‘Semester programs’ CategoryPage 8
These are study abroad programs that last for one semester
It was easier in December
New year’s resolutions are never so well kept as on January 1; I never take better notes then at the beginning of a semester; and when I move into a new place, my desk is organized, my cloths put away, and my bed is made (sometimes). My instillation in France was accordingly miraculous. In my […]
What My Runny Nose Taught Me About France
I learned something about France today that hadn’t hit me before. I have been suffering from a cold for about three days, and my host parents asked me right away if I needed to go to the doctor, or the pharmacy. I was more shocked than I let on. Doctor? I’m an American—in my country, […]
La Chaleur de la France
“Thank you for taking our son in as a guest,” my dad said over skype. “For us he is not a guest,” responded my host parents, “he is part of the family.” My host parents (in French, actually, welcome parents) are incredibly warm and welcoming, and have done a wonderful job of orienting me, making […]
La Cuisine
According to Jesus, man cannot live on bread alone. I reject this statement for two reasons. First, it ignores half of the human population. Second, this man can. I have always been a bread addict, and I always knew how much I would love the breads here in France. However, the artistry of French cuisine […]
Chocolates, Watches, and Knives, OH MY!
Hello to friends, family, and everyone else reading this! I’m currently sitting on my bed, in my host family’s flat, in Geneva, Switzerland. Actually, I’m in Nyon, a suburb-like town of Geneva. I’ll explain more about my living situation later (so stick around, because it’s pretty unique). I arrived in Geneva on January 18th after […]
Our Road Trip to an Ancient City
January 23rd was one of the more memorable days of our Turkish excursion. We started the day by throwing off our inadequate bed sheets and stumbling down the darkened stairwell to the Palm Hotel lobby. Despite Lei’s best efforts the hotel refused to turn on those lights so I took to carrying my insurance card […]
Le français
It’s an incredible feat that anyone is able to speak this ridiculous language fluently. For so long, I thought I was beginning to attain some kind of grasp on French. I’ve taken classes for 6 years, I’ve been to France once before, and, for good measure, my ancestors spoke it. No doubt, I should have […]
Copa del Rey
Today is the first game of the King’s Cup (La Copa del Rey) and it is between rivals FC Barcelona (Barça) and Real Madrid. This match-up is really interesting for me, because it represents the struggle of the Catalonians (Barcelona is in Catalonia, one of the autonomous regions in Spain) against the Spanish (or Castilians, from who’s […]
Châteaux, and The Blood On Their Hands
This past weekend we spent off-site in the city of Tours for orientation. One of our principal occupations there was visiting the magnificent châteaux in the area. For any whose history or French is a few centuries out of date, a château is a French castle. However, they are not very much like the fortified […]
El Ensanche
El Ensanche is the name of the barrio where my host family lives. But don’t worry. Here, barrio simply means neighborhood. I’m staying with a family of four. Cruz is la señora and Jesús is her husband who works as a computer programmer. They have a daughter, María, who is studying English philology (that’s what […]