boys, boys, boys!

I love chick flicks! I'm obsessed with movies about girls falling in love with their dream boy and living happily ever after; however, nothings quite as enjoyable as seeing a girl marry a prince. Since I was a little girl my mom and Disney both told me I could marry anyone I wanted and all of my dreams would come true. I came to Europe not only for education and vacation but, also, in hopes of a little romance. After a summer filled with princess movies and talks of Kate and William, I was for my chance to meet Harry! I mean Disney said I had a chance, right?
Being in Morgantown, I can't walk down the street without guys honking their car horns at me or yelling and whistling at me (not to brag). But, since I've been in Europe I've had no honks, no yelling, no whistling... Not even a look! Outside I remained calm, but in my I was thinking "WHAT'S GOING ON?!?" Was I having a bad hair day? Did I have a booger in my nose? I was so confused. Then I reassured myself that all of these men HAD to be gay! Look at how well dressed they are and how groomed they keep theirselves.
Was this "reassurance" true or something else? I mean every single guy couldn't be gay, could they? In America, if men are well-kept we assume their gay, however maybe Europeans just have a higher respect for their outward appearance. Also, maybe European men have other priorities besides women and sex like many american men that I've encountered throughout my college years. Who knows? I do know, for sure, that I will never understand the male mind, American or European. So maybe my prince is still out there, or maybe Disney lied..

- Erryonna

Time for Change

         It was sometime during the month of May I was talking to one of my good friends Sharrell Barnes and she randomly mentioned “hey, I’m 70% percent sure I’m going to be in Europe next year?” Honestly, I was shocked and I didn’t believe it but that night I laid in my bed and realized that she said 70% and not 50%, so the chance was high. So I did my research, I realized that she was going on a WVU faculty led program to Strasbourg, France and that everything could potentially work out. The only thing she said she had to check on was finances. We were both gifted In-State and Out of State WVU academic scholarship recipients, so getting these scholarships to apply for the tuition costs of University of Strasbourg could be difficult.
          Sharrell and I were pretty close. We both had were mentors and little sisters to Loretta Cain. We asked her for advice. She was a WVU medical school student who was applying for jobs because May 2011 was her graduation month. We were all excited for her to start her new journey elsewhere but secretly, I was beyond scared because my backbone would not be in arms reach distance anymore. I guess you could say, her season  at WVU was coming to an end. During those few days of waiting to see if Sharrell would completely commit to this program, Loretta accepted a job in Chicago, Illinois on a Wednesday afternoon. I think that following Thursday Sharrell heard the news from all of the administrative offices that everything would be fine. Apparently, studying abroad in France was going to be just like going to school in West Virginia, financially at least. I didn’t know how to take the news but I was excited that they both were going to accomplish their goals. A few days later, my boyfriend of almost two years dumped me and I went through a phase of not wanting to be alone. My small circle of friends was leaving the continent and my ex, just my life. I guess some could say that I acted out of fear but for some reason something told me to try and join Sharrell on the trip. I always wanted to study abroad but because of my scholarships they wouldn’t transfer to other study abroad programs. Of course the summer of 2011 was very stressful but I knew August 30th, my departure date for France, was my finish line and I was not going to give up.
          Nevertheless, I do not regret my decision nor am I ashamed of my reason for going on the trip in the first place. I believe it was planned for me. From the morning I woke up in my room at the Chateau I felt better. Honestly, the first night here I wanted to go back home because I felt so alone. I really considered going back but I couldn’t even find my charger to my phone so I could call home. Of course Sharrell’s room was right down the hall but I couldn’t fathom the fact that I was in another country that didn’t speak the same language as me. During the summer I had convinced myself that coming to a foreign country not knowing the language was brilliant but during that first night my mind changed and I thought it was probably the most unintelligent idea I had. Although I have only been in France for little over a week I am happy to say that I love being here. I still only know a few French words but it makes it all the fun. I love the people I met on the trip and I love all the places we have seen so far. Until now had always been a science and math type of girl but learning so much about the Chateau de Portales, my home for 4 months, Strasbourg being the capital of Europe, and the French culture, has really interested me. I’m still a little weary when it comes to eating and shopping everyday but it is alright. Life is about taking chances and I’m so glad that I took this chance! I’m the first in my family, first in my Academic Star 2011 WVU group, and probably the first out of all of my friends. Of course, I’ll probably run into new problems but I’ll find new solutions.
 

Parlez-Vous Anglais?

This is my first time in Europe, and second time in a non-English speaking place.  Luckily, I know a good bit of French, but I am far from fluent.  It is amazing how much of a language you forget when it really matters, like at a cafe or some such place!

At first, I was slightly disappointed (maybe even a tad annoyed) when the answer to "Parlez-Vous Anglais?" was "Non."  I know that it is required for French students to learn English from an early age in school, so therefore they should know at least basic English, right?  It just makes sense, right? 

Well, after a few days my rusty French is getting better, and I really got to thinking.  Imagine if the roles were reversed.  I live in Indianapolis.  This is a land-locked city in the midwest, far from any other languages.  However, we host a HUGE international event, the Indy 500.  This brings many languages to Indy during the month of May, and they nearly never ask us "Parelez-vous Francais?" or Italian, or whatever else, before ordering food.  Why should we?  We expect them to speak English when in the US, so we should be expected to speak French in France.  Or German in Germany, or whatever else.

It doesn't matter what the people of Strasbourg are capable of speaking, it is more respectful for us to honor their tradition by speaking their language.  We shouldn't expect them to cater to our traditions when we are in their country.

- Zak

What? No shoes =/

I was so excited about coming to France to discover a number of new things. I was especially looking forward to making a few new purchases. Everyone has their things they collect, well one of my farorites..shoes. We were all excited to take in this new culture. We've seen musems, wineries, chathedrals, and shopes. After taking in all of these inspiring fashionable looks we were all read to spice up our wardrobes.

We all broke and started hitting all of these stories in the shopping mall downtown. Everyone was running around excitedly as they were gathering items. I started to grab things and converting the sizes I would need, not such an easy task.

I changed my focus and went towards the shoes. I saw the sizes 38,39,41. I kept looking thinging ok, I need a 44, please show me a 44!!! I went for this store to store no luck. Finally after gettinf really frustrated I went to a men's shoe store. One of the clerks spoke English and helped me find my size. He said, "Whoa we have the same size foot, that's crazy!!" I asked why, he said he had never saw a woman before with that size before (size 11). I asked, "Will I have any luck?" He shook his head and said, " Not in Europe." I continued to look around, but nothing past a size 41.

So sadly no shoes for me. I had this same luck with other items as well. Here they have small caps on good number of their clothing goods. Coming for home where I have no problem shopping, this is a huge adjustment. It's a sad truth, less authentic European clothing/ culture to take home.

The theme with the group is, " Don't try and change it, just accept it." I gues accepting it is my only option.

Whoa!

     Although we have been to many places of great importance the first thing I obviously noticed is how different it is here. That is a very broad statement because of course everything is different here. However, what I have noticed is that the attitudes of the people in Strasbourg, and Europe for that matter, are much more relaxed. For example, I feel like if someone was running late to an event it would not be as big of a deal as it would be in the United States.
     As you are riding a bus and you look out the window you see people soaking in the atmosphere and strolling to their destination, with a few exceptions. If you compare a bus ride in New York to this it would be the opposite. New Yorkers would be running you over fixed on their destination, almost like they have blinders on.
    One of my Belgium professors at WVU said that he had never been as stressed before in his life, and he never had to take naps, before he came to the United States. I was confused when he said this but now I understand. I feel like it has rubbed off in the short time we have been here on me. I am a giant worry wart but here I sit, two days before class starts, unaware of what I am taking or how to do anything and I have no stress.
    I am not saying Europeans are perfect but they just have a different view on life. It is much more pleasurable life. A life to enjoy. They have longer vacations, a shorter work week and more benefits. I think we, Americans, could learn something from the Europeans about just slowing down and enjoying life more.
-Tyler Underwood

tour de park around the chateau

Today we wound our way through the huge expanse of land surrounding our lovely chateau....on bikes......for three hours. Despite my aggravated mood at having to wake up at 6:30 am in order to do nothing but sit around a crowded DMV- like atmosphere for 3 hours for no apparent reason, the bike ride was what I needed in order to get my mind off of my bad mood. The bike ride was wonderful and allowed us to discover what lays around us. It also helped calm me down from my homesickness because it reminded me of the woods around my house back home in Franklin, West Virginia, where my younger sister and I would play when we were younger, except much MUCH flatter. Remembering those good times I had and then being able to apply them to the present, helped me get over my bad mood and helped me enjoy having a wonderful time with some wonderful people. So here's to more aimless wonderings around the woods, hopefully we won't get lost next time.

When in France...

            As I struggled to find a topic for my first blog entry, I finally realized that out of everything, my experiences with the Europeans I had encountered thus far were what stood out in my mind.  For my entire life, I have never felt like I was an outsider. But now, even as I am enjoying my stay immensely, it’s strange not being a part of the general populace. As someone who speaks little to no French, I’m sure that if my clothes didn’t give away to the French that I’m not a native, my American accent surely will.

                The French, of course, have various stereotypes Americans have been exposed to—generally, we get the impression that they’re a bunch of snobs who believe that they’re better than everyone else. So far, I haven’t gotten to experience anything beyond a first impression of the French individuals I’ve interacted with. Seeing as school hasn’t started yet, no substantial interactions have been able to take place. But these first impressions have both dispelled and reinforced the stereotype that I’ve become familiarized with as an American.

                There have been plenty of people that have been quite nice, dispelling the stereotype—there have been plenty nice waitresses whose patience I admire for putting up with such a large group (with many members of said group not knowing much French). There have been the smiling sales people and the adorable French teacher who only taught our group for a few lessons. But to counteract these, there have been the extremely rude wait-staffs or salespeople. And, with every one of these negative interactions, I’ve thought to myself, “Oh, that’s just so typical, because they’re French.” I’ve also noticed that people here smile less at strangers, which is something of a common trait in America.  This again, only reinforces the stereotype I’ve had the America media push upon me.

                However, in retrospect, I now realize that letting negative reactions reinforce a stereotype is stupid. I’ve interacted probably with an equal amount of nice, friendly people as I have rude or cold people.  In America, I dealt with rude people all the time—but I never noticed it because it made no impact on me. The only reason I’m noticing rude individuals now is because I’m in a foreign environment, and trying to see if my experiences are living up to what my expectations of the French are.

                The French are clearly a proud people. “You must learn to speak French!” is the greatest lesson my brief French class taught me. Everything appears to be a great source of pride to them, and it could be me that’s appearing to be rude to some of them, since I don’t know their great language. While the French so far may appear to be more rude than friendly in my eyes, this may be because I am simply focusing on the negative experiences to reinforce the “French stereotype.” And those that may seem to be rude to me might be rude because I don’t yet fully understand the French culture and the get deal of pride that they hold in everything. In the future, I’ll hopefully be able to look at their entire culture through a more objective standpoint. 

végétarien, s'il vous plaît?

This is the image of my experience with dining out in France. If I'm happy for one thing, it's that "vegetarian" translates to French well enough (so long as fish doesn't count as a meat). "Lactose-free" just doesn't exist.

Food is something that I love, and I find it to be a joy to try new things when travelling. However, I knew before I arrived that this would be one of my biggest challenges with the French culture. "You chose the wrong country," is a phrase I hear often. Being a lactose-intolerant vegetarian is probably better suited for most any other region of the world. At least I'd like to think that there would be more acceptance of my lifestyle elsewhere. My only other time abroad since becoming vegetarian was when I was in the UK. Menus were clearly labelled with veggie and vegan options. Soy milk was always an option for coffees! Looking back, I feel like I was so spoiled. I would like to see how I'd fare in other countries and cultures with this diet.

(Funny story: I became lactose intolerant immediately after my summer in Switzerland, eating cheese sandwiches and raclette nearly every day. And so it would seem that's what did me in for dairy.)

I'm not rejecting French culture at all. I admire it, and I make exceptions when possible. For example, I'll still eat fish. However, I can't help but to be slightly offended when a waiter looks at me and says, "Well, you can still eat the fries." It's no wonder that I'd gone out of my way to find sushi and Indian when I was in Paris earlier. I don't know how to confront this problem when dining in restaurants. I'd prefer not to order fish every time or to pick the meat or cheese out of my food after I've ordered it. I can't help but feel like I'm insulting the culture when I try to find something edible for myself or ask for a new plate of food during our group meals. Still, I need to remind myself that it's a matter of my health condition and personal morals, and it's not that I'm being completely rude or trying to be difficult.

At least I know I can still fully appreciate the French wine. I do not take that for granted.

-Maria P

Same Institution, Different Day

Earlier this summer, I was lucky enough to be in Strasbourg and visit its three famous government institutions. We finished our tour of those same institutions just this week.
On my first trip to these institutions, I was impressed and mystified by all their grandeur and prestige. I was amazed that even the architecture of each building had a meaning and symbolic reference to a principle of that institution.
This time around, I was able to appreciate and fully understand the complexities that are involved in having an entire continent answer as if in one voice. Whether the institution is dealing with forty-seven member states or thousands of applicants, they have founded a way to communicate to the world their goals and ais holistically.
The most interesting and, I feel, humanitarian of them all is the Court of Human Rights. This court system accepts and reads any complaint of a violation of a right coming from the humblest of people. The freedom for people to have access to such an organization shows how transparent, accessible and willing this institution is for those who think that their rights have been violated.
Our tour guide was diligently explained the commencement of the court, the inner workings, and interesting statistics. For example, the court receives about seventy thousand applications a year. The court has one judge from each member state. The court also rejects many applications because they have yet to reach the required criteria.
Although these certain visits gave me 'deja vu' in a way, I am glad to report that I was able to not only learn something new but also create a different experience with the knowledge from the previous visit.

Les Fleurs d'Alsace

As we went along the Route des Vins d'Alsace on Sunday we saw the beauty that is Alsace. Stretches of land with vineyards and little towns wedged in the foothills of mountains. These French towns decorate there balconies in flowers, lots and lots of colorful flowers. They're known for their geraniums: pinks, oranges and reds, all overflowing the towns with splashes of color. We were told that the geraniums have won competitions repeatedly, and some years they are not allowed to compete, in order to allow others the chance to win.

You can see that the French hold value in the nurturing of a garden, the aesthetic of the home, garnishing with flowers. It's hard to go by these towns and ignore the beauty of them and the effort that has gone into making them elegant.

-Jessica Fitzgerald

Court of Human Rights

      Today, as you all know, we visited the Court of Human Rights which was way more interesting than I expected. Despite the fact that there was an extensive description of the court as well as a question and answer period, I left with many questions that had no real black of white answer. For example, why it would take such a massive form of genocide, such as the holocaust, to make people decide to protect human rights on an international level? Maybe it's because I am an American and believe in freedom but I feel like this should always have existed. Additionally, I find it interesting that the United States of America would not be allowed into the Court of Human Rights not only because of geography but also because of its policies towards, for example, capital punishment.
      I believe that the CHR is a very balanced and rational system that shows no bias toward any person or country (even though the lawyers may sometimes laugh at the strange letters sent to them). I think it's great that they do not cater to the wealthy or take the popular stance. For example, in the video, when they showed the 2 ten year old boys who killed the toddler, they worked to give them a fair trial. It is easy to let emotions overtake rationality and the CHR seems to do a great job of being rational.
-Rachel Cooper