Ciao SU! 🧡 My name is Maggie Anderson and I’m a class of ’25, senior this year. I’m majoring in Creative Advertising with a double minor in Sociology and Design Studies. From the moment I stepped foot on Syracuse University’s campus, I knew I’d be studying abroad in Florence, Italy one day. 🇮🇹 And in Fall 2023 I did.

While I’ve always dreamt of traveling through Italy, on this #flashbackfriday I want to highlight the place that made the middle schooler inside me scream: Paris! ✈️ During my semester abroad I took a four-day trip to Paris, France. After confidently selecting “French” for the language requirement back at the end of 6th grade and continuing classes for almost 7 years, walking around Paris was so surreal.

Throughout the trip I stumbled across the Notre-Dame de Paris and la Tour Eiffel! I even tried escargot (a French delicacy) for the first (and last) time. Visiting Paris during the end of November, I got to experience the Christmas markets, specifically in the Jardin des Tuileries, where I bought a handmade glass ornament. Afterwards and a trip to Musee du Louvre later, I can proudly say that I’ve seen the Mona Lisa. Famished after my day of sight-seeing, I stopped by Les Deux Magots (a popular café) to snack on a croque monsieur (a fancy ham and cheese that’s not all that special but something every French student has likely always wanted to try). The next day I went to see the infamous Arc de Triomphe before touring around the exquisite Palais du versailles. Finishing off my trip, I took a macaron-making class (I’ll admit the other side of the recipe card was in English).

If you’d like the long story (“this isn’t the long version?🙄”), feel free to DM me @maggie__anderson__. In all seriousness, my time abroad was truly a gift I’ll cherish forever. #syracuseabroad #syracuseflorence