Author Archives: ctm5165

About ctm5165

I study French, Spanish, and comparative literature at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus. In 2017, I graduate with three bachelors degrees and one master in comparative literature. Beyond Spanish and French, I also speak some Arabic and some Chinese. Future aspirations include working in academia or translation/interpretation.

French…. English… Spanish…

My time in France has presented me with several opportunities but the most important one as a French major is the ability to speak French ll of the time! I have been very impressed with my progression in French. While I am no where near native fluency, I can tell my confidence, my vocabulary, and my overall abilities in French have greatly improved this semester. While I am very content with this, I have also become sad as opportunities have also arisen to speak Spanish.

I am a triple major, two of which are languages, and a double minor, one of which is a language (Arabic). At Penn State, I have no problems keeping up with my various languages because I have at least one class in each language. This is the first time in around eight years that I have not had a Spanish course. That being said, when the opportunities to speak Spanish have arose in France, I was not too pleased with the result. I spoke slower, with less confidence, and with French words tossed in. Up until this point, Spanish has always been my strongest language since I studied it for three years longer than I have been studying French. Now, I would have to say the opposite!

Two weeks after my program in Paris, I fly to Ronda, Spain for a study abroad program with Penn State faculty. I am hoping that my Spanish picks back up quickly because I really feel embarrassed about its current state. At the same time I really hope I do not ruin my French that has progressed a lot in France. It is a tough balancing point that all double language majors and or anyone going through a bilingual setting would understand. I am hoping that some day I will achieve equal confidence in both, however, I feel that the only way to do so would be to find a job that permits me to speak all my languages an equal amount, allowing me equal practice in all languages and equal development in all languages (well that is the goal anyway!). But for not, I go back to Paris and continue my French progress for nine more days before the end of my program. I do not want to leave Paris or France but I am excited to see what Spain has to hold!

P.S. You know you are speaking in another language 24/7 when your native language becomes infected by your second or third languages idioms, expressions, and/or mannerisms/ sounds.

Location: Paris, France

Metro Ads

I take the metro everyday. It is not only the quickest way to get around but it is the most convenient way, in my opinion, to get around Paris. Most people dislike the metro because it is dirty and some very bizarre people use it. While this is all true, you cannot beat the convenience and efficiency that comes with the metro.

Since being in Paris, I have adopted a new persona, in particular in the metro. It is very rare that I say “Pardon” for bumping into someone and it is normal for me to bump into people that are clearly in the way. My new “persona” follows the unspoken rules of the metro that I learned quickly within the first week of being in Paris. For example: you do not stand in front of the door and expect people to squeeze past you when the doors open. You should step outside of the metro, let the others off and then get back on. The others that are also waiting to get on will let you get back on first (most of the time) because they understand what you are trying to do. While this seems like an obvious thing to do, many people, in particular tourists, do not understand the unspoken rules.

There have been plenty of people who now think I am rude but were breaking some of the most basic rules of the metro. One time, two British tourists were breaking the rule I described above and I pushed through them, followed quickly by several other Parisians who all seemed happy that a 6’5″ man was the first to go for it. I was not happy to do it, but I needed off of the metro and they were in my way (same thing happened just the other day on the sidewalk, I will tell that story later).

RATP, the workers that take care of all public transportation in Paris, have taken on the initiative to advertise these previously unspoken rules for all to see. The following are three pictures of different ads that I took today in the metro (unfortunately I did not get the picture of the rule I stated above but I will explain it after the pictures).

RATP placed these ads in the metro to show what not to do. They have taken an animal to fit the trait of what is going on and how they are disrupting others by their behavior. The three examples above have a hen who is talking extremely loud and disturbing others (clucking like a hen), the pig is eating and creating a large mess on the metro while also taking up four seats (hogging the seats and being a pigsty) and two “lovebirds” are standing side by side on the escalator (I am sure that this is the case in many other places but in Paris the left side of the escalator is for walking up and the right side is for standing and riding up). For the “rule” I mentioned above, there are two elephants standing in front of the door not allowing others to pass in or out of the metro. Each ad has the tagline “Restons civils sur toute la ligne” or “stay civil for the entire (metro)line”.

I find the ads to be very humorous but also very true! RATP is showing everyone proper conduct in order to increase efficiency, however, they are also going to increase the peace because these unwritten rules are now written for everyone to see. Whether or not you speak French, the image is very clear and no one can confuse what you are supposed to do. Now, I just hope that people follow these rules!

Here is my short anecdote about what happened by Notre Dame. There was a large group of tourists waiting to cross the street in order to go see the cathedral. While I understand that everyone wants pictures of the cathedral, tourists need to remember that people do live in the place that they are using to up their Facebook likes and that they cannot just take pictures on a tiny sidewalk that has room for four people to walk on, not twenty people to take pictures. Needless to say, I was trying to walk down the sidewalk. I was pressed for time and I could not wait for this group to block the sidewalk, take their pictures, then cross the street. I said loudly “Pardon” and proceeded to keep walking. When someone says pardon in French, it basically means “I am sorry but I am going to walk through now. If you want to move, we will both be happier for it but if you are going to continue talking pictures, I am still going to walk through.” I walked through and no one moved. Now I am in a picture of a Japanese man with Notre Dame and possibly with another woman that got knocked off balance with my bag (so if anyone happens to see that on Facebook, tag me!).

I am not sharing these stories because I want to make fun of the people that are breaking these rules or to show how rude I have become (because it really isn’t being rude!). I am telling these stories because it shows a step that everyone hopefully takes when they are studying abroad. I have gone from being a “tourist” that needs to take a picture of the Eiffel Tower every time I see it to actually living in my new environment. I have picked up vocabulary, gestures, social comportment, and comfort in my location. I have bridged that gap from being just a study abroad student to being a student studying in Paris.

Un retour à l’antiquité

This past weekend, I visited the most fantastic place in Paris. I am not sure the best way to describe the experience to you but here it goes. Imagine you were in a room of the most famous people in the world (whether that is James Franklin, Beyonce, Will Ferrel, Melissa McCarthy, or all four of them). That is the feeling that I had except the famous people that I was surrounded by were all in a crypt.

For those of you who did not read my first blog post, I study French, Spanish, and Comparative Literature. Hopefully that helps you understand the feeling that I had when I was in the crypt in the Pantheon and I saw the tombs of Emile Zola, Rosseau, Voltaire, and Victor Hugo (just some of the many examples).

What is the Pantheon?

The Pantheon is a building that was originally built as a church in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The church, originally dedicated to Saint Genevieve, housed the relics of Saint Genevieve. During the French Revolution, the church was turned into a secular mausoleum containing the bodies of celebrated French citizens.

Louis XV decided to renovate the remains of the Abbey of Saint Genevieve after making a promise that he would put a church worthy of the name Saint Genevieve in its place if he recovered from an illness. Louis XV pulled through and he constructed the church. Years later, the Revolutionaries decided to secularize the church because it was a symbol of the monarchy and the Ancient Regime (it did not only happen to this church but many other churches and things built by the monarchy or the Catholic Church due to its association with the monarchy).

The building is neoclassical and looks like a mixture between a cathedral in the form of a Latin cross and a Greek temple. Unfortunately, the dome is currently under renovation so you are not able to see the dome or the pendulum that is usually inside.

Why I got so excited!

So, instead of recounting everything that I found awesome in the Pantheon, I am going to just add pictures and you can just assume my excitement from that.

Tomb of Voltaire

Memoir of Antoine de Saint Exupery (author of Le Petit prince (The Little Prince)

Location: Montagne Saint Genevieve Paris France

Spring Break

Last week I left my home. Not State College but Paris. I traveled to Amsterdam, Berlin, and Prague for spring break with a group of friends. I know this may sound strange to some of you reading this, but I missed Paris every step of the way! Don’t take that the wrong way; I loved each of the places I traveled to (I will tell you about my adventures in this post) but I honestly got homesick for Paris! That sounds bizarre even to me because I have not been homesick for the US or for State College one time. All of the Paris homesickness set aside, here is some details about my wonderful and eventful spring break trip.

Tips to Traveling on Spring Break

First off, do not underestimate trains. I loved travelling by train on spring break! It was a perfect chance to catch up on sleep and do homework (yes I did homework on spring break!). Flights are fast and easy but sometimes a long train ride really helps with rest and planning the next part of your trips.

Don’t stress out about planning every detail of your trip before leaving! Pick places you are interested in going or simply pick places you have heard good things about. You can plan what you are going to do once you check in to your hotel and have wifi. My group decided what we wanted to do the night before so we did not stress out too much about anything but we still did a lot and explored a lot of really cool places.

My last tip is to make sure you are travelling with people who have similar interests as you. My group was about 7 people in Amsterdam and 10 in Berlin and Prague. Luckily, we all had similar things we wanted to do and if we didn’t, we split up, did our own things, and met back up later in the day. Doing this was easy for us since we had a large group so when me and a few others wanted to go museum hopping and shopping, the other five were able to go sit in a café or check out a restaurant.

Amsterdam

I feel that a lot of people have a picture that Amsterdam is party central where everyone is high, drunk or with a prostitute all of the time. While that all is a part of Amsterdam, there are a lot of great things to see and do there. My group went on a canal tour in a boat, saw the Van Gogh Museum, tried a plethora of cheeses at a cheese museum, saw a prostitute museum in the Red Light District, and went to the Anne Frank House. We spent about two days in Amsterdam and we really had no downtime.

Overall, I really enjoyed Amsterdam. When you go to Amsterdam, you know you are there. I know that sounds weird but Berlin, for example, did not give off a German or Berlin vibe (I’ll explain that later). I also thought that the museums in Amsterdam were really well kept and very nice to go and see. Some museums can be too much writing/information or not enough but Amsterdam had a really good balance.

Berlin

Berlin was a very interesting city. The big highlights that we saw were East Side Gallery (Berlin Wall), Checkpoint Charlie, Ritter Sport chocolate museum, Berlin Cathedral, Bebelplatz, Reichstag, and the Holocaust Memorial/Museum. Berlin was very cheap for food and for museum entry. The museum island was really fascinating and very picturesque. I don’t suggest you travel here unless the WWII and Cold War period really interest you because some of the biggest attractions surround this topic, at least the ones that I went in to.

Berlin was a love/hate relationship for me. I really enjoyed the museums that we went into. They had great setups. The people were also very nice and very approachable which was a nice and interesting change from Paris was. Metro etiquette in particular was very different since people actually waited for others to get off before storming on. While I really liked the people and the things in Berlin, the city itself was the opposite of what I expected.

In my opinion, you can tell that Berlin was split into a communist and non-communist part even though it was 26 ish years ago that the wall was taken down. There were a lot of construction projects and nothing gave a “feel” that you were in Berlin. My group split up and the one that I was in walked to a place that we thought was East Side Gallery. It turns out that it wasn’t but what we did find was the part of Berlin that was communist after World War II. It was like stepping into a new world I think that if I would travel to Berlin in ten or twenty years, I would probably have a totally different experience since even the museum areas have construction going on and still need some work.

Prague

Prague was a very interesting experience since none of us knew the language at all and the koruna not the euro was used. The exchange rate really worked in our favor with the euro and or the US dollar. Beyond everything being outrageously cheap, we had a really good experience. We went to the Prague Castle, History of Prague Museum, the Astrological Clock, Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge and Wenceslas Square.

I really enjoyed my time in Prague. I actually wish I had a little more time in Prague because it had a lot more to do than what is listed above. The one thing that holds me back from saying that Prague was my favorite place I visited was that I don’t know if I saw that many Czech people. It seemed that it was mainly tourists and people that came from other countries. I don’t think I interacted with anyone from Prague besides the people working in the country.

So overall I really enjoyed my entire trip. If I had to rank the trip, I would say that Prague and Amsterdam were my two favorites and Berlin was a little bit of a disappointment but it was still an awesome place to visit and see. It disappointed me because I set a high opinion before going and it did not meet that opinion; however, I went to the other two countries with no expectations. Now I am excited to back home in Paris and I can’t wait to continue exploring here!

One Month Abroad-iversary!

In honor of my one-month-of-being-abroad-anniversary (try to use that one Hallmark !) I thought I would go through and give tips and hints on what I found to be useful, frightening, thrilling, etc during my preparations for travel and since being here. I hope you find it useful !

Packing

Packing for a lot of people is a huge stressor when getting ready to travel. My tip for packing is OVER PACK ! That is probably the opposite of what everyone tells you to do but honestly, do it. I am not saying you should stuff your bags full or take an extra bag, forcing you to pay for the bags you put on the plane. I mean, take advantage of the space and the weight you have. Here is how I made the best of my luggage situation :

I found an airline that allowed two checked bags for free ! (Yay IcelandAir ! They are actually pretty awesome though. Their airline will also let you cancel your ticket, stay in Iceland for 7 days, then get a ticket home, free of charge (of course you are spending 7 days in Iceland but I thought it was a cool way to up tourism)).
Beyond the two checked bags, I was allowed 1 carry on and 1 bag/backpack that could fit under my seat. So in total, I had four bags.
If you are hurting for room : Separate essentials from being ridiculous. Of course you are going to need clothes, deoderant, tooth paste,etc, but what you need to realize is that people in your study abroad country need similar things as you do ! I sacrificed bringing hair gels and non-travel sized things in order to save space because I knew that when I landed in France, I could buy all of things (despite popular belief, the French do shower, shave, and use deoderant/perfume). Because I used travel sized stuff, I was able to fit in an extra outfit !
If you are hurting for room : School supplies are a similar situation as above. There are students in France too ! They need to buy school supplies and so did I when I arrived. I was actually really glad that I waited to buy supplies because I found out that the French use a different type of notebook than we use in the states (its is lined differently) and not that it matters for me to take notes but it was definitely an interesting cultural difference !
If you have room in your bags : Don’t « save » it for souvenirs, fill it with something. You will bring things that break and or that will not be brought back. For example, I brought a towel because I 1) had extra space and 2) could use it when I stay in hostels. Guess what is not coming back with me… the towel ! That is about five pounds that was in my bag, costs me about $2 at Ross, and is now being replaced by a bottle of wine or an Eiffel Tower replica.
I also suggest you have a priority list of your belongings. I know exactly what I am going to get rid of if I need to make room for something else on the way back starting with my lowest priority (socks, you only need one pair to wear on the plane !) to my highest priority that I am definitely bringing back (my laptop).

Security in the Airport

Obviously, the first step is to orient yourself with TSA and airline guidelines that are all posted online. After you have looked into this, pack your items in a way that security will not be a big deal for you. This is mainly for your carryon luggage since you will have given the airline your checked bags before going through the main security.

When you are on your way to your new home, kep electronics all in one bag (if that is possible). I had a gallon bag in which I put every charger, device, and anything questionable except my laptop which I had in its case. Those two bags, along with my liquids, were in the same compartment in my checked bag so that if security needed me to take them out, I could do it easily and without hassel. I also wore Toms for shoes so that I could slip in and out with no problems what so ever.

Fortunately for me, I did not have to do any of that at security. I somehow ended up in an expedited line. I did not have to get anything out of my bags or take my shoes off, just make sure that all electronics/metals were out of my pockets before going through th emetal detector. If you can get into this line, do it because it was so easy. I was surprised that this existed after everything that happened in France but it did ! If you don’t get into this line, don’t worry, just follow what I said above and you will get through with no problems.

On your way home, do not put liquids in your carry on if you are bringing liquids back at all. Once you are home, you can use your mom’s toothpaste and if your luggage is missing, its ok because you will have other clothes at home to wear. If you are willing to risk the loss of electronices, you could put electronics in your checked on the way back but I will most likely keep important electronics in my carry on and let less important things (power adapter, phone charger, etc) in my checked so it is less to worry about.

So I’ve made it… now what !

Once I landed in my study abroad country and got over the fear that my luggage had not made it across the ocean with me, the journey really began. Here is how to get started with as little flaws as possible

Airport to Your Residence

Taxi… I don’t care what anyone says about taxis being expensive, just take a taxi. Paris had several options : bus, taxi, metro, shuttle, etc. I chose taxi for several reasons :

Taxis would take me directly to my homestay address. I was dropped off right in front of the door and my host mom saw me getting dropped off and came to help.
Taxis are easy ! You go to the stand, tell them the address, get in with all of your luggage, take the ride right to the address, pay the driver, get your bags and walk a couple of feet to your residence.
Taxis give you nice views of the surrounding area without having to worry about other people.

Buses, metros, and shuttles are different everywhere you go but taxis are the same. I did not want to take public transportation because I had never used it on my own in France and because I had three bags. I did not want to deal with three bags, crowds of people, and a new transportation system all at once. Especially not after uncomfortably sleeping on a plane for less than a third of my voyage. If you are more adventorous than me, by all means, take the cheaper and unknown option but I was happy to have help with my bags and being dropped off right in front of my homestay. Warning ! Only take rides from taxis that are at an official taxi stand, I was asked about 10 times if I needed a ride before I was out of the airport. Chances are, these are not real taxis !

Public Transport

I know it sounded like I was bashing public transport in the above passage, but I only say don’t use it when you are trying it for the first time and also have to bring three bags along with you. Now that I am only carrying a backpack, I LOVE the Metro (love in the sense that it is so easy and so efficient not in the sense that it is « clean » and smelles pleasant).

One thing I suggest to everyone studying abroad is that you should look into the bus passes/metro passes that are offered. To those studying in Paris, it is not a question. Get a Pass NaviGo ! I use mine at least twice everyday and usually a lot more than that. It allows you to swipe yourself in to the Metro and the bus ! You pay to recharge it every month or week but doing the month is cheaper. There are ATM type kisosks in every metro stop in order to buy tickets and or recharge your pass. I am sure other cities/countries offer a similar thing so I definitely suggest looking into it !

You should also note what time the public transport opens and closes, but keep in mind that the times are different depending on the stop or at least they are in Paris. The metro supposedly closes at 1 :30 am and the trains stop at 2 :30 am but I was walking to a Metro stop with friends at 1 :00 am and the gates were closing. We went to another stop and that one was open so we had no problems ;however, certain stops follow different schedules so keep that in mind. If you are in a place that the Metro never closes, you are lucky and you are definitely not in France !

Language Learning

Many people go abroad to learn a language. At least that is what a lot of people say they are here for on my program. While many people say that, you will find that most people speak English with others on their program and even to citizens of the country ! Don’t do that ! Speak the language you are learning all of the time. You will learn and appreciate your experience more if you stay in that language than if you just speak English. It is going to be hard and your friends may think you are being ridiculous but honestly do it.

Plan It Out !

Time really flies while you are abroad. I only have about two and a half months left in my program and I feel like I have done nothing. You really need to plan out your trips and what you want to see in your city as soon as possible. I made spring break plans with people the week after getting to Paris. Now I am in the process of planning out my trips for after spring break. Buy tickets and hostels early and be prepared, but also don’t forget that you are in a new city/environment and you should explore that as well ! I have a list of things that I want to do in Paris before I leave and have been checking stuff off steadily through the semester.

Eat Out

Eating out can be expensive, but if you can afford it, eat out as much as possible. Most places have meals that are cheap enough that it would cost the same as buying groceries for the week (in France in particular, there are boulangeries everywhere that have cheap food. You can also get a baguette from a boulangerie for 95 centimes and cheese from a fromagerie for 2 euros. You honestly cannot beat that meal !). Eating in restaurants and cafes really gives new perspectives on the local cuisines, drinks, and mannerisms. You can also meet some really cool people ! Also, I highly suggest that you try American restaurants that are in your country. Chances are they are very different than what you find at home. For example, I went to Subway the other day because I stumbled upon it, was hungry, and did not want to spend a lot of money (yes the 5 euro foot long exists but I am forgetting its metric counterpart). The bread was so different (in a good way) because it tasted like real bread and not that plastic-ish bread at home. Also, the vegetables tasted like… well vegetables. Beyond that, they also offered different things on their menu. McDonalds is also very different from ones at home so it is worth checking out at least once. If you are staying with a host family you should definitely take advantage of your shared meals with them as they are a great place to converse and eat cuisine that everyone eats everyday !

Right now that is all I can think of that really helped me get to France and also things that I have found good to do while being here. If you want advice or help with anything else, post it in a comment and I will let you know how I handled it.

Location: Paris, France

Les Catacombes

You begin be descending a large staircase, you go into a small room and then you enter into a semi-lit, tiny tunnel underground. If you are as tall as me (6’5”), you are bent in half, trying not to smack your head on the roof.

Once you turn a corner, partially wet from the dripping water from the ceiling, you are greeted by a sign reading : “Arrête, C’est ici l’empire de la mort” (Stop, this here is the empire of the dead).

This story is how one begins to explore the catacombs. Read the history below and see the pictures to find out what happens after this door!

History

The catacombs, a huge burial ground holding the remains of about 6,000,000 people, fill caverns and tunnels that remained from stone mines that were renovated to fit this new purpose. While the catacombs opened in the late 18th century, it did not become a tourist attraction until the early 19th century. It has been opened to the public since 1874.

Why make the catacombs?

When the Romans had control of France, they built on Rive Gauche (The Left Bank). When the Frankish invasions led to settlement on the Right Bank as well, people began to bury the dead in the city center instead of away from the inhabited areas as is usual custom. The cemetery was located directly next to Les Halles ( a large market place). Due to the proximity of the market, the cemetery could not expand so many of the older bones were taken out of the graves and packed into the roofs and walls of the galleries built inside the cemetery, thus keeping the dead in the cemetery but not in their graves.

As Paris expanded, the city began to reach the old mining grounds that were located outside of the city limits. The need for a new grave site became clear once a basement wall in properties adjoining the cemetery collapsed due to the weight from a mass grave located directly behind it (imagine going down into your basement and finding corpses/bones!). After two years of emptying the majority of the Paris cemeteries, the catacombs were filled. Later on, as people became curious about the catacombs, Louis-Etienne Héricart de Thury arranged the bones into piles with patterns in order to make the catacombs more appealing to visitors. Now it is a popular site in Paris for those interested in the Macabre.

The other side of the door….

So, you have made it this far and you decide to continue. You turn the next corner and you see a huge pile of bones. and after that another huge pile.

You continue walking through a maze of bones and skulls, none of which are close to being matched to anything that resembles a body. For me, it was interesting to think about the lives of the people buried in the catacombs. Hierarchy and social status were so important for these people, yet now, one cannot tell the difference between the lowest of peasants and the highest of artisans or nobles. Obviously there is no king because the king would be buried separately away from the “little” people.

If anyone is planning on going to Paris, I really suggest going to the catacombs. It is a very interesting place to visit and not a lot of tourists go! The catacombs take second place to Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees, etc. Obviously, if you can’t handle slightly eerie or macabre settings, this is not for you but if that interests you in the slightest, you should check it out!

Location: Place Denfert Rochereau Paris, France

Voyage au sud

As I said in a previous blog this week, IES (the company that is in charge of my study abroad) took us to the south of France from Thursday to Friday. The trip was included into our tuition for the school so they took care of purchasing tickets, the hostel, the tours, etc. It was an absolute blast!

Day 1

As I said, this was on Thursday. IES cancelled (well they didn’t necessarily “cancel” but they didn’t schedule us our intense French class this week so we could travel with them) our class so that we were able to go with no worries.

The Train

In order to get to the south of France, we took a train leaving from Gare de Lyon at 8:15 am. Now you think that is not a bad time, but we had to meet at 7:15 am so I was awake at 5:30 am!!! I usually give good praises to the metro, but taking that morning commute at 6:00 am was not pleasant at all.

Regardless of the ungodly hours of the morning, the train was really nice. I did not have much room to move around (but being a guy standing 6′ 6” and weighing about 220 LBs, I usually don’t stand too much of a chance). I sat at a seat with one person from my program and two people from France across from us. We shared a communal table in the middle so everyone could work or read on that surface. Most of the seats only had 2 people in them but we were in the middle of the train where the direction of the seats changed and four people faced each other.

Overall, I read the entire ride and it was really nice. It was about a two to three hour ride. Since IES took care of this ticket, I am not sure how expensive the tickets actually were but I did look into trains to go other places in France and they only cost from 30 – 50 Euro for two-ways which really is not that bad. I definitely will be taking the train again to various places in France/Europe during the time of my program.

Nîmes

Once we arrived in Nîmes, we took a bus from the train station to the hostel (more details on the hostel later) and then from the hostel to the city center.

L’Arènes de Nîmes

We started our tour of the city at the Roman arena. The arena is at the center of the city and really stands out against the modern buildings surrounding the arena.

We were given audio guides to use throughout the arena which was really interesting. I really liked them in comparison to using an actual tour guide because I could skip information that I already knew and I could really go through the arena at my own pace. Pictured above is me in front of the sand at the arena in the bleachers area. The fact that the arena is still standing and has been used from Roman times to modern day is insane!

The arena used to be used for gladiator fights and prosecutions of enemies of the state. Now the arena is still used for bull fights and horse shows but the bull fights are not like Spanish bull fights. I will explain in a minute what happens at a French bull fight shortly as we experienced it at a different place in southern France.

Above is a picture of some people on my program. To the surprise of many, there was no protection on the sides of the arena. Someone could easily fall or jump of the side of the arena. I did not have any problems with the lack of guards or protectors; however, I understand where many people in my group were coming from. In America, that would never happen! No one would 1 be allowed at the top of the arena to begin with and 2 if they were, there would be a huge wall going around the outside and a guard there to make sure no one tried to be adventurous.

La Maison Carrée

La maison carrée was a roman temple a few blocks up from the arena. Pictured below is the side of the temple. There is a little space on the sides where the public can spend time but the front and the back of the temple are pretty much right up to the road.

The temple is obviously no longer used for religious worship. Now, it has been converted to a theater but not one that plays movies like “The Hangover” or “Frozen.” Instead, Nîmes uses the theater to show a movie about the history of Nîmes from its start as a Gaul tribe, to how a Gaul general used 500 troops to help Cesar in his conquest of northern Gaul, to his return with treasures from Rome in order to commence the city. It was very interesting and I suggest that anyone visiting Nîmes should go and see as it really demonstrates the history of this wonderful city.

Above is a picture of the panoramic view on the top of the Tour de Nîmes (Tower of Nîmes). Only take the trek if you are not afraid of heights or a lot of steps!

Auberge de jeunesse

Auberge de jeunesse is French for hostel. I had never stayed in a hostel before this trip and I was surprised by how dorm-like the experience was. This was not a normal hostel visit since it is out of season. IES rented out the entire hostel just for our group so it wasn’t a “true” hostel experience in the sense that I kind of knew who I was sharing a room with and there were familiar faces throughout the entire hostel.

The Rooms

Basically, the rooms were exactly like dorms in Pollock halls. There were three bunk beds and one single bed in the room. There were also 7 closets in the corners of the room for you to put your stuff in. Each closet had the ability to lock so that you could lock your belongings in when you were not there.

The Bathrooms

The bathrooms were communal and not gender based. For most Americans, they would probably find that shocking. Even the bathrooms in the co-ed dorms are separated by gender. To me it was not awkward at all. We are all adults and there were no issues, but then again, we didn’t have any freshman on our program. The set up was very similar to a dorm hall bathroom, except that the bathrooms and showers were not stalls but they were more like closets that were fully covered on all sides.

NOTE: if you plan on staying in hostels while you are in Europe, TAKE FLIPFLOPS FOR THE SHOWER! I forgot mine and I felt gross using the shower.

The Food

The hostel had a cafeteria that we ate at twice and it was surprisingly delicious. I am not sure if all hostels do this but if you plan on staying at a hostel and they offer it, look into it because I was surprised by the amount and the quality of the food!

Commons Areas

Despite the cold weather, everyone took the time to play ping pong and hang out in the areas of the hostel. The hostel even had a lounge with speakers and people played music and danced when we were there. I am sure it would have been fun with other people that we did not know but everyone on my program really had fun. From what I could tell, most hostels have lounges, bars, or clubs nearby, attached to or in the hostel since it is generally younger kids so look out for and take advantage of these options. My group found this to be a blast!

Day 2

Fun in the Countryside

We started off our adventure on the second day at a French ranch. Then we got back on the bus and headed to Aigues-Mortes.

Le petit train

What is the only way to tour a wildlife park that gives great scenic views of the ocean? Of course the answer is a tiny green train that treks through the country side (I somehow managed to not take a picture! ):). We were given a lot of information on the vegetation, the sea, and the animals of the country side.

There were bulls and horses that were owned by the ranch but the interesting thing was how they maintained the animals. They were gates around the fields, but the fields spanned vast amount of the country, so to the animals it was as if there were no gates. The animals were kept as if they were wild, which is something very rare to find in America but seemed common for most ranches in the south of France.

Bull Fight

As a part of our tour of the country side, we were shown a bull fight and a horse show. This bull fight was nothing like Spanish bull fights, which most people associate with a bull fight. This was more of a game than it was an actual fight. No animals were killed.

Basically, one bull (they said generally from 1-4 years old) is placed in the ring. On one horn, there are pieces of strings. All of the strings are different colors and are knotted differently, with different difficulties to pull off. Each “bull fighter” was given a metal tool for their hand to rip the strings off. The tools were not sharp enough to cut the hide of the cow, yet they were able to rip the strings. Also, as another form of protection for the bull fighters, there were metal caps placed on the tips of each horn so that no one could get punctured.

While many in the group were upset at the fact that “the bulls were being mistreated,” I happened to love it! (Although in all honesty I would be totally thrilled to see an actual Spanish bull fight) The owners of the ranch really cared for the animals and never allowed them in the ring for longer than 10 minutes at a time and they are instantly released back into their pasture.

In the above picture, the man who organized the trip and all of our trips for IES had the opportunity to jump into the ring and try his hand at the game.

Horse Show

They did two demonstrations for us with the horse. The first was le jeux des bouquets (The Boquet Game). Three people play and one gets a bouquet of flowers. From there it is just keep away and the one who has the bouquet at the end, wins the game.

The second game was called les deux chevalles (the two horses). Basically, someone rides bareback on one horse right beside another horse. The principal is to jump back and forth between the two horses. At the very end, the person jumping around stands up with one foot on each horse. This really adds an element of danger to horseback riding!

Aigues-Mortes

So we ended our day in a small town called Aigues-Mortes. In this town, we were given free time to explore. My friends decided that it would be best to spend our time on the ramparts of the town! (I am glad I found friends that enjoy history/nerdy things like me!) We walked around the entire town on the ramparts and had amazing views of the town, the ocean, and the surrounding area. Below are a couple of pictures that I took on the walls.

On Day 3 we went to Avignon, but I feel like this blog post is getting a little too lengthy so I am going to continue a little later with a blog focused solely on Avignon.

Location: Aigues-Mortes France

IES French Studies

Bonjour! So I am sorry about not posting last week. I had a lot going on with class decision and IES took us on a four day long trip to the south of France where I had no internet in order to post. Speaking of IES, I am focusing this post on why IES has been such a great company to study with, at least thus far into the program. I am not going to go into much detail about my trip in this post, but I will post another time this week about my trip, so look out for that!

What is IES?

IES, The Company

IES is a company that specializes in sending students abroad. They began as the Institute of European Studies sending their first group of students to Vienna in 1950. The second center opened in Paris in 1961 (my center!!! as if I actually own it). Eventually, their programs expanded and the first program outside of Europe began in Mexico City in 1982. Now they offer programs in so many different countries that there is a place to study practically for everyone. Check out their website at iesabroad.org for more information on their history or their programs.

IES and Penn State

I am not sure about the history between Penn State and IES but Penn State accepts a lot of programs from IES and it is very easy to find a program. IES courses transfer easily to Penn State. Also, I am not sure about all programs, but IES always has a big showing at the Education Abroad Fair in the fall semester and they have a representative present to you about your program. Beyond that, IES also gives various webinars and supplies a lot of books with information which are available to you in the Peer Advising room on the fourth floor in Boucke!

French Studies Program

The Facilities

IES used to house the BIA (Business) and FS (French Studies) programs in the same center. Both of the programs have grown to a larger size and now the old center is used for the FS program and the BIA program has moved to another center. (I will tell you why that is a great thing in just a moment)

Our facilities are very nice. The center requires a code to enter in the front door so it is very safe. There are no signs that have IES on it because it would basically be saying “HELLO FRANCE, WE ARE FROM AMERICA!”

There are four classrooms at our center as well as a lounge. The classrooms all have a white board and a tv for powerpoints and showing movies, etc. The lounge has several couches, a few tables and chairs, as well as a microwave to heat up food. There are two vending machines with really cheap drinks from coffee, hot chocolate, and cappucinos to coke, water, and juice. There is also a piano in the lounge for people who want to play some music. Beyond that, there is also a library and a computer lab in the center for everyone to take advantage of (with free printing aussi!!).

Orientation

To start off our time at IES, there was an orientation program that was mandatory for all students. They gave us a lot of information about Paris and their ideals for the program. They also give paper copies of everything so that we can review it on our own later since it is all in French and everyone comes from different levels of French.

They were very helpful getting a cell phone and a Pass Navigo (metro pass) as well. They lead groups around to help you get past any language barriers to purchase these items. They also gave tours to various places around Paris that we will need to know how to get to for our time here.

Added Bonuses

So, we have a fantastic student activities coordinator. He is in charge of all the activities and programs that are for the students. Every month there is “Une question du mois” that we can answer and get a prize if we answer correctly. I was fortunate to win a brunch at Angelinas which is a very famous restaurant in Paris! I heard that later there will be a prize to win tickets to a soccer game!!

Beyond that, there is also a daily contest called “Où suis-je à Paris?” (Where am I in Paris?). You can win different French candies each day if you answer correctly.

Le défi

This is something started this semester. It translates as “the challenge” and it is where someone says that they are going to speak only French for the entire week except when you talk to your parents back home of course. Beyond speaking, you must also turn your Facebook into French and change your home page to a French website. You also have to write a paragraph about your week.

If you do le défi for five weeks, you get your name on a plaque and win a prize. I am currently on week 1 of 5 but I am just taking it week by week for now and we will see what happens later!

French Studies vs. BIA (Business)

So, in one of the sections above, I stated that it was a good thing to separate the BIA and FS students. Here is the difference between the programs: FS students are required to have previous experience in French before coming and are generally French majors or minors. BIA students have no language requirement and generally come in with no French knowledge at all.

I have noticed a lot of “hand holding” with the BIA students. They were given an IES Rep to help them in the airport where as the FS students were expected to do it on their own. Most of the BIA students stay in apartments and not homestays which is such an important thing for students that really want to learn French to do! I think it is great to have a business school in Paris but it is good that the two programs are separated since one is obviously serious about French and the other is here just to take classes in another country (and that is not to say that none of the BIA students care about France or French, this is just the impression of them in my center). Many people also say they only speak English so I am glad to be separated from English as much as possible!

Please comment below with your experiences and if you are in an IES program, what is it like?

Location: Denfert Rochereau Paris France

“Je Suis Charlie”

Not that I did it on purpose or that it happened due to a good thing, but I don’t think I could have come to Paris at a better time. This post is going to explore the Paris terror attacks and focus mainly on the results from it, so sorry if you are sick of hearing news updates about it, but this is the biggest thing that happened to Paris, and really France in general, since WWII. At certain parts, I apologize if my point of view comes across. Since I am an “outsider” and a writer for Penn State Education Abroad, I don’t want to influence my readers or push ideals on anyone.

Brief Recap of the Events

So, it all started with an attack on a satirical cartoon office named Charlie Hébdo. Two brothers went into the office and killed around 12 people. The reason seems to be that Charlie Hébdo published cartoons of the prophet Mohammed. In case you did not know, Muslims believe that the prophet Mohammed is NEVER supposed to be depicted and especially not in a way that makes fun of Islam. These brothers were found to be jihadists and trained in Syria, so it is possible that this attack meant a bit more than just the cartoons but that seems to be the apparent cause.

The next day, Thursday, 8 January 2015, a lone gunman kills a police woman and injures a man in Montrouge. At first, there was no suspicion of a connection between these two attacks; however, later on, police found that both attacks were connected.

The two brothers appeared later on as they robbed a petrol station and were followed by police. In a high speed chase with police, one of the brothers was hit by a bullet, forcing them to seek refuge in a print shop where both of the brothers were killed.

Meanwhile, police found the connection between the two brothers and the lone gunman. At this point, the lone gunman has taken people hostage in a Kosher grocery store in Paris. The lone gunman, Couliaby, said he was going to kill hostages unless the Kouachi brothers were set free. When Coulibaly knelt for his evening prayers, the French police force entered and killed Coulibaly; they found four hostages dead in the store.

There was also a female involved. She is supposedly married to Coulibaly and fleed to Turkey shortly after the events started. Police reports found that this woman made 500 calls to the wife of one of the Kouachi brothers.

I know I said a short recap but that honestly sums up the events in a small fashion. If you want more details, check out this BBC article entitled “Charlie Hebdo Attack: Three Days of Terror.” You can also search “Paris” on the BBC website and find a TON of articles about the events and aftermath. If you speak French, vous pouvez trouver beaucoup des articles dans “Le Mondee.” Suivez le ligne lemonde.fr.

The Aftermath

Just like 9/11, this event has become a national topic and it honestly affects everyone. The attack on Charlie Hebdo brings in the question of freedom of speech/press or in French, liberté de l’expression. A whole movement has surrounded it, but I will get to that later.

Furthermore, Paris, and France as a whole, has been placed on the highest possible threat level. That does not mean that France is going to get attacked again but that France and Paris in particular are going to have a larger presence of soldiers and policemen. As a student studying abroad, that brings me a lot of assurance because even if it is something as simple as a pickpocket or mugging (which is very simple compared to a terrorist situation), I now have a better chance of getting help. In State College, I get nervous when I hear any kind of siren, but here, I have captured the mentality that people are taking care of us. I am not sure if that is because of the recent events, that bad things should “never” happen in my home, that Paris is a large city and I would expect more sirens in New York than at home, or if it is because every Parisian seems to have a look of relief when a cop passes by.

Beyond the police force, there has also been an astounding international presence. There was a service for the Jewish people killed in the Kosher supermarket in Israel. Religious leaders all over are taking stances on the issue of freedom of speech, Pope Francis being quoted as saying even freedom of speech and press have boundaries. The cartoons of Charlie Hebdo have spread all around the world; however, there is a little backlash in muslim countries that believe the cartoons are not appropriate (but please keep in mind that none have found the murders of the innocents just).

Many international leaders also came to Paris in order to pay their respects to those who died and to support France in this act of terror. Notably missing from the crowd was Barack Obama.

Je Suis Charlie

This phrase is one of the most current and popular phrases and it is currently sparking a lot of debate right now. Over the four or five days that I have been in France, I have been purchasing a copy of “Le Monde” every day from les magasins “Tabac”. I have not had one copy of the paper without the words Charlie Hebdo or just Charlie in a title whether on la une or somehwere inside the paper.

Charlie Hebdo is a magazine/newspaper that prints satirical cartoons of EVERYTHING. I will not post or link any here because some of their topics are very taboo, but it is best to keep in mind that the magazine has published cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, the pope, as well as many other religious and political figures. Their company has no boundaries but they also have no biases or prejudices against one religion or one political party.

During the attack, the Kouachi brothers targeted specific people, whom I am assuming had a part to play in the making of the cartoon about Mohammed. Anyway, after the attacks, Charlie Hebdo became a representation of the right to freedom of speech and freedom of press. In order to support this belief, people wear, wave signs, spray paint/grafiti things, have phone covers and more that state “Je suis Charlie.” In English, this means “I am Charlie,” but right now it stands for a lot more than someone stating their name. These words are charged with political vigor and people of all races and religions (even Islam) are chanting these words.

I have noticed these words everywhere. On the metro, on the steps to the metro,phone cases, even on famous monuments (not spray painted but on banners and flags). This one phrase is bring the entire country together which after attacks, it is great to see a unity of all races, faiths, and backgrounds in France.

These words have also faced quite a bit of backlash. Many believe (possibly in France but I have not talked to anyone with this idea) that these words are empowering the mockery of people’s faith and government, since that is what Charlie Hebdo did, but it also is hypocritical. If you think about it, everyone in France is sporting “Je suis Charlie” but if someone tried to sport the name of one of the attackers, that person would not be looking good at the end of the day because people would probably attack him. While understandable after the previous events, this also goes against that persons freedom of speech, expression, and press.It is understandable that Charlie Hebdo has offended the muslim community but it is not like they have not offended other communities and they are not forcing anyone to read the magazine.

Conclusion

I hope that by reading this you now know a little more about what happened and Paris. As I said, this event was very tragic and has impacted Paris a lot. As of now, you are seeing Paris through my eyes and what I have found different in the newspapers and in the minds of the people. If anyone is interested in hearing how Paris has changed for a fellow Penn State student who studied here this fall semester bfore the attacks and will be studying this semester after the attacks, please comment below. If enough people are interested, I will interview her and let you know how it has changed for Americans that are abroad!

For now I head back to the beautiful neighbor that I live in; the 10e arrondissement. A bientôt!

Charlie Hebdo Funeral Article

Israel Funeral for Jewish Victims

What’s Happening in Paris

BBC Video from Supermarket Gunman (Before Shootings Happened)

Location: Belleville Paris, France

Bon Voyage

Bon jour! My name is Clayton McKee and I am very excited to be a Geoblogger for spring 2015. I study Spanish literature, French literature, and comparative literature as a junior at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus. In about one week, my flight from Dulles in Washington D.C. leaves for Charles De Gaul in Paris, France for the entire spring semester and I cannot be more ecstatic.

As a student of many languages (I also have studied Arabic and Chinese, I am sure you are wondering “Why France?” Well, beyond the academic reason of being slightly behind in French classes due to a lack of credits in high school, I chose France, and Paris in particular, because of a love of cities and a love for French culture, literature, and language. I traveled for two weeks to Spain and France with my high school. We spent a majority of time in Spain (since most students studied Spanish); however, out of the five total days in France, two were spent in Paris. In those two days, the environment of the “City of Lights” with its arts, diversity, fashion, and pride spoke to me like no other place I had seen.

IES runs the French Studies Program in Paris. The summer directly after my freshman year I studied in Egypt on a Penn State faculty run program. While anxious about the sense of independence for this experience, I also look forward choosing my own classes, taking trips apart from my program, but more so at the ability to live in a home stay and meet more locals.

Over this semester, I plan to create an extensive blog that will cover a variety of topics from study abroad in general, in Paris, and a comparison between my previous experiences abroad and this one. I also plan on covering travel tips, things to do while in France/Europe, and give an American’s perspective on Europe and France.

I encourage feedback on my blogs about what you like, don’t like, and what you want to see more/less of! My next post will be from Paris! Happy reading!

Clayton McKee

Location: Newville, Pennsylvania 17241