Tag Archives: Leaving Soon

One Week ’till Roma

Ciao!

The countdown is on.  I leave for Rome in less than a week.  My program does not start for two weeks, but I am going over early so I can get my bearings before things get hectic with school.  I already have most of my clothes packed and am going to spend the next week relaxing and tying up all of my loose ends. 

Over the past month, I have learned a few things about how to manage my money while I am abroad (can you tell I’m a finance major?).  I found out that most banks and credit card companies charge fees to use their cards internationally, but there are a few that do not.  I opened up a checking account with TD Bank because they do not charge any transaction fees when you withdraw money out of an ATM or use your debit card to buy something.  This was a huge discovery as my old bank wanted to charge me a 3% fee on anything I debited and a $5 fee if I took money out of an international ATM.  TD Bank will even refund the ATM surcharge that the Italian bank imposes on me.  Also, I found out that Capital One does not charge any transaction fees on any charges I make while I am abroad.  This will also save me 3% on credit card transactions.

I also learned that I can suspend my cell phone service while I am abroad.  This will save me a lot of money as I intend to purchase a pay as you go phone once I arrive in Rome.

On another matter, all of the IES participants got their roommate assignments and Castel Sant'Angeloliving arrangements.  My apartment is literally a block away from our school which definitely made my day.  Also, our apartment is very close to the Castel Sant’Angelo.  I specifically remember visiting the Castel Sant’Angelo when I was in Rome about 7 years ago and thinking how beautiful it was – now I’m going to be living across the street from it!

I will be living with two American students and one Italian student.  One of American students attends Connecticut College and the other one goes to Seton Hall University.  We do not know who the Italian student will be yet.  All four of us are going to sign a contract that we are only going to speak Italian in our apartment.  I am really excited for this as I will have the opportunity to use Italian in a different context.  My goal is to try to master the Italian language as much as I can.

Thanks for reading my blog.  The next time I update, I will be in Roma!

Arrivaderci,
Mike


Location: Cortlandt Manor, NY

Stranded

I could use a little global warming right now. My flight back to Newark from Paris, via London, was canceled yesterday because Heathrow was closed due to a snowstorm. As I waited in line for eleven and a half hours to get a new flight, the snow moved south to Paris. British Airways gave me another flight this afternoon from Orly airport, on the other side of the city. With no money, no access to my bank card, and no telephone or Internet access, I felt pretty lost.
After trudging through the snow and dragging all my luggage through several metro stations, I made it to Orly – only for my flight to be delayed again because of the snow and ice. The only benefit from this whole situation has been to multiply my last opportunities to speak French, and to realize that without those language skills I would be much more lost right now. I got to speak with the people waiting around me in line – several French, some Americans, a bunch of other stranded students. I also talked to a shuttle driver who told me of his love for Mariah Carey and Britney Spears (and sang some of their songs for me).
Although I love Paris, I think I’m ready to go home (or at least to get out of the endless airport terminals). I had one last quiche and Orangina and spent my last few euros, but I kept the change. I’ll need it when I come back, whenever that may be.

Location: Paris, France

A Moveable Feast

“J’ai deux amours, mon pays et Paris.” – Josephine Baker

Paris has long been a home to expats. In the 1900s, people like Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Pablo Picasso left their homes for the City of Lights. Some fled the disillusionment of war and the Great Depression. Others tried to escape for different reasons. But by leaving their original countries and living in France, the Lost Generation entered an in-between space, a kind of terrain vague that defies a single identity. They could be American, French, Spanish all at once, and at the same time, they could not be defined by any of those labels.

Yesterday my History of French Cinema professor told us, “Vous �tes tous des exclus.” In French, that means “you are all excluded,” or rather, that you are part of a marginalized group whose members don’t belong here or at home. 

As my time here is rapidly running out, I’ve been thinking about the implications of being an exclue. Although I deeply feel connected to Paris, I know I’m not necessarily a parisienne. I also don’t define myself as American. Maybe Pennsylvanian. But being simultaneously both and neither of those things is liberating. It’s a multiplicity, a freedom, a unique perspective that at once sees into and around and beyond those worlds, those realities.

I hope that Ernest Hemingway was write when he wrote, “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”


Location: 119 Boulevard Brune, Paris, France

Six jours avant le départ

It’s hard to believe I’ll be leaving Paris in six days. I fell into the rhythm of this city, into the swaying of the metro and the cobble-stoned streets, the smell of the boulangeries in the morning, the music of the French language.

 I’ll miss Paris terribly as soon as I leave, and I’ll miss speaking French. Each language has its own reality, its own manner of looking at and interacting with the world. I think that’s one of the most valuable things I’ve learned while here. Simply sitting in a classroom at the Sorbonne and being able to understand everything the professor is saying about Victor Hugo or Stendhal is a kind of accomplishment, as is ordering a pastry or giving someone directions.

The last two weekends I went to London to pick up and drop off a very close friend who flew to Europe. I loved London and all its quirks. It was strange to be around so much English. My friend constantly teased me for saying “pardon” with a strong French accent instead of “excuse me” or “sorry.” That particular habit has been ingrained in my mind over these past four months. I also enjoyed the opportunity to show him around Paris. Although I don’t particularly care about the Eiffel Tower, I felt so excited for him to see it for the first time. By playing the tour guide and revisiting parts of the city I haven’t seen in months, I realized how much Paris means to me and how much I’ll miss it when I’m gone.

But I guess, like the movie says, I’ll always have Paris.


Location: 77 rue Daguerre, Paris, France

Leaving on Friday

Hi everyone!

Well, I’m finally started packing.  I fly out of Pittsburgh International Airport to Charlotte and then on to Mexico City on Friday.  I think I have to be at PGH around 5:30am for my 7:00am flight, and I live about an hour away, so it’s going to be an awfully early morning for me.
On the brighter side, though, packing has been going well so far, and I think I’m going to be able to fit everything into my two purple suitcases and my red carry-on bag.  So that’s good.
While in Mexico I’ll be doing all kinds of touring and stuff that I’ll be trying to keep you all updated on, but I think my first Mexican blog post might take awhile to get started.  I think I’ll probably need a few days to settle in with my Mexican “mother” before I’m back posting here.
I’m a little scared and overwhelmed about how fast everything is moving, but I’m also incredibly excited about this trip.  It’ll be my first solo airplane flight, and my first time “alone” in a foreign country.  
2 days to go…  😀

Location: 6068 National Pike, Grindstone, PA, 15442, United States