While my experience abroad in Paris has been close to life changing so far, it’s as if I’ve been living in an isolated bubble—a separate realm from the one I used to exist in.

As I juggled intense culture shock, a language barrier, and a new community, I was forced to focus entirely on my new surroundings. I had to give myself time to figure out everything from navigating the city to learning French. And consequentially, nothing else mattered in the world.

For me, it was too easy to lose track of my friends’ lives in America. With a nine hour time difference, FaceTiming and texting became a hassle, making communication sparse. I found myself becoming more and more distant from everything happening outside of my bubble, even in current events. Every shooting or political problem back at home felt unreal because I was so removed.

The election in November was especially strange to experience from thousands of miles away. I’d been keeping up on the political drama through the Internet, but without seeing the social impacts firsthand in America, I didn’t have a grasp on the full situation. When I heard about the tearing of my neighbors’ signs or the unexpected political sidings in the family, I could hardly believe it. For some crazy reason, I thought everything would stay the same.

Not only could I not keep up with what was going on at home, but my concept of time changed in Paris. No longer did I have the same little time markers that signified passing time, such as Halloween and Thanksgiving. Though I attempted to celebrate these holidays, I didn’t feel the full impact or excitement. Without these checkpoints in time, I felt like I was flying through fall, the rest of the world a blur in my peripheral vision.

Although living in Paris made me feel extremely isolated, I’ve chosen to look at it in a positive way. I had all the time in the world to focus on myself and my personal growth, which is what I think living and studying abroad really emphasizes. Being removed from everything I’ve ever known gave me the chance to step back and see it all from a different angle. I’m thankful for the chance I’ve been given to disconnect.