Hi everyone, my name is Marco Toro-Ramírez, and I am an International Affairs major at the Elliott School. This semester, I am on exchange with the GW Paris Study Program, and I study at the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po for short).
This semester, thus far, I have had the opportunity to be well immersed in French society, embracing its culture, language, and delicious cuisine! It has been a great opportunity to live somewhere I can eat croissants every day and have as much Comte and Brie as I would like.
Beyond traditional stereotypes, I have learned a lot about what living in Paris truly is, and it is not as one perceives it to be from the outside. It comes with its trials, such as having to take a variety of forms of public transportation to go to university (especially on days when the line you usually use is out of service). That, and having to go around the occasional protest outside your favorite boulangerie. But it also disproves many negative things one hears about Paris before you go. I would argue Parisians are quite polite and the city is very clean, for instance!
In addition to embracing the life and culture that Paris has to offer, I also had the opportunity to apply the French skills I have been practicing in the city across the Strait of Gibraltar in beautiful Marrakech, Morocco. Such an experience proved how useful it was to learn and apply global languages beyond English since the majority spoke French! I met amazing and kind people who took my friends and I on a trip out to the Agafay Desert. There, we rode camels and ate dishes I had not had the opportunity to try back in the United States such as Tajine and Pastilla.
Overall, I can say studying abroad has been an immersive experience which has allowed me to gain insight on life in a European country and to experience an African one, something I did not expect to do in my college years. I cannot wait to see what the remainder of my time here has for me!
Till next time!:)
Marco Toro-Ramirez
Spring 2025
GW Paris - Sciences Po (GW Study Program)
Elliott School of International Affairs
International Affairs Major