Over that last couple weeks I have had the chance to travel around Europe. One of my favorite things to come out of these trips has been a tradition that my roommates and I started during a weekend trip to Paris. As we were walking to dinner on our first night, I asked them to share three words that described how they were feeling. We had finally made it to Paris and as we stood there looking at the Eiffel Tower, I could tell we were all in awe and feeling incredibly grateful. What started as a simple question became something we continued throughout our trips, sharing three words to capture how we were feeling in those moments. I love that it gave us a way to remember our experiences. Even now, I can think of those words and immediately remember how I felt.
Our trip to Paris got off to a hectic start. We arrived later than expected, dropped our bags at our hostel, and quickly headed out to make our dinner reservation. Navigating the train system proved more difficult than we expected. Everything was in French, announcements seemed less frequent than in England, and we spent most of the journey trying to figure out where we were going. The one thing we did learn very quickly was the word “Sortie”. In French it means exit, and before long we were following every “Sortie” sign we could find.
As I was navigating with my roommates, I was completely focused on getting us to our reservation. But the moment we stepped out of the train station and saw the Eiffel Tower, that stress immediately disappeared. I stopped thinking about directions, dinner reservations, and whether we were running late. Instead, I fully took in where I was.
What surprised me most was how strongly I reacted to seeing the Eiffel Tower. I had been to Paris before, with my family, and had even gone to the top, so I wan’t expecting it to be such a shock. But standing there with my roommates, having taken a train over from our “home” in London, everything seemed to hit me at once. I felt awe, excited, and most of all thankful. Thankful for the opportunity to study abroad, thankful for the people I had met, and thankful that I was getting to experience a moment like this.
That first night in Paris remains my favorite memory from the entire summer. Over dinner, we talked about how excited we were to be in Paris, before running to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle. Watching it light up brought back the same sense of awe all over again. The rest of the evening was spent eating crepes at midnight, filled with good conversation, and feeling that there was still so many experiences ahead of us.
A few weeks later, we continued our tradition during a trip to Dublin. While Paris filled me with awe, Dublin felt special in a different way. I didn’t really know what to expect before arriving, and aside from a few places we wanted to visit, we didn’t have a long list of things to see. Therefore, our trip felt much slower paced, and I think I was able to enjoy simply being in the city. We spent time exploring Trinity College, walking through the streets, and listening to Irish performers. Once of my favorite parts of Dublin was the music. There was such an energy to it that it was impossible not to stop and listen. I especially remember watching an incredibly talented harp play and feeling so happy to be there.
One thing that made Dublin feel especially meaningful was realizing that it was a place neither of my parents had ever visited. Growing up, my parents gave me so many opportunities to travel and experience new places, so it felt surreal to be exploring somewhere that even they hadn’t seen. It reminded me how fortunate I am to study abroad and have experiences like this. When we shared our three words during that trip, one of mine was still grateful. Another was calm because I was so content to be in a new place. The last was hopeful because I went to Dublin with very few expectations and was excited to see what the city had in store.
Looking back on both trips, I remember the landmarks and the photos, but I am also able to remember the feelings that came with them. That is why I have come to love our little three word tradition.