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Blogs -
Postings from resident directors and students currently abroad, important announcements and useful infomation for planning your study abroad experience.
February 2008 Entries
What was your favorite part of the program?
I don't even know where to begin...Most of all, the fact that the tuition for the Abroadco program included so many of the outings and extra's so that it was set up before we arrived was soooo helpful. – Shannon
My favorite part of the program was my class. I took an Italian fashion trends class which allowed me to learn about fashion from a point of view that I may never get the chance to do again. – Maggie
All of the day and weekend trips that Nikki took us on. Every single one of them was amazing, there wasn't one trip I didn't love. – Samantha
Florence, the city is perfect. It's small enough to walk everywhere and to get a sense of safety. Also the school was great. – Jacquelyn
What did you like most about your program city and country?
Florence is a beautiful city with so much to offer. I liked how everything was within walking distance or a short bus ride away. It is a great central location in Italy which makes it easy to get pretty much anywhere else in the country within about 3 hours. The art, history, and culture of Italy, specifically Florence was very interesting to me. – Jenna
I loved the food, culture (art history), and various street markets. I also enjoyed the performances on the streets. – Julia
I loved the atmosphere. I loved being around Italians. – Bradley
What I know now but wish I had known before I left
I would have packed a warmer everyday coat. I also would have packed more dressy clothes and less t-shirts because Italians dress nicer than Americans. I would have researched the other Italian cities and European countries that I wanted to travel to. – Jacquelyn
Not to pack a lot. – Connor
I would have like to know the language better before I came. – Sarah
I wish I would have used my time better there so I could have seen more places. – Katherine
What was your favorite excursion?
Cinque Terre, It was an amazing experience to go to these beautiful cities, we had time to go in the water, lay on the beach and hike the 2 hour trail between cities which offered some amazing views, I may never see again. I loved every moment of the hardest hike I've ever taken in my life. I wanted to do it again, but I didn't have enough time. – Samantha
Verona. The opera was cool and the city was nice. – Connor
My favorite one was a Chianti wine tour. I really enjoyed this, and it was something I may have not gotten around to doing if it wasn't planned for me. – Maggie
Siena, It was what I pictured Italy to be, very pretty. – Caitlin
It's finally starting to feel like springtime is Paris! Flowers are blooming in all the parks and everyone seems to be in a better mood. Paris really is beautiful this time of year. My roommates and I have started walking everyday in the park by our house, so we are really soaking up the nicer weather and the beautiful flowers. The warmer weather here has also prompted more cafe sitting and city exploring. I have class at the same time and location as my roommate Jenn, so we have been discovering sweet little cafes and delightful food (my recent obsession are bagels which are very hard to find in Paris). I must admit, I am completely in love with Paris. I keep having dreams about leaving and I wake up really sad. I really miss everyone, but Paris feels like my home now- I can't imagine not being able to walk down the street to the local boulangerie for an almond croissant, or seeing Notre Dame right when I step out of class, or going out at night and meeting people from lots of different countries. Paris is truly a magnificent city!
Another magnificent city that I recently visited is London. My cousin Christina lives there so I went to visit her and just be out of France for a few days. I took the eurostar (the high-speed train that goes under the English Channel) so two hours after leaving Paris, I was in London. It was really weird getting off the train and being in an english speaking country! I saw all the major sights and took a long audio tour of Westminster Abby which was really interesting. I walked around by myself a lot of the first day because Christina was at work and I noticed myself being really awkward speaking ENGLISH! Ha! It was weird not saying 'pardon' or 'merci'. The next day Christina and I explored Notting Hill (where she lives) and then drove/walked around the city. London is so beautiful. After three days in London, I took the train to Cambridge to visit a friend. I think Cambridge is the ultimate college town. The town has an incredible amount of history and beauty, but it also has lots of college kids and hip places to go. On the eurostar back to Paris, I realized that I am not ready to be back home yet. I really enjoyed England, but it did remind me a lot of home. There are some of the same grocery stores, people speak English, and you  can even find some brands of food that we have in the US. While I enjoyed these things immensely while I was there, it made me realize that I kind of like not having that stuff and being in a completely different environment.
We had our first Abroadco excursion of the semester- Cancale, St. Malo, and Mont St. Michel. Cancale is a small fishing town where we enjoyed some delicious food while looking over the bay. Mont St. Michel was just a short bus ride from Cancale and is a massive island/rock (think Alcatraz but closer to land) that has been around since the 6th century. It has had a massive amount of history including being a place where the archangel Michael appeared and blew a hole in some guys head, it has a monastery, and it was also a prison. It has become very touristy, but still very impressive to see. St. Malo is a walled port city in Brittany where pirates and buccaneers used to live. We got a tour of the city then enjoyed a relaxing (and surprisingly warm) day on the beach :)
School has started again and this semester I am taking my grammar course, as well as two lecture classes (Big Names in French History, and Regions of France). My brother, Tyson, is coming to visit me in a few days! I am SO excited! We will be traveling to Amsterdam and Madrid and doing lots of touristy things in Paris. Very exciting!
What was your favorite part of the program?
I enjoyed many parts of the program, but my favorite part was probably the relationships I built  with a few of the other students and the time we spent together exploring the city and other neighboring cities. – Melissa
I didn’t really have a favorite part because I liked it all: the exursions, every day life, the people, the classes, etc. – Meghan
What did you like most about your program city and country?
I liked the lifestyle and Nice was a great environment to be in for the summer. – Elizabeth
La plage! The people, the way of life, everything about the culture, I can't wait to go back. – Erin
What I know now but wish I had known before I left
How much I would love it there and that I would want to stay longer. – Kathleen
It is possible to do study abroad on a budget, but it's always good to bring an emergency fund for unexpected events. – Melissa
How to speak better French. – Dmitriy
What did you like most about your housing?
Living with all my friends and having my own space. - Katarina
I had my own bathroom, the location was great, and I had a balcony. Also dishes, towels, and linens were provided. – Kathleen
I liked having my own room, bathroom & kitchenette. – Sarah
The location near Vieux Nice. – Erin
What was your favorite excursion?
When we went to Tende because it was something I never would have been able to do by myself and never would have known about. – Kathleen
Tende, FR because it was an adventure! We rode up a mountain in a 4X4 and then went hiking during the day and saw 5,000 year old engravings. It was amazing and unexpected; truly special. One of my favorite parts about my whole experience abroad. The little town of Tende was also great because we were there during a small festival. Highly recommended. – Melissa
Studying abroad can be one of the most exciting and enriching experiences in your life. But coming home can be one of the most confusing and frustrating. You’re happy to be home and see your family and friends. You finally have a car again and you know where everything is. So why are you not happy to be home?
There are several factors that can cause us to feel these emotions.
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Life seems “boring” at home, not as exciting as your host country. Sometimes this happens because we take for granted all there is to do at home because it’s always been there. And, at home we have all the responsibilities that we didn’t have when we were abroad.
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Things may have changed while you were gone. Don’t expect everybody and everything to stay the same just because you weren’t there. Your friends and family have lives apart from you and they continued to develop, changing jobs, moving, falling in and out of love, etc. And it seems that nobody wants to listen to your experiences or look at all the photos you have taken. They’re more interested in telling you what they did while you were gone.
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You miss all the friends you made during your study abroad experience. They understood what you were going through, while no one at home does.
You may not notice how the routine, norms and values of your host country have become part of you. Whether it is speaking in another language or eating different foods, you are used to doing things a certain way and now are expected to pick up American habits again. After having been exposed to a different culture, some of the customs you never paid attention to before seem very strange. Some students commonly react to the faster pace of life, a perception of superficiality in interactions, and the favoring of individuality over sense of community. You may feel quite frustrated at first over these conflicting attitudes and values. You are fortunate to know two value systems now and can choose which values to incorporate into your life.
The important thing for you to realize is that these feelings are normal. Each person who studies abroad has a different reaction to the experience, so don’t compare yourself with your friends who studied abroad with you. And remember there are resources on campus to help you. Your study abroad advisors have all experienced this to some extent themselves and can provide some good coping mechanisms. Counseling Services can also help you as you go through this process.
Okay, I wasn't going to tell anyone about this. But, after confessing to my colleagues here at Abroadco why I had to take the morning off (and listening to them laugh at me), I decided to share this with the world.
I let my passport expire. Yes, I am an international educator and yes, I tell students to make sure to apply for their passports early. But as many of you (at least those of you in the position to give advice to others) know, we don't always practice what we preach.
I am leaving for Europe in two and half weeks to visit our programs in Germany and Italy. I knew I needed to renew my passport and just kept forgetting about it. So finally today I went to do it. I thought it would be quick and easy - go to the passport acceptance office (in this case, Arizona State University) with all my documentation and payment and they would send it in. I neglected to realize that even an expedited passport will take three weeks.
The nice woman at the office referred me to a passport expediting service. I went there, filled out more forms, paid all the expediting fees, and was told I had to go back to the ASU office to sign my documents, etc. So, I go back there, pay those fees and get all the documents made official and put in a sealed envelope. Then, I had to go back to the expediting service to turn in the envelope so they can send it off. What was supposed to be a 20 minute process turned into two hours.
What is the lesson here?
- Don't neglect to renew your passport!
- If you are planning to study abroad and will need a visa, make sure you apply for your passport as far in advance as possible!
- Don't procrastinate!
So, after paying an additional $175 I will get my passport next week. I can breathe a sigh of relief that I will be able to go on my trip. But I won't forget to renew my passport early 10 years from now!
- Ann
Here's what some of our students who are studying abroad this spring are saying:
I am having a great time. I couldn't really ask for anything more. Every day has been very exciting and is filled with wonderful and new experiences.
Maggie, Paris
Things are going well. Classes are good and I have been traveling all over Italy. I'm going to Milan this weekend with my class for fashion week. We're going to some fashion shows and exhibits. It should be really fun.
Sarah, Florence
I wanted to let you know that I am having such a great time in Spain and thanks for everything and for helping me get here.
Colleen, Granada
I am all good. We just started our Sorbonne classes today. And my AUP class is going good. We took our first excursion to Mont Saint Michel, and I am about to take a weekend trip to Amsterdam Next weekend. I am loving Paris.
Andrew, Paris
Things have been going very well the past few weeks. I'm really enjoying my classes and I've gotten pretty close with some of the other Abroadco girls. We actually just visited Dublin and Italy, and it was really fun.
Gwynne, Aix-en-Provence
The excursion this past weekend was amazing.. I'm pretty sure everyone had a great time. Holly and Tawna are great.
Rebecca, Paris
Things are going really well so far. Just got back from Italy last night. It was a great time. I'm really enjoying Granada and my host family is great, and my roommate is great, so everything is going great. Our host parents are very accommodating to us and make really great meals.
Ben, Granada
Everything's going great here! I'm having a wonderful time! My roommates are awesome and this city is amazing.
Tiffany, Florence
On February 13, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act. This is a step forward for this bill to establish study abroad as a national priority. The bill passed the House last year and has garnered strong bipartisan support in the Senate. It will now to to the Senate floor for a vote.
The goal of the Simon Act is to "Establish an innovative public-private partnership to create a more globally informed American citizenry." This will be accomplished by:
- Increasing participation in quality study abroad programs.
- Encouraging diversity in the student population who studies abroad.
- Diversifying locations in study abroad, particularly in developing countries.
- Making study abroad a cornerstone of higher education.
We at Abroadco are active supporters of this legislation and encourage you to contact your senators to express your support as well. To learn more how to do this please visit the NAFSA: Association of International Educators website, http://www.nafsa.org/public_policy.sec/commission_on_the_abraham.
In this election year, don't be left out of the process just because you will be studying abroad! If you are planning on going abroad this fall, make sure to request an Absentee Ballot well in advance! Here's the process:
1. Register to vote if you are not already registered.
2. Complete and mail the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) Form (SF-76) at least 60 days before the election. If you are registering to vote at the same time, you will need to send it in even earlier.
3. Your local election official will approve the registration request or will request further information.
4. Your absentee ballot will be mailed to you, usually 30-45 days before the election.
5. You vote and mail the absentee ballot to the local election official in time to meet state deadlines.
In order to use the FPCA you must be a U.S. citizen and 18 years of age or older.
Here are some useful links:
FPCA Form: http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefpca.pdf
FPCA Instructions: http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/vag/appendix_f.pdf
State by State Absentee Registration and Voting Procedures: http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/vag.html#ch3
Absentee Voting FAQ: http://www.fvap.gov/pubs/faq.html
Well it is definitely Christmas time in Paris! There are lights and decorated trees ALL over the city. Paris is definitely the most magnificent city I have ever seen during the holiday season. All the grand magasins (big department stores) have elaborate window displays and the Champs-Elysees is literally covered in lights. Unlike Thanksgiving and Halloween, all the patisseries (bakeries) have decorations and special treats for the holidays.
My December has been extremely festive, starting out with a trip to Strasbourg to see the Christmas markets. Strasbourg is on the border of Germany and France and is in the Alsace region. The town has gone back and forth between France and Germany over the years , but is currently French territory. Every year, the entire town turns into a little North Pole- EVERYTHING CHRISTMAS. There were lights and decorations all over. I dont think there was one house or building that wasn't decorated. There were vendors set up all over the town selling mostly home-made crafts, foods, drinks, and unique gifts. It was a bit overwhelming because of the crowds, but overall it was enjoyable.
My wonderful mother sent me a package with some Christmas decorations, so me and my roommates bought a Christmas tree and decorated it. It was my first time getting a tree without my family, but we all made the best of it. We all have stockings and our apartment looks very festive. I have been collecting presents for my roommates all month- we all got each other presents and are also all contributing things to each other's's stockings. We are like little kids- counting our presents, trying to convince one another to open presents early.
We are planning a wonderful Christmas. Tonight (xmas eve) we are ordering sushi and drinking champagne and then we are getting dressed up and going to Notre Dame for midnight mass. Tomorrow morning we will open our stockings and presents. In the afternoon we will go ice skating at Hotel de Ville, then we are making a vegetarian feast and eating together in front of our fireplace. I think it will be a very very merry Christmas.
The weather here has been VERY cold. It has been in the 30s for the past few weeks. I have finally broken down and bought a pair of mittens :) My friend Harasyn (my roommate Freshmen year) is coming to visit me on the 31st and staying for 10 days. We will be visiting a lot of museums and also ringing in the New Year together. I am SO excited that a little piece of home is coming to Paris!
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Well, it's been about a month since my last email and a lot has been going on around here! My roommates and I had a wonderful Christmas. We went to midnight mass at Notre Dame, went ice skating, opened presents while eating fresh croissants, and made a wonderful vegan feast for dinner! My friend from Dominican came to visit for New Year's Eve. We had a lot of guests over the first few weeks of January with Natasha's family, my friend, and Jenn's friend all here at once. We all went to a few museums (including the Musee D'orsay and the Louvre), climbed the tower of Notre Dame (AMAZING view of the city), and saw some of the main Paris attractions. One highlight was making baguette sandwiches, wearing berets, and eating lunch under the Eiffel tower. So very French. Another highlight was going to a very exclusive club with Natasha's brother. He used to be a club promoter in LA and got all of us into the VIP section at Club VIP on the Champs Elysees. We later found out that the only people that can get into the club are either really rich or famous. Pretty cool that we all got in and were VIP :)
Once my friend left, I started classes again and began intense studying. I had my final a week ago and I am very relieved now. I think it went well, but I wont find out how I did for another two weeks.
The real excitement of the month was my trip to Stockholm, Sweden! My two roommates, Jason (Natasha's boyfriend), and I all went to Stockholm for the weekend. We left very early on Friday morning and after two bus rides and a plane trip, we arrived in Stockholm at around 4 pm. The weather was clear and cold- about 34 degrees F. The first thing we got excited about were the vegan hotdogs sold in the train station! France is seriously lacking vegan/vegetarian food, so this was like paradise for four vegetarians. The hostel we decided to stay in was on a boat! It was an old ship turned into a hostel so the room we all shared was the size of a walk in closet with two port holes. It was small.. but totally worth staying in a boat on the Baltic Sea. That evening, we walked to Gamlastan which is considered 'old town' and explored a little. We ate at a little cafe where the portions were HUGE (I think this was in comparison to French portions) and the people were welcoming. After dinner, we went to a pub we had read about that is the oldest bar in Stockholm and had Irish coffee. We were worn out from our day of traveling, so we went back to our boat, got in our PJs, and sat on the deck looking out over the city- it was beautiful.
The next day we woke up early and went back to Gamlastan for breakfast. I got a latte (anything other than cafe au lait and espresso are non existent in France) and a Swedish pastry of some kind. The cafe was so cute- candles and pillows all around. For the remainder for the day, we walked around pretty much ALL of Stockholm. We saw the royal palace, glimpsed the oldest ship still afloat (we decided 15 dollars was too pricey to see a really old ship), the most beautiful 7-Eleven ever, went to lots of candy stores, touched the Baltic Sea, ate more Swedish pastries, and just enjoyed being in a place where the people speak English and the air feels fresh.
I absolutely adored Sweden. The people were very welcoming and warm, the food was good, there were candy stores everywhere, and everything was cheaper than Paris. It was like a breath of fresh air being there for the weekend. Sweden is definitely a country I would love to return to and explore more fully.
I am back in Paris now for a week before I head off to London and Cambridge. I am visiting my cousin, Christina, who lives in London and a friend of a friend who lives in Cambridge. I'm so excited!!
Life in Paris is as wonderful as ever. My roommates are better than I could have ever imagined! We all had so much fun traveling to Stockholm together. My cheeks were throbbing from laughing so hard by like 9 am. We are like three peas in a pod.
Bonjour!
Well it's been a month, but it feels like I've been here forever! My apartment feels like home now, and my roommates feel like old friends. I am getting settled into my classes... although I can't say that I'm enjoying them. It is extremely difficult to sit there and listen to someone speak French (not a word of English is spoken at all) at you for two hours. I have only had class for a few weeks now, so I'm sure it will get better with time. I have been doing a lot of fun things during the past few weeks! First, I got to experience a real French transportation strike! I couldn't go to class for two days because it would have taken me 1 1/2 hours to get there, and 1 1/2 hours to get back- just not worth it. It was kind of strange not being able to really leave my neighborhood because the metro, buses, and even taxis weren't running.
I went to my first French party! My friend Amanda and I went with some French friends of ours to a crepe party. One thing that was very different from American culture is the kissing. When you are introduced to someone, you kiss them on both cheeks. This process makes meeting everyone a very lengthy ordeal. You have to do it all again when you leave too! The party was fun, except most of the people didn't speak English that well so communication was a bit difficult. The crepes were wonderful- nutella, banana, and whipped cream :)
My roommates and I went to the Catacombs one Sunday afternoon. They are actually only a five minute walk from my apartment! It was soooo cool! You walk down SO many stairs into a damp cave-like tunnel and then all of a sudden there are skulls and bones just right next to you. The tunnel lasts for maybe 30 minutes. You just walk along looking at the skulls and bones piled up right next to you. They are so close you can touch them, although none of us got the urge to do so.
I got to go to a cooking demonstration at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. The chef was French, so an English woman translated the demonstration. It was really interesting watching him- he put Rachael Ray to shame! We got to sample the food afterwards- we had artichoke bottoms with celery, cucumber, and apple slaw, leeks with little potatoes, and some kind of fish. The food was SO good, although my Dad's cooking is right up there too.
I had my first Abroadco excursion last weekend. We went to a little town called Reims (pronounced Rens). There is a huge cathedral in Reims that we got a guided tour through. There is so much history here in France. The cathedral that we went to is actually the place where all of the kinds of France have their coronation ceremony. It is also the place where Clovis was baptized with oil sent from God. After we saw the cathedral, we went to a Champagne house. We got a tour of the champagne caves which was very interesting. After the tour, we got to sample some very fancy champagne that we had just learned about. Everyone slept on the way home :)
Yesterday, a few of us decided to go on our own day trip. We took a 45 min. train ride to Chartres where we explored another cathedral and the town. This cathedral is very famous because the two towers on it are completely different from one another. We also got to climb the MANY flights of stairs to the top of the church for an amazing view of the town. After the cathedral, we explored a cemetery- I was hoping there would be a Lemieux but we didn't find any. We ate dinner and walked around Chartres. The town looks like those little wooden Christmas villages with cotton on roof for snow. It was so quaint!
A couple more random things that might be interesting: I bought my first slab of fromage (cheese) at an open air market- I felt so French. We celebrated halloween here in France where no one else in the city was dressed up. We actually found a pumpkin on halloween night and carved it :) I am absolutely addicted to almond croissants (there is a wonderful little patisserie three doors down from my apartment). I went to a French doctor- I have had a cold ever since I got here, so I decided to go. It was a bit difficult because he didn't speak much English, and we all know that I dont speak much French. I got two prescriptions filled at a pharmacie and it was only 4 euros!! Very, very different from the US.
Our Spring 2008 Paris group enjoying their first excursion of the semester.....
Photo courtesy of Tawna Soltysik
Jessie, who is in Paris for the academic year, just sent in some entries from her first semester in Paris.
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Well I'm finally in Paris! I have actually been here for a week, but my internet was a bit unreliable so I decided not to write until I knew it would work. I arrived last Monday around 10 am. I met my roommates- Jenn is a French major from Philidelphia and Natasha is a film studies major from UC Santa Barbara. They both have been very nice and tried to show me around as much as possible (they have class so they arent here much). It has taken me a while to get used to being here. I have been really tired because of the time difference- 9 hours!
This past week I have been trying to familiarize myself with the city, the language, the metro, the food, and the culture. On Tuesday I took my placement exams for school and Holly (the onsite director here) took me out for a traditional french lunch. I had a tomato and mozerella salad, cheese tortellini with asparagus and squash, and a double espresso. It was amazing! On Wednesday, I went out with a bunch of people from my study abroad group to a bar in the Latin Quarter. There was a mixture of people there and lots of different languages being spoken. I was still kind of in shock that I am really here!
On Thursday, Catie (a girl from Abroadco) and I went to the Leondard fashion show. It was held at the Carousel De Louvre and it was SO amazing. This was a real fashion show at the real PARIS FASHION WEEK! crazy! The models were amazing- they didnt look human, flawless. After the show, Catie and I walked around the Champs Elysees, and I got my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. We ate at a little Brasserie and had a 12 euro cheese omelette :( On Friday, I went on a boat tour of Paris on the Seine. I saw all the major sights.. but I want to go back and actually walk through it all. I walked through Notre Dam. It was magnificant!!
On Saturday, a group of us got to dress models for the Elie Saab show. Elie Saab is a designer who designs gowns for alot of celebrities like Kate Walsh and Halle Berry. Anyways, we were each assigned a model and were responsible for changing her entire outfit three times within like 30 seconds. It was SO COOL! These models are real super models.. like they walk for Dior, Versace, and Dolce & Gabbana too! Most of them were really nice. They were very thin, very tall, and between 17 and 19 years old... weird.
Saturday night was Nuit Blanche. Nuit Blanche is held once a year right before school starts and is where all of Paris is open all night! There are a ton of art exhibits set up all over the city and people just stay up all night and walk around the city. We went to a few exhibits, but its hard to see all of them. The area near the Louvre had torches and fire all over- it was beautiful!
Today was the first time I braved the metro and went to the store alone! It was very liberating! I start school on Friday.. I'm anxious to start learning more French! It is hard not speaking the language.. sometimes I feel like a mime! I'm getting very good at using hand gestures and smiling very sweetly :) So far, all the French people I've met have been very nice and helpful! I never thought i'd say this, but I do miss America.. or maybe I just miss people who speak my language.
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Well I have made it to my third week in Paris and I am definately starting to feel more at home. I have finally settled into a routine and conquered the metro system! I started school last Thursday and i'll have class every weekday from 10-12 pm and every other week from 10-1:30 pm. Although I dont enjoy getting up early (early compared to my roommates who have class at 5 pm), it is nice to have the whole afternoon and evening to explore. My classroom is right next to Notre Dame and in the Latin Quarter, it's a wonderful location. Lets see.. I guess i'll just write some highlights of the past two weeks...
1. The Metro- My biggest accomplishment to date, maybe ever, is understanding the metro system. I was kind of forced into riding alone for the first time because I really needed an adapter for my computer and the only place to get one is about a 45 minute walk from my apartment. After the first time, it became very easy and now I cant even imagine not understanding it. It's a wonderful feeling knowing that I can get anywhere in the city on my own!
2. Open bus tour- I went on an open bus tour of Paris with another girl from the program. It basically took us all over showing us all the major monuments/buildings. We got right up next to the Eiffel tower (it is all decorated for the Rugby championships that are going on here), the Tracadero, the Champs- Elysees, and much much more. It helped me get a feeling of where I live in comparison to the rest of Paris.
3. Montemarte- One of my friends and I decided to explore a new part of Paris last Saturday- Montemarte. On the way there, we stopped and walked through this HUGE open air market. It went on for like 3 blocks and it had everything ... except pumpkins. :( We arrived in Montemarte in the afternoon, got crepes for lunch, and then began the long walk up to the Sacre Coeur (this giant church on a hill). From the bottom of the hill, the church just looks amazing. It is sooooo big! It makes the Notre Dame look kind of small... We went inside the church to look around and then walked around the rest of Montemarte. There was a festival going on so there were people selling all kinds of interesting things. The chocolatier was by far my favorite! There were just these huge slabs of all kinds of chocolate and you just break off what you want to buy. I tried some with chili powder on it.. pretty good actually :0) There were also people playing music on the sidewalks and streets. Most of the music that people play is in english... now "Stand by Me" by the Temptations will always remind me of Montemarte.
Well.. those were the top three most interesting things that have happened this past week. So much happens everyday that its hard to remember! I am trying my best to keep a journal, although I miss a few days here or there. My roommates and I are getting along really well and the other girls I have met here are all wonderful! I am definately starting to fall in love with Paris!
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