Bonjour from Paris! I ate a snail.

Hearing the news of the terrorist attacks on the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo just days before we were set to arrive made for quite the anxious arrival.

The attack raised French threat levels to their highest point. Although not much seemed to be too different about everyday life, at least that I could tell, not being a local. You could see hints of the aftermath around the city.

Nearly everywhere we went police could be seen posted around the city. This was even more apparent at the big tourist destinations such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame.

Our hotel was close to Notre Dame, so we walked past it often on our way to most places we went. More times than not, there were five or six big police vans stationed on the streets surrounding the church.

Being in Paris during this testing time, however, did give us the opportunity to be around when the first issue of Charlie Hebdo since the attack was released.

Being the college student that I am, I missed getting a copy the day it was released because I slept too late. They were sold out within the first hour of opening. I couldn’t even get one when the second batch was released a couple days later. I was finally able to snag one the following Monday, almost a week after originally released.

This opportunity to come to a foreign country at a time of such upheaval provided us students a strong bonding experience. I’ve had family and friends take study abroad classed before, and they always come back with a bunch of great, new friends. Traveling, living and learning with a small group of 20 or so for a month straight can be a great bonding experience in general, but I think our group has gone above and beyond because of the situation we were thrust into.

We had to rely on each other – people most of us just met a week earlier – to be each other’s security blanket. Being in new city that is currently so vulnerable after being terrorized gave us the chance to become close and make our time fun regardless of the situation.

We survived the streets of Paris with no more than a few bruises (many from running into things: boulders, street signs, doors) and are on our way to explore Spain. Adios, amigos.

Scott Sikich can be reached at siki3549@stthomas.edu.