As a young child, hearing my sister talk about her life-changing semester abroad in Paris sparked a goal to one day visit what seemed like a romantic, sophisticated and out of reach destination. When my daily life in suburban New Jersey seemed mundane and monotonous, I daydreamed about roaming the streets of Paris in fabulous clothes and sitting in sidewalk cafes, not that the local Dunkin Donuts has not fulfilled my fantasies. With just me and my mom on a limited budget, European travel seemed far from possible. With the advent of cash back credit cards, this dream became a reality. I was beyond excited to travel to a European country with my closest companion, my mother. My first trip to France completely exceeded my expectations: amazing food, awe-inspiring culture and sophistication everywhere I looked. While it was more incredible than I could have ever imagined, no experience with my mom would be complete without getting lost, getting stressed, and then inevitably figuring it out the hard way.

We were returning from a day trip, exhausted and ready to settle in at our Airbnb. We had just started familiarizing ourselves with the Paris subway system, thus using it was very difficult. Not to mention, interpreting a foreign language at the customer service counter of the subway station was less than helpful to two clueless American tourists. My mom and I were walking at a slow pace until I realized the subway was about to leave. I was ahead, and as soon as I got on, the doors slammed shut with my mom on the other side. Time stopped. My mom and I looked at each other with sheer horror as the severity of the situation sank in. I did not have my cell phone, neither of us spoke a word of French, and we had no idea how to reconnect. My mom and I, who are both anxious, to say the least, began to pound on the door. Immediately, I begin to yell, “Stop the subway! Stop the subway! Please stop!” I continued to yell and pound for what felt like minutes when only seconds had passed. My surroundings became a blur. Suddenly, a man with a very perplexed look on his face walked over to the doors and simply unlocked them. I had not thought of that. I noticed the subway car was silent. My mom stepped on and we hugged as if we reunited for the first time in years. A huge sense of relief washed over me, followed by overwhelming embarrassment. Subsequently, the rest of the ride on the subway was very awkward for me, my mom and the other passengers.

Eventually, my mom and I were able to celebrate the victories of finding destinations. We began to familiarize ourselves with the neighbourhood we were staying in, such as finding our favourite breakfast cafe, La Croissanterie, from our Airbnb. We walked to restaurants, museums, and back, stress-free, which made the already unforgettable vacation even better. The trip to Paris I took with my mom was not just unforgettable because of the fabulous clothes or the sidewalk cafes, it was the experience and lessons I gained from it. I learned that it is okay to run into challenges when trying to navigate an unfamiliar area, and if you continue to work you will improve. I learned it is important to adapt to whatever the circumstances are, and to try to confront the inevitable issues that arise. I learned that resolving an issue yourself is more valuable than constantly requiring help from others, especially when help is not reliable. These lessons made this trip more than a vacation, it was a major turning point in my life. I am confident that the lessons  I learned on my first trip to France will help to establish a foundation of resiliency that will me motivate me to face challenges and set goals through college and the rest of my life.