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Winter Break Part 2

Nice

At first I thought spending so much time with my mom traveling around Europe would be difficult, but I found that I needed more time. We took a blablacar (similar to an uber ride, but for longer distances and very convenient) to Nice and got there around midnight on Wednesday. We only had Thursday (Feb 25^th) in Nice, which gave us just enough time to see part of the Carnival preparations and a bit of the city. Nice is in the Côte-d’Azur area, still in the South of France. I took a “petit train” ride around the city (turns out they have these tiny train rides everywhere in France). It turns out there are many cities around the world that are similar to Nice, like Miami, Rio, and even Houston. These cities are all beach cities with beautiful boardwalks, which was super considering it was winter. After touring the city, we decided to rent bikes to go around the boardwalk, which was actually more relaxing that I had thought. Afterwards, we toured around the old part of the town and got lost, but to be completely honest it was absolutely worth it. We saw the flower markets that the city is known for. We had an early flight the next morning, so we tried getting home early to rest a bit, but that didn’t really work out. Hopefully, I will return in the near future, maybe when the weather is better.

View of Nice and the Mediterranean

Rome

We took a plane from Nice directly to Rome. We were staying in an AirBnb in Rome, and our host was nice enough to pick us up at the airport and give us a few tips about touring the city. As soon as we could, we walked towards the coliseum, the Roman Forum, and the Trevi Fountain of course. Rome was not what I had expected it to be at all. I fell in love with Rome, and I hope to return soon to finish exploring this fabulous city. There was a Basilica very close to our AirBnb named Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, which contained many Catholic relics. We got to see a small part of the cross that Jesus Christ was crucified on. Furthermore, there was a copy of the tunic that Jesus Christ wore when he was crucified, which was breathtaking.

On Saturday (Feb. 27), we took the entire day to tour the Vatican and all of the museums in Vatican City, including the Sistine Chapel. This was absolutely worth the 16 euros they charge to enter the museum. There is a small underground museum of the cars, carriages, etc. that the Popes have used in the past. What I found most interesting was a Volkswagen Buggie that was given as a present to Pope John Paul II during his visit in Mexico, after the canonization of Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin in 2003. This was one of the last of its kind before the model was discontinued.

There was also a story of how Pope John Paul II was shot during an annual parade in Portugal for the apparition of the Virgin. This happened in 1981, when a Turkish terrorist attempted to assassinate the Pope. It is said to have been a miracle that the Pope survived since he had lost so much blood. I find it absolutely eye-opening that the same Pope pardoned and visited the Turkish man in prison. In the year 2000 the Turkish man was set free, and visited blessed John Paul’s tomb with an accompaniment of dozens of flowers. (Change is a great thing!)

Afterwards, we visited the Sistine Chapel, where nobody is allowed to take pictures. This is a famous chapel because Michelangelo painted the ceiling, which really is astonishing. After seeing the chapel, we headed to St. Peter’s square. The entrance to the Basilica is free (surprising). The Basilica is enormous, with massive ceilings and pillars. For a Saturday afternoon, the Basilica was not that full. We had to pay another 8 euros to get to the dome of the basilica, which had a spectacular view of the entire city. This day was pretty exhausting, and it really does take an entire day to visit the Vatican, but it is definitely worth it.

Vatican

Paris, again

We arrived in Paris on Sunday the 28^th, only for the night. We got to see Notre Dame Cathedral, while briefly attending Sunday Mass. We did not really do much since I had a flight in the morning to Budapest, and my mom was leaving to go home in the morning.

Budapest

All of my friends were so hype when they told me about visiting Budapest, but I found Budapest to be a bit different. Upon arrival, Budapest was less of a modern city, a bit unclean, and overall a bit dull. I got to visit parliament, which was definitely worth the time and money to get a tour of. The central market was huge, with vendors ranging from tourist articles to handmade doilies to authentic leather purses. The market had two floors; the first for food, vegetables, and produces, while the second floor had pretty much anything from coffee mugs to traditional Hungarian garments. I also got to try an authentic Hungarian dish that had pork and potatoes, which was so flavorful.

Bratislava

When I arrived in Slovakia, I honestly had no idea what there was to see or do in the country, let alone in Bratislava. I did not have a plan of what to do, which worked out in my favor at the end since we were not rushed to get form one place to another. Bratislava was much like Budapest, but there was a smaller population of tourists I feel. I found an authentic Mexican restaurant, and I could not resist the temptation of having some tacos al pastor. Of course, I had also had to try some Slovakian dish for dessert, which was basically strawberry cake with a yogurt/cheese substance. At night, my friends convinced me to go with them to old town, which was so worth it.

Vienna/Salzburg

After leaving Bratislava, we took a bus to Vienna and stayed there a few hours waiting for our blablacar to arrive. We walked around and took the metro, but I wish I had stayed a few days here (maybe I will come back in the future). The car ride from Vienna to Salzburg was wonderful; there was snow everywhere, but the Alps were great to see. We spent 3 days in Salzburg, staying in a hostel the entire time there. The first night we had traditional Austrian food, which was potato noodles with pork cutlets in a mushroom sauce. The next day we went to Schloss Fuschl, a big lake about 30 mins from the city. This lake was surrounded by mountains, and was truly awe-inspiring. We also visited the fortress Hohensalzburg. We were thinking of doing a Sound of Music tour, but ended up individually visiting each place. I got the chance to visit the Mozart museum, which is right in the old part of Salzburg. I could not take picture inside the museum as it was prohibited, but I snuck a picture of the birth room of Mozart.

The next morning, we went to Untersberg Mountain, which is part of the Alps Mountains. Half of this mountain is in Berchtesgaden, Germany and Salzburg, Austria. The highest point on the mountain is about 1973 M or 6473 Feet. To get to the peak, you have to take a cable car ride up, which is quite frightening. Once I got to the top, it turns out my fear for heights was more than expected, so I could not get to the tippy top.

Not the top of the mountain, but pretty close. The top was too scary!

After the mountain, we visited the Von Trapp house, from The Sound of Music. Salzburg was one of my favorite cities that I visited. I would definitely recommend visiting here!

Getting Home…

We had to get to Munich from Salzburg by bus, in order to catch our flight to Barcelona on Sunday (March6). Everything went smoothly, until we got to Barcelona, where our ride to Montpellier cancelled on us. It was a very stressful couple of hours at the Barcelona airport, but I finally made it to Montpellier Monday morning around 4 in the morning. I can rest for a few days before classes start on Thursday, but all I can think of right now are my plans for Easter break. Until next time!

Location: Salzburg, Austria

Break part 1

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Catacombs in Paris

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Moulin Rouge

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Sneaked a picture at the Moulin Rouge

Last week I got the chance to go to a beautiful mass service at the cathedral in Montpellier. I couldn’t really understand a few things here and there, but it was definitely worth going to at least once while in Montpellier.

Now, school is officially out, and I was trying to figure out what exactly I would do with my life for 2 ½ weeks. Well, it turns out my mom came to visit me for a week. Our plan was to visit Paris for a few days, go to carnival in Nice, and then take a plane to Rome and tour around, eventually flying back to Paris.

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Eiffel Tower with my mom

Planning trips is not an easy task, that’s for sure. It’s really time consuming trying to figure out what time we should take the train, and what time we should check into the hotel, and so on. It’s been pretty stressful planning everything, but I have to say it is well worth the countless hours staring vigorously at the computer screen.

So far we have been only to Paris. I bought tickets to the Eiffel Tower, the Catacombs, and for the Moulin Rouge. I do have to say, time is precious in the city; it goes by so fast.

I was a bit nervous going into the Moulin Rouge for the Féerie show since I heard there was a lot of nudity, and the tripadvisor reviews were not so pleasant. I pretty much ignored everything the reviews had said and decided to try the show out for myself (After all, when in Paris…do as the Parisians). We couldn’t really take pictures instead the hall, or record anything during the show. I do have to say that there was a bunch of topless women dancers. Aside from the nudity, I would say the show was very well put together, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Today we are back in Montpellier gathering our stuff to leave in a few hours to Nice. Wifi will be pretty scarce, but I will be sure to post pictures of Nice and Rome!

Stay tuned for week 2 of break, as I will be traveling to Budapest, Slovakia, and Salzburg! Tout à l’heure!

Location: Paris, 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

From my Sevillian home to yours

Hi all!

Whether you’re a newcomer to this blog, a member of my family, or a friend, I thank you for joining me on the first of many installments to this Geoblog. You’ve caught me during a week of frantic packing, obsessively translating everything that I read from English to Spanish, and convincing myself that this trip is actually happening. My thoughts here are more scattered than I would have liked, but hopefully they will give you a taste of this crazy, overwhelming experience that I am about to have. (Maybe I’m just crazy. But you can decide for yourself.)

For those who don’t know me, my name is Anna Lombardo and I study English at Penn State University, where I am also pursuing a minor in business. This spring I will be participating in a CIEE study abroad program called International Business and Culture, in Seville, Spain, where I will be taking business classes as well as some yet undecided culture courses. I chose this program for a few different reasons. First, and most importantly, it will be warm. If you go to Penn State or ever went to Penn State, you know that the winter (we all know I mean November through April) is abhorrent. Abhorrent: that is the best word I can think of to describe the bitterly cold and snow-heavy months during which the majority of Penn State classes take place. I like to tell people that I am never emotionally prepared for the upcoming cold season and it is always true. So I anticipate that a semester in the south of Spain will be an emotional healing of sorts.

While I am not joking about the alluring warmth of Seville, there are other factors that had a greater influence on my decision to study there than just the climate. For one thing, it will give me the opportunity to make some real progress on my business minor. I also hope it will allow me to become close to fluent in Spanish, despite my three-year hiatus from the language (regretfully, I have not taken Spanish classes since high school). And, of course, I could not pass up the opportunity to spend four months in one of the most gorgeous and culturally rich cities in the world. I’m happy to be able to share all of the wonderful experiences I have over there with you, my readers.

All of the awesome things that come with this trip are, unfortunately, accompanied by some sad realities. In the last day or so I’ve teared up occasionally thinking about some of the things I’ll be missing while I’m away: my family, my friends. (Those are the big ones.) I won’t get to be with my sister the night of her senior prom; I won’t get to celebrate my 21st birthday with my friends. For those of you considering studying abroad someday, I hate to put a damper on the experience before I’ve even left. It is very difficult to put yourself in a situation that you know will probably be amazing but is unfamiliar and uncomfortable at first. I hope, by the end of this blog, I will be reporting to you that my time in Spain was well worth the initial discomfort.

I am, despite the melancholy character of the previous paragraph, actually looking forward to going to Seville. Among some of the highlights I hope to write about: staying with a Sevillian family and eating most of my meals with them; taking a 4-day trip to Morocco; and for all of my food lovers out there, tapas (basically Spanish snacks to the MAX). You won’t want to miss it, so check back soon (once my jetlag has dissipated)!

Location: King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

Two week mark

Yesterday marked two weeks since landing in Leeds and beginning my study abroad adventure. My initial reaction remains that Leeds is similar to America in some ways, but also extremely different. Fashion-wise, I have yet to see a student not look completely put-together in class or on weekends. I’m not entirely sure you can even purchase sweatpants here. But then there are also trends present here that are not present at home, and it should stay that way. For example, the “scrunchie” is ever-present here and with every one I see I am reminded of my wardrobe circa second grade.

But besides that, the culture here is very fun. And, of course, being legally allowed to drink helps that. However, I have yet to discover how to do laundry here or how to print (I’ll keep you posted on that progress). Eating here is growing annoying. I am lucky enough to have a meal plan, but it has a monetary limit that runs out daily, so if you don’t spend the full amount every day, it doesn’t roll over to the next day, which I feel like is a waste. And, the hours are odd, i.e. if I want food from the Refectory (dining commons) between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., I have to pay with cash, my plan doesn’t work. But, I’m adjusting.

Last weekend, I went to Liverpool with the “global” program here. It was only a day trip, but it was really cool to see a different city, especially one that is home to the Beatles. We went to the Liverpool Cathedral, where the nicest man, seeing that we were American, gave us a tour of the lesser-known areas of the building. Not only did the cathedral have great architectural beauty, but we learned that Paul McCartney got denied from singing in the choir there and that they had a statue honoring Frederick Stanley, who not only was involved with the cathedral, but also originated the Stanley Cup.

While in Liverpool we also explored the museums and went to the Beatles Story, a museum documenting the rise of the Beatles. It was all very interesting, but my favorite part was when we went to The Cavern, a Liverpool pub where the Beatles first started out. Having grown up to the sounds of the group, it was enlightening and humbling for me. The Cavern was a really cool place, where a performer was playing cover songs to a packed house when we walked in and all I could think about was being there 50 or so years ago, seeing the Beatles and feeling like they were going to be something big – imagine, literal history in the making.

As for my time at Leeds, I’m finally beginning to feel settled in – though I did get lost for the first time on Monday when I went to set up a UK cellphone. Having walked through Leeds City Centre multiple times at that point, I thought I was fine to find the shop by memory. Nope. I got lost and I ended up going shopping for clothing instead. I’ve since ventured out again and found the store, which was an adventure in itself. The man at the store tried to tell me that I needed to buy a whole new phone and pay a fairly high price to maintain a pay-as-you-go plan. I ended up leaving and going to another store, where I got a way better deal. Sometimes I feel like employees at stores can tell as soon as I speak that I am American, and thus they try to sell me things at higher costs, because they think I don’t know the difference.

This week, I took the bus again and only got slightly less lost than the lost time I did. (yay, progress!) I really don’t get how fellow riders know when it’s their stop. There is no voice telling you the next stop, or flashing marquee like on the White Loop. This week, we also went to a nightclub that used to be a church, which was interesting. It was extremely crowded and played awful music, but being able to say that I was there is a story in itself. A bunch of us here also discovered that we love The Library, which is a pub off campus. We watched the Super Bowl there on Sunday, though it was definitely not the American experience I was used to. Not only did I know more about football than the people around me (as most were not American), but also the commercials shown here are not the same as the ones shown in America, and they are always the best part of the Super Bowl. Also, the announcers were British for the broadcast, which was weird, too.

Besides that, classes this week were really interesting. I finally started my seminars, which are basically when your lecture module is broken into smaller groups and you meet at another point during the week to discuss topics more informally. In my Reporting of Politics it was a bit scary as my professor went around asking us questions about passing policy in Parliament – something I know little to nothing about. It is a bit nerve-wracking being expected to know about another political culture than my own, but I was surprised by how much the other British students did not know as well. The English girl next to me even said that she studied American politics more and knew a lot more about it than British politics. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting system, and next week our class is devoted to the Royal Family, so that should be interesting.

For my museum studies class we went to the Leeds City Museum instead of going to class, which was cool. The museum is small, but the exhibits featured, not only the history of Leeds (including recent things like the Leeds Festival), but also nature-oriented exhibits.

Today, I went to my Eighteenth Century Literature lecture and then seminar. The seminar has six other students beside myself, and we met for discussion in my professor’s office. It was a different environment than I’m used to, though Penn State does have relatively small English class sizes, but I liked it. It forced me to talk and I can tell it’s going to be a really active seminar for the rest of the semester.

Tonight, I’m going to London with some friends for the weekend. It should be fun, but I really should pack, since we are leaving in about an hour (!!!).

Cheers (as they say here),

Kelsey

Location: University of Leeds

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