Salwa Jahan Nabila — "… if I ever had to do it all over again, I would always choose Paris"

The summer of 2012 was my first visit to Paris, right after I had won the ‘Allons en France’ competition at Alliance Française de Dhaka. Being a non-believer in love at first sight, I was proved wrong when I set my foot in the beautiful Hexagon for the first time. As much as I have always been a devoted learner of the language, I discovered the richness of the French culture only after I had the opportunity to move to Paris for my higher studies. My first visit set off a series of events which shaped my future in the best possible way.

Learning French did not only make me stand out in a more competitive world, but it also opened many other doors, like getting the opportunity to teach French in the much esteemed Alliance Française de Dhaka.  However, my biggest break came from a reality which once seemed unimaginable- getting accepted into ‘La Sorbonne’.  The acceptance letter from the Université de Panthéon-Sorbonne Paris 1 transformed things for the better.

I would not deny the hardships of studying abroad in a third language, but I would also emphasize that pushing myself to the extremes moulded me so that I can now embrace any challenge with open arms. Besides, our faculty, administration, tutors, peers and all the professors are very amiable towards international students, and they have always taken the extra mile to help me fare well through my journey.

Moreover, the best part of living in France is the fact that I will never be content with a sedentary life. Seeing life out of your comfort zone and seeing the sunset in different parts of the world makes you go for more. That itself is a motivation which will steer you no matter what. Studying in France also allowed me to backpack all over Europe and absorbed the beauties of every culture to my heart’s content.

Sorbonne is a great place, and I couldn’t have been luckier. Our faculty game is strong. The institution is widely recognized in and outside France and is known as one of Europe's oldest and best universities. The campus, the halls, the amphitheatres, the libraries, and the little cafés of the fifth arrondissement make studying there ten folds better. It’s also a great feeling to know that people like Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, J. K. Rowling, Dr King, among others, walked the same halls that I pass by every day, and it’s just beyond belief! Since I started studying at Paris 1, I only had better things come my way. The university's reputation also helped me secure an internship or job that I looked forward to.

I have recently graduated from Panthéon Sorbonne, and I am about to pursue a postgraduate degree in Political Sciences and International Relations this coming September. Being an ardent supporter of peace, my dreams of helping to build a stronger bridge of friendship between Bangladesh and France in the future seems very much attainable at this point, when I know that Paris has changed me in such a way that I can only hope to excel in life. It is a city very dear to me as much as my own, and if I ever had to do it all over again, I would always choose Paris.

Salwa Jahan Nabila
Student, Masters in Political Sciences
University of Paris 1- Panthéon Sorbonne