Birthday Drink: 7 Euros
Karaoke Liquid Courage: 7 Euros
Hand rolled Cigarette: One French Conversation
Spending my birthday with my new found friends: Priceless
These sentiments best summarize my first birthday spent away from home. Of course, nothing compares to the traditional way of spending another year of your life with family and then celebrating with close friends at an all to familiar location. Since that was not an option for me at this time, I had to modify my regular birthday celebration to the French way. As I have never celebrated my birthday in France, and I'm speaking for everyone when I assume that they have not helped others celebrate one in France, this was new territory.
Our group headed to the closest bus stop to head towards 'centre ville'. We promply realized that even on a Saturday night, a bus heading downtown only runs once an hour. We waited.
Once arriving downtown, we quickly entered a bar that looked lively and full of students. Not being able to properly order a cheap birthday shot in my broken French, the little English the bartender know, assisted me in ordering the most expensive and sugar filled mixed drink on the menu. Grabbing a table for the group was an obstacle, considering we would think a table was vacant when in reality the occupants were merely smoking outside and expected nobody to be at their table upon their return. Mid way through our mixed drinks, one person from the group, who shall remain nameless, told us that she had recently desecrated the bar floor with her regurgitation of previous drinks. At that news, we quickly expedited our departure.
We headed to our next location.
The karaoke bar we searched for appeared to be closed when we located it. We would not be deterred. I knocked on the door and explained to the doorman in my broken French, again, that we were simply a group of students celebrating a birthday and wanted to sing. Upon entering the karaoke bar, we soon realized that this was not simply a leisure activity done by other students but rather a serious endeavor where most of the participants sang in French. We quickly picked out a few English songs and made our way to the bar. Yelling the lyrics of Shakira at the top of our lungs in a group, raised eyebrows and concerns from the rest of the crowd. We clearly stood out like a sore thumb and even more so when one of the drinks i was holding was knocked out of my hand and on to the floor due to unrestricted dance moves. At that news, we quickly expedited our departure.
We headed to our next location.
We were able to locate the club, 'Underground' and decided to enter. We encountered a small, high energy dance club. We joined in on the fun. Dancing, laughing and drinking were all present in our circle of dance moves. In watching our group enjoy themselves so much, a promoter asked to take our picture. Normally, at this request I would not hesitate or give an uncomfortable look the my surrounding friends. This was not a normal situation. This promoter was a little person and had asked to take our picture by tapping the lower back of one of the students. We gathered together anyway for the group picture and were on the verge of bursting out in laughter of the vision of the promoter tilting his camera as high as possible in order to get the photo. At this news, we quickly expedited our departure.
We headed to our next location.
We decided to try and locate a bar we had already visited and was familiar to us since the night was not going as planned at all the new places. We entered the familiar bar, went down the familiar steps to the familiar dance floor to find an unfamiliar scene. We saw people jumping off a makeshift stage and others without articles of clothing. At this news, we quickly expedited our departure.
We headed to our next location.
We walked along the streets trying to find one more location to finish the night. We entered a small English pub where we saw people dressed as zombies from activities earlier that day in downtown Strasbourg. At this pub, I was able to have a very elementary French conversation with other students that attended the Ecole de Management with us. After discussing school, origin, night events and an inquiry at their hand rolled cigarettes, we finally made our way to the taxi stand.
While this experience may not be educational, in every sense of the word, it is still one I will remember fondly and often. My birthday spent in France...
9/16/2011
Phalènes Et Pestilence
Let me start off by saying that I am feeling quite sick. Great, the day I leave for
I'm returning to
What I want to do in
One of my fondest memories of
( link, just in case you don't know what I'm talking about: http://www.pariserve.tm.fr/quartier/Montmartre/sacre-coeur.htm). From the Red-Light District, I remember climbing one of the largest staircases that I have ever had the opportunity to ascend. At the top, my classmates and I were greeted with a myriad of drunken teenagers and hill-sledding hippies (It was the middle of spring and there were literally a bunch of kids sledding down the grassy hill in front of the huge, white church). My friends and I (I was actually lucky enough to be staying in
Oh yeah, registration was a feculent experience. Yes, feculent. I don't want to talk about it.
Alright. Well the ambulance is here and I'm off to get some fluids pumped into my lifeless body. Until next week.
-Tyler C.
9/15/2011
Living and Learinng
Even though we've been here for like three weeks, I feel like sometimes it's new.
One of the key things that sticks out to me is the pride here. Everyone here just has this certain "swagg" about them. The pride shines out of them like a bright light. The light can be seen from the way walk to even their clothes.
At home must of us dress nice every now and then, but it's nothing compared to these people. They don't just toss on any old thing to go to class or head downtown. We even have to get presentable for breakfast. Not saying there is anything bad about this, it's just a change.
I admire this, this one thing I want to carry home with me. A lot can be said about a person by the way they dress. I want there to be a little glow about me as well.
Another noticeable thing is everyone is so mobile here. Living close to the park we can see people coming and going. Everyone is on their bikes or running. This is another difference from home. There is a wide variety of people taking part in these activities. It's normal to see young people out doing these things, but here it literally is a spectrum of all the ages. It's so interesting to see groups just peddling along smiling, or hitting a few laps. This gives me the feeling they not only care about their bodies, but are enjoying being active. People refer to Americans as lazy, I was offended by this at first. But now I kind of understand this idea when comparing the two countries.
These two ideals really stuck in my mind. These people are proud of themselves and who they are, where they come from. I have learned so much already about the rich culture of Strasbourg/ Alsace Region. Most of the buildings here are older than most of American . There's some story behind most of what we see; instead of letting it waste away they preserve it. Each day here I 'm living and learning something new. The people here are proud, and hopefully this will be one of the things I carry with me.
One of the key things that sticks out to me is the pride here. Everyone here just has this certain "swagg" about them. The pride shines out of them like a bright light. The light can be seen from the way walk to even their clothes.
At home must of us dress nice every now and then, but it's nothing compared to these people. They don't just toss on any old thing to go to class or head downtown. We even have to get presentable for breakfast. Not saying there is anything bad about this, it's just a change.
I admire this, this one thing I want to carry home with me. A lot can be said about a person by the way they dress. I want there to be a little glow about me as well.
Another noticeable thing is everyone is so mobile here. Living close to the park we can see people coming and going. Everyone is on their bikes or running. This is another difference from home. There is a wide variety of people taking part in these activities. It's normal to see young people out doing these things, but here it literally is a spectrum of all the ages. It's so interesting to see groups just peddling along smiling, or hitting a few laps. This gives me the feeling they not only care about their bodies, but are enjoying being active. People refer to Americans as lazy, I was offended by this at first. But now I kind of understand this idea when comparing the two countries.
These two ideals really stuck in my mind. These people are proud of themselves and who they are, where they come from. I have learned so much already about the rich culture of Strasbourg/ Alsace Region. Most of the buildings here are older than most of American . There's some story behind most of what we see; instead of letting it waste away they preserve it. Each day here I 'm living and learning something new. The people here are proud, and hopefully this will be one of the things I carry with me.
Too cool for school? I think not.
Its going on our third week here in France and I think I have pretty much adjusted to the fact that I’m going to be in France for the semester. However, I haven’t quite accepted the fact that I’m supposed to be going to school. When I signed up for this trip, I was told that everything would be the same. It would be “just like me going to school in Morgantown but in France”. After only being here for 15 days, I can honestly say that nothing is the same as being in Morgantown and obviously that person just didn’t want to scare me. I was never scared to get here I was more of worried that I wouldn’t fit in. But yet again, I don’t think that person exactly knew what he was talking about because nothing in Morgantown is the same as being in Strasbourg, France. The major difference is the people and the fact that I’m in France. In Morgantown, there are thousands of people pretty much all supporting WVU but here its different. Strasbourg has a German flow to it but everyone here strongly believes that “while in France, you must speak French”. Yes, French is still a challenge for me but I think that’s when the idea of school kicks in.
Speaking of classes, this week was our first week of classes and the Europeans have a unique way of handling students. I signed up for classes the same day they started and that wasn’t just because I was an exchange student but that was for all students. Not only that, but as of Sunday evening no one, no professors, no administrators, no students exactly knew when classes would start. Apparently, they varied and it could change. The thing that completely blew my mind about this was that people were okay with it. However, I wasn’t going to try and change it, I was just going to accept it along with accepting the idea that we all had a mini anxiety attack at 12:00pm Monday afternoon when we were finally allowed to register for classes. Thankfully, I got all of the classes that I wanted but it was stressful. The collapsing internet system was aggravating, connecting to the internet was a challenge, and simply making sure there were no overlapping classes was discouraging. But, we all made it through and got all the classes we wanted. This meant that our first class was that same day at 2:00PM. It wasn’t the case for everyone but 10 of the WVU students had our first class.
My first class was International Leadership. It was supposed to begin at 2:00 but as of 2:30 there was no professor in the assigned classroom. So we thought. As we were leaving someone came into the classroom and told us the room number had been changed and we had already missed the beginning of class. It was a 4 hour class but still on the first day, I needed to be there because that is the most important day. This was crazy. We had no idea that the room number had changed. No emails were sent and nothing was posted on the door. I don’t mean to critique but I feel like if they want us to learn some communication is needed. The guessing game is not fun, especially not in a foreign environment. Actually, the original classroom was too small for 55 students so we all moved to the room next door but even so, nothing was posted on either doors. Thankfully, someone came into the second room and moved us all into the basement, which is where the class was taking place. I’m not sure how people don’t stress out. I’m definitely learning to relax. I’m that student in class that writes down everything and organizes my entire academic schedule in a planner based off a syllabus but some profoessors didn’t even give us a syllabus with any dates on it. I really don’t understand how we are supposed to know due dates. This class seems pretty simple. We only have 2 assignments, no attendance policy, 5 class sessions, and the class ends late October. My second and third classes took place on Tuesday. It was a long day but yet again we were in for a surprise. I had one class from 2-5 and then another from 6-8. The class that was 6-8 was downtown and the first one was here at the castle. The first class was interesting. I’m not sure how this relates to psychology but I went along with it. Speaking of psychology, my major, none of my classes relate to psychology but I’m really not worried about it because I enjoy spending time in France. The night class was cancelled but we didn’t find out until we got down there. Again, no emails were sent. I honestly wouldn’t even mind if the email was all in French, I just would have liked to know ahead of time.
“While in France, you must speak French”. I feel like this is the biggest truth I have heard since I have been here. My French class started off rolling. It was about 30 people in the class with about 20 different nationalities. I felt like I was back in high school, good ole’ Glenelg Country School. I feel like my fellow WVU friends were somewhat amazed by the diversity because WVU is pretty clear-cut but being in this class gave me a taste of home. I was comfortable. No longer a minority. It was great. The professor started off speaking French and didn’t stop. It was alright though because she would break down what each word meant by talking slowly and writing on the board. Of course, I feel like this class could be challenging but this class will be the most practical out of all of my classes. I also think just being in France is a life changing experience. I’ll appreciate things so much more. I’m learning so much about me, about Europe, and about America. Things I took for granted in America are actually worthwhile here. (for example- water) But, there are some things I won’t take for granted here in France, which is the opportunity to see the European Parliament in action. This is such a big deal and not a lot of people can say they have done this. I’m not quite sure what was going on but at least I can say I did it. I’m so thankful for these opportunities, the fun and the not so fun.
Speaking of classes, this week was our first week of classes and the Europeans have a unique way of handling students. I signed up for classes the same day they started and that wasn’t just because I was an exchange student but that was for all students. Not only that, but as of Sunday evening no one, no professors, no administrators, no students exactly knew when classes would start. Apparently, they varied and it could change. The thing that completely blew my mind about this was that people were okay with it. However, I wasn’t going to try and change it, I was just going to accept it along with accepting the idea that we all had a mini anxiety attack at 12:00pm Monday afternoon when we were finally allowed to register for classes. Thankfully, I got all of the classes that I wanted but it was stressful. The collapsing internet system was aggravating, connecting to the internet was a challenge, and simply making sure there were no overlapping classes was discouraging. But, we all made it through and got all the classes we wanted. This meant that our first class was that same day at 2:00PM. It wasn’t the case for everyone but 10 of the WVU students had our first class.
My first class was International Leadership. It was supposed to begin at 2:00 but as of 2:30 there was no professor in the assigned classroom. So we thought. As we were leaving someone came into the classroom and told us the room number had been changed and we had already missed the beginning of class. It was a 4 hour class but still on the first day, I needed to be there because that is the most important day. This was crazy. We had no idea that the room number had changed. No emails were sent and nothing was posted on the door. I don’t mean to critique but I feel like if they want us to learn some communication is needed. The guessing game is not fun, especially not in a foreign environment. Actually, the original classroom was too small for 55 students so we all moved to the room next door but even so, nothing was posted on either doors. Thankfully, someone came into the second room and moved us all into the basement, which is where the class was taking place. I’m not sure how people don’t stress out. I’m definitely learning to relax. I’m that student in class that writes down everything and organizes my entire academic schedule in a planner based off a syllabus but some profoessors didn’t even give us a syllabus with any dates on it. I really don’t understand how we are supposed to know due dates. This class seems pretty simple. We only have 2 assignments, no attendance policy, 5 class sessions, and the class ends late October. My second and third classes took place on Tuesday. It was a long day but yet again we were in for a surprise. I had one class from 2-5 and then another from 6-8. The class that was 6-8 was downtown and the first one was here at the castle. The first class was interesting. I’m not sure how this relates to psychology but I went along with it. Speaking of psychology, my major, none of my classes relate to psychology but I’m really not worried about it because I enjoy spending time in France. The night class was cancelled but we didn’t find out until we got down there. Again, no emails were sent. I honestly wouldn’t even mind if the email was all in French, I just would have liked to know ahead of time.
“While in France, you must speak French”. I feel like this is the biggest truth I have heard since I have been here. My French class started off rolling. It was about 30 people in the class with about 20 different nationalities. I felt like I was back in high school, good ole’ Glenelg Country School. I feel like my fellow WVU friends were somewhat amazed by the diversity because WVU is pretty clear-cut but being in this class gave me a taste of home. I was comfortable. No longer a minority. It was great. The professor started off speaking French and didn’t stop. It was alright though because she would break down what each word meant by talking slowly and writing on the board. Of course, I feel like this class could be challenging but this class will be the most practical out of all of my classes. I also think just being in France is a life changing experience. I’ll appreciate things so much more. I’m learning so much about me, about Europe, and about America. Things I took for granted in America are actually worthwhile here. (for example- water) But, there are some things I won’t take for granted here in France, which is the opportunity to see the European Parliament in action. This is such a big deal and not a lot of people can say they have done this. I’m not quite sure what was going on but at least I can say I did it. I’m so thankful for these opportunities, the fun and the not so fun.
EU Take 2
Today was a nice relaxing day. Three friends and myself journeyed over to the European Parliament, which was in session, and it was a neat experience. We arrived around 11am so the chamber only had several people from each political party. They were all discussing "EU policy approach to the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2012" so it was nothing heated or anything you would see on a TV show but interesting none the less.
What I thought the most interesting thing was in the chamber was not the people making the decisions, although that is obviously the most important, but the translators. There were only four in each booth but between the four they knew all the languages. I suppose being from The States this blows my mind. I even flipped through every channel just to listen a bit to each language and all the translators were so fast. I think this would be one of the coolest jobs you could get. This was just one of my observations that astonished me.
Another thing I noticed is that a few of the countries had small flags from their country where they sit. This is interesting to see where each country sits but it almost defeats the purpose of a European identity. These people, mainly the British from what I could see, are almost separating themselves. One of the goals is giving a European Identity to all of Europe to unify but just from these little flags I feel like you can see that they will never feel like we do as unified Americans. That was just a thought that popped into my mind when I saw the flags.
Besides being envious of the translators that can speak many languages it was a great experience that not many people can say they have had. I am glad I woke up early and made the journey.
-Tyler Underwood
What I thought the most interesting thing was in the chamber was not the people making the decisions, although that is obviously the most important, but the translators. There were only four in each booth but between the four they knew all the languages. I suppose being from The States this blows my mind. I even flipped through every channel just to listen a bit to each language and all the translators were so fast. I think this would be one of the coolest jobs you could get. This was just one of my observations that astonished me.
Another thing I noticed is that a few of the countries had small flags from their country where they sit. This is interesting to see where each country sits but it almost defeats the purpose of a European identity. These people, mainly the British from what I could see, are almost separating themselves. One of the goals is giving a European Identity to all of Europe to unify but just from these little flags I feel like you can see that they will never feel like we do as unified Americans. That was just a thought that popped into my mind when I saw the flags.
Besides being envious of the translators that can speak many languages it was a great experience that not many people can say they have had. I am glad I woke up early and made the journey.
-Tyler Underwood
9/14/2011
Travel and Reckoning
Hi everybody. I find that the blog is coming along nicely. You have all shared insightful remarks, many of them concerning travel experiences carefully considered, many concerning yourselves in light of those travel experiences. Upon reflection, all such experience, both inward and outward, naturally deepens and intertwines. When it comes to travel, and to its reckoning, you do well to bear in mind those opening lines for the course: Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you.
I appreciate all your initial efforts. More specifically, I appreciate the appraisals of the Human Rights Court and the European Parliament, the sensitivity to language and to flowers, the frustrations with scheduling and with shoes, the connecting of philosophical argument and thought experiment to what people eat and to how to treat beings that are altogether foreign. Keep deepening, and keep intertwining.
9/13/2011
Registration Day at EM
I must commend my school, Georgia State University for being organized in terms of registration for classes. What I experienced at the EM, yesterday, 9/12/11, leaves a lot to be desired. How can registration be on the same day classes are beginning? Oh well, check this out. We are international students, from America, oblivious of the computer system at EM, we all speak English, registration day arrives, the school website is in French, wow, nobody, faulty or staff is in sight to assist the many international students coming to EM this fall. Now what was expected of us?
The registration for international students did not open until 12:00 noon, per message posted on the registration page. Now this is even more interesting, finally registration opened at 12 noon, but hey, you click on the EM code for a class you are interested, and bung, it is in French. According to what we were told previously, you can register to as many classes as you wish, and drop the ones you might not need next week, oh well, once registered to all the classes, there is no concise schedule to give you a rough indication as to what times or room numbers the classes will be taking place. No summary of how many credit hours you actually registered for. Worse still, the schedule is not arranged in manner that you can print and show the whole week's classes.
Like I said earlier, I must give GSU the props for a well organized registration system, that is stress free and one that is very user friendly. Go Panther! I appreciate you more than I ever thought. - Caroline
The registration for international students did not open until 12:00 noon, per message posted on the registration page. Now this is even more interesting, finally registration opened at 12 noon, but hey, you click on the EM code for a class you are interested, and bung, it is in French. According to what we were told previously, you can register to as many classes as you wish, and drop the ones you might not need next week, oh well, once registered to all the classes, there is no concise schedule to give you a rough indication as to what times or room numbers the classes will be taking place. No summary of how many credit hours you actually registered for. Worse still, the schedule is not arranged in manner that you can print and show the whole week's classes.
Like I said earlier, I must give GSU the props for a well organized registration system, that is stress free and one that is very user friendly. Go Panther! I appreciate you more than I ever thought. - Caroline
ET
On saturday Dr. Gregory gave us, his students, something to think about. I can not explain the exercise word for word, but it was something along the lines of entering into an entirely different universe. In this place everything is different and there are beings that are different from us as well. Our job as a class was to think about the actions we would take. Would we utilise those beings or would we befriend those beings. He also wanted us to think about ourselves and who we are are because knowing who we are will help us determine whether are not these supernatural beings are like us.
I immediately paralleled the exercise with this trip abroad. We are in a different country with different people, and different ways of living (culture). To be just a little bit more specific, I paralled the exercise with my personal experience here. Just like the beings in the lesson presented by Dr. Gregory, the students here are different. Yes there are some things that I have in common with them, but we are still different. I don't find myself exploiting them and I have not yet really befriended any of them. Although it is not purpose, I find myself simply co-habitating. I'm observing my peers in order to survive, happily. I want to know what makes them feel uncomfortable, so I won't do anything to upset them. I want to see there habits so I can determine which habits will clash with mine. In my opinion, and I could be wrong, the other students have had no problem coming in and making this place their home. So I feel like a foreigner not only in France but here at the Chateau; I'm on someone elses soil. That being said, I must respect the norms and customs of this land so that I can survive, happily. None of the students are being mean and nasty, so please don't misunderstand what I am writing. I just have not found my place yet; I haven't quite found a place to plant my "Macy" flag.
I immediately paralleled the exercise with this trip abroad. We are in a different country with different people, and different ways of living (culture). To be just a little bit more specific, I paralled the exercise with my personal experience here. Just like the beings in the lesson presented by Dr. Gregory, the students here are different. Yes there are some things that I have in common with them, but we are still different. I don't find myself exploiting them and I have not yet really befriended any of them. Although it is not purpose, I find myself simply co-habitating. I'm observing my peers in order to survive, happily. I want to know what makes them feel uncomfortable, so I won't do anything to upset them. I want to see there habits so I can determine which habits will clash with mine. In my opinion, and I could be wrong, the other students have had no problem coming in and making this place their home. So I feel like a foreigner not only in France but here at the Chateau; I'm on someone elses soil. That being said, I must respect the norms and customs of this land so that I can survive, happily. None of the students are being mean and nasty, so please don't misunderstand what I am writing. I just have not found my place yet; I haven't quite found a place to plant my "Macy" flag.
9/11/2011
12:
First of all, the most important number is 12. Once you understand that concept, the idea of the European Union is perfectly simple. There are precisely a zillion institutions that associate themselves with the European Union, and thus far, one of the most outstanding buildings houses the European Parliament. I stepped off the tram, saw flags waving, a behemoth building and nothing else (except the sketchy parking lot full of white vans to the side of the institution). This massive building, however, soon dominated my vision entirely.
Apparently, before economic troubles in Europe, the EU didn’t think twice about spending millions of dollars on this building, so no expense was spared. According to our remarkably animated and uncontrollably enthusiastic guide, each square centimeter of the building itself is symbolic. The building is not officially complete, just as Europe herself is always under construction. There is a “very special” staircase which symbolizes Louise Weiss somehow, and the number 12 seems to play a major role here as well. Our guide made this abundantly clear.
This guide, this is the director of communications at one of the world’s most important institutions, who so creepily urged us to love his tulip benches and take as many photos as our cameras could hold. Who is this man? How should I feel about the European Parliament? With this experience, and the memories of the tours of the Council of Europe and that of the Court of Human Rights, I have to assume that the European Parliament is filled with stress, responsibility and the obligation to uphold the law of the perfection of the number 12, and also serve to integrate 27 (soon to be 28) very different countries.
Furthermore, as honestly absurd as that man was, his fervent behavior led me to feel that I had no choice other than complete obsession with the European Parliament, right along with him. I must know everything about the EU, and about the concept of European Integration. It’s pretty convenient that most of my courses this semester will focus on that idea.
Manifesting the Raging Beast
Well, I'm finally here. All of the anticipation, frustration, inoculation...over with. I'm in France: my dream country; The place where I one day hope to live, to flourish in the ancient culture, to escape my former mundane existence in America. This is a time of self discovery for me, as I left home with the aspirations of becoming a new man. Spreading my wings, rising from the ashes of my past failures as a phoenix, a shining beacon of inspiration for my friends and family back in Charles Town. Profundity, truth, love, motivation: All things that I wish to obtain simply by taking a plane, drinking fine wine and eating some stinky cheese. An eight hour layover and some embarrassing failed french conversations later, and I have obtained all of these goals. Yep, I'm a different person. I've kicked the drugs, gained a little self respect, and even made a few friends. Ok, so maybe I'm not the erudite, cultured philosopher that I had envisioned, but I'm getting there.
I lied...I'm not really sure what I feel at the moment. All I know is that there is still an aching in my stomach accompanied by a tempestuous confusion that shakes me to my core. Perhaps it's the manifestation of the my raging beast, dying to be freed. Perhaps it's simply the exorbitant amount of cheese and bread that I've been consuming as of late. How in the hell are these people so skinny? If there is anything I've been explicitly philosophizing about, it has been that. I don't mean to go on a tangent, but it bothers me. Some call America a culture of sheer indulgence. To this I say, have you EATEN a French croissant?
But I digress. I'm supposed to talk about my "experiences". So...where do I start? The first week was absolutely jam packed with excursions. If someone would have informed me of this mid-flight to France, I would have hijacked the plane and parallel parked that sucker right between my Honda Civic and the dilapidated pick up truck rooted in front of my house back in West Virginia. However, as is typical, I was wrong, and in retrospect, most of these excursions were unquestionably delightful and equally as enlightening. The two events that stand out in my mind are the trip down the Alsatian Rue de Vin, and the wonderfully orchestrated scavenger hunt through the Foret de la Robertsau. To be more specific, my favorite little village on the "wine road" was Kaysersberg, where the vines pervade throughout the sloping landscape, and the castles come to life! Well, not really, but I'm pretty sure I was the only one in our group to climb to the top of the 13th century cylindrical tower overlooking the unspoiled vineyards and quaint villages so vital to the culture and sustainability of the productive region. From there I could see everything, and I asserted my dominance over the town of Kaysersburg as its new king and supreme ruler. Afterward, I descended down to the tour bus, but not before buying a bottle of water at the bus stop vending machine, and relinquishing my crown.
The scavenger hunt was another must-do outing. This is one of those events scheduled by the Chateau that seemed childish and unnecessary at first, but in retrospect was an unforgettable experience. I am an outdoorsman. I love to camp, bike and climb. The solitude of a forest is my ultimate sanctuary, and let me tell you; This forest did not disappoint. Things in particular that struck me were was the utter absence of trash, the clarity of the water, and the diversity of the flora and fauna in the forest. NEVER had I seen water so clear, so transparent that if it wasn't for the occasional ripple or wave, I wouldn't have known it was there.I had to jump in. Though I was soaked, I trudged on. I asked my homeboy Zach to hold my wallet, and my group continued on and off the beaten paths , the wind in our hair and pristine wilderness all around us. I returned to the Chateau refreshed and elated. That bike ride was exactly what I needed.
And still I am abashed. I can't seem to shake this uneasy feeling of apprehension in my new country despite the wonderful trips and activities I've taken part in up to this point. It's as if I'm constantly having a premonition of my impending demise. I should stop and mention that this is pretty much always how I feel. If I'm truly going to embrace this experience, I need to force myself to let go of all that I hate. In order to accomplish all of the things that I initially set out to do, I am convinced that I need to observe, to learn, and ultimately to change myself and my outlook on life. I want to make friends, I want to go to "da club" (at least once), to leave my introverted nature, my worries and my insecurities rotting on the side of the wine road. I need to change. I need to learn how to live. I need to manifest my raging beast.
-Tyler Collins
I lied...I'm not really sure what I feel at the moment. All I know is that there is still an aching in my stomach accompanied by a tempestuous confusion that shakes me to my core. Perhaps it's the manifestation of the my raging beast, dying to be freed. Perhaps it's simply the exorbitant amount of cheese and bread that I've been consuming as of late. How in the hell are these people so skinny? If there is anything I've been explicitly philosophizing about, it has been that. I don't mean to go on a tangent, but it bothers me. Some call America a culture of sheer indulgence. To this I say, have you EATEN a French croissant?
But I digress. I'm supposed to talk about my "experiences". So...where do I start? The first week was absolutely jam packed with excursions. If someone would have informed me of this mid-flight to France, I would have hijacked the plane and parallel parked that sucker right between my Honda Civic and the dilapidated pick up truck rooted in front of my house back in West Virginia. However, as is typical, I was wrong, and in retrospect, most of these excursions were unquestionably delightful and equally as enlightening. The two events that stand out in my mind are the trip down the Alsatian Rue de Vin, and the wonderfully orchestrated scavenger hunt through the Foret de la Robertsau. To be more specific, my favorite little village on the "wine road" was Kaysersberg, where the vines pervade throughout the sloping landscape, and the castles come to life! Well, not really, but I'm pretty sure I was the only one in our group to climb to the top of the 13th century cylindrical tower overlooking the unspoiled vineyards and quaint villages so vital to the culture and sustainability of the productive region. From there I could see everything, and I asserted my dominance over the town of Kaysersburg as its new king and supreme ruler. Afterward, I descended down to the tour bus, but not before buying a bottle of water at the bus stop vending machine, and relinquishing my crown.
The scavenger hunt was another must-do outing. This is one of those events scheduled by the Chateau that seemed childish and unnecessary at first, but in retrospect was an unforgettable experience. I am an outdoorsman. I love to camp, bike and climb. The solitude of a forest is my ultimate sanctuary, and let me tell you; This forest did not disappoint. Things in particular that struck me were was the utter absence of trash, the clarity of the water, and the diversity of the flora and fauna in the forest. NEVER had I seen water so clear, so transparent that if it wasn't for the occasional ripple or wave, I wouldn't have known it was there.I had to jump in. Though I was soaked, I trudged on. I asked my homeboy Zach to hold my wallet, and my group continued on and off the beaten paths , the wind in our hair and pristine wilderness all around us. I returned to the Chateau refreshed and elated. That bike ride was exactly what I needed.
And still I am abashed. I can't seem to shake this uneasy feeling of apprehension in my new country despite the wonderful trips and activities I've taken part in up to this point. It's as if I'm constantly having a premonition of my impending demise. I should stop and mention that this is pretty much always how I feel. If I'm truly going to embrace this experience, I need to force myself to let go of all that I hate. In order to accomplish all of the things that I initially set out to do, I am convinced that I need to observe, to learn, and ultimately to change myself and my outlook on life. I want to make friends, I want to go to "da club" (at least once), to leave my introverted nature, my worries and my insecurities rotting on the side of the wine road. I need to change. I need to learn how to live. I need to manifest my raging beast.
-Tyler Collins
On the Bicycle and on the Trail, a first in my entire life!
On 9/9/2011 was the most peculiar day of my life. Christina, our group leader informed us that we were going on a scavenger hunt, riding bicycles on a trail in the woods. I do not know about other students, but it was my first time in my entire life to ride a bicycle, I mean literally ride on it and trail other people.
I was a little scared at first, but everybody got on their bikes and started riding, out of sheer curiosity and not wanting to be embarrassed, I braved myself and said inwardly, "I know I can do this." I got on the bike, zig zagged for a little while, then I got the bike into motion, of course, sometimes the bike would not cooperate with me and would be riding towards the trees, this did not discourage me, I kept on trying until I was riding behind other students, I did not fall even once, I did not hit a tree or another bike rider or a walker. I was riding, yes a little slower than other students, but bottom line I was riding. One can never know what they can do unless they try it. Ok?
Inside the forest, the trail was very wet, narrow and slippery, but I braved it on, mosquitoes had a field day on us, they were just buzzing, like to tell us we were in their territory and so they were going to "feed on our blood," and so to proof it, they stung us real bad, at one point I had these little creatures on my back, my legs and hands. Once we reached the lake, I could not go any further, I was thirsty and sweating like a pro, so the scavenger instructor excused me from continuing on, but told me I had to return to the Chateau all by myself. What? Oh well, he left and I had to do what I had to do to get back to the Chateau. Out of fear, I jumped on the bike and kicked it into gear, and off I went riding smoothly this time and really enjoying the breeze in the process. I did no stop until I got to the Chateau, parked my bike and jumped up in joy and said "Feliciticion Caroline, you did it!" Was that the ultimate French experience or what? Tell me about it, I got stories to tell when we return to the U.S.
I was a little scared at first, but everybody got on their bikes and started riding, out of sheer curiosity and not wanting to be embarrassed, I braved myself and said inwardly, "I know I can do this." I got on the bike, zig zagged for a little while, then I got the bike into motion, of course, sometimes the bike would not cooperate with me and would be riding towards the trees, this did not discourage me, I kept on trying until I was riding behind other students, I did not fall even once, I did not hit a tree or another bike rider or a walker. I was riding, yes a little slower than other students, but bottom line I was riding. One can never know what they can do unless they try it. Ok?
Inside the forest, the trail was very wet, narrow and slippery, but I braved it on, mosquitoes had a field day on us, they were just buzzing, like to tell us we were in their territory and so they were going to "feed on our blood," and so to proof it, they stung us real bad, at one point I had these little creatures on my back, my legs and hands. Once we reached the lake, I could not go any further, I was thirsty and sweating like a pro, so the scavenger instructor excused me from continuing on, but told me I had to return to the Chateau all by myself. What? Oh well, he left and I had to do what I had to do to get back to the Chateau. Out of fear, I jumped on the bike and kicked it into gear, and off I went riding smoothly this time and really enjoying the breeze in the process. I did no stop until I got to the Chateau, parked my bike and jumped up in joy and said "Feliciticion Caroline, you did it!" Was that the ultimate French experience or what? Tell me about it, I got stories to tell when we return to the U.S.
Visit to the European Parliament
Thursday, 9/8/2011, we visited the European Parliament, and by far this was the most fascinating visit of all the visits we have so far taken. The narrator, even though a little "weird" in our American standards, seemed very much into his job, and also very passionate about the whole EU Parliament history. He emphasized in no uncertain terms that the twelve stars on the EU Flag were unique, and the reason they were unique was simply..."twelve is perfection, and twelve is the perfect number, and no matter what, or no matter how many European countries join the Union, the number twelve will never change!" Hence the EU flag will also bear the twelve yellow stars.
The entrance to the EU Parliament is especially unique in that it is a wide circular open entrance named after the oldest member of the European Parliament, Madam Louis Weiss. As we walked up the Helix shaped stairway, made of white Italian marble and black slade, the narrator explained that the stairway was very special in that at the bottom of it is the "head" of Madam Louis Weiss, and the entrance adjacent to the special stairway is where all the VIP's namely the commissioners come through, the entrance was laid with red carpet to emphasize its importance.
The design of the entire building is a sheer piece of art. I could not imagine how the architects sat down and created such an awesome piece of work that would form a storybook story to be told from generation to generation. The narrator went on to inform us the construction of the EU parliament building is not complete, and that it will never be completed, the reason being according to the narrator "construction of Europe is a continuous process that will never end." This belief, is in itself a master piece of thought process.
The "icing on top of the cake" was the assembly dome, simply it is out of this world, I cannot possibly think of words that can describe the art and beauty of the Dome. From the blue seats that create such a magnificent arrangement to the roof dorned with thousands of shinny light bulbs to the center piece flag bearing the unique "twelve yellow stars" on blue background to the translators chambers, no words can describe the whole visit, except to say that this visit will live in me for the rest of my life.- Caroline
The entrance to the EU Parliament is especially unique in that it is a wide circular open entrance named after the oldest member of the European Parliament, Madam Louis Weiss. As we walked up the Helix shaped stairway, made of white Italian marble and black slade, the narrator explained that the stairway was very special in that at the bottom of it is the "head" of Madam Louis Weiss, and the entrance adjacent to the special stairway is where all the VIP's namely the commissioners come through, the entrance was laid with red carpet to emphasize its importance.
The design of the entire building is a sheer piece of art. I could not imagine how the architects sat down and created such an awesome piece of work that would form a storybook story to be told from generation to generation. The narrator went on to inform us the construction of the EU parliament building is not complete, and that it will never be completed, the reason being according to the narrator "construction of Europe is a continuous process that will never end." This belief, is in itself a master piece of thought process.
The "icing on top of the cake" was the assembly dome, simply it is out of this world, I cannot possibly think of words that can describe the art and beauty of the Dome. From the blue seats that create such a magnificent arrangement to the roof dorned with thousands of shinny light bulbs to the center piece flag bearing the unique "twelve yellow stars" on blue background to the translators chambers, no words can describe the whole visit, except to say that this visit will live in me for the rest of my life.- Caroline
First Day in Paris, France
We touched down at CDG airport, Paris at 5:15 a.m. local time. At the Immigration window, I greeted the officer with the little french I know so far, bonjour...he responded I think, and went on blablablabla. I excused myself and said in French, I speak little french. He said something else and went on, and on and on, I shrugged my shoulders, then he said "are you coming to Paris?", I said no, then he asked to see my school papers, I gave him my file, he said no, no, no, I looked at him blank and completely dumpfounded wondering what in the world, I have my visa, my boarding pass and by this time, my head is beginning to spin, then he said in perfect English...one paper please. Phew, I handed him my school itinerary, then he stamped my passport. Is that how they scare people?
- Caroline
- Caroline
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