Settling Back to Normal Life

After returning to the U.S. in December 2011, I found myself a little scattered in my mind.  The food tasted different, yet I wouldn't imagine trading my American greasy food with the French cuisine, I decided not to look at my photos in the hope I would forget Strasbourg quickly so as to fit back into my ordinary routine, alas, was I wrong or what.

Just until recently, when I visited Washington, D.C., I finally let go Strasbourg and now I think I might dig out my photos and enjoy the moments and memories of France.

Stay tuned, I shall keep you posted on what is going on with my interesting life.

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!

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! 

I need me some more Heidelberg!

Heidelberg is on my top list of the best places I have visited since coming to Europe.  Small, clean town not too crowded even though our tour guide informed us that there are 140,000 Heidelbergers, on top the three million visitors per year, was vibrant with life!  The cobblestone roads and narrow pathways were very clean, something I have not been used to seeing in Europe, and the vendors in the Christmas markets were very friendly and surprisingly, they spoke English as a matter of fact.  Other than the knickknacks in the markets, I did not feel like a stranger at all.  Sherell, Macy, Tyler C and myself decided to have lunch at the Subway, I was in line when the person behind me asked me where we were from, to my surprise he was from the State of Washington, and he too was visiting Heidelberg, the employees at the Subway spoke English too, we really felt like we were home, then later we went to Starbucks, now seriously, for a minute I forgot I was in Europe. 

Finally we took the cable car and up we went to the ruins of the 15th Century Castle.  Sadly we were not in the company of a tour guide, so we could not see the actual rooms of the castle, but we visited the museum and read quite a bit on the history of pharmaceutical engineering.  Looking at the many gadgets that the pharmacists of a long time ago used to use in creation of medicament's, it is unbelievable how far this industry has come.  Looking just at the structure of the castle, the blocks of stones that were used to build it, I concur with the tour guide's information that Heidelberg was completely burned down during the war, the only remaining thing was the castle.

If I was asked where in Europe I would like to return for a personal trip, definitely without a doubt, it would be Heidelberg.  The street adjacent to the river by itself is enough attraction to just stand and watch the boats moving slowly on the waters, and the bridge across the river gives one a whole view of the city of Heidelberg, even though the tour guide said the houses and apartments across the river "the sunshine place" are very expensive, I would wish to live on that side of Heidelberg, if ever I decided to come back to Heidelberg.

All in all our visit was very enjoyable and very fulfilling. - Caroline

What was the purpose?

Demographics has us as students!  18, 19, 20, or even 50 years old.  What then is the result of being in college without wishing to learn outside the box.  It just simply beats me to see students, did I just say students, or maybe travelers, maybe I am wrong, not travelers, clicks, is it groups of clicks, maybe not, maybe favorites, maybe not, what is the experience we are learning from this program, talking only to those you know, maybe not, hunging out with those you belong to, maybe not, talking behind each others backs, perhaps! learning something from our experiences here, maybe not, so what was the purpose?

It beats me to think that we could spend so much money to come out here and leave with no experience, if any.  What a shame this brings to my whole being, that we all embarked on a journey to make a little difference in our lives, if any, so close to leaving France and what can each one of us say we have borrowed from each other?  Nothing, maybe, Gossip, probably, disrespect, most likely, negative attitudes, maybe, profanity, perhaps, but remember, college will soon come and go, then what?  Everybody was once 18, so what?  The world is round, believe it or not, it is.  The ol' wise saying "a habit is a disease", have we picked any?

German Federal Constitutional Court

If I was a European, I would be living in the library searching history books and bringing myself up to speed in understanding the EU system, from an outsiders view, maybe it would be a good thing for all Europe to be integrated, but until you visit and study EU integration, one has no idea what the Europeans have been through, since 1950 to the present moment.  I am really grateful to this program, because what I have learned and continue to learn about the EU as a whole, is not even yet written in books.  Listening the the Clerk of the German Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, was entertaining, educating and above all confusing.

Now let me put myself in the shoes of an ordinary EU citizen, who has not been to college, how is it possible for the citizens to understand all what has been evolving in the EU?  I am not surprised that the EP voter turnout is so low, I just came to the conclusion why it so after reading a speech article in my Federalism Class.    According to the then foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, during his speech at Humboldt University in Berlin, in May 2000, "the nation-states are realities that cannot simply be erased, and the more globalization and Europeanization create superstructures and anonymous actors far removed from the citizens, the more the people will cling to the nation-states that give them comfort and security." Perhaps the generation that will understand the EU evolution will be tomorrow's generation, yes, I am taking four EU classes, reading a lot of material and still I am getting confused every time we visit an institution like the German Federal Constitutional Court.

I want to believe the EU citizens are even more confused, because they have to live the EU dream.  Even though I would wish for the EU to be fully federated and fully integrated, one Europe for all, I would still wish for more schooling so that each and every citizen of the EU can understand the gigantic EU and its benefits to the citizens.  With freedom of movement, there are many challenges to be faced, e,g, security, justice and defense, yet we have not even talked about a possible political integration.

Brussels, Really?

Growing up and finally visiting Europe, I had heard so much about Brussels.  I really wanted to visit the place to see what it is that is so special about Brussels.  Since I was young, I was curious to visit Brussels and find out why many world organizations chose Brussels to set shop.  Well the time finally came for that long awaited visit to the capital city of Belgium, and to my disappointment, I did not see what is so great about the place.  It is old and too busy, traffic was more or less like we experience in Georgia on a given day.  Cars "flying" this way and that way, people in hurry going some place, trains, full to capacity at all hours, the restaurants stay busy, and sitting arrangements are squeezed together.  So then, what is it about Brussels that is so great?  Finding the Commission offices was a nightmare, the weather was dull and wet, the walkways covered in large uneven cobblestones were simply not walker friendly, so why is it that Brussels is what it is, is precisely my question.

I do not know whether I can attribute my feelings towards Brussels to the hostel we stayed in, which was one of the poorest places I have ever stayed? or to eat all you can bread and cereal breakfast that was served at the hostel? I really do not have answers to these questions.  On our free time, I did not feel motivated to explore Brussels or even the surrounding area where the hostel was located, I cannot express my feelings while in Brussels, all I can say is that I simply hated my experience in Brussels.

Ok, we are students from the U.S., but the security we endured at the U.S. EU Representative Offices was unbelievable.  We had to wait to be escorted inside the building, in groups of fours, and if one decided to go to the bathroom, then the rest had to wait so that the escort could resume, once the briefing was over, we had to be escorted once again until we fetched our personal belongings and out of the building, this whole scenario of security measured was overplayed in my opinion and for that reason, I would not even want to come back to that office for paid or unpaid internship!

All in all I was glad when we left Brussels for SHAPE.  SHAPE was the icing on top of the cake, I enjoyed the briefing, which was lengthy but very informative, we were even served coffee and cookies, something I have noticed is not common in Europe, we took a group photograph and got copies before we left, I did not see anybody from the highly security minded place fuss about our visit, once the officer met us at the gate, gave us our visitors passes, that was all.  We could even take photographs of the buildings outside, so if there is a place I would like to come back and visit in Brussels, it would definitely be SHAPE.

All in all, I was glad when we finally got on the highway heading back to the Chateau.  - Caroline

What is Art?

Somebody, please tell me that you love Michelangelo, da Vinci, Raphael, and Rubens' artwork, because I do not.  Reading "The Innocents Abroad", Mark Twain, says "he was also dismissive of the art of Michelangelo, da Vinci, Raphel, and Rubens," I thought I was the only one in the whole world who did not like these great artists works, and I am sorry if you do love art or their works. I am one of those people, who have tried, even taken a class in Art Appreciation, but I cannot simply seem to understand what it is that people love in art.

When we visited the Strasbourg Museum of Modern Art, to tell you the truth, and I hate to disappoint Gregory, for I saw he has a lot of passion for art, and he himself is an artist, but there is nothing I saw at the Museum that wowed me, let along the painstaking explanation Gregory put in explaining the curves and how the artist was feeling working out those little curvy objects, in the name of art.

Please, just understand, even in France, the historical buildings have all those sculptures, but I see them as old and worn out and wish they could be taken down. Even Mark Twain, strangely shares my feelings when he "speedily wrote off St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, noting that "Its hoary traditions make it an object of absorbing interest to even the most careless stranger, and thus far it had interest for me; but no further....Every thing was worn out...." I apologize for my distaste of art and if a Museum was the last place on earth I would need to visit, in my entire life, then, I am sorry, I would have to pass.

Like Mark Twain, "while his disappointment in art and most antiquities was growing, his respect for craftsmanship was increasing, sometimes to his own surprise" I can feel him wholeheartedly, because I share his same sentiments, except I have respect for the craftsmanship and architectural designs of the French houses and buildings.  I could almost fill my entire camera with photographs of the half-timbered houses, brightly colored houses, some looking like no amount of thought was put into designing them, but still catching my eye.  I am loving them all and my camera has stayed rather busy every time I am on the bus or on the trams and I could almost see myself making a whole book of photos of these unique little houses.  What is their history and what do they represent?  Gregory might help me understand, why I am finding myself completely immersed into the art of French house designs.

As a matter of fact, it was only yesterday, I realized that I am weary of Atlanta's skyline.  Everything coming up seems to be all glassed up and squared in shape, I would wish some city in Georgia would borrow some French housing designs to give those people who do not travel abroad a sense of art in architecture outside subdivision vinyl covered homes that are so common place and boring to look at for long. - Caroline

Who is going to have enough "balls"?

Yesterday, Tyler Collins and I visited Kehl, Germany, even though it did not feel like going to another country, for me, who have had the experience of living in interlocked countries, and still needing a passport to travel in and out of those countries, namely Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, it felt really nice, knowing that in the EU citizens of different countries are now free to mingle with each other peacefully and without any travel documents.  You see for us from the U.S. of course moving from one state to another is very normal because of what was put in place by our Founding Fathers, so most Americans cannot understand the feeling I felt crossing into Germany, no visa required, no passport required and no different currency required, no immigration declarations and so forth.

It is hence my dream that one day, the EU will be federated like the U.S., one common currency for all, one common travel document for all and one common language for all!  This might be far fetched, but I would want to think that it is the next fundamental reform required in the EU.

Coming back to France and using our bus passes felt just simply wonderful.  The EU has achieved so much in the free movement of people, I wonder why then the Member States find it so hard to lose sovereignty.  The integration of Europe will never amount to anything much, unless Member States decide to loose their sovereignty!  Europe will be great when it is one Nation, one People, this is like asking for the impossible but that was Schman/Monnet's  idea in the first place, it has taken 50+ years to make some meaningful "baby steps", is it going to take another fifty or so years to make the next major steps?

As I read more into the EU integration, I hope I shall come across somewhere, where one of the Member States is willing and ready to lose their sovereignty, this might be the only cue other Member States are waiting for, and even though I do not know much of the politics in Europe, I hope still one Member State will be brave enough to set the ball rolling. I wish it was as simple as I am putting it, but I know of course, it is not ever going to be easy, but hey, some Member State got to have enough balls to do it, how, I do not know, but surely hope for that.

A community of sorts!

Living in a community is like living in one very large family with no mother or father, so generally, in the community there are no rules and no instructions, except it is expected that the community members would show compassion and care for one another, be pleasant with one another and above all show a little respect for one another, and if one does not feel like doing all these, nobody would care, they can choose to keep to themselves, and that by itself should not bother anybody in the community, because such actions are not hurting anybody else.  The kind of community I am talking about is not really the kind of community that we are otherwise used to, but is a very small community of sorts.

The community I am referring to is the student community that is living in at the Chateau.  Both students from WVU and GSU have met and live together as one family with same interests, going to school and getting that knowledge that brought us to France in the first place.  The reason we are all in college, is to make a difference in our lives and acquire skills that shall carry us for the rest of our lives.  Long after college work is over, we all expect, at some point, to acquire jobs in varied fields and in those fields, we shall meet and work amongst people we never met before, and there again, our living in a community roles will come to play once more.  They say, a habit is a disease, and some habits can follow us to our graves, but if we correct some of the habits we pick a long the way, we can learn to live better in a communal world.  What I do not understand is that this community of sorts, live and act like everybody for themselves and have the "don't care attitude", all I can say to this is, "the world is round, and somebody you meet today, might be the same person you might meet in the future at a job or at another community" things we do now, might come to haunt us later in our lives, nobody knows where our different educational skills will lead us.  So having said this, my only concern is the communal kitchen that we share.  I have observed people cook, eat and live the kitchen in undesirable state.  Dishes are piled high in the only two sinks with food on them for days on end, so I ask myself, if this was somebody's own home, would they really leave dishes with food for days in the sink?  I want to think in the negative, but what I have seen so far, leaves a lot to be desired.

It is a shame that if one uses a pot to cook cannot simply wash it so that the next person can have a clean pot to use, if they wish to cook in that particular pot.  Other times, people eat, make a mess on the communal table, and just leave, like hey wait a minute, who do you expect to clean that mess?  It is simple common sense that whenever one uses a communal item, glass, spoon, fork, knife or plate, these are not yours and hence should be cleaned immediately before existing the kitchen, but it bothers me to see people put their dirty dishes in the sink and comfortably leave the kitchen.  Enough said about this, let us continue in pursuit of our happiness minding and caring for the communal places we share. - Caroline

A Wonder of my World!

Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, even though not listed in the "Wonders of the World" I am not sure why, but as far as I am concerned, it might as well be.

Last Saturday, we left the Chateau at 8:15 a.m. for what turned out to be rather long day and very tiring, but worth every minute of the trip. My study abroad experience continues to open my eyes to things and places I never ever thought I would see in my life time.  Now, like they say "to go is to see," and to literally to translate those word to the present,  I would never have imagined a more interesting site to see.  This castle first built in the 12th Century for simple pleasure and weekend hung-outs for the then emperor of Germany or the Lord of France (I can't remember who they told us it was), it beats all sense.  My question is how did they, I mean the architects break the rock on top of the mountain to form the basic foundation for the castle?  Ok, after they melted the rock and flattened it to make a foundation, how did they take the rocks and bricks to build the castle on the tip of the mountain?  According to the narrator, who was very excited to give us the history of the castle, there was no water available atop the mountain, and a well, the only well and only source of water supply then was drilled at the entrance of the castle", the well it is still there, since we were in awe, we did not ask whether it still has water or not. How many feet they had to drill to get to the source of the water beats me!

As we started our journey inside the castle, I was thinking, the rooms must be very small and maybe could only fit a few people at a time, to my surprise, the rooms were quite sizable, bedrooms, kitchen, ballrooms and even toilets that were then outside the exterior walls of the castle, which I imagined, were well decorated, but even though they had beautiful cloakrooms, the pit latrines were an open ended bottom that took in the lords' and princess' human waste, to the outside of the castle walls, the toilets were not the type of flash toilets we have today, but the waste was to be washed by rain water, enough information, just imagine the rest!

Anyway, all in all the castle is a master piece and for it to have withstood brutal attacks from war to war, and even though it was restored to almost its original state in 1908 and stands as such to this day, I must commend the builders of then and the young architect who restored the castle for a whole 8 years, to almost its original state.  Long live the dream world of "natural" architects!! - Caroline

Different Worlds, Different Centuries, Similar Story!

I am in awe, reading the story of Gustave Flaubert and his love NOT for his mother country, France, but for another country completely different from his own.  Egypt was his love, as America was my love.  Since he was young, he hated his own country, its people, their manners and even their food and animals.  He found refuge in what he later came to name "the Orient" for happiness, even though my desire to leave my country was not as profound as Flaubert's, it is ironical that a man born in a different world, different century  could have a similar story of a girl born thousands of miles and centuries apart.

Growing up in a small village in Kenya, I found myself far removed from the needs and likes of my peer group.  While in middle school learning the world Geography, I was overly interested in the North American continent, I would read keenly about the cotton-belt, the large rivers, the five big lakes, and even though I was young, I had decided that one day, America would be my home.

Going back to Flaubert's story, he was disgusted by the weather in his country, he did not care for beautiful places like Normandy or La belle, France, he believed strongly that he had been "transplanted by winds" to his mother-country, having been born elsewhere, he did not think he was born in Egypt, or China, or wherever, all he knew and believed was that he was not a  "product" of France.

Whereas for me, I knew I was born and bred in Kenya, but I refused that I must grow and live in Kenya, I strongly knew I wanted to belong to another country, even though America was my chosen country, it really did not matter to me where I would eventually end, all I knew, just like Flaubert, wished and longed for "the Orient" I wished and longed for America.  He was young, had no money of his own, so all he could do was to simply wish and dream about the "orange trees, palm trees, lotus flowers and cool paved  pavilions in marble   with wood-panelled chambers that talk of love!"  He would ask himself questions like 'Will I never see necropolises, where toward evening, when the camels have come to rest by their wells, hyenas howl from beneath the mummies of kings?"  I, on the other hand had no money either, but would ask myself, "will I never see Hollywood, where great movies seen all over the world are made?"  Flaubert wishes came true at twenty-four when his father died unexpectedly, leaving him a fortune that allowed him to waste no more time dreaming, but to go to where his heart was.  Unfortunately, I never got any fortune like Flaubert, even though my opportunity to move to my country of desire, did not come as early as Flaubert's, it finally came sixteen years ago.

I know a lot of people reading this blog might not relate or even naively think that one can be born in one place, but the heart belongs to another place, and when one has that feeling, it does not matter how good their life is or how much love one has for their family, one must leave to fulfill their heart's desire, one might not even have enough money to do so, but like they say "where there is a will, there is a way!".  I am as much Red Indian as Kenyan, like Flaubert said, he was as " much Chinese as French."  Truly, it does not matter who you are today, than who you will be tomorrow! - Caroline

Falling in love with the French architecture and falling out-of-love with the luck of a simple yet important basic human right!!

I do not seem to get enough of the French architecture, cobblestone streets and the small vanity stores all around Homme de Fer, Broglie and Place Kleber.  Everytime I visit these towns, I am walking with my head up, admiring the different half-timbered houses and Gothic spires, and in so doing, I am connecting to the French I have read in history books and seen in movies.

Growing up, I heard so much about the French, their culture and food, and reading about the French Revolution, I am yet to come across food I may say is truly French, other than the Baguette, which I have seen being sold in the open air market, I do not know yet what else is French food.  I am yet to experience the real French food, and I also want to blame the world of scientifically altering foods in the world, in that foods, especially vegetables that were traditionally American or African, are now easily available in other countries including France.  Since coming to France, I have not missed any vegetables that I like to eat back in Georgia, the supermarkets are well stocked with all brands of "our" vegetables, or shall say, the world's vegetables? 


One thing I have really enjoyed while window shopping around Homme de Fer and the neighboring towns, is that the stores are quite small, and not overly stocked like our stores back at home.  Even I was really surprised that Louis Vuitton is so small in size, yet France is its home base.  The only store that really reminds me of stores back home is the Galeries Lafayette.

Of course, not everything in France is all "glitters and gold", the most disappointing thing so far is that it appears to me that the French do not have a "right to a bathroom" in their Human Rights provision, unless you ask for a bathroom, most places they are not easily visible and yesterday, I had to ask several people in the Galeries Lafayette, where their bathrooms were, finally I was told "they" were on the 2nd Floor, do you believe that?  No bathroom on the ground floor, no bathroom on the first floor, except on the 2nd Floor?  Americans would be ready to sue somebody for this luck of provision of a basic Human Right.  The most disappointing thing was that after finally finding the bathrooms, to my utter shock and given size of the store and its expensive merchandise, it was only one, and very filthy, the clothe hand towel was all wet and running freely to the seemingly dirty floor, this took my love for shopping at the Galeries Lafayette.  If I knew good written french, this would be going down on the dailies all over France.  It is a shame, seriously for a store of this size to have a bathroom in such a state.   - Caroline

What is it about the French that is fascinating?

Coming from the library this afternoon, I saw a lady with her two children, a little boy probably aged 6 years and a little girl maybe 2-3 years old.  She was riding her bicycle with the little girl on a babysit on her bicycle and the little boy was riding his own little bicycle in front of her. She had groceries in a bag in front of the bicycle and was busy talking to the little girl.  I was wishing I could take them a picture.  They just looked happy and free from worries.  They created a picture in my mind that was so beautiful.  For a minute I wondered what is so perfect about this scenario?  It occurred to me that the French have many ways of transportation, and most people of low to middle income do not waste their hard-earned salaries on the most expensive commodity in the world....gas!  The French use, public transportation, buses and trams, which are in plenty, at least every 10-15 minutes there is a bus going to the city or coming from the city, the wait time for the trams is almost no wait at all, thousands use the bicycles, and the bicycles have their own designated pathways, others use the roller skates, and a lot more simply walk.  Hence the roads have traffic but not near as bad as any street in Georgia or its outskirts.

Close to the Chateau, I met yet another mother with her two little children, one looked like six months old and the other about a year and half.  She was riding her bicycle and the children were in a carrier at the back with the front covered with mesh net all the way round.  This here made me to stop and look at them until they disappeared out of my eyesight, I thought to myself, what a way to save money and have fun with your children, not going to the movies, but enjoying nature and fresh air.

Even with the down-spiral of the world economy, I have not seen one home here in Strasbourg, with a sale sign or foreclosure screaming at my face, I have not seen any boarded homes.  Does it mean the bad economy is not affecting the French, and if it is is not, it must be because of the way they do not waste their money on unnecessary clothing or big cars or women spending all their money on nail spas, come to think of it, I have not seen one nail shop this far, I have been to the mall and I do not remember seeing anybody with bags and bags of shopping.  The mall stays busy, with people just walking and chatting, but seriously I think we can borrow a leaf from the French.  Most of their cars are sedans, and some are really small, which I see moving along side the traffic without any problems.  Occasionally, I have seen an SUV mainly Jeeps or the BMWs, nothing really like we have at home.  How about, I have not seen a single car wash place!

To know the French are serious about saving the environment, there are no plastic bags at the supermarkets.  You have to purchase your own bug to carry your groceries in, or simply carry them on your hands.  I do not know, there might be other things among the French which might not be as good as the ones I have mentioned above, but if you think how much we are hurting back home financially, we could change our ways some and perhaps live better lives without the daily struggles we go through, do not get me wrong, I do not say we start riding bicycles, that is not in our culture, and I do not say we start walking and putting our children in public transportation to go to school, all I am saying is, we can cut down on some expenses and save our money, after all it is our money, we work hard for it, and it should not be used on shopping sprees to enrich the shop owners while we live from pay check to pay check, or buy food we do not need. Everyday as I walk to the bus-stop, I ask myself, what is it about the French that is fascinating? I have not seen a lot of French taking a bunch of children to the McDonald's, I see old women and men walking, I see people everywhere carrying a single French bread, without many bugs full of groceries, does it mean the French do not like to eat like we do?  I am yet to see a liquor store in Strasbourg, do these people drink anything else besides wine?
Americans save your money, and take time for real vacations.  It is simply beautiful to travel to other parts of the world and see first hand how other people live, they are just like us, so why don't we make some changes?  I know the experience I am getting out of this trip will definitely impact my whole life, and even if I do not buy me a bicycle once we return home, I am definitely going to save my money from now on, and try and see the world.  - Caroline

My First Day in France

 Originally posted: Tuesday, September 6, 2011

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

On the Bicycle and on the Trail, a first in my entire life!

Originally posted: Friday, September 9, 2011

Today, was the most peculiar day, since coming to Strasbourg, France.  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, 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, and Viola, there 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. 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 we were in their territory, so to proof it, they stung us real bad. Once we reached the lake, I could not go any further, I was thirsty and sweating like a pro,  so the scavenger instructor excused from continuing one, but told me I had to return to the Chateau all by myself.  Well, I had a bike and I had to return to where we started, out of fear, I kicked that bike in gear, and off I went 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."  Is this the ultimate French experience or what?  Time will tell.- Caroline

Visit to the European Parliament

 Originally posted: Thursday, September 8, 2011


Today we visited the European Parliament, and by far this was the most fascinating visit of all the visits we have so far taken. From the minute we entered the breathtaking open Louis Weiss circular entrance to the minute we walked up the Helix shaped stairway, made of white Italian marble and black slade, I was in awe. 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 fact that the building housing the EU Parliament is still under construction and that according the narrator, the construction is a continuous process that will never end based on the fact that constructing the European Union is in itself a continuous construction process that will never end, is awesome. 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 twelve yellow stars on blue background, no words can describe the whole visit, except to say that this visit will live in me for the rest of my life.- Caroline

Homme de Fer

Since coming to Strasbourg, France, I thought Strasbourg was where EM is, but alas to my surprise, I decided to venture a little further, took the tram to Homme de Fer, when I got there, I was in utter shock.  There were lots of people, moving along side the tram lines, on bikes, and literally all over the place, eating out in the open air restaurants, going in and out of stores, I said to myself, huh, this is where it happens!  I started going from store to store, and if I tell you, this city has everything one needs, then you better believe me, it has, but it will break your bank account, be warned!


Every store I visited, it was different from the previous one, nice little keepsakes, pastries, ice-cream, pretzels, doughnuts, etc., there was even a Fantastic Market ("the devil market"), where you can get any type of tattoo, there was a man made up in makeup, with a hump on his back, with blood streaming out of his eyes, at first he he really looked real, and really scared the women, including myself, I thought, it is not Halloween yet? but at a closer looker, it was just makeup that made him look strange, and part of the attraction to the "devil market!".

There is even a "Victoria Secrets" for those who care to shop Victoria Secrets.  It is more pricier though.  If you have little babies in your family, there is a must see store for all types of kiddie stuff, really nice and I will be going back here for my granddaughter's gifts.  Now, I would advise those who like sports shoes, (the Nikes, Jordans, Fila, etc) to reconsider, when thinking of buying these type of shoes from this city.  They are really pricey, but if you want some colors that you have not seen at home, then I would suggest you treat yourself, they did have some beautiful standout colors, I have not yet seen at home.


Oh my, how can I forget my favorite store,  if I lived in France, this would be my store of choice to shop at. The Lafayette Enfant, http://www.galerieslafayette.com/, is where ladies of class can fit and spend their money.  The purses are beautiful, but they are of course out of reach for students like us, talking about me now, I do not know about y'all, but if you can afford to spend 179€ for a purse, more power to you.
 
For those who like American Chinese, I would suggest you try the Wazawok Restaurant, and of course, you might never eat American Chinese again.  It is that good!


Louis Voitton, http://www.louisvuitton.com/fr/flash/index.jsp?direct1=stor&direct2=114 was around the corner, beautiful real Louis, ok ladies, treat yourselves, at least to one real purse before you leave France.- Caroline

A Day in my Life!

If I tell you how awesome the Cathedral in Place Kebler is, it will be understatement, and if  you do not make a point to visit it, then you will have missed a "wonder of this world".  Since coming to Strasbourg, I was told briefly about the Cathedral, I thought to myself, huh, it might just be like other Cathedrals I have seen in other parts of the world.  Now this Cathedral in Place Kebler is not just a wonder of the world, but a real marvel of the entire world.  It stands up to some mighty height, was told is 300 years old.  Now, the design is unique in that it has several designs both inside and outside. The wall are thick made of pure rocks. When we entered the Cathedral, I was in total disbelief that this building was actually built by human beings, what were the architects thinking?  From the entrance to the roof, from the stained glass to the floor, it was breathtaking.  As soon as we entered inside, and I started looking up and down to take in all the wonder in front of my eyes, I could not put my head down, it felt like I was in another world, there are sculptures of all sorts adorning the walls, some mighty columns, a special clock that at the strike of every hour, a gong hits the bell and the church bells ring, then the "little people" above the clock change positions, I cannot simply explain in words how this happens, but it is a must see place.  It felt so holy to be inside as hundreds of people mingled in silence with cameras turned to non-flash.

The lighting inside the Cathedral is deemed with many candles are lite on tables, where one can stop and proclaim in silence their love to each other or simply say a silent devotion.  The deemed lighting gave it that feeling of a holy place.  The Alter is unique like no other I have ever seen.  This Cathedral I must say must have taken years to build, it has corners and corners, entrance after entrance, small original chairs, not the traditional church pews, just simply little chairs that have darkened over time, but still carries the originality in them sit in place, maybe just like they did three hundred years ago..

Finally, I asked one of the attendants, if I could fetch "holy water" he told me he would call somebody to help me with that request, when the person came, he asked me to follow him, we sent to this old, I guess a stone urn, I believe must be as old as the Cathedral, he opened the top, I was almost expecting the "hand of Jesus" to take my bottle and fill it with the holy water. As he filled my bottle, I was wondering where I had seen an urn  of that shape,  then it occurred to my mind that such urns are the type you only read about in the bible.

As we finalized our trip with my classmate inside the Cathedral, I saw the place for repentance, and a stool where you could kneel and pray, I knelt on that stool and said a prayer to St. Joseph or it might as well be St. John, bottom line, I felt really good about the whole visit and this will be a day to remember in my life. - Caroline

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