campus to learn more about their experiences in France and hopefully make connections. We made our way to the courtyard of the university’s main campus building and began conversing with other students who lived on campus. At first, we were a bit nervous but later discovered how friendly and open everyone is. Staying at an international school means that many people had to also step outside of their comfort zone to make friends. We met people from all over the world. Some were from Portugal, Lebanon, Israel, Italy, South Africa, Brazil, etc. We all met and conversed on the lawn behind the university’s main campus learning a little about each other and how we ended up here. They told us to watch out for the tourist traps and shared their favorite places to eat and where to find the best pastries. We sang, laughed, and talked until the campus police kicked us off the lawn because it was getting dark. We took a picture to remember each other and parted ways, sharing our social media to maybe get in touch with each other later in our trip. It was so nice to meet diverse people with different backgrounds and stories. I have had nothing but good experiences conversing with others so far and can’t wait to meet more people later in our trip.