Author Archives: aif5047

First weekend of travel

Last weekend five of us traveled to Nice for an extended weekend. Monday was a national holiday so we were off from school. The trip took about 7 hours and 30 minutes total with 30 minute stop in Marseilles. We booked our tickets a little late and, as a result, had no assigned seat on the train to Marseilles. We were floaters; we sat wherever there was an empty seat. I was lucky and did not have to move at all for the trip but most of the other PSU students had to move around at each stop.
We had bought snacks for the train ride because we knew it would be long but when we arrived in Marseilles, we bought sandwiches at the train station (we needed more than pretzels and granola bars.) We took 5 minutes to step outside the train station and take pictures of Marseilles and wonder if we should have stayed in Marseilles instead of continuing on to Nice.

Nice was beautiful. It has rocky beaches, clear blue water, plenty of sun. Our first night at the hostel we met a group of students from American University. One of the girls in the group happened to go to high school with one of the girls in our group so we all went out together. We wondered the Nice’s old city looking for a dance club. The only one we found that looked like fun ended up being a gay bar and we were denied entrance. Instead we went to an Irish pub for a drink and walked back to the hostel.

Saturday was spent in Monaco, I really did not pack well for that trip; it was extremely hot and all I had were capris and a tee-shirt. However, I saw some amazing boats and cars – including a Bugatti – while in Monaco as well as the Monte Carlo Casino. The houses were beautiful and I found peanut butter in their supermarket. (France does not have a lot of peanut butter. I cannot find it in Besancon.)

Saturday night we went out with two girls that we met at Free Champagne Night at the hostel. We asked the front desk were the best place to party was and they directed us to Wayne’s Bar which is an Irish bar that has live music. During their night hours, the bar employees push the tables against the walls and so people can stand and dance on them. The place becomes so packed with people no one can move without push someone. I tend to be claustrophobic and could not stay in the bar but everyone else had a great time.

Sunday, we spent the day on the beach. We stopped at a Monoprix first thing in the morning to buy some drinks, bread, and cheese, then walked to the beach. only a small section of the beach actually has sand on it, the rest is pebbles. We laid our towels out, put on sunscreen, and basked in the warmth. I have to saw, the Mediterranean Sea is much colder than I would have expected it to be. It was like swimming at Ocean City, NJ only cleaner and clearer.
For dinner, we wandered back down to the old section of Nice to get dinner. All of us wanted seafood for dinner. We splurged for dinner and went to a relatively expensive place, but the food was great, and the portions were huge so it was worth it.

After dinner, we went back to Wayne’s Bar for our last night in Nice. We all ordered drinks and hung out for a while before the crowd came again. I left when they began pushing the tables against the wall and packing people into the bar.

Monday we checked out of our hostel, stored our baggage and visited some of the tourist attractions. Nice has a man-made waterfall at the top of what seemed like a million stairs. It was beautiful – you could see the whole city from the top. after some of us walked to see some ancient ruins while others (me included) enjoyed some air conditioning in one of Nice’s malls. After we met up at the hostel, grabbed dinner, and collected our baggage for the long train ride back to Besancon.

Location: Nice, France

Family Gathering

So my first full weekend here and I am completely immersed in my host family’s family. My host family has four child, the youngest of which was Christened on Sunday. Only the closest family and friends went to the ceremony, but afterward, 100 friends and family members met for lunch/dinner. The meal was almost six hours long and full of conversation, most of which I did not understand.

The night before I did not sleep much because I was worried about what to wear (I know, typically female anxiety). I had only been to a few Christenings in the past, and it was for family members and none of them cared what I wore. I did not want to insult the family by wearing something inappropriate or too dressy. But anyway, I woke up at 8am to make sure I was ready to go because I had neglected to ask at what time we were leaving. As it turns out, the ceremony wasn’t until 12pm and we were almost late for it.

There were two other babies being Christened at the same time so there quite an audience. The church was beautiful, It surpassed every church I have seen in the states. The priest was a nice man who took the time to explain the ceremony to the other children in attendance. he made it interactive for them so they wouldn’t become too restless and bored. I must say that I did not understand a word he said; I know at one point he said the Lord’s Prayer because I recognized the rhythm, but other than that – nothing.
After the ceremony I was driven to the reception which was held in a elementary school cafeteria. Again, I did not understand anything anyone said unless they spoke directly to me and basically spoke one word at a time. This was the first time I had ever had Champagne (my 21st birthday was in April) and tomatoes at the same time. We had four courses beginning with an appetizer of seafood. Next was the main course which was pork and rice, followed by a plum ice-thing to “clense the pallate” like in The Princess Diaries. Then we had cheese and salad and lastly dessert. I have to say that by the end of the meal I needed some time to myself. My brain was on overload from all the French I had to constantly translate back into English so I could understand what was being asked of me or told to me.

Overall I am really glad that I went. I was able to see a traditional French family gathering and observe some of their culture. I had great food and met some really interesting people that I will remember for a long time.

Location: 25000 Besançon, France

It has officially begun

So I have been in France since Friday and Besancon since Saturday. I was really nervous to meet my host family on Saturday because in their email they said they could speak a little English. However, I did not know what “a little” meant. It could mean they can say “hello” and “good bye” or hold some basic conversations. So when I met my host mother on the tracks of the TGV in Besancon, I was not sure what to expect. My host mother is actually rather fluent in English because her mother was an English teacher. She told me she would speak to me in English for the first week so I could get used to the flow of things in the house. However, she warned me that her husband, who is a 5th grade teach, won’t speak to me in English because I am in France to learn French.

The area here is beautiful. Besancon is located by the Jura mountain range and is surrounded by the Doubs river. It is located about an hours ride from Switzerland. The streets in the city centre are very close together and are lined by buildings in the typical French architecture. The streets are just wide enough for the Ginko (their form of the CATA) to drive down the middle of the road. The center of town has many shops and boutiques for clothes and shoes. However, it also has a Claire’s and a Subway, and I smile every time I walk past them. The United States’ influence has reached even the rural east side of France.

The city has a citadel which looks over the city. There are frequent bus rides to the top of the mountain to visit the citadel which has different museums. It houses baboons, ostriches, lamas, and has an aquarium as well as a museum on the Holocaust.

On Monday, I took my placement test to see which level of French I should be placed in. I have always tested bad in French in high school and in college so it was no surprise when they placed me in the easiest level of French, A2.1. Since Monday, I have moved up three levels to A2.3, which fits much better. The entire class is in French, and since living with my host family, I find that I can understand more and more of the spoken language. In my class, there are Americans, Saudi Arabians, South Koreans, Italians, Lebanese, and Turks. Our only common language for the majority of the people is French. I hope to learn a lot from these students about their culture and language and become proficient in French.

Location: 25000 Besançon, France

Tour of Paris

Yesterday I met up with the other Penn State students in my group for a walking tour of Paris, France. We met at the Gare de Lyon and took a bus to the Eiffel Tower. It was orginially considered an eye-sore when it was erected for the 1889 Worlds Fair. It now serves as a radio and broadcasting antenna. Many people from around the world come to France to see the Eiffel Tower.

From there we went on to see Notre Dame, which is probably the most famous Gothic cathedral in France. This was my second time visiting the cathedral and yet it seemed new to me. The stained glass in the windows is my favorite part aside from the intricate carvings on the building itself. Many of the stained glass panes were lost during the World Wars but some still remain.

Location: Paris, France

7 days and counting

My name is Amanda Flick. I am a life science major with a minor in French and psychology. I just finished my junior year at University Park, and I am study abroad in Besancon, France. I just received my first email from my host family. I cannot wait to meet them.

I am nervous that, when I get off the airplane, I will be completely lost. I am afraid that I will not be able to communicate enough to get where I need to go. I am sure this is normal and as long as I do not think about it, I’m fine. I am arriving in Paris a day before I meet up with others traveling to Besancon so hopefully I will get over most of my nervousness by then.

I hope this trip will make me more outgoing and social. I want to learn the language and travel to surround countries. I want to explore and experience new things. I want to make new friends and enjoy everything the program has to offer.

Location: Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey

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