France @ MindSay 
paris
Hello again everyone!
It's been a long few weeks since I've written so I'll try to condense it as much as I can into this email. In case you don't make it to the end, please just know that I love hearing from all of you! Please keep me in the loop on all the happenings in the US! The easiest way is obviously just to send me an email, but you can send me a letter at 32 Av de l'Estérel; Studio n°50; Juan-les-Pins, France 06160, or you even can call me at 011 336 47 78 12 00. Also if you can only read a few sections, check out Sailing at least because that is by far the coolest thing I have done so far!
Okay, on to the good stuff!
Ski Trip (Jan 15-18)
I went on a ski trip with Interculture, a student organization of CERAM, for a long weekend. We went to Val d'Allos, about a 3 hour bus ride from Sophia Antipolis. It was a beautiful ride, a scenic route through snow-covered mountains of the French Alps.
This was basically my first time skiing (I went once before in Colorado with the family, but hardly remember it). The first day was pretty hard for me, especially since I skipped the debutant slope and went straight to the top of a mountain. It was a bad idea- I eventually had to take the lift down (I know, I'm pathetic!), but I did get to practice my French while learning to ski. I spent most of that day either falling or trying to get up, but it was still a lot of fun and beautiful to be up in the mountains. The next day I stuck to the beginner slopes, so hopefully next time I go skiing I'll be a lot better!
All of us CERAM students stayed in a hotel/apartment building with 6 people to a room (about 80 students total). I roomed with 5 girls from Colombia and Venezuela (they go to school in Miami). The first night there were a few parties which were a lot of fun (like living in a dorm again!), but after noise complaints, we went to a discotheque the next night. I stayed in the last night- my body had to recover!
Inauguration ( Jan 20)
From what I could tell, most French people were pretty excited about Obama's inauguration. Kind of a funny story, actually – On Tuesdays I have class from 4-7, and Obama's speech started at 6 here. About 8 of 12 of the students in this class are AU students (the rest of my classes are diverse, but this one is a requirement for us business majors), and we all ended up leaving the class during the break at 5:30 to run home and catch Obama on TV. We were all so jealous of our friends back in DC who were there! Our professor was very understanding though- she actually tried to let us watch the inauguration in class together, but the internet wasn't working. Nevertheless, I got home just in the nick of time, only to find that live coverage of Obama's speech was dubbed over in French! I caught most of it, and could still hear him in English a little bit in the background, but it just wasn't the same. Although it was pretty cool I have to admit.
Monaco (Sunday, Jan 25)
I had a very long weekend (Thursday morning through Wednesday morning) because a couple of my classes were cancelled last minute, but I couldn't find any last minute deals for trips. Also I was a little unprepared and unsure about what to do for booking flights (I'm so used to flying standby!), and it's hard to navigate the TGV website for trains. I actually really wanted to go to Milan but couldn't find a cheap train last minute. It turned out that I caught a cold toward the end of the week, so I had to rest a lot anyway.
On Sunday, I decided to take a daytrip to Monaco by myself, just to get out! I tried to go a few weeks ago, but couldn't because the trains were on strike. It was a beautiful sunny day, one of the warmest yet (still chilly though). It's less than an hour train ride (€10) east of me, and I got to see many beautiful places through the window that I hope to visit for an afternoon (Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cagnes-sur-Mer).
A little info about Monaco: Only 0.75 sq mi, it borders only France and the Mediterranean. 30,000 residents, of whom 20,000 are super rich and live here because there's no income tax. It's independent technically but its state minister is appointed by the French President, and all the utility companies are French. Prince Rainier, married to Grace Kelly, died in 2005, and their son Prince Albert took over. "Princess Grace" and Prince Rainier are both buried there, actually inside the cathedral (which I missed). There are 3 main areas: Monaco-Ville (or Le Rocher), Monte-Carlo, and La Condamine. Monaco-Ville is mostly on a rock and includes the old town and the palace. From here are absolutely beautiful views, and I'm sure I could see Italy. Monte-Carlo is the other side of Monaco, which is where the famous casino is and the nightlife. La Condamine is the area in between (it makes kind of a U shape), which is the port with all the yachts docked, and lots of surprisingly cheap cafes along the water.
I got there around 11:15am just in time to watch the changing of the guard in front of the palace. I walked all along the rock (more like a hill), where there are beautiful gardens and pathways looking out onto the sea and the city. I went to the Musée Océanographique (the Jacques Cousteau Aquarium), which is on a cliff and was built in 1910 by Prince Albert I. Jacques Cousteau himself directed the aquarium for 17 years. Beautiful views, again, of the sea from here too.
After walking along La Condamine and eating at a sidewalk café for lunch and hot cocoa, I made my way to the casino. Only my second time to go inside a casino ever! To get into the super fancy casino costs money but there's a small part of it that you can go into for free off to the side with slot machines, so I went there and spent €21. Mom would be so proud! Apparently it's a new thing that you only have to be 18 (not 21) to get in, because all the signs still said 21 with 18 written over. I didn't get even get IDed though. As far as I could tell there were no coins at this casino: you just stuck your euros right into the machine and when you were done, it spit out a paper ticket with the amount you had left on it, and you could either use that as your cash out voucher or use it on another machine. After having some gelato I caught a train ride home around 7:30, after seeing the city a little bit after sunset too. I hope to go back to Monaco for a fancy night out, to go to a nightclub and gamble a little more. Also going to the Grand Prix in May would be awesome if I could find a way to get cheap tickets!
Sailing
Today I went sailing for the first time! If I stayed here for 4 months and never the left the apartment except for one day to go sailing, I think I'd be happy. It was by far the greatest experience I have had here yet. There were 7 students there today (there might be more next week), so 3 of us went on 1 boat and 3 on the other. As soon as we got there the prof (Nathalie) had us change into our wetsuits, and we immediately started putting together the boats! (I got my wetsuit a couple days ago from the huge sports store Décathlon, which was actually a hike from the bus stop.) We learned how to tie the knots (lots of 8s) and put up the sails. She spoke in French for the terms and English for explanations (we were all English-speaking), but also French sometimes and looked to me to translate for her! It's pretty neat because I'm definitely learning how to sail in France in French. Our prof rode in a motorboat while the 2 sailboats full of students headed out to sea. It was amazing. In the US I don't think we would have even touched the boat on the first day of class, but here we learn by doing, which is a lot better. Our objective was to learn how to steer today, but we also ended up learning a bit about the sails too. Turn into the wind, tightening and loosening the sails (la grande-voile et le foc), pull and push to steer… It was so amazing. Today we sailed from the shore to the cap, there and back 3 or 4 times, for about an hour. It took longer to carry the boat to/from the shore and set up/take down than anything else, but eventually we'll get it down. The water was so blue, and it was gorgeous weather (not too windy, thank goodness!). I can't wait to go out again next week!
Misc
I now have a library card, student ID card, bank card, and Carrefour loyalty card in my wallet, all from France! Oh, the library in Antibes is called Médiathèque not Bibliothèque, so I guess the language is evolving! Carrefour is like a super-duper-Walmart, except without all the controversy. It's bigger than Costco or Sam's but nothing sold in bulk and a lot more variety. Four aisles dedicated to wine, and lots of cheese and fresh meat, but then on the other side there are computers, mattresses, dvds, clothes, pretty much everything.. In the same building but outside of the registers are regular chain stores. You can pretty much find anything at Carrefour, and everyone seems to go there. Oh, you have to pay extra for plastic bags in grocery stores (usually like 3-5 cents), and at Carrefour they only have reusable bags (10 or 60 cents) that you can buy if you didn't bring your own.
As far as studying French, I'm still speaking it to all the locals and some students. I think I may be improving but I'm still way too far from becoming fluent. Classes are going well, I admit I haven't really studied much yet but there hasn't been much to do. Profs are really understanding about us exchange students wanting to travel and explore on nights and weekends, but by the end of the semester I will have lots of group projects due and more work coming up soon with midterms only in a few weeks. Also my spring break is the last week of February and I'm thinking about doing a trip to Rome and Athens- let me know if you have any suggestions though! I should be getting internet in my apartment next week, so hopefully it will be easier to contact me!
Food is delicious here, have gotten a few rotisserie chickens, tried soupe de poisson when I was sick, made steak and potatoes one night, and of course lots of wine and cheese. I found one cheese that is really delicious, but tonight I had one that is really disgusting and I might just throw it away if my roommate doesn't want it. Today there was a big strike all over France, which was anticipated all week. I think things should be running normal again tomorrow but half of the buses and trains didn't work today, and lots of schools (not CERAM) and stores were closed too. I love how powerful the people are here. If there's something they don't like that's changing, you're sure going to hear about it. I think people are too passive in the US and we let our government run too much. The government should listen to the people, not the other way around!
Okay, enough for now, sorry it is so long but this is also my record so I didn't want to leave too much out! Tomorrow I head to Brussels for the weekend with 3 other students. I'll keep you updated but please if you have any advice or comments, please share with me too!
Love,
Emily
Hello again, everyone!
I know it has been a long time since I’ve shared my stories with you, but I hope you haven’t forgotten about me! I miss you all so much, despite all my fun adventures around Europe.
So, we’ve got some catching up to do. I just got back from a trip to Barcelona, and a couple of weeks ago I went east on spring break to Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Munich, and Strasbourg. Tonight I’ll email you about my trips to Brussels and other random things I’ve done, but stay tuned because I’ll email again soon about my spring break trip and Barcelona!
Brussels (Jan 30-Feb 1)
I took my first weekend trip with Chris, another exchange student at CERAM from California. We decided to go to Brussels for no better reason than a cheap direct flight from Nice, but it was definitely a great place to visit. We stayed in a pretty nice hostel – actually Van Gogh used to work in the same building! My favorite thing in Brussels was the Fine Arts Museum, where I spent hours and got to see David’s Death of Marat, one of my favorite paintings ever. The museum also featured Dutch artists like Bruegels, Van Dyck, Rubens, and my personal favorite Hieronymous Bosch.
Perhaps more importantly, the food in Belgium was incredible. When I wasn’t eating a gaufre (waffle) on the street with a crunchy sugary filling, I was snacking on “French” fries or sampling chocolates. But I also ate real meals, like moules-frites (yum!) and Flemish beef stew. Not to mention all the beer I drank that weekend, and I don’t even like beer! I drank Kriek, an authentic Belgian girly-beer which tasted just like cherry soda, at a bar which holds the Guinness World Record for serving the most kinds of beers – over 2000! I didn’t mind drinking it even though I found out that Belgian beer is apparently so good because of the bacteria in the sewer water that runs under the city.
Other attractions – I walked around the Grand Place square taking in the beautiful architecture, and I saw Mannekin Pis, a statue of a peeing boy which has many legends behind it, and often wears elaborate costumes with a convenient hole. I saw him bare, but was able to catch a glimpse of many of the costumes he’s worn at the National Museum. I also went to the Comic Strip Museum, so you can be jealous that I learned all about the Smurfs in their home country. I saw the business district of the city too, seeking out the EU headquarters and European Parliament buildings. I also saw the Atomium, which was a large statue built for the 1958 World’s Fair, showing a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.
I wasn’t expecting much from Brussels, but it turned out to be an amazing trip, and I was even able to speak French there (though they also speak Dutch). I’d like to return to Brussels for some more waffles, but next time I’ll venture out to the beautiful city of Bruges too.
Festivals: Games, Lemons, Mimosas, and the Nice Carnaval
February was a month of festivals in France. I went the Cannes Festival des Jeux, which was held in the same building as the red carpet and recommended by my French professor. It was just as it’s called: a festival of games. I was just a spectator, but if I wanted I could have played any kind of game I wanted; they had everything from Mahjong to Guitar Hero, as well as new games they were testing out. It attracted a very fun crowd, young and old. I also went to the Festival du Citron in Menton (on the France-Italy border, about an hour by train), where there was a huge parade of floats made completely from lemons and oranges. I had some very sour lemonade here.
Before I go further, let me clarify that mimosas are more than a delicious cocktail; a mimosa is also a beautiful yellow flower that blooms in winter in the south of France (after being imported from Australia) and is used to make perfumes. I didn’t make it to the Mimosa Festival in Mandelieu-La Napoule, but I went on a tour (in French) which guided us through the Massif du Tanneron (hills which include the largest mimosa forest in Europe) and to a perfume factory in Grasse.
Last but not least, the Nice Carnaval is one of the Riveria’s biggest events (along with the Cannes Film Festival and the Grand Prix). You can’t walk along the Promenade des Anglais or go to Place Massena during this 3-week festival without getting completely covered in silly string and confetti. I went to one of the nighttime parades and saw the very bizarre and monster-size floats making their way through the streets, with crowds of people (adults and kids alike!) getting into silly string wars. The litter at the end of the night was ridiculous, but even I think it was worth it for that much fun.
Private Plane Ride
One last thing before I let you go: Because CERAM has an aerospace engineering major, I was able to find a student (a licensed pilot though) to take me on a private flight for a small fee. I say private because it was just me and him, but no one else would have fit on the 2-seater plane! So, as co-pilot, I was able to take control for a little while. We had a lot of fun up in the air and spoke French the whole time, not to mention the beautiful view of Cannes and the Riviera, flying from the Cannes-Mandelieu airport to Fréjus and back. It was definitely the most exhilarating experience yet – it even beats that first time I went sailing on the Mediterranean. I’ve been on the water, over the water, and now since it’s getting warmer outside, I can’t wait to get IN the water!
Well, that’s enough of my adventures for now… Oh yeah, I should probably mention my classes so you guys keep thinking I’m a good student! Haha just kidding, I’ve been doing well in my classes actually, already had one round of midterms and another round is coming up next week. Classes are pretty easy here compared to AU, but that might just be because I’m in a totally different mindset here. One culture shock though: apparently a lot French students cheat. Don’t worry, I haven’t become THAT French.
Thanks for reading, and please, keep in touch! Like I said, I’m having an amazing time, but I really do miss everyone from home.
Love always,
Emily
PS: Check out my photo albums on Facebook for some pics!
I just wanted to let you all know that I have made it to France safely. It has been a looong week since I got here, but I'll try to tell you about it briefly...
After Tommy brought Dad and I to the airport, we spent 9 and a half hours on the airplane. I hardly slept on the plane because I was nervous and excited, so I watched the PED that Dad has worked so hard on (even though they don't really work, sorry dad). Our flight was delayed a couple hours so we didn't land in time to make our first connection on Air France from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Nice. Little did we know that we wouldn't make ANY connections, thanks to standby travel... After waiting in the cold and uncomfortable airport for many many hours, we eventually found out that we could get a flight from the Orly airport about an hour away by bus. So finally we made it to the Nice airport, and by the time we got to the hotel in Juan Les Pins it was midnight. Oh, I forgot to mention that one of my bags was "missing." NOTE: Do not check bags through when you're making a connection on a different airline. It was a long journey (from about 5pm to midnight the next day), but it was so worth it!
Dad and I met my landlord to get the keys and see the apartment before I moved in- this was of course the most important thing for me to do. The apartment is gorgeous! It is a small studio (I think 27 sq meters) and there are 2 of us living there, but it is fully furnished and has a rather big balcony with a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea. I can even hear the waves (though they are not big) at night when I am going to bed. I even have a TV which I like to watch because French TV is so entertaining. Mom, I saw La Roule de Fortune and instead of Vanna White, there was a crossdresser! I think that was only a one-night thing, but it was great fun. The TV is old and doesn't work that well, but it has all American shows dubbed over in French. All the Law and Orders, CSIs, Criminal Minds, game shows, and movies too. Anyway, watching TV is a good way to learn French as Dad pointed out to me.
Dad and I also travelled around quite a bit, after we were finally well-rested. We walked to Antibes (about 20 minutes if you go the right way, it took us much longer though- we couldn't find any taxis!), which is where many foreign students live. There are lots of restaurants, and old town, main bus/train stations, and a Picasso Museum (which I will visit eventually) in Antibes. I'm living in Juan Les Pins, which is a much cooler town if you ask me, with lots of little boutiques, and everything is right along the coast. Juan Les Pins is located between Cannes and Nice, about 20 minutes to Cannes and an hour to Nice.
We travelled to Cannes and found the main building with a red carpet and all. Oh, to all of you who have given so much money to Foxwoods, I'll have you know that we went to a Casino in Cannes and spent merely 10€. I'm allowed to drink and gamble here! I'm not as old as you folks, so this was my first time inside a casino hehe.. I learned about roulette and wandered around playing the 50eurocent slots. We ate the fixed price meal at a nice restaurant where dad got a million mussels for cheap, and we had a bottle of wine (so basically I had to carry Dad home hehe).
We also visited Nice, which is a real city. We took a train there -the TGV (train à grande vitesse = high speed train)- and there is a tram that brings you around the city once you arrive. Here we walked along the Promenade des Anglais, seeing the Hotel Negresco and a bunch of ritzy expensive places. I don't remember exactly what we did but it was a lot of fun and cool to be a big city. Remember though, it is still cold (in the 30s-40s), so it's not like there are any tourists around. In fact, even in my town Juan Les Pins not too many stores are open because it's off season.
And let's not forget the reason why I'm here: to study. Yeah right! (Just kidding, Dad...) The university that I am studying at is called CERAM Bachelors: EAI Tech Programme. It is located in Sophia Antipolis, which is a technology park (city) in the mountains with basically nothing to do unless you're a CEO. It's a 45 minute bus ride (or 20, if you take the fast one that doesn't come as often) from where I live, and I have 8:30s so I've been waking up at 6. It's so unlike me, I know!
There was a very very long Orientation day, which basically consisted of waiting in lines (there are about 60 international students here, 8 of which are from American University). That was on Tuesday, and then Wednesday I had my first classes. Classes meet in 3-hour blocks, once a week. Because I wanted to have long weekends to make for easy travel, I only have class Tuesday evening (4-7), all day Wednesday (8:30-7), and Thursday (830-5, with a 3-hour break). I'm taking a full 16 credits, which is 6 classes (1 1-credit course). Here are my courses:
- Production and Operations Management
- Advanced French (the highest level offered)
- International Management (I'm trying to switch into International Business)
- Photography
- Principles of Marketing
- SAILING!
I haven't been to POM or Sailing yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to Sailing. We are going to sail at Cap d'Antibes which is pretty close to where I live. It's going to be cold, but fun and interesting! Next weekend, I'm going on a Ski Trip which is sponsored by the school. The student organizations here have so much freedom: there are school-sponsored parties at local pubs. It's pretty awesome. It's less than 200€ and it's all-inclusive (meals, housing, rentals) for 3 days. It's called "Integration Weekend" because it's meant to integrate international students with French students, which I'm very excited for. There are a lot of French students in my classes, too, even though the classes are taught in English. I've become friends with a bunch of people at school but it's hard to meet up with them outside of school since I don't have a way to contact anyone. I'm still working on getting a cellphone and internet for my apartment; hopefully I can make progress on that this weekend. I also want to go to Monaco this weekend (it's only an hour train ride).
Okay, I'm trying to think of any other things you might be curious about (though I've probably shared too much already!)... About food: It's delicious. Fixed price meals are 3 courses and cheap for how big the portions are. At school they have baguette sandwiches, which I'll definitely be getting every school day. I have a small fridge to keep stuff at home but haven't had time to go grocery shopping yet. I did buy a bottle of Spanish wine though for only 2.60€ (the cheapest I could find), and it's pretty good. Wine and liquor are really cheap in the grocery stores (yep, liquor in grocery stores- like Columbus!). Oh I met someone here who lived in Columbus and moved to France last year, and also I met someone on an exchange program like mine who went to Southlake Carroll. I have been practicing speaking French of course.. My roommate is in my Advanced French class with me (she goes to AU too but I didn't know her before this, and she is originally from Korea), so we might soon start to practice together outside of class. Our apartment came with the French edition of Scrabble, which is the 2nd best thing about my apartment after the balcony. I always address people in French, except students in my classes because I don't know which ones are French yet. Most of the exchange students don't speak any French or don't practice, but I'm definitely trying since that is a goal of mine.
Please, if you have questions for me, ask! Not that I think I left much unsaid... It might take me a while to respond but I'll get to it eventually.
I love you all, and I do miss you all too. I can never forget those who I love even if I'm having a good time. So you should all come visit! :)
Love,
Emily
France is a beautiful country!! From one area to another, one can admire the beauty of the landscapes and discover many traditions. However, many a person that has travelled to France can share the horror stories that accompanied them as they planned their trip. Problematic hotel reservations, teeny tiny hotel rooms, expensive meals and the eternal problem of staying in touch with friends, family and business partners at home.
It would certainly be convenient to connect from your hotel or use your current cell phone, if it is compatible to work abroad and charges are reasonable. But that's rarely the case, especially the reasonable charges part. Many hotels charge 4 to 5 times the normal rate for phone calls and all cellular providers charge exorbitantly high roaming fees for people using their mobile phones abroad.
Using your current mobile phone abroad can also present other hurtles which you will find are not just cost related, as most of North American cell phones do not function in France due to the different cell network frequencies. All European Countries have adopted the GSM 900/1800 megahertz network as their primary cellular network, though GSM has been introduced in the USA and cellular companies such as T-Mobile and AT&T have started adopting this new system, but sadly again, using a different frequency: GSM 1900!
Way around this?
Use a local Cell Phone Solution for France to avoid expensive International Roaming. Now many companies in the USA will ship you a local French phone before departure but this can be expensive & inconvenient too - especially when you have to pay hefty rentals or re-load credit on your prepaid phones while on move.
Fortunately companies such as RebelFone can sell you a post-paid France SIM card without any contract or commitment and provide you with other services like a compatible cell phone (if you don’t already have one) to get yourself setup at a low cost and ready before you leave on your trip.
Inside each phone there is a small card usually found behind the battery called a SIM card. Most cell phones manufactured today are either Tri or Quad-band, which means they can receive all 3 or 4 frequencies required to work in France, however most of the GSM cellular providers in USA will lock these phones, so that they cannot be used with any other SIM. But many do not realize that you can get a “un-lock code” from your carrier to un-lock your phone and use it with another SIM.
Even if you don’t have an un-locked cell phone with required bands, you can still enjoy the benefits of a French SIM card and stay connected as RebelFone offers low cost SIM & Cell Bundle for France. You will own the cell phone that comes with this bundle and since it is un-locked you can use it next time you travel to 200 other Countries worldwide and save even more by only getting a SIM card then.
Benefit?
All SIM cards in France & across Europe include unlimited free incoming calls, low rates for local & International outgoing calls and free of roaming charges as long as you use the SIM card in the country from which it originated. If you venture outside of France and find yourself in a neighbouring country like Italy you can still use your mobile phone but your rates will increase. By switching to an Italy SIM card you'd continue to receive free incoming calls and maintain low rates.
Since these SIM cards are post-paid, you will be billed for your usage after your use and you need not worry about running out of credit while abroad. After you come back from your trip you can simply return the SIM card back if you are not going to travel again anytime sooner.
Most country restrictions prevent tourists and non-residents from purchasing SIM cards inside their borders. Fortunately companies such as RebelFone can sell you a French SIM card to get yourself setup and ready before you leave on your trip. These cards are not available everywhere in France or USA as they are designed for tourist but you can easily get them online at: www.RebelFone.com
Price of gas in Franc e
A thief in Paris planned to steal some Paintings from the Louvre
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After careful planning, he got past security, Stole the paintings, and made it safely to his Van.
> However, he was captured only two blocks away when his van ran out of gas.
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> When asked how he could mastermind such a crime and then make such an obvious error, he replied, 'Monsieur, that is the reason I stole the paintings'
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> I had no Monet
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> to buy Degas
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> to make the Van Gogh.'
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> See if you have De Gaulle to send this on to someone else.
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> I sent it to you because I figured I had nothing Toulouse.
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