Bonjour! I’m Eliza Callahan, a junior studying Computational Biology and French. At Pitt, I am on the rowing team and a member of Kappa Delta, as well as a volunteer for Strong Women Strong Girls. Last year I also worked with the Office of Child Development in a Literacy and Learning Research Hub through the Honors College. While I was sad to leave my best friends and these organizations for a semester, I am so happy to have the opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture!

This semester I’m studying abroad in Paris, France through an IES program. I’m also taking a class at the Sorbonne University, an opportunity through IES. The Sorbonne University was founded in the 13th century and is one of the oldest colleges in the world. Pretty cool! I chose Paris because I began learning French in first grade through a French immersion program at my elementary school. Since then, at age 6, it has been my dream to study abroad in Paris. I went back and forth between a few different cities in France, but ultimately decided that I was looking for a big and bustling city. Paris is as bustling as it gets! Though taking classes about the language and culture both in high school and at Pitt was very informative, there is nothing as immersive as living in in France for a semester. 

Throughout my time abroad, I hope to learn more about French culture and history by exploring the many art museums, eating authentic French food, and walking each unique neighborhood. As is evident with my two extremely different majors, I have a variety of passions and am looking forward to tapping into the humanities side of my interests, which I don’t always have time for in my STEM heavy course load. I am especially looking forward to moseying through the Musée D’Orsay and the Louvre, world renowned museums that I can enter for free with my student visa. I absolutely want to travel while I’m abroad, but I think it is important to feel like I am truly settled in Paris. I will likely have a chance to return to Europe in my lifetime, but I’m not sure I will ever spend four months living in Paris again. Therefore, I hope to really get to know my arrondissement (the French word for district) and forge lasting friendships with the people I meet. Additionally, I am hoping to ameliorate my French language skills while living here. Because I am in the French Studies IES program, all of my classes are in French and most of my friends speak French fairly well. My ultimate goal is to be able to hold a long conversation with native French speakers. It is definitely a challenge, but my French is sure to improve during my time!

Thanks for reading! I look forward to writing more about my time in Paris and sharing what I’ve learned.