I have a small group of friends at home who I have known forever and I am extremely comfortable with them. However, when I arrived in France, I was put into a totally new environment where everything was foreign. Being placed in a country where you have no friends or family forces you to learn a lot about yourself. For one, I learned that despite my love of single activities, I did know how to interact well with strangers. I am able to talk about anything with a complete stranger and not be overly shy.
I realized that by asking a lot of question about peoples’ culture, background and interests makes almost anyone open up and, in return, they become curious about your life. This starts the foundation for interacting with a stranger and from that point a relationship is formed. Meeting so many new people in France taught me that despite culture, religion or social differences, most people just want to share their experiences with you.
