Hey GW! My name is Marco, I am an Elliott School rising senior, and I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Paris this spring semester. A couple months ago I made a blog post discussing how life in Paris was treating me, especially after having been able to adapt to another university, culture, and way of living. As all good things must come to an end, so did my exchange, and I very much appreciate the many experiences I was able to have these last couple of months.
A highlight that I did not include in my first post, was that I decided to embrace Paris' beautiful architecture and go around the entire city in search of my personal fascination: castles! What made this mission of mine so easy was the accessibility of the public transit system, which included trams, trains, metros, and buses, something not as commonly seen in the US. The best part is that at least on every line there was an architectural landmark that I wanted to see and was not as well known to tourists (things get quickly crowded in the city). One of my favorites was the Château de Vincennes, which is one of the lesser known castles in Paris. It is a beautiful fortress that so happened to be at the end of the metro line that took me back to my apartment! This is something I grew to appreciate about my temporary home: its interconnectivity and integration of both the past and the present.
Although I could go on about my fascination with trains and castles, I did find that one little highlight of my exchange to be very special. I very much appreciate the opportunity I had this semester to go and embrace a new culture, experience new challenges, and see things I have never seen before, and to whomever gets the opportunity to do the same, I say: TAKE IT!
Marco Toro-Ramirez
Spring 2025
GW Paris - Sciences Po (GW Study Program)
Elliott School of International Affairs
International Affairs Major