This is It

So I am up getting ready to head to home!  What a strange feeling.  Much like before I left, when it never quite hit me that I was really going to Europe, right now it really doesn't feel like I'm going home.  Instead it feels like I am embarking on yet another exciting weekend trip.  I guess all will feel new, so it will be its own adventure.

This semester has been incredible.  It has been full of opportunities to see more of Europe than I thought possible while still taking a full load of courses.  I visited somewhere between 7 and 9 countries, depending on your personal counting system.  I spoke a lot of French, bits of German, and even a few words of Hungarian.

I certainly learned a lot, and most of it had nothing to do with a classroom.  I learned that you can, in fact, still catch a train if 3 minutes before it leaves you haven't even made it to the train station.  I learned that spoken language makes things easier, but it's not a necessity.  I learned that a hostel is a hostel, really no matter where it is.  I learned that you can easily travel to distant lands for 4-5 days with only a half-full backpack.  I learned that contrary to my prior beliefs, a car isn't a necessity, and can be a hindrance.  Most importantly, I learned a lot about my self and about those I had the privilege of traveling with.

So this is it, goodbye everyone!  I will see a lot of you in Morgantown, but nothing will ever be quite like this experience, that's for sure!

Much Smaller

So I lied, this will be the real last "catching up" blog.

I was thinking about all I have had the chance to do, and one quote from my cousin Bela came to mind.  As we were leaving, he asked us "So have you had this thought that perhaps everything in Europe is Smaller than in the US?"  Why yes Bela, now that you mention it, I have.

What an interesting thought, in my opinion.  Just look around, especially at the roads, the houses, the cars, even the people!  Everything is just plain smaller.  At first, it kinda made it seem a bit claustrophobic, but at this point it's completely normal.  That makes me nervous to return home, everything will be gigantic!

One of the "small Europe" characteristics I have really noticed is that there is never just one house, everyone lives in a community.  A very close community at that.  Bela lived on the edge of a Budapest suburb, and had open fields in front of his house, and yet he had neighbors 15 ft on either side of him.  The don't seem to mind living close to other people, maybe because they ran out of room!  It will be weird to return home, or especially to return to WV where your "neighbors" are defined as any house you can see from yours.  Everything will seem huge!

An Intimate History of Humanity

My secondary book was An Intimate History of Humanity by Theodore Zeldin.  Overall, I did rather enjoy the book.  His survey of humanity is a very interesting idea, and the stories he portrays  really help to paint the portrait he is trying to paint.  For anyone interested in psychology, the book would be fascinating!  I have a laymans interest in psychology, so I did like it.

However, perhaps the parts of the book applicable to travel could be used, rather than the entire book.  I enjoyed it, but Zeldin does offer some lengthy analysis of his stories, leading to a rather long book.  The good thing is each chapter is not dependent upon the last, so it would be possible to offer excerpts of this book in future classes.

So overall, it was a good and applicable book, and I would recommend you keep using it- just in excerpt form instead.

Book Review

For my supplemental book, I read a book of haiku's by Matso Basho and I enjoyed it. The haiku's were sometimes hard to understand but always entertaining. Some were sad and some were funny. Overall, the book was interesting because the main character gave up everything he had to travel and learned a lot about Japan and himself along the way.

Christmas How it Should Be

The last of the catching up series!

So we have all visited at least the Christmas Market in Strasbourg and Heidelberg, and I visited them in a few other cities as well.  I just have to say, I absolutely love this part of German culture! It's like Christmas without the department store craziness that takes over back home!  No one is freaking out, fighting over deals, or ridiculously stressed out at these markets, which is a nice change from back home.  It seems that they really see Christmas as a time for family bonding and fun!  Not to mention food, these markets have the best food, and for cheap!  Bratwurst, crepes, fried potato cakes, all kinds of deliciously unhealthy food!

This is probably one of the things I will really miss.  It definitely made Christmas shopping a whole lot easier this year!  I liked how each city was different, yet also they all had the same types of vendors and the same types of food, just different ways of presenting them.  The whole atmosphere was fun, all the food was great, and it was just a general good time.  Macy's could never top that!

Old versus the New

For my supplemental reading I was assigned The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux. It follows a man across Europe and into Asia. The majority of his setting takes place in train carts, and records who meets and all of the interactions he has. It embodied the idea that the destination was not the goal, it's the journey. Theroux meets many people who have tiny effects on his life, and it is interesting to see those.

When I heard that Theroux came back to take this journey again after long years after I was intrigued. I typically love the new things rather than the old, because it is fresh and clean and usually has a more relatable vibe. It would be interesting to see a newer perspective on his journey, but I always have to remind myself that Classics are world renowned for a reason.

Book Review

I chose to read The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain. I’m not a fan of reading, honestly. I know it’s sad, but everything’s on video now and it’s so much easier. Nonetheless, this book was entertaining as all Mark Twain books. Was it my favorite? No way. Would I read it again? Probably not. The cool thing about this book however is that I could relate to many things he talked about. The awesome thing about Europe is that it doesn’t really change. People always go to the same monuments and tourist attractions. It was weird to read about place from a book in the 1800’s then be able to relate. There were many things Twain said in the book that I disagreed with in his choices of art, but those are all personal opinion.

Time to Say Goodbye

So, tonight we had our Mexican night. One of our final shebang’s before leaving. Besides the awesome food and little taste of home, it sort of made me sad. We sat around the table and reminisced about all of the fun we’ve had while in Europe and told all of our funny stories from the semester. Listening to everyone’s stories made me realize how much I’m going to actually miss this place. The past few nights, I’ve sat around with different people and laughed until I cried. I’m so happy with the friends I’ve made (even though I only made friends at school during the last week). I’m going to miss my Georgia girls so much!!! I’m also going to miss the West Virginia group. Even though we go to school together, the chances of us seeing each other often is rare. It won’t be the same. I know we’ll all stay in touch through Facebook and the Strasbourg group page… well we better! And I can’t wait to come and visit everyone!

Also, I’d like to congratulate our group for avoiding arrests and being taken! Well done team, well done.

How was France? Which one?

Add another to the "Zak is catching up" series.  I kept a personal blog this semester, and it seems that entries only ever made it to that one!  Anyway, this is a synthesis of a few of those other blogs.

I know everyone will ask me "How was France?" very soon upon my arrival back home.  The problem is, I have no idea how to respond to that question.  My initial response would be "Which one?" because there are so many differnet sides of France.  I feel like it will take an hour for me to answer anyone's questions, and by then they will all have lost interst!

It was such a cool experience going so many places in France, because they were so different yet so similar.  In Saint-Malo, Nice, Lyon, Paris, and here in Strasbourg they all speak French.  There are differences in accents of course, but it is all French.  In Saint-Malo and Paris, they seemed to understand my French better than in Strasbourg or Nice.  Perhaps this is because both have close proximity to another language, German here in Strasbourg and Italian in Nice.  The people were by far the warmest in Nice and Saint-Malo, interestingly enough.  In Strasbourg and Paris, people did not want to get in our way by offering their advice, yet in Saint-Malo and Brittany people seemed genuinely interested in making us happy and comfortable.

I really did like France, no matter where I went, at least after I got used to the French attitude.  I often forget how geographically small France is compared to the US, but when I do it makes the fact that there are so many different cultures even more interesting.  So close to each other, all speaking the same language, yet the cultures have many distinctions! I am going to make it a point to visit new provinces during my return to France, whenever that may be!

Three airplanes and Two layovers then Country Roads Take Me Home!

I will miss all of you crazy people and all of the experiences we have had together. We met as complete strangers and yet I have traveled more miles with you all than I have most people back home. We have so many jokes that I know when I get home I will slip up and say one to someone and it will be awkward. I will miss seeing you all everyday! I really hope we all keep in touch and still hang out. Everyone have a safe trip home!

 Now onto Little Tour of France. This book would be very interesting for someone who is currently not in Europe so they have a better feel of the architecture and places of France. It was kind of a hard read for me. I guess I was really looking for a story of someone traveling who I could relate with.

The Loose, Frank Evaluation

Thoughts on The Great Railway Bazaar are numerous. I chose the book solely for the sound of the exotic, as perhaps Faulker chose Egypt. However, it didn’t really satisfy my craving for reading about far-off travels and being surrounded by strange cultures. At first, I felt a little distance between the author and his destinations, though I suppose that is the nature of train travel. Theroux spent barely any time in any location, and his experiences were largely described through train passengers and those at the stations.

As such, I think the book gave me a deeper enjoyment of trains. They’re fascinating, aren’t they? Theroux’s distance from his destinations was a quick judgment, and I think I’d take it back, just like a traveler would take back first judgments of a new culture after spending any considerable amount of time there. I had misinterpreted the man’s journey as a journey to see places, not as a journey for the sake of a train ride. I sometimes forget that saying about destinations and journeying, and about how sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. Surely you know the one.

I liked the book. I’ll probably read the “sequel” to it, and perhaps even read this one again for pleasure and without any need to use it for something. It still conjures the fantastic destinations in my mind when he mentions a place, so it never lost that exotic quality. The mode of transportation itself is like a daydream to me, as before this semester, I’d never considered a train as anything more than a tourist sightseeing outing. My frank appraisal of the book is positive, overall.

last post!

For my supplementary text I read Voss by Patrick White. Even though I didn’t find it completely relatable, I thought it was a good book and appropriate for the class. I liked the perspective that it gave of being a “foreigner” in another country. Being in Voss’s mind through half of the book was certainly an interesting perspective and gave good insight to being an “adventurer”. He also had some very stereotypical German quirks that I feel like we could smile about. I also liked the story line of the expedition and how the team dealt with situations and with each other. However, I felt that the love story was drawn out and kind of painful to follow. That half of the book with Lauren at home was kind of irrelevant to our study abroad.

Overall, I’d say keep the book. I don’t have an alternative suggestion. It’s a good fiction option from the list.

Thanks, everyone, for a fantastic 3.5 months. It would not have been the same without you!

-Maria

Winter Wrap Up

4 December 2011

I haven't had a lot to say about academics this semester, because well, my classes are few and far between. As it comes down to the last two weeks, however, I realize that it's going to come at me all at once. Three major finals, a presentation this week, a three day seminar. Which, sure, doesn't sound like a lot, but after the slow semester that I had, it's a bit overwhelming.

It's funny when you realize you have all of this free time with no immediate work that needs to be turned in, but then when it's time to do the work, it comes at you head on. I'm not too incredibly stressed out, I just know it will be a tough week that I will be glad when it is over. That's the difference between the French system and the American system, with French work, there are only a few grades that determine your final grade. And in the American system you are given frequent work to measure your progress in the class. I'm undecided which system I like, both have their flaws and their advantages, and both you just have to get used to.

These next two weeks will be a strange feeling, when we're all getting to the end of our stay, packing our things, doing last minute Christmas shopping for friends and family, and finishing up on classes. It will be a surreal feeling when I land back in Atlanta.

-Jessica Fitzgerald

See ya, Strasbourg

            It’s weird to find myself writing a “goodbye” blog. While some days it seems like I’ve been forever, other days I feel like I was just arriving.  I realize saying this is probably the oldest cliché one hears when talking about time, but it’s certainly a cliché for a reason. It strange to think that, in a week from now (God willing everything goes to plan) I will probably be in my parent’s car, thousands of miles from where I am now. I will be in a different country, where almost no one speaks French, where food and road signs and culture is totally different. It’s my native culture, but I realize it will be slightly alien to me for a slight while.

While I find myself incredibly exciting to go home, I’ve come to realize that I’m not quite ready to leave. Well, I’m ready to leave Strasbourg. But I’m not ready to leave Europe. Who knows when I’ll be back again? And when I am, will I get the chance to do and see as much as I right now? I would assume not.  And there are things about this place that I don’t want to forget here, but easily could. What if I forget how good spekuloos tastes? What if I forget exactly how beautiful the Christmas markets are? And then there are the little things I’m sure I’ll forget—for instance, the names of tram stops. I use them all the time and they’re a necessary part of my life, so the idea that in a year I’ll probably have forgotten what they’re called is strange to me. Memory is a funny thing, and soon enough, that’s all that this will be.

                I think that this, more than anything is why I’m not ready to leave. I’m not ready for this to become just a memory that slowly fades away over time. I want to somehow stay here, yet be at home as well. And  yet obviously that can’t happen. And yes, I can hope to come back, but it won’t be this experience again. For better and for worse, I did enjoy this experience. And the bad parts of it helped me grow as a person just as much as the good parts did.

                But even though I am saying goodbye to everything I’ve known for the past 3 months,  I have the internal growth from this experience that will help me go forth into the next stage of my life, whatever that may be. I've seen things I've always dreamed of seeing, I've made positive growth as a person, and I've made new friends. So with the knowledge of what this trip has given me, leaving doesn’t seem so hard anymore. 

Sentimental Heart

- 29 November 2011 -

There's a lot to be said about studying abroad. There are adaptations to be made and ways to get prepared. A big fear for most is being homesick, not having a support system behind them and being lonely. That is something that has not been the biggest issue here. Living in a chateau with thirty five other people, you're never alone. And they're all going through the exact same thing that you are. And you even have the "Chateau Mom & Dad" Jim and Jan.

So when there is a particularly hard week, maybe your friends will get together one night and cook a group meal. It is close to the end of our time here and last week we held a "Southern Night" wherein we each pitched in to make a dish. We had fried chicken, cornbread, beans, potato salad, blackberry cobbler, mac & cheese, and a hole table full of other things. It was a good night for those of us who had started to feel homesick. But to be honest, it just made me a bit more sentimental than anything.

1. I don't really get southern food back home, that's not a regular thing for me. And to see a group of college students come together to make a truly impeccable meal, that has some sort of sentimental value to them is just plain awesome. and
2. Being that I'm from GSU and that we only make up 6 out 15 people in this group, that means that when I go back to Atlanta, there are 9 people currently in my life that I won't see everyday, or even every week. Nor are we even that close to just meet up on the weekends. I'm torn, Strasbourg is starting to feel old because i've gotten comfortable and now i'm ready for a change. (Which I admit is a problem of mine). I'm excited to go home and have Atlanta feel new again (and meet my baby nephew), but i'm a little bit heartbroken to leave the friends that I've made here (here being the Chateau). A few weeks ago I was ready to leave Strasbourg, but i'm at that point where I could maybe stay, so long as I could keep the people I have with me. I'm not typically a sentimental person, but nights like these make you feel like there is a family with you everywhere.

-Jessica Fitzgerald

Supplementary Text "Frank" Appraisal

To tell you the truth Prof. Gregory, Mark Twain, "The Innocents Abroad", as rather boring.  He takes one whole chapter and explains every single detail of where they went, what they did and most of it has no sense of humor. Unlike "The Art of Travel" by Alain de Botton, his experiences are short and to the point, and above all a lot of humor.

Mark Twain is very critical in his experiences, and pulls his readers to the negativity of his works, which made me lose flavor of reading his book, even though I read it as a requirement.

The Art of Travel has so many little stories, one can read not necessary in succession of the other, and this made reading this book so different from "The Innocents Abroad".

Since as travelers we do not have a lot of time to seat and remember everything we read on our journeys, maybe in the future you may want to introduce more like "The Art of Travel."  Every time I read this book, it did not matter if I had finished a chapter or not, I would pick up easily whenever I returned to my reading, and if I did not like the particular story, I would chose another one that would enlighten my reading.  Eventually I would return to the earlier story at a later date, not be be disconnected in my reading.

Well at least this is my frank appraisal on my supplementary text, hope it helps some.

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas. - Caroline

Aurevior!

Thoughts on Voss

              If I’m going to be totally honest, I wasn’t the greatest fan of the book Voss.  This could be attributed to that fact that I’m not the world’s greatest fan of the style of writing that Patrick White uses in his novel. I didn’t like how certain parts of the book took extreme amounts of time to for the characters to observe, contemplate, and philosophize about the world around them or the interactions they were having with each other. While this can be good, I felt like the amount used in Voss caused it to drag somewhat.

                This being said, I was invested in the storyline and interested in how the relationship between Voss and Laura would be played out. I remember hoping that Voss would quickly come back from his expedition so Laura and he could reunite.  I also felt that as a “travel” book, Voss worked out well, considering Voss’s expedition. I also found some quotes within it that stuck with me, so I was pleased with that. Overall, while I liked the general story line, I wasn’t an overall fan of the book, due to how much I disliked the style.  However, that’s just my personal preference, so I feel that Voss works well for this class. 

Are We Really THAT Interesting?

Another round of catching up- all of these blogs that never quite made it to publication. . .

Anyway, this one is a reflection on our EM classes.  For the most part they centered around one thing - culture.  Not just that, they all centered around the question "How is France's culture different from the culture of you home country?"

For the first few weeks, this made classes extremely interesting, it was wonderful to learn about all kinds of new places.  The wonderful aspect of the Erasmus program is that our classes were filled with students from all over Europe, and even all over the world!  So for the first couple of classes, it was great to have a chance to learn about them while at the same time venting to them about the French.

However, this soon became a bit tiresome.  While in my opinion every culture represented was very interesting, it seemed that in everyone else's opinion the only culture worth discussing was America's.  Now I  love talking about America, but it really does get old.  I didn't come abroad to tell everyone else about how strange we are with our 3-car-per-family and super-extra-large-fountain-drink customs, I came to embrace new cultures!

Being abroad it is inevitable to be an ambassador of your homeland, but I had no idea people were so thirsty to talk about America, and quite frankly I am sick of comparing America and France!  Clearly they are different, but that doesn't mean that one is better than the other!  Embracing differences as a tool for a French class is fun for a short while, but after a few weeks I just wanted to learn French without having to talk about America all the time!

And now on the eve of our return to the US, I imagine the role will be reversed and I will be met by a bunch of people thirsty to hear about how strange Europeans are. . . Can't they just read a book??

On to the next one (New and Improved)

I would have never thought ten years ago, that ten years later, I would be studying abroad in another country. Little Miss Reeva, away from everything she loves for a long period of time? Of course not. I’m pretty sure that’s what people were thinking and me too at the fine age of 10.

Ten years later, I’m a totally different person. Good or bad it is definitely true. Being in France, forced me to emerge myself in another culture, which has changed my perspective on life. Even the things that I thought was so important on the day that I boarded the plane to Europe are just minimal to my life now. Now that I realize the people, the activities, and the trips don’t compare to what is on the other side of the world. I’m am blessed to have experienced such a thing. It is hard to explain without being so broad and vague but studying abroad is a life changing experience.

As I pack up my things to head back to America, I catch myself wondering how I will adjust back in my everyday life. This is not to say that I didn’t stand out in Europe because I did but I’ll be different back at home too because of my four month experience. I’ve actually already noticed it wearing off on my friends back at home and in the conversations I have with them, I can tell this change might be difficult. My passion to help people has dramatically increased, my goals have intensified, and my values have changed. From the weird stares from the Africans in Europe, to the strange “mixed girl” questions, to even not being able to communicate, I’ll miss this place but I’m ready to go home. For awhile, at least. I can’t say that I won’t be back someday but its time I spend the holidays with my family. I’ve never missed them so much but I’m sure I’ll miss the friends I’ve made here too. So long, Strasbourg. It has been a good one.
(I’ll always question why a girl physically like me is considered mixed, even if the Africans say a thousands times because of my hair and skin color)

Open to something new

In A Little Tour of France by Henry James, he begins this book with a bold statement. The book is about him traveling around different provinces in France. He ends the book on his travel to Paris, France.

When I told everyone that I would be in France for awhile, the first question that everyone asked was the distance between my new home and Paris. No one seemed to care that I would be staying in Strasbourg, the Christmas capital of Europe. Everyone seemed to ask about Paris.

Since I have been over here, I have been to Paris twice. Both times, I didn’t fall in love like most people said I would. I expected the place to be the best thing my eyes have seen but it wasn’t. For many reasons, I am happy to say I like Strasbourg more. Of course, I could navigate Paris a little easier but I believe the downsides outweigh the good things. However, I have been to beautiful places in France. A trip down to the beach, was one of the best trips I have taken. I can’t say that it is my top city because I liked a lot of the cities for different reasons but Nice and Monaco are definitely some of my favorite places.

After visiting Paris and other cities in France, I can now agree with James when he said “France might be Paris, but Paris was by no means France”. When I first read the statement, I didn’t completely understand what he meant. I had already visited Paris for a long 4 day weekend, but I couldn’t relate because I had not visited other places in France. Of course, I haven’t visited all of France but Strasbourg, Colmar, Nice and Monaco have shown me that France has a lot more to offer than just Paris. I guess only people who have experienced other things can make that bold statement, but since I am one of the few I stand by it. Nevertheless, I am still open to exploring other regions in France so that I can completely relate to James’ statement.
　
　

Lurker of Chalice

Partick White tells the story of Voss, in his aptly titled Voss. It is the tedious love/adventure tale about a German who sets out to cross the Australian Outback in search of the unknown. With a shoddy, mismatched group, he embarks on his ill-advised adventure organized and supported by the wealthy Sydney resident Edmund Bonner. The counterpart to the story of Voss' journey is Laura Trevelyan, Voss' lost love and Bonner's niece.

Where do I begin when appraising Patrick White's Voss? I should probably start off with the positives. It is certainly a work of genius, but is not for the impatient. It is bold and adventurous, and scathing in its impact on the reader, through rigorous character development and descriptive language. The novel is what most would refer to as "dense", taking on an arduous form that I could only closely relate to the writing style of a Victorian novelist such as Dickens.

What I personally found most intriguing about this work of White was how much I ended up hating Voss by the end of the novel. He was self arrogant, narcissistic to no end, and painfully long winded. At first I was comparing myself to the man, but by the end, I truly had no clue how any woman could possibly wait around for a man as self serving and absent as Voss. Not only that, but it was incredibly hard to identify with the man on a personal level, and that it was I look for the most in any protagonist. Upon further reading up on Patrick White, it is very possible that Voss could have been somewhat of a autobiographical character, which made me develop even more disdain for the author.

Most reviews of Voss praise it for the way in which the story gradually unfolds into something eventually spectacular. However, the book not only failed to grab me initially, but I spent my entire reading experience waiting for something to happen which never actually came to fruition. I was pretty much bored throughout the entire novel, as a result. Ultimately the book was as dry as the Australian Outback itself.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the Art of Travel much more than I did the renowned Voss. I guess it was just too dated for my liking, riddled with tedium. For the older reader, Voss could garner greater appreciate, but for the undergraduate student, Voss was simply obsolete in subject matter and could not properly hold my interest.

-Tyler Collins

Catching Up

So this is the blog I meant for last week, but somehow last week turned into this week without my permission, so here it is. . .

We are certainly in Europe in "the off season."  Why do I say that?  Well, it seems to me that every place we visit is covered in scaffolding!  Paris, London, Basel, Strasbourg, Heidelberg, Brussels, EVERYWHERE was covered in the eyesores of renovation!

In a way, it is really interesting to be over here in the not-so-touristy season, in fact I rather prefer it.  It is much less crowded, and we get to see things from a different perspective with it being fall/winter.  However, I find it very hard to believe that every historical monument needs restoring at the same time!  I have a large collection of pictures of scaffolding on major historical buildings, monuments, or whatever! It's all under construction!

I guess they won't restore themselves, and I guess it makes for a good story!  Really, I think the benefits of being here in the off season outweigh anything else.  It has been really nice not to be fighting with hundreds of other tourists everywhere we went! Seeing everything in its not-so-pretty state reminded me that we are really here in unique circumstances, and might have even been a quite reminder that "touring" shouldn't have been our main purpose here.

     My supplementary book was Mark Twain's "Innocent's Abroad".  I found this book to actually be pretty dense, sometimes it was a little tough to follow the descriptions that Twain presented about certain things, such as his peers or his destinations. However, the descriptions that I was able to follow easily I found them to be pretty witty. He incorporated humor into his book and it did keep me entranced with the book, despite the weight of it. I also found his descriptions of the places that he went to were wonderful as well. He depicted scenes of grandeur as well as squalor in very vivid colors. It made me want to experience  all of these places myself. All in all I would recommend this book for future students.
     In summation of my trip here, It was an experience of a lifetime. Yes, I know that is just the typical, regurgitated description of a trip abroad. Nonetheless, it is an accurate one. I have never been abroad before in my life and the fact that I was able to cover so many places I have only seen in magazines, books and the internet it was amazing to see them first hand and say "I've been there". I can now be able to say that I have done something that no one in my family has ever done before. I am a truly a lucky person. I know that the majority of my friends and family will think so as well. My best friend Colleen said something that I had never thought of before. She told me that she has always thought that I have been the most independent and bravest person that she has ever met in her life. And considering I have known her for the better part of 15 years, I would say that is quite the achievement. That statement made me think, I have never thought of myself as independent or brave at all. However, now looking back over the past three and a half months I would say yes, I have grown to be an exceptionally brave and independent person. I have had to go through some tough times in order to get to this status, but I am here. And although, I have never missed home as much as I have during this time, it was all worth it; because if I had never come to France away from everything that was near and dear to me then I would never have grown into the person that I am today.

Homeward Bound

So I go Home in a week? Yes I suppose this is true. I can't believe it has flown by so fast. It seemed like just yesterday I was running to catch the plane or train to get here. Everything was so new. I think today's class was very interesting. It was cool to see the quotes everyone picked and their remarks.

This trip has been full of surprises from the start, even before arriving. I had mindset coming in and somewhat of a plan. For the most part, both of those have changed. Everyone's said this over and over, but I have truly learned alot about myself. For about a four month period I was certain of my career. I wanted to work for the government and be a diplomat or an ambassador. After being here, this is certainly not the case. There were a number of positives as well, but this totally is changing my plan.

Also I have changed; I am certainly not the same Sharrell Barnes who arrived here.

I am the same in respects that I will always have the same background and things of that of nature; but outlook is certainly different. I am so proud of myself, not to toot my own horn. But I never thought I'd be here. I didn' t know just what I was capable of. I can tell the change in just how differently I act in situations, and my response.

I have met a number of wonderful people. Some of the people I really believe will become life long friends. I have been challenged and I have been inspired. This will certainly be a memory for the rest of my life. The frustrations and aggervations may fade, but I will remember the important things that effected me.

My hope is that everyone has had a life changing experience just like I have. I can't say that if I had the opportunity I would do a few things differently, but I'll keep that in mind for next time around. I can't wait to apply what I have learned here to my life in the states. This is only the beginning, can't wait to see what's next.

BEWARE! The end is nigh.

It's difficult to imagine that it's already been over three months since I was met by Willi at the Gare de Strasbourg in the waning summer heat. As classes come to an end and the finals beat me about the heat, I reflect quietly on the time I've spent in France. I've seen history, dreamed of the future and become lost in the present. I will miss the friends I've made here. I will remember fondly stepping onto the tram upon returning from my trip to Paris and thinking, "Ohmy! I'm home."

As I look back, I see that I could have done some things differently. But at the same time, I value every moment that I've had here. It's sad to grow so fond of a place and then have to be ripped from it. That said, another band of merry GSU students will soon be on their way to take the place of my cohort. I can only wish them the same awe-inspiring experience that I've had.

The Inflexibles

I have a new word for the people in Strasbourg: the inflexibles. It seems that they don't want to alter the smallest things, really small things. My example is my first French final. First of all, I didn't know that I was going to have to take the final. I walked into class and she just starts going a mile a minute, in French, talking about that being the only option. So another Guy and I went to "Kahina's" office and sitting there was the other girl that wears the glasses. She gives us some blank booklets and another paper with our assignment. Keep in mind, I am from the U.S and we do things quite differently. First of all, no matter how many times we have taken a certain type of test, like scantron,essay, etc., the professors make it a point to give us clear directions. She just gave it to me like I was supposed to know what to do. So, thinking that the professor was supposed to write his/ her comments on the first page, I turn and start on the second, or really the third page. While I am half way done with my 200 word response, she stops me and tells me, " you started on the wrong page." I wish some one was there to see her face! She was so distraught. So she says something along the lines of answering the second question on the first page, where I should have started. I completely ignored her and continued on, I did not want any body to be confused about what I was doing. To make a long story short, I handed in my paper. She looked at it, and made a sigh. You didn't start on the first page, she said. " You had time to rewrite. I was hungry and was short and I asked " Is that a big problem?" She said no, but it looked like she was really bothered by me not starting on the right page. Why can't you just open the booklet and start reading where I started writing. Its that simple. Just make a little movement, I'm not asking you to move a mountain.

On my way!

"I'm going home, to a place where I belong. Where your love has always been enough for me. ..." And whatever else the song says but I'm happy I made it here...in this airport. It is much more brighter this time around. The last time I was in this airport, it was 10pm and I had just missed the last bus to Strasbourg. So guess what, I had to spend the night. I tried to check into the Sher....(however you spell it)...ton hotel and it was booked for the night. This airport has no carpeted floors and there was a half naked man, pants unzipped and "draws" showing, with some type of hip condition, walking around the airport. This time, my bags are checked in I am sitting in the USO office taking advantage of their free wifi and soft drinks. This is the first time I've drank gingerale in a long while, I don't really care for it unless I'm sick, Sharrell Barnes, or its FREE. If any of you are military dependents, when you get here take advantage of this..its great. My flight leaves in about four hours but I am content to just be here, on time. I had three scares so far. The first one was on this morning when my ride was a little late. I was ringing Jim and Jan's doorbell like crazy. Just to make sure they weren't parked on the other side, I walked over, but there was no one there. I was so scared that I walked to the Path. Tears started running down my face, and I said.." I wanna go home". I'm such a baby. As soon I turned around, a saw the lights of some french car come down the path. My second scare was when I scanned my passport to look up my ticket and there was no data. But I went to the check-in line and the clerk handled it there. Finally my last scare. I went to go pay for my second check-in bag. Now, previously, I was told that I would have to pay 40 euro and that was good, because the website said 50. When got the desk where all of those things were handled, the lady tells me that I have to pay 127Euro. I looked at her a little sideways and I boldly asked "why?". I was not about to swipe that card until she gave me an explanation. She explained and I said " Why?". I just didn't understand, she was speaking a foreign language. Then I asked a question that kind of guided her to the correct price. " How did the price go from 40 to 127, and website said for flights going into the U.S, the extra bag is 50." So she asked for the little sticky notes they give you when they give your boarding pass. She said, "Oh, Atlanta!" " I think its 40"..I let out a sigh and said " Thank you Jesus!" Instead of being in this office writing one my final blogs, I would have been on the phone, trying to get some money in my account, just so I wont over draft. By the way, in the USO office, you can make free calls to the U.S. Anyway, that is my journey so far and I'm pretty sure I'll be writing again during my 20 hour layover in Poland. Life is funny.

I don't know what I wanna be when I grow up...

   The past week I have been enjoying copious amounts of time to myself just lounging around the Chateau. Well, actually the computer lab since there is now a gigantic lack of wifi anywhere close to my room. It is quite a crying shame. The point in this is that I haven't gone anywhere, no random travels to distant places. No spending money I do not have on things that I do not need. These past few days I have been preoccupying my time by thinking about the future. Trying to get an apartment set up for the upcoming new year. Trying to figure out what my budget is looking like for the near future, which is pretty much next to nothing. Money has never been a big deal to me. I know things will straighten itself out eventually, and I can only try to work towards that little by little. This will be especially difficult with the amount of debt I have built up this semester while studying abroad. Living ain't cheap is what my dad always tells me, he just never said living in France will run ya into the ground. That part I was not prepared for. However, I have always been very independent and I realize that money is always a priority, but to me it's just paper. I can manage mine pretty easily, despite what my mother thinks.
    It has been a pretty enlightening past few days, figuring out what my near future holds. The one thing I know for sure is that I will be so stressed that my hair will probably be falling out by the end of the semester. Some things that I am not sure about is whether or not I will be have enough hours to graduate like I intend too this upcoming semester or if I will fall short of a few of my major requirements. If my advisor would ever get back to me on this subject then I think I could put my mind at ease. Another thing is of course, my financial situation but I have already talked about that. Something that has been weighing on my mind the most lately is if I am even prepared to graduate next semester. This time I don't mean hourly wise. But am I seriously prepared to take on the real world? I seriously have my doubts. I have a great resume that I have built up over the years, however where will that take me. What kind of jobs can I look forward too. These are the sort of things that I have to look forward too in the next few months, loads of uncertainty. Hopefully I can get myself set up with an internship or two in order to further build my resume. Then if all works out then I can move on to law school, at least I know that if I manage to make it through that then I will have set myself up for the future. See, the thing is, I have a hazy plan laid out in my head, but who knows if everything will work out the way I hope to God that they do. I guess that is just the funny thing about the future, you never know what it will hold. You don't know if it's "gonna run ya into the ground." Or if it is going to let you land on your feet. When I drop out of the sky that is college, I guess that's when I'll finally find out.

I know three words in English: "I love you."

These were the words from an 80+ year old Dutch woman that was in the car with me en route to my cousin’s mother’s 80th birthday party on Saturday.

This weekend I had the incredible opportunity to visit my mother’s side of the family in the Netherlands. I spent the weekend with my second cousin and his wife in Echt, a very small village close to Roermond and Maastricht (the two cities where my grandparents grew up).

The whole weekend was sort of surreal. I’ve heard my grandmother talk about Roermond and her childhood. It felt so special to be there, to walk the same streets, see her childhood home, and to visit the town hall where she and my grandfather were married. I was also lucky to meet the rest of my extended family, including one of my great aunts and many more second cousins and their children. They’re all names that I’ve heard before and it was incredible to finally meet them. I recognized a lot of family similarities in personality and appearance. We’re sort of an atypical looking Dutch family. The very dark hair and eyes are common for us.

I felt incredibly welcomed and just like a part of the family that’s been living there all along. Everyone was so sweet and interested in how I’ve been and how my family is doing. I wouldn’t hesitate to return or to invite any one of them to my home in the US.

I also really loved spending the weekend in a European home. Just to be in a home in general, was a nice change from these past several months. There is so much space for so few people! Anyways, I didn’t notice any significant differences between a Dutch home and my own. I felt very comfortable, there was an endless supply of brewed (!!!!) coffee, and lovely people.

Overall, I feel this was exactly what I needed. This was the first family I’ve seen in nearly 7 months and it’s really been a great reminder of why I’m looking forward to going back home.

-Maria

There and Back Again

So, I forgot to blog last week. This means this post will be a SUPER POST.

The past two weeks have been great! I had my boyfriend visit for thanksgiving and this weekend I had one of my best friends come down from Estonia, she is also studying abroad. Of course these visits were both wonderful but something happened to me that I am quite thankful for. I really like Strasbourg again. There was a couple of weeks were I was very over Strasbourg and I think I just had some kind of homesickness that made me ready to leave. However, showing both of these people around I saw the city from a fresh prospective again and it made me remember who I felt when I first saw these fairy tale looking places of downtown. Of course the Christmas Markets helped me love Strasbourg again. Everyone is so merry, there are fresh smells everywhere and you hear Christmas songs being played or sung everywhere.

 While I am very excited about returning home I am also very sad. I live in a pretty large city, which is something I had always wanted to experience. I am in a pretty short traveling distance to so many countries and many new things. I have made many friends with who I have had so many laughs with and I will never forget. Time passes by so fast. Will I be out of the loop with everything in America or with my friends? Will I get that reverse culture shock (probably)? I know I will feel like Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit when he finally goes home and doesn't see it as the same home he left and thus he travels more.

I want to make a list of things I have to do before I leave Strasbourg. 

I have such mixed feeling right now. However I can look forward to a wonderful mexican meal, delicious Grandmother food, hugs and kisses when I return home.

 Anyway enough of what I will miss and what I look forward to. I am still in Strasbourg and I am going to have a great time left. Christmas markets with some of the best food in the world, Speculoos Crepe, here I come!

The End of the Semester

                The semester is coming to an end which means that it is almost time for finals to begin. I am nervous because the French system bases 50% of the total grade on the final exam and the other 50% on participation and other miscellaneous grades. If I were in the United States at this time I would be freaking out about finals and drinking large amounts of coffee but I am somehow keeping it together here. Maybe it is because most of my teachers have been laid back when it comes to the previous assignments I have done. With this being said, they expect students to do each assignment thoroughly and correctly so we have to be self-motivated to do well in these courses.

One of the best parts of my French classes is being able to do group projects with other students from around the world. Most of my previous grades have been through group assignments and everyone assigns themselves parts so you are never stuck with doing something that is overwhelming or boring. Going to an international school has been one of the best experiences because I have made friends with students from France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and others. This is one thing that I wish the US did more of.

-          Rachel Cooper

Drugs in France

    As each passing week goes by, I find it more and more difficult to find a topic for my blog entry. It doesn't help that I'm pretty now done traveling (and the most exciting place I've recently traveled to was within Alsace, and just for a Christmas Market). However, I finally realized that there is an observation I can make due to my experiences in the past week: being sick in America vs. being sick in France.

    Having spent most of the last week sounding and feeling like I was on my deathbed, I can easily say that I prefer to be sick in America. In America, we prescribe antibiotics like candy. And if you don't want to go that route, you can have a friend drive over to the closest supermarket or CVS and buy you whatever drug goodies you desire--ibuprofen, tylenol, mucinex, etc.

    France is not exactly like this. Even before the trip, we were told to load up on any possible medications we might need while we were here. But nearing our last couple of weeks, most of medication I originally brought with me is gone. Instead, I'm left coveting the small mixture of what I have left, what people have given me, and maybe a couple of my roommate's ibuprofen (sorry Maria! There's still plenty left, I promise).

     France (and Europe to a greater extent) in general seems to be much more suspicious of drugs to cure illnesses than we are. In order to get any medication, instead of popping by a grocery store, you have to go to a pharmacy (which, in my experience, is not as strong as American medication.) And even there, they might not give you what you need unless you have a prescription from a doctor.  This is fine until you feel too terrible to get out of bed.  From what I've heard, natural remedies are what they seem to prefer, and are much more careful with their dose when they do buy from a pharmacy. 

     Their view on medication versus ours seems to mimic our cultures in many ways. While the French are clearly not opposed to the globalized society (just look at their larger than life shopping malls), they still like their small village, hand-made, family owned culture. Wine from the local winery will always beat out wine you can buy at a store. Us, on the other hand, are much less opposed to embracing something produced in a factory in China, which might be why swallowing plenty of ibuprofen in one day isn't that big of a deal to us. So I do see why the French make their medications a little less accessible.

     While I've come to prefer French culture over American culture in several areas, I'm afraid this is not one of them. When I'm sick, I want my drugs easily accessible. Sorry, France. America won this round.

Everyday the choices you make, say what you are and who your heart beats for.…It’s an open door. It is your life!

     I used to listen to this song by Francesca Battistelli called It’s your life for motivation. I first heard it on Jon and Kate Plus 8 but never really realized what I was singing until months later. Now that I am here in France, I find this song popping back up in my head again. Back at home, I would listen to this song when I would get stressed, sad, or even wanted inspiration. After realizing what it is talking about it, it has good truth to it and I’m glad I can apply to my life. I’m not sure what she is referring to but it’s a good song for my life. I’m happy to say it is one of my theme songs.
When I was presented with the option to come to college or even come to France, I had to make a decision. I had to decide if this is what I wanted to do, would I completely benefit, and most importantly would I prosper. These questions ran through my head for months on end but I think I soon realized that, yes going to WVU and studying abroad was the best way to go. She says “ This is the moment, it’s on the line. What way are you gonna fall?” Of course, I could have backed out. I could have stayed at home with my parents and chose something else to do other than continue my education but I made a choice to better myself. I made this choice not only for me but for the people who look up to me so that I could make that difference.

     I go back to the song when it says “It’s your life whatcha gonna do? The world is watching you. Everyday the choices you make say what you are and who your heart beats for”. This is in parallel to my life. I think about my family and friends everyday, since I have so much time on my hands in France and I think that they are what is important to me. I have goals in life, which are some people’s fairytales. I live for the day that I can say, yes this where I came from but look at me now. I never had it hard growing up. I like to say that I don’t qualify in some of the stereotypes but this does not mean that my day doesn’t get rough sometimes. I plan to make my friends, family, and associates proud. I still have a few more days left and I plan to see, breathe, hear, and feel all I can.

     The trip is coming to an end and its almost time to go back to America. I don’t know how I quite feel about it but I’ll cross that bridge when it is time. Less than two weeks left, I might as well make the most of it. After all it, it is “my life and an open door”.

Close to the Finishing Line

Two weeks to end of our program in France, wow, time flies fast, especially when you are having fun, enjoying new places and thinking of the experience brought about by this program.

It was just like yesterday, when I was stuck at the airport in Atlanta for five days, finally I made to Strasbourg, never thought I would overcome the jet lug, finally I did, never thought I would get used to walking from the Chateau to the bus-stop, I did, never thought I would get used to going to Ecole de Management, I did, so what is left? To pack and go home, start a new semester and move on! To surprise myself, I started packing two weeks ago, in preparation to finally saying goodbye to my temporary home here at the Chateau, I thought it would be the most difficult thing to do, but alas, I am ready to go home.  One never knows how they love their home until they leave, I have been missing even those things I took for granted, I have enjoyed my stay here at the Chateau, but I am not sorry it is all coming to an end.

The experience was worth every penny I paid towards the program, the friends I made are worth my meeting them and hopefully I shall continue to communicate with those who made my experience of France worth living for.  Notably I will go with fond memories of the "busy like a bee" Gaby at the Reception, Colleta, the kindest kitchen stuff in the world, Stephanie, will live in my memories forever, she was so good to me, and of course Jim and Jan, I will miss you, and hope to stay in touch, for all others, it was nice meeting y'll!

As for Prof. Gregory, you remind me so much of a character I read in one of my novels and you shall for ever live in my mind as that character and of course I enjoyed your teachings and the humor you put in the subject.

Tyler Collins, always remember, you have a friend in me and when I move to the D.C. area, I shall call upon you to show me around.  - Caroline

C'est la Vie the world goes on! 

Since when, is it "okay"?

　A couple of weeks ago, Liz, Sharrell, and I traveled to Barcelona for a 4 day weekend on the beach. This was our last overnight trip in France and we were going to make the best of it. Liz was lucky enough to be meeting her boyfriend, who flew over from WVU to spend Thanksgiving with her, and we planned to have a good time. When we purchased the train tickets, I averaged the total transportation cost to be around 100 dollars roundtrip (with our rail passes of course) but somehow the total came to be 24 euros roundtrip. (This is a little less than 50 dollars.) After walking out of the train station, overjoyed that we were going to another beach I thought to myself that this was going to be a great weekend. Boy was it stressful.

Here was our schedule for a 15 hour train ride from Strasbourg to Barcelona:
1. Leave Strasbourg, France at noon on Thursday and arrive in Paris, France by 2 pm.
2. Leave Paris, France at 9 pm and arrive to the boarder of France and Spain by 7 am
3. Switch trains and arrive in Barcelona by 11 am Friday morning.
4. Take the Barcelona metro bus to our hotel on the outskirts of the city center to check in
5. Have a gosh darn good time.
Although it looks simple, I think everything that could go wrong went wrong, at least on the way down there.

     So first of all, we had a make up class on Thursday for a Monday class that was supposed to be over during the first weekend in November and only met 5 times during the semester. But of course, the French education system is a little strange and the teacher scheduled a class for Thursday.
First problem,

       Anyhow, like the good do-bee I am, I went to that 8 am class and left early because I was not missing our Barcelona trip. And if you think, I’m bad let me just say that some people actually most people didn’t even go so don’t go pointing fingers at me. We boarded the TGV train to Paris and arrived their safely. Because we already have been to Paris and we were just there because that is the departure station for Barcelona trains, we decided to go to the movies. We saw Twilight, the movie. I liked the movie and yes it was in English with French subtitles.
The evening came fast and our train to Barcelona was here. We boarded the train and made ourselves comfortable. By 11 pm, our train had stopped. Long story short, we stopped for 6 hours. (This time at least.) I remember being waken up by the train ticket collector because he yelled something in French to everyone in my car. Of course, I had no idea what he said so I went back to bed. Hours passed by and I started to get impatient. Sharrell asked a random lady what happened and of course she apparently did not speak English. (Lies if you ask me) But, another guy sitting behind Sharrell answered for her and said “train over body” with hand motions. I started to scream. I closed my eyes and just said no, this isn’t true. From that moment on for at least a few hours, I cried uncontrollably. You would have thought I had known the person but I didn’t. I couldn’t get the picture out of my mind. I understood why the TGV person yelled and the lady in front of me looked around with eyes full of shock. Liz being Liz, had to hear it from someone else, which she did and it came out to be that a person committed suicide. We learned later on that suicides happen often with trains. It is apparently a European thing.
     Second problem
     The train began moving again and hours later we stopped again. I’m not sure why because I didn’t understand the intercom people. By this time, we had been on this train for over 15 hours. I got frustrated and went on a hunt for a person who worked on the train. My hunt was unsuccessful because of course they were all no where to be found. Strange I know.
     Third problem,
     A lady came to me later on and wanted to know where we were headed. She worked for the train company and was supposedly going to help us. We learned that because we 6 hours late this train was no longer heading to the boarder between France and Spain. Perfect right? Tell me about it. Oh and to make matters worst, I never saw that lady again. Minutes later, we moved and stopped again, for a long time. Sharrell went on a hunt to find someone to find out what the intercom man was saying, where people were going, and what were we supposed to do. Her hunt was successful and she even convinced the train worker to get another person who spoke English to translate everything in English and Spanish because most people didn’t understand what was being said on the speakers. We learned that we were stopping again because a train in front of us derailed. So in the midst of waiting, they fed us. It was legit survival food, the kind of stuff they feed you out in the woods. Everyone on the train got off and walked around what looked like to be an abandoned station. We sat in large circles and bonded like it was family time but in reality we were all complete strangers.
     Finally, after getting help and just sticking with people who were going to cities near Barcelona. We made it to the Barcelona train station. We ended up stopping for a total of 3 times for unforeseen reasons, which caused this 15 hour ride to turn into a 24 hour train ride. However, our nightmare was not over! The metro bus we were supposed to take stopped running because it was so late in the day. What was supposed to be a 40 minute bus ride turned into over 2 hour bus ride. Gratefully, I knew some Spanish was able to communicate and when I would forget words Liz would take over. This worked out. We ended up taking 3 different buses, getting off buses in strange environments, circling our hotel, not being able to get off where we wanted to, walking through the bushes of a major interstate, having grass and leaves throughout our clothing, singing gospel songs hoping that God could hear us and lead the way, pre-paid phones expiring, hotel receptionist not knowing where we were, running down taxis, and paying way too much for a literally 3 minute taxi ride. After wasting a full day on public transportation, we arrived at our hotel. Honestly, I didn’t think we were going to make it there but we did and had a wonderful weekend in Barcelona.
　
    Getting back to Strasbourg wasn’t that much of a challenge and we made it back safely. I still do not like Paris that much. I’ll also never understand why everyone thinks they are the next top musician or the poorest of the poor and expect people to give them money, but that’s another bog’s discussion on a different day. I suppose I’ll never understand the things I question. So as Sharrell told me 1000 times that weekend, I might as well stop talking about it. since when is it okay to have everything in one language. Okay, I take full blame for still not knowing much French. But, for everything to be in French and there being 21 official languages in the EU something doesn’t seem right. The people need to learn how to use multiple languages on these modes of transportation since there are so many official languages and we are going into different countries., since when is it okay for this to be the thing to do in Europe. I don’t understand. This is more than selfish. It is just rude! We have places to go and things to do, which is why we are taking the trains so do not be the one to interrupt this process. If you need help, take yourself to the hospital. People get paid (Hopefully, I’m one of these people.) lots of money, just helping depressed people. Stop thinking about yourself and get help! Okay I’m sorry. That got personal but it hurt me that it was another life gone and interrupted so many others life. Believe it or not, I care so much about people and I’m extra sensitive. So please for everyone who is reading this, if you ever feeling down call on me. I’m always willing to just listen because I really do care.since when is it okay to just schedule a make up class when you please? Of course it was nice to not have class that Monday earlier in the semester but the world doesn’t evolve around this one class and we didn‘t ask for it to be cancelled. We have lives and by lives I mean planned trips, jobs, and other commitments. We can’t just show up on a non scheduled day because you cancelled it for no reason.