The open air markets all over France have the most amazing foods.

My English teacher has been having us write quick, one-line sentences in a journal whenever we see something new. At first I wasn’t keen on the idea because I’m not much of an avid “journaler,” but after getting started it’s amazing what I’ve experienced.

For example, the hand-written menus outside of the restaurants look like they’ve been articulately mastered by the same person. After asking around, I’ve found the reason for this is the French have strict penmanship education when they are little. Had I not written this down and asked around, I may have just brushed it off as nothing. I would have gone about my day like nothing new.

While studying abroad, it’s important to take in the scenery around you. And I know people say that all the time and it sounds cliché but I mean really take it in. Not just looking at your surroundings, but recognizing the homeless man who carries his puppy all over town, and being able to give directions (bonus points if it’s en français) to a tourist. To notice the small wolf graffiti placed throughout the town.

To literally stop and smell the roses in the flower market that’s in the première place every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning. Take a moment to listen to the birds that you start to hear just outside the city limits. And the French being whispered rapid fire between the children and their parents, or the school girls who are on break for two weeks.

Feel the cobblestone that threatens your ankles, the heaviness of the ancient doors.

Most importantly taste all the food. Who cares about the gained weight, carbs don’t count while abroad, right? Enjoy the home cooked meals made from your host mom, who was probably a master chef in another life. Drink the wine that’s made in the same province you’re living.

If stopped from the busy schedule that is the life of a college student, you will notice so much more. And even if you aren’t the next Hemingway, write it down in detail. It helps to not only remember the amazing experiences you’re having, but to live them more clearly.

Then, when you go back to the states, you will have learned how to see your town in a new way; how to notice little things that put a smile on your face. So, grab your pen and your paper, and allow your senses to stop and absorb the world around them.

The Sunsets in Aix-en-Provence are unbelievable! They are always so colorful, nothing like in Pennsylvania.

.