Walking under the Eiffel Tower and riding along the Seine, these experiences in France enriched my life immensely. They showed me that the world is much bigger than I ever thought. I saw that it is important to realize the world is much larger than the American culture alone.

By stepping outside of my area and seeing how other people lived their lives, I became a better person who is more cultured, appreciative, and aware. France riddled me with memories, from small things like the way they walked across the street to the traditions which I wished to bring home with me here in America.

I stayed in the home of Nicole Camille and her daughter Bénédicte, also know as Béné.

All throughout my time in their home the Camilles offered me experiences that left a lasting positive impression in my life. From the way they dined together every night, to the way that they save energy, I gained more than I gave to them.

But the best gift the Camilles gave me was that of the Versailles Palace. When we walked up to the palace, I knew it would be gorgeous by its gold gilded gates. When we began to walk from room to room, my assumption morphed from amazement and awe to breathlessness and humility.

I realized just how small our little district was in the grand scheme of things. Of course, I knew there were things outside of Illinois. I had studied French culture for years in French class, but experiencing those other things was like knowing I had eyes and finally opening them to see.

When my stay with the Camille family ended I felt that I had created a tie with their family and that I offered to them a similar, fresh outlook on other cultures. I felt like I left a positive impression, and for that I was proud of myself. But I was not alone; all nine of the students who came from H-F left their French homes with something, whether it was a physical memento or a memory.

I could see that we were offering an exchange of cultures at the school that majority of us attended with our French host. Lycée François Truffaut, or François Truffaut High School was filled with students who were generally interested in the lives the American students lived. They engaged in conversation and interrogated the students with vigor.

Just as I had dreamed about life in France, they dreamed of American life. This contrast was so interesting to me and it held the famous quote true: The other side of the grass always seems greener. I thought that France trumped America with its gorgeous landscape and historic buildings. But just as I was mesmerized all the French students spoke about how they would love to visit America.

After experiencing things outside of my vicinity, I am smarter, and I can offer more to people. I realize that the world has so many views of the sun that to just see one is to live close-minded.

Of course everyone cannot just pack up and pay for a trip oversees, but everyone can make an effort. Try to rent that Spanish movie; even if you can barely understand it, at worst you just got some laughs at your ridiculous accent.

Never live without branching past your walls of comfort, it is like living in silence. There are so many sounds; the rhythm of other cultures, the music that joins strangers, the and the sound of you own heartbeat intertwining with it all. Who would not want to experience that?