This is love

Hi all!

Just a quick post today - I'm actually on break right now (you could call it spring break? but it's a little too cold to consider that) for the next week, and this afternoon I will be flying to Dublin! I've never been there, so I'm really excited for this experience. We're also going with little to no agenda, which is also new to me, but we'll see how it goes! I will be taking lots of photos, but I probably won't get a chance to blog again until I'm back to my island.

I wanted to blog today to write one thing: study abroad is an amazing experience, but you can't do it alone. Find your support group, friends that you trust. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: bad days happen. Sometimes you can't wait to skype with someone from home and you need to talk it out. Without friends here I don't think I would have had such a great time so far, and I'm an introvert. I like my alone time, but sometimes you can't solve everything on your own.

To my friends and family at home, I miss you all! I appreciate the emails, skype calls, facebook posts and even the snapchats (Rebekah.) :) Can't wait to share my vacation with you!

Dana

Eat then walk

Dearest readers,

I’ve been called out on not blogging since the 6^th, so I thought now would be a good time to update you all on my adventure in Paris. Unfortunately the French translations are now on hiatus, just because I don’t have a lot of time to blog in the first place.

My excuse for not blogging is that this past week and a half has been pretty busy! A month ago today, I arrived in France - I have spent the past 4 and a half weeks adjusting to a new city and trying to fit in as a student. Last Sunday I went to the Chinese New Year celebration at Hotel de Ville (though by the time I left I couldn’t move my legs from being so cold), and on Valentine’s Day the IFE students brought a little America to France with our Secret Valentine gift exchange. Mostly everyone got food or sweets of some sort (I personally got a giant macaron and some candy), and it was a great way to bring our two worlds together. 

For the past couple of days my friend Mari has been in Paris to visit me and a couple other girls from college. She’s studying in Montpellier, France, so it’s about a 3 hour train ride up to the city. Because she had never been to Paris before, we tried to take her to most of the big sites. Although Mari managed to bring some gorgeous (and sunny!) weather to Paris, she also managed to bring the tourists. Granted, it was the weekend right after Valentine’s Day, but I have never seen that many people waiting to get into Notre Dame since being here. Friday night we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower to truly see the City of Light (and the line wasn’t too bad because it was late). That was my third trip up the tower, but actually the first time I had been all the way to the top. If I’m being honest, I was actually underwhelmed by being at the top. Sure, you’re really high up, but you can’t really tell with the wire fencing. The view you see is essentially what you can see at the second floor, but at a different angle. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think it’s worth it :/ Nevertheless, it was really fun to go with friends (especially one who adores France). 

Eiffel Tower at night

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower

Yesterday we tried to go to Notre Dame, but as previously stated, it wasn’t worth the wait in line. For the 850^th anniversary of Notre Dame, they have built a stair structure in front of the cathedral, and the line was winding up and down that structure. Luckily Paris has plenty of other things to offer to tourists (like excellent food!). 

I’ve been meaning to blog about French food (and not just about Orangina and nutella), and now that I’m done venting about tourists I figure now is a great time to do so. I think it’s already well-established that France has wonderful food. But what you might not realize is that you can find wonderful, cheap French food. I’m a college student. I can’t afford to go to fancy restaurants all the time. I’m quite content with my occasional café meals. 

First, I finally had my escargot in Paris! I had had escargot once before on a cruise in Hawaii, but I needed to experience it in France. With my heritage and parents, seafood has always been a regular part of my diet, and the texture of escargot (snails for those who are confused) is similar to that of mussels. There’s not too much taste to them, but the chefs flavor them with wonderful sauces. Escargot is definitely a lighter meal, and you can find them in the entrée (appetizer) section of a menu. Mine were 7 euros, tax included.

Escargot!

Second, crepes. Crepes are like really thin pancakes, filled either to be sweet or savory. Sweet crepes (my personal favorite would be with jam) are great for dessert or a light snack as you’re walking, but savory crepes are filling enough to be meals. I had one last weekend with egg and cheese and I couldn’t finish it because there was so much. If you’re not in a tourist area, I’ve seen crepes to be between 2-3 euros, but it depends on what you put in the crepe. (I'll work on taking a picture of a crepe, but I tend to eat them pretty quickly...)

Finally, the markets. Not like grocery stores, but open air markets where people bring giant rolling shopping bags for their purchases. They’re all over Paris, varying in size and selection. In general, you can find produce, cheese, meat, and seafood at most markets. Sometimes you can also find cooked food there (like rotisserie chicken or international specialties) available. I went to one by Place de la Bastille today, and it spanned a good couple of blocks at least with three rows of vendors. If you go early to a market, you get the best selection. If you go near closing time, you’ll get the best prices as the vendors try to get rid of their products. I’m going on vacation soon so I didn’t buy a lot, but I managed to find 4 apples for around a euro, which is considerably better than what I’d find in a grocery store. I love the markets here, and wish the farmer’s markets in the states were more like them. 

I’m sure I’ll blog about food soon again, but that’s my introduction to a student’s point of view of food in Paris. Maybe next time I'll just write about the wonders of the boulangeries et patisseries?

Dana  

Things you might not think about when studying abroad:

Hey guys! So I’m cheating today and will be blogging in English – it’s been a long day (to be explained). It’s now been three weeks of being in Paris, and I present to you my list of things you might not think about when you’re studying abroad:

1. You’re still a student: You might be in a different new city that has plenty of things to discover, but it is called studying abroad for a reason. Unfortunately, even once in a while you do have to take an afternoon just to study. On the bright side, you can always find a café for studying!

2. A dorm (or foyer) is similar to a dorm at your normal school: That is to say, you will have to buy things for your room, such as sheets (unless you’re lucky), towels, and even school supplies. Unless you want a bare room, you might also want some decorations while you’re at it. In addition, you’ll need pots and pans if you want to cook (for me there are some pots and pans available, but nothing there for baking, which makes me sad).

3. You will have bad days: Studying abroad isn’t always amazing and magical and etc. You’re still living a normal life, and that means you’ll probably have a bad day every once in a while. But when that happens, if you’re upset over something small, look at the big picture (look around you) – you’re abroad. That’s a pretty awesome accomplishment. Find something that makes you happy, whether it’s music, TV, or skyping with friends from home.

4. You don’t need to eat out all the time: If you have kitchen access, you really don’t have to spend that much money for food all the time. Sure, sandwiches from the bakery are great, but they’ll add up after a while. Just like at home, you learn to cook easy meals for yourself.

5. Studying abroad is a roller coaster experience: This was something I learned one of my first days here – I had some impression that the first few weeks would be the worst and then everything would be wonderful from that point on and I would never want to leave. While that last part is probably true, I’ve gone through waves of emotion. I got here and was a tourist for a while, then was stressed because of actual work to do, and who knows what’ll happen next. 

Studying abroad isn’t easy, but I definitely think it’s worth it so far. 

So now that I finished my list, I can tell you all about my time here so far. This past week has been pretty crazy and busy, with hanging out with friends and program visits. This past weekend Laura and I went to Champs-Elysées and found Ladurée, which is famous for their macarons (pictured below). I realized that most of my purchases here have been food, and I’m okay with that. On Sunday our program went to Chateau de Fontainebleau, which is a little outside of Paris, and is one of the largest palaces in France. What’s interesting about the palace is that you can really see the development of the kings who lived there. Each ruler added his own touch to the palace, and it’s all still there. 

Ladurée

Château de Fontainebleau

Today was also our first exam for our preparatory session – we were given two subjects, and we had about three hours to write an essay on each subject, with each paper being around 3 pages. The hardest part was the time limit – three hours is barely enough time to write two papers in English, so it was even harder in French. Also, the French have a specific format for their papers (called ”dissertations”), so we also had to learn that format within the three hours. Needless to say, we were all exhausted afterwards (having to do a presentation in the afternoon also didn’t help much). I’m posting a picture that IFE took of us as we were all finishing up.

I’m also happy to say that I now have decent Internet in my foyer, so I’ve been able to connect with the world outside of Paris. Recently I’ve been asked what I like most about Paris, and I figure it’s a good question to answer generally. Obviously the food has been absolutely wonderful, but honestly, I just love being able to walk everywhere. I walk to class almost every morning just to clear my head and to take in my surroundings. I’m getting to know the city by walking through it and discovering new areas every day. Elena and I were walking around after class today and she showed me this bridge in Paris that used to be a railroad. When we got off the bridge, we found this whole strip of art stores – like glass blowing stores, musical instrument stores, art galleries, all of that. This city has so much to offer, but the best way to see everything is to walk.

I think that’s it for now, as it’s been a long and exhausting day. I’ll work on the translation and try to post it tomorrow!

Dana

P.S. In other news, I tried my second variation of Orangina this past weekend – Rastaman, as pictured below. Considering it’s gone already, I’m going to go with I liked it…also I realized I post a lot of pictures of Orangina on here, so next post will be just photos!

  

Bonjour à tous! Je triche et j’écris en anglais aujourd’hui parce que j’ai eu trop de choses à faire. Ca fait trois semaines d’être à Paris, et je vous présente mon liste des choses auxquelles on ne pense pas quand on passe un semestre à l’étranger :

1) Tu es encore un étudiant : même si tu es dans un pays nouveau avec plein de choses à découvrir, tu es dans ce pays pour étudier. C’est triste, mais des temps en temps tu devras rester chez toi pour étudier. Pourtant, tu peux trouver un café et y étudies !

2. Un dortoir (ou un foyer) est similaire à vos logements à l’université: C’est-à-dire, tu devras acheter des accessoires pour ta chambres, comme les draps, une serviette, et les fournitures scolaires. De plus, tu voudrais les décorations et des casseroles (si tu veux cuisiner). 

3. Tu auras des mauvais jours : Etant à l’étranger n’est pas toujours merveilleux. Ton endroit a changé, mais tu es encore un jeune étudiant – si tu as des mauvais jours chez toi, il est probable que tu auras un mauvais jour à l’étranger. Pourtant, si ça se passe, n’oublie pas de penser à ton nouvel environnement ! Tu es dans un nouveau pays ! Aussi, trouve des activités qui te plaisent, comme la musique, la télé, ou Skype.  

 

4. Tu ne dois pas manger toujours aux restaurants : si tu peux utiliser une salle de cuisine, tu ne dois pas dépenser trop d’argent pour le déjeuner toujours. Oui, les sandwiches de la boulangerie sont super bons, mais à la fin du semestre, ils coutent trop chers. Comme chez toi, tu peux apprendre des recettes faciles. 

5.  Etant à l’étranger est vraiment un aventure: Celui-ci est quelque chose que j’ai appris quand j’ai commencé mon programme – j’ai pensé que les semaines au début seraient les plus difficiles, puis tout irait bien et je ne voudrais jamais quitter Paris. Même si cette dernière idée est probable, j’ai fait face aux plusieurs émotions. J’étais une touriste, et maintenant j’ai trop de choses à faire, qui cause de la tension. Je ne sais pas ce qui se passera au futur. 

Cet expérience n’est pas facile, mais il vaut la peine.    

(Je ne décide pas encore si je veux finir cette traduction...on verra!)