Uphill Both Ways

Hey everyone!

Sorry I haven't blogged for awhile; being in Paris has been crazy busy! The time has flown by and there is so much to tell! I am currently in Mont St. Michel, a town in Northwestern France. Previous to today, we spent 10 days in Paris, during which I fell in love with the city. Everything about it is just so amazing to me. The people, culture, food, sights, ways of life; I can't get enough. Paris has definitely claimed a special place in my heart.

First of all, the pace of life here is radically different than America. I like it a lot. During the day, everyone is extremely busy and seems to be on a mission, which is just like most Americans. Occupations are important to them because they are always on the go, but the French work to live, not live to work. At night, they spend hours eating dinner with the ones they love. Meal times are treated as leisure social activities, not a speedy necessity. People take the time to talk with one another and enjoy each other's company. It is not uncommon for the French to be hanging out at restaurants or bars for hours any night of the week.

Having a leisurely hot chocolate stop outside the Louvre.

Also, I like the French form of parties a lot better than America's. In France, a party consists of a group of friends around a large table, slowly drinking and laughing. This intimate setting is great for relaxation and getting to know others on a deeper level. I have been experiencing this with some new french friends we made in our hotel. On multiple occasions, we all sat around, enjoying drinks and food together while teaching each other about our respective cultures and trying to communicate in both languages. The French really love learning and practicing their English, so our new friends really enjoyed asking us questions and trying out new phrases, even though I just spoke with them in French!

One of our little French nights!

Thirdly, I have learned why the French are so skinny. They walk uphill EVERYWHERE. Seriously, it seems as though we have found every single hill in Paris and climbed it. One morning we went to Sacre Coeur, a very large church on top of the highest hill in Paris. We walked uphill to the church, saw the gorgeous view, and then decided to climb the 300 steps up to the church tower. While this was a tiring task, the experience was incredible. Another day, we went to the region of Champagne where champagne was invented. We took a tour of a distillery and finished with a tasting, but after the tasting we decided to climb the tour in the building to see over the whole town of Champagne. It was 230 steps up to the top, and climbing this long spiral staircase after a champagne tasting was interesting! Also, between going upstairs everyday on the metro to climbing up from the catacombs from underneath the streets of Paris, we never fail to find the uphill route both ways.

At the top of Sacre Coeur, the best view of Paris.

Finally, I have seriously fallen in love with the French language. I can't get enough. Everyday I try to speak as much of it as possible. I get SO much gratification from using the knowledge I have gained over the past 7 years of French classes. It is especially awesome when someone talks to me in English and looks shocked when I respond to them in French. When we hang out with our friends from the hotel, we literally sit for hours in the room or at a restaurant with a French-English dictionary on the table and talk. This has increased my language skill immensely! They guys even tell me that I understand too much of their French! :) Some of my friends here joke that they don't even remember that I can speak English.

Tomorrow is the day that I will finally move in with my host family in La Rochelle. I seriously cannot wait! I am excited to see what this experience will bring me and how my French skills will progress. I will try to blog about my new home soon. But until then, à bientôt!




P.S. Here is a little itinerary for the past week and a half:

Monday:
La Conciergerie (An old palace in Paris that also doubled as a jail that Marie Antoinette was held in before her beheading.)
St. Chapelle (A church connected to La Conciergerie. Home of some of the most beautiful stain glass depicting some famous biblical stories.)
Notre Dame (One of the most famous catholic churches in Paris.)
Eiffel Tower

Tuesday: 
St. Madeleine (Catholic church in Paris)
Another church I cannot remember the name of!
L'Opera House of Paris
L'Arc de Triomphe

Wednesday:
Sacre Coeur (Church on the top of the highest hill in Paris)
Montmartre (Artists neighborhood by Sacre Coeur)
Salvador Dahli Museum
Père Lachaise (Large Cemetery in Paris that holds the graves of Oliver Wilde, Moliere, La Fontaine, and many other famous French people.)

Thursday:
Catacombs underneath the streets of Paris

Friday:
Fontainebleau Castle
Volovicante Castle
Fete de La Musique (The national music festival day in France where concerts are preformed all over the country.)

Saturday:
Basilica of St. Denis

Sunday:
Le Louvre (Museum and former palace in Paris that houses the Mona Lisa, among many other famous items.)
Love Lock Bridge
Boat ride on La Seine River

Monday:
Cluney Museum
Champagne Distillery Tour and Tasting in Champagne, France

Tuesday:
Palace of Versailles

Wednesday:
Museum I can't remember the name of!
Jewish Quarters
Victor Hugo's House
Musée Carnavalet

Thursday:
Basilica
The house and gardens of Claude Monet
Basilica in Lisieux

Friday:
Bayeux Tapestry
Arromanche (DDay Beaches)
American Cemetery

Les Leçons de Paris

So tonight marks my second full day in Paris and it feels like it has been two weeks!  We have crammed SO much into each day, and added with the time change, jet lag, beginning information, etc., it has been extremely eventful. While I cannot convey everything that has happened in text form, I have decided to point out what this experience has taught me so far.

1. Iceland is properly named. Walking onto the tarmac was a shock to the system!

2. Airports aren't as scary as I used to believe. After navigating Iceland's airport along with the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, I am feeling pretty good about my future traveling in August.

3. The birds in Paris are WAY too comfortable around humans. I do not like this.

4. While I am having a ton of fun, I actually have to do work here. This is not a vacation; it is more like various educational field trips of which I have to study and take a cumulative, overarching exam at the end. I knew this ahead of time, but it is now settling in as I grasp pamphlet after packet, trying to soak in as much knowledge about the landscapes we are visiting.

5. I am actually a lot more comfortable now with my French speaking ability than I was when I came to France in high school. Previously, I was extremely nervous to speak in French and very little did I take the chance to do so. But, even on the very first night I arrived, I began speaking French with Parisians. While I am at a loss for words many times and fail to conjugate things correctly, I am learning to become more confident with my knowledge. Also, I have found it really frustrating when I speak with Parisians in French and they just talk to me in English. Even when I continue to speak with them in French, most of them have none of it. Hopefully this changes when I am in La Rochelle!

6. The metro brings emotions of highs and lows. First off, we completely conquered the system within the very first day. In the afternoon, we ventured out on our own to visit the Eiffel Tower and so we had to figure out the metro right away. It was awesome! But, the metro is also somewhat bad at the same time. After instances of attempted robbery, a stolen wallet, a missing NaviGo pass, a near fist fight, and the feeling of warm bodies squished up against each other (none of which but the warm bodies actually happened to me personally, don't worry mom and dad!), the metro isn't necessarily our best friend. But it is convenient!

7. I really like Poutine (a Canadian dish made of gravy, fries, and chicken). Tonight we went to a Canadian bar in the middle of Paris called "The Moose" for a friend's birthday, and I decided to try the Poutine because of the influence of my Canadian (but kind've really Minnesotan) friend at Mankato. It was awesome. 

So, as one can tell, my experiences here have been really eye-opening and fun! I can't wait to continue to work on my speaking skills and experience the city in depth. Also, I will try to blog as much as possible, but my days are so busy here that it is hard to find the time. Hopefully I will be able to update again soon. But, until then, bisous! :)

And We're Off!

As many people may already know, I have been given the opportunity to study abroad this summer in France with MSU's French program. This will give me 9 credits towards my French minor, and many amazing experiences that will last for a lifetime! The program includes two weeks in Paris and four weeks in La Rochelle, a western sea-port city in France where I will be taking classes at the university there and staying with a host family. In addition, I have decided to travel around Europe for two weeks afterwards with my college roommate Marin, who will be studying abroad in Norway, and her high school friend Louise.

Because so many things will be happening in the span of my 8 week trip, I have decided to blog about my experiences. This way, I will be able to look back on my trip and see my growth as a student and as a global citizen (that's right all you Honors cronies, I went there!). In addition, I am required to journal for a scholarship I was blessed with, so I will be updating the blog at least once a week. Feel free to creep on my entries or ignore my posts! :)

Today is the last day I will touch American soil for 8 weeks! My flight leaves at 7:30pm, and after a connection in Iceland, I will be in France! FYI: I will not have my phone overseas. I am leaving it at my house (Even though my dad threatened to use it while I am gone in order to text all of my friends, therefore leaving me friendless when I come back!). My means of communication will be this blog, the lovely Facebook, and email. I will check them periodically, so I will be able to stay in touch!  I am extremely excited to start this journey and cannot wait to see what the future has in store. À bientôt! :)