Maia Ferdman: Pushing boundaries vital to study abroad experience

Baguettes, berets and cigarettes. On my flight to Paris for the global studies travel study program, these were the images I expected to greet me.

hese are the romantic representations of Paris from all the books and movies that I thought encompassed the city and made it so unique.

After a month, which is long enough to get sick of the stuffy Metro but too short to feel like I live here, Paris proved me partially wrong. In addition to visiting cathedrals and museums, I have seen dangling cow cadavers at open-air markets, went to a Tropical Carnival and learned about impoverished banlieues, or French housing projects.

In order to really soak in an experience and use it to grow, whether starting a short stay in Paris or a long one at UCLA, you should take the time to step away from expectation and custom, and jump into the new and unfamiliar, head first. Whether in a foreign or home country, doing so can lead to incredible rewards.

Placing oneself in a completely different context strips away routine. Without familiar surroundings, you are left with nothing but yourself. You are forced to figure out what you are, away from the reflections or expectations of others. But as time passes and new routines become established in a new place, it takes even more effort to break out and challenge yourself.

Because as years go on, passing Royce Hall becomes pretty standard. As days passed here, even the Notre Dame did not turn my head like it initially did.

And as I slipped into acclimation, I found I did not appreciate or soak in as much. The process of discomfort should be continuous, laborious almost.

Traveling, whether through study or vacation, is an unquestionably valuable experience. But unless you push your boundaries – go somewhere alone, meet locals, study politics – you will not find anything beyond your guidebook’s sightseeing advice.

Scholars make countless arguments in favor of studying abroad – research has found that the experience can improve academic performance and even creativity.

But what these studies fail to recognize is that these effects are not automatic, nor are they intrinsic to the experience itself. They result from a willingness to delve into and truly appreciate a new place, and a drive to put oneself in unfamiliar or trying situations.

Starting college is not all too different. Stepping into an unfamiliar environment, with certain expectations based on stereotypes or lore, and often leaving home to do it, is thrilling and terrifying. As it should be.

In Paris, I challenged myself to go to museums alone, to write as much as I could and to explore neighborhoods uncharted on tourist maps. My best memories have come from these endeavors. And yet, I still wish I stepped further out of my comfort zone.

But I can now take that dissatisfaction home with me, and allow it to influence the way I experience my last two years of college.

So as new experiences come along, face them not only with excitement and open mindedness, but with tenacity and rigor. Create your own challenges if there are none. Strive for more. Get lost. And if you find yourself getting settled, rattle yourself awake.

If experience sparks growth, discomfort accelerates and refines it. It provides the jolt to shock you out of routine, to make you open your eyes to the world around you and most importantly, to yourself.