This week marks the one year anniversary of my first and only trip out of the country. A group of fellow students and a few of their parents, as well as my mom, boarded a plane that took us across the ocean. We landed in Paris, France. For the next two weeks we were submerged in the lifestyle of the French and Italian people. We ate new foods, took in new sights, grew closer to each other and swore we would come back some day. While checking a few of the boxes off my bucket list, I also picked up these seven life lessons from the City Of Light that I took to heart.

1. The journey is just as important as the destination.

Before the trip, I'd never even stepped foot inside of an airplane. The highest I'd ever been off the ground was when I stayed on the 11th floor of a hotel on a school trip. When we got to the airport in Raleigh we bought our tickets, checked in our luggage and went through security. We boarded the airplane and began easing down the runway. Butterflies filled my stomach as I thought about what was actually happening-- I was leaving the ground. I kept my eyes glued to the window as we went faster and faster, higher and higher. It wasn't long before we touched down in New York to switch flights. We climbed off one plane and onto another, and once again, I couldn't look away from the shrinking ground beneath us, it was amazing! The flight from JFK airport in New York to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris is an overnight nine hour long flight. I didn't sleep a wink. Just getting there was half the fun! Don't wish away the journey to your destination.

2. Travel without expectations.

The world is an amazing place, but what looks glorious and breathtaking to you may be dull and uninviting in the eyes of another. Everyone has seen the movies or heard the stories of people standing breathless under the Eiffel Tower, smiling behind the steam of a freshly brewed cappuccino or listening to an accordion player serenade their meal. I made the mistake of stepping onto Paris soil and immediately assuming I'd experience those same things. Those expectations left me a little disappointed. Once I made that realization I quickly wiped the slate clean and started over, taking in every inch of the city from my own perspective. I quickly fell in love with the stain glass windows of Notre Dame. I savored every bite of the spaghetti I bought from a street vendor. My heart swelled as I read the names written on the locks lining the bridges over the Seine River and I made my own stunning memories. Now, when people ask me about Paris I tell them that it was amazing but they have to experience it on their own without expectations.

3. Sometimes you have to take the stairs.

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most well recognized structures in the world, therefore it is a major tourist attraction. We arrived at the unbelievable tower before it opened, unfortunately, the lines for both the elevator and the stairs were already incredibly long. Our tour guide encouraged us to take the elevator but told us that the line moved much quicker for the stairs. Just so you know, there are 704 stairs to the second platform of the tower which is just under 1,062 feet off the ground. We were crunched for time so we all jumped in the line for the stairs. Let me just tell you, that was no easy task. When I finally reached the platform my legs were practically shaking and my breathing was heavy. I dragged myself to the railing to get a good look, and I thought I was having a hard time breathing before. The view before me was literally breathtaking. It was as if I could see the whole city and all its little ant-sized citizens. Thinking back on it, I'm glad I didn't take the elevator. Now I realize that putting in the hard work to reach the top makes the victory just that much sweeter.

4. There is beauty in the little things.

Don't get me wrong, all the major landmarks and memorials that make up Paris were amazing, but there were a few smaller things that really made the trip. Once we were on a tour bus around the city, and we got held up in traffic. While sitting by waiting for the unbelievable traffic to ease up, I noticed a water fountain planted between two busy streets. It was built to look like the very side walk stones had burst from the ground giving way to a spray of water. We stopped off in a coffee shop to grab a drink and the hustle and bustle of the French rushing to get their cappuccinos made me smile. The ease with which people on scooters weaved in and out of cars amazed me. Intricately designed graffiti lined old bridges and train cars. There were all these tiny little details surrounding me that I didn't see in movies or read about in books. It was those small things that really made the trip what it was. Now I really try to take the time to notice the not so huge stuff around me.

5. Don't get caught up in taking pictures.

There were a few times when I would get caught up in taking the perfect picture that I would let the moment pass by without taking it in. Now I have a whole folder of pictures on my desktop that I seldom look through. It is rare a whole week goes by without me thinking of Paris. Pictures are great when you're describing a trip to someone. They let other people see what you saw, but they're very one dimensional. You can't feel anything from a picture. It is important to really breath in the moment. Things look differently through a camera lens than they do through your eyes. None of the images I took do the city justice. I learned to take a picture with my heart, and man, are they really worth a thousand words.

6. You leave a piece of yourself everywhere you go.

There are many parts of myself that I left in Paris. There's a part of me standing breathless looking out from the Eiffel Tower. There's a part of me still crying from laughing so hard in our hotel room with my friends. Part of me is still standing in amazement in front of Mona Lisa herself at The Louvre. I'll never feel that same way again until I go back and stand in those same places. I think the reason the city takes a part of you is so you'll have a reason to come back. It works. I know that I'll make the journey back to reclaim what I left behind.

7. There is no place like home.

No two places are just alike and the charms of home can never be replicated. Paris was absolutely amazing and I loved every part of it, but by the end of the trip I was ready to come home. I was on the phone with my Dad one night after we explored the city. I gushed about how incredible everything had been but I ended by saying "but it isn't home." My Dad laughed and said, "Well you already knew that! There's no place in this world as good as Harrells." He's right. No matter how far I go or how long I'm gone, my heart will always be at home in Harrells, North Carolina.