30 Days of Truth - Day 5

Day 5 - Something you hope to do in your life

I hope to visit Paris, France one day. And I'm not talking about a couple days stay either. I want to "live" there maybe a couple months or even a few years, but not permanently unless I get there and it is as great as my imagination has made it.

I have no idea why, but I've always wanted to go to Paris. I guess because I've always wanted to be an artist or fashion designer (even if I've taken the latter back), and Paris is famous for both of those things. And bread. I love bread.

My junior year of high school, I was thisclose to getting to visit Paris on this 10 day trip to Europe with my Spanish class. We would have gone to Paris, London, and Madrid, and we'd even get to go to Versailles (another one of my dream destinations). But last minute the company we would be touring with wouldn't take us to London because none of the other tour groups signed up for it, so they offered us longer periods of time in Paris and Madrid. Which I was fine with, and I think the other kids were fine with too, but someone's mom was like, "We paid for three places. Blah, blah, blah." and our trip was changed to Barcelona, Cote de Azure, and Rome. I'm not going to complain, it was a fantastic trip. I've been to five countries now: Spain, France, Italy, Monaco, and the Vatican (because it counts as it's own country even though it's in Rome), but if I could have spent three days in Paris over one night apiece in all of the other countries, I would've taken it, that's how devoted I am to Paris.

Now I desperately want to do study abroad. I found one for a whole semester in France for art credit and French language credit. But I can't get my parents to go for it because it costs $14,000. My mom keeps saying that I've been abroad as a reason that they won't help me go to France, but a) I didn't go to Paris specifically, the one place I've wanted to go forever. Not all places abroad are interchangeable. And b) I'd get college credit for this one. My mom just keeps telling me to save up and go one day when I have a job.

I get that it's super expensive, and that I could go to France on my own and save about $10,000, but if we're being perfectly honest, I'm probably not going to. I'm terrified of everything, and I'm not a very independent person. I rarely leave my apartment now, and in a country where I don't speak the language and I saw that movie Taken where they kidnap girls, get them hooked on drugs, and sell them for sex, I wouldn't leave the hotel in France. I'm not proactive enough to just pick up and move to France either. If I went with a study abroad program, they'd provide me with a place to live, food, and I'd be with other people my age who also speak English. In short, I'm a baby, and I need to be taken care of because I sure as hell can't do it.

One day...