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
9/13/2011
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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