March 26, 2007

What a weekend it has been! After several days of enduring the vigorous and bitter cold air, I welcomed the sun with open arms when decided to show up Sunday. There is something about the sun that makes me feel so calm and happy. It’s Monday and everyone is out and about taking advantage of this sunshine. Cafés and bistros are luring in pedestrians with their sidewalk terrace where it is not rude nor seen as a crime if one chooses to sit for hours and read the Le Monde in its entirety or observe other passers-by.

I am returning from a weekend “getaway” to Munich, Germany in with one of my good friends Lindsay who is in my program. This has to be one of the best impromptu trips I have ever done. We stole our friend’s mother, Barbara, who lives literally in the center of Munich, for the weekend. Barbara is just a gem; she treated us as if we were her daughters. She took us around the city and showed us how to live like Germans in 48 hours. (Thanks Sarah T.)

I had a blast this past weekend visiting many striking sites such as Marienplatz, Alte Pinakothek, Englischer Garten, Residenz, and the legendary beer hall, Hofbräuhaus.

Unfortunately, due to a time constraint, I did not have the opportunity to go visit Dachau Concentration Camp, one of the most infamous Holocaust concentration camps. I must come back to visit this historical site.

I must get out and enjoy the rest of the day, Daylight Savings time began this past Saturday night in the European Union. Tonight I will be attending a wine tasting class with two oenologists. It is really nice that my program provides extracurricular culinary classes, it is something that I have never done before back in the states and I can’t wait to learn about wine and wine pairings, especially after my trip from Chateauneuf du Pape! Ciao!

February 25, 2007

This week begins my fourth week here in Paris and I am enjoying every minute being here. As my classes are beginning to kick in full force, my academic life plays a bigger role in Paris. This semester I am taking the most interesting courses. I am taking two political science courses, Contemporary France and International Relations in the European Union, French 311 and French Cinema. All of my courses are taught in French. In the beginning, I felt overwhelmed and a bit self-conscious by speaking a foreign language 24/7, but eventually I became comfortable with my French because my professors urged us to speak French in order to improve our language. Honestly, I love my classes and my professors are all dynamic, approachable and are very resourceful. It is great to be in a positive environment especially when you are away from home.

I am back from my first independent excursion in Europe. Five of my friends from Hollins’ Paris, London Abroad, and an outside program decided to go to Rome. Before studying abroad, four of us Hollins gals (Shannan S. and Constance T. studying in London and Lindsay L, Ashley P.) decided to travel to Rome to celebrate the 21st birthday of Lindsay.

It is great that we have three-day weekends here so that we could take advantage of traveling around Europe.

It was a nonstop adventure. We spent three days exploring the city of Rome. We took advantage of Rome’s fairly reliable public transportation to view such attractions such as the Coliseum, the Imperial Forum, the Spanish Steps, the Vatican City, the Basilica, the Pantheon…just to name a few.

We could not go to Italy without doing some shopping and eating gelato (always in moderation of course!)

I had a great time seeing my friends who were studying in London and spending our nights sharing our stories of our time abroad. It was a great weekend and I cannot wait to meet up again in another European city.

I must get some rest because I feel under a bit under the weather and tomorrow I am traveling to southern France where we will begin our excursion on the French Rivera of Nice then to Grasse and finishing in Avignon. Until then, ciao bella!

February 5th 2007

Salut tout le monde! It has only been two days since I arrived in Paris and my experience here has been exhilarating. This change from the lovely suburban Hollins environment to the vivacious Parisian city life has been a positive and a rewarding one. I have been calling Roanoke, VA one of my homes for three years now but quickly I am getting familiar with the cultures and customs of France. I am very hopeful for this semester and I cannot wait to see what this wonderful city has to offer.

My flight to Paris was an adventure. I arrived in Paris at 10:00am from Newark International Airport on February 3, 2007. I flew on an overnight trans-Atlantic flight on Air India. Luckily, one of my friends from Hollins, Ashley, and another student from a different university in our program were on the same flight. Despite our minor departure delays, conflicted security measures, and a distressed child who cried for ¾ of the flight, we arrived in Charles de Gaulle Airport safely 7 hours later.

We met our fairy godmother aka, Audrey Stravrevitch outside of the airport. She is the director of Hollins Abroad Paris and just a great person. She is so resourceful, efficient and she made us feel at ease in this big city. Since the airport is approximately 35 minutes outside of the city, we took a taxi that hauled three students on the flight, our 52 bags (I joke) and our director into the city to our appropriate destinations.

At that point, I was going on zero hours of sleep, 12 hours since my last decent meal and a six-hour time difference and I was pumped up and ready to meet my family and a place on which I would call home for 3 ½ months. I was truly anxious to meet my family. The taxi dropped us off at a city square where our families were waiting; we greeted them and were taken to our new homes.

My host family is wonderful. I live with a family of four who are all gems. My host parents, Christian and Isabelle and their two precious children Carl, 11 and Cassandra, 8. There are very friendly and made me feel comfortable and at home with their down-to-earth personality and charm. They prepared a welcome/ birthday dinner for me upon my arrival. They truly know how to treat their guests. I was served foie gras, pâté and other delightful French delicacies. I could get used to this five-star treatment.

My house is absolutely gorgeous! I am truly lucky because houses in Paris are very rare and I live on a charming little street called villa Auguste Blanqui. I live in the 13th district of Paris, which is a mainly residential area with a few restaurants and cafés situated around my street. I live on the fourth floor of the house on which I share a bathroom with the daughter.

Today is actually my birthday! I finally turned 20 and being here is a great way to celebrate my day. Today also begins our week of orientation. I became reacquainted with the Parisian metro system to get to Reid Hall. I live exactly 30 minutes from my house to Reid Hall. At Reid Hall, I met with Audrey and Astrid, the Program Assistant Director, who told us vital information about our semester courses, activities, and Paris in general. After our meeting, we took a light tour in the area of Reid Hall, called Vavin. At lunch, Audrey and Astrid presented me with a gallette de roi, a popular Parisian pastry to celebrate my glorious birthday. We ended our day with a wonderful boat tour on the Seine River of some of the major sites in Paris.

This is just my second day here and I love every minute here! I must rest though since I have a set schedule for this week that includes a visit to the world-renowned Louvre, Musée Picasso, and a trip to Versailles. A plus tard!