Sentimental Heart

- 29 November 2011 -

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

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

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

-Jessica Fitzgerald

Supplementary Text "Frank" Appraisal

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

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

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

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

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

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas. - Caroline

Aurevior!

Thoughts on Voss

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

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

Are We Really THAT Interesting?

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

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

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

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

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

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

On to the next one (New and Improved)

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

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

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

Open to something new

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

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

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

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

Lurker of Chalice

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

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

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

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

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

-Tyler Collins