GW Paris – Page 2 – GW Blogs from Abroad

A Trip to Normandy

AdminOctober 26, 2017December 14, 2018

Normandy, a region in northern France, is one of the 18 Départements which make up mainland France. Luckily for me I had the good fortune to travel to this region as a part of the GW Paris program along with other GW students. I feel guilty to say my knowledge of the history of Normandy prior to the trip was limited to the D-Day landing and a vague understanding of The Battle of Normandy during World War Two. Therefore, it was an eye-opening experience when we arrived at our first stop, the Normandy Memorial in Caen, because I learned a lot about the brutality Normandy faced under the occupation of Germany, and the hardships soldiers and civilians underwent during the many battles.

The battle of Normandy is often referred to as the battle which won back Europe. It was a movement which began on June 6th, 1944 where the Allied forces launched the biggest and the arguably the greatest maritime invasion in history, which was intended to free all those under the suppression of the Nazi regime. Walking through each room within the memorial made me feel a deep sense of remorse and respect towards all those involved in the conflict. Reflecting now on the significance of the battle I believe D-day and the other Allied invasions of Normandy represent all that is virtuous in modern liberal democracy.

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Unusual Eats

AdminOctober 26, 2017December 14, 2018

By paigebradford

Three unusual french dishes I have experimented with while abroad are escargots, frog legs, and quail eggs. I first tried escargots when I visited Paris after I graduated high school, so the taste was not fresh in my mind. After my first week in Reims a few other exchange students and I made plans to go out to dinner at a brasserie near campus. After debating over whether we ought to step out of our comfort zone and try a new dish, we came to the consensus that instead of each of us trying something new, we would all together share a plate of escargots. We were served a dozen snails, just enough for each of us to try three. The texture and taste is similar to clams and oysters, but drenched in a butter garlic sauce. Although escargots are not typically something thing I would order from a restaurant menu, I enjoyed getting to experience the French dish a second time around.

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The best of Reims

AdminOctober 19, 2017

One of the reasons why Reims is a unique city in my eyes is because it lacks the large franchises which typically characterize cities. In Reims one can find a long list of boulangeries (bakeries), patisseries (pastry shops), charcuteries (meat shops), and poissonneries (fish shops) all run by local artisans who are passionate about their business and products. Just from my encounters with local business owners, it seems much of the businesses are family owned and have been passed down for generations. A few of my favorite and most recommended locally owned businesses in the city are Fossier (biscuit making business), and Colpart Bernard (Bakery).

I first learned about biscuit Fossier from my host mother, because it is her family’s company which has been passed down through the generations since 1756. These biscuits are a regional specialty, unique to the city of Reims. The historic tradition of biscuit Fossier was that the biscuits were meant to be had with champagne, for their airy texture was intended to soak up the champagne. The classic Fossier biscuits look like pink dominos lined up in a box coated in white powdered sugar, however today there are numerous different types of biscuits produced and sold by Fossier. There are three factories scattered around the city of Reims where the biscuits are made, and one shop in the center of the city dedicated solely to the sale of the biscuits. Fossier biscuits can also be found in larger food markets like Carrefour and Monoprix.

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Liberté, égalité, fraternité

AdminSeptember 25, 2017December 14, 2018

By paigebradford

Translated to English as “liberty, equality, fraternity,” is the national motto of France, and can be spotted on top of government buildings, national monuments, schools, and sometimes on the doors of local artisan stores. However, just recently I found the phrase in a new environment. When protestors took to the streets last week against President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to make the country’s staunch labour laws more flexible for employers, there was a day of strikes and demonstrations where people were seen hoisting up banners and signs reading “liberté, égalité, fraternité”. Although the protests in Reims weren’t as tumultuous as the ones in Paris, bus lines stopped running, and a few Sciences Po professors commuting from Paris were unable to make it to class.

What I have learned so far during my time in France, is how this triangle of core values is able to summon emotions of pride and solidarity even in a society growing increasingly diverse both culturally and politically. It reminds people of how they have a right to demand that their voices be heard whether it be in favor or against the establishment. In class discussions and casual conversations with my classmates, I find that the general consensus towards Macrons new labour regulations are positive. Most argue the reforms will bring France’s labour model closer to the German and the UK model, and will help tackle France’s high unemployment rate which is currently around 9.5%. On the other end of the spectrum people believe the reforms will make it easier for businesses to fire employees for arbitrary reasons, and will overall reduce the rights of employees both individually and collectively.

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4 Unconventional things to do in Paris

AdminJanuary 4, 2015December 17, 2018

By bevvy2212

As I wrap up my semester abroad in Paris, here is a list of the five things that I really enjoyed doing while I was in Paris. Take a look below.

1. Macaroon. Hopefully you have all heard of what a macaroon is. The most famous brand is probably Laduree, which can be found in the United States as well. But my favorite go-to brand is Pierre Hermes. I don't know if you have ever heard of it but it's like, party in your mouth. There is actually a Pierre Hermes very close to Sciences Po (next to Eglise Saint Sulpice), about a ten minute walk. Unlike the traditional flavors from Laduree, Pierre Hermes offer flavors that might sound bizarre but taste delicious at the same time. Also, they alter their flavors in accordance to seasons so I was very bummed when I returned in December to find my favorite flavors gone. For those of you getting to Paris in the fall, please, for the sake of me, try the olive and the Ceylon tea flavor. They are to die for! In december, they also have the fois gras flavor. Unconventional? I think so. Worth the money? Absolutely.

2. Skating. I know that the rink at Waterfront is pretty great, but it's nothing compared to the open-air skate rinks in Paris. Probably starting from mid December, open-air skate rinks will pop up. There's one close to Champs-Elysee, but don't go to that one, it's tiny. I heard there's also one on the Eiffel Tower, but I'm not sure how big that can be either... but how cool would that be though, skating on the Eiffel Tower? My favorite one is probably the one in side the Grande Palais. It's massive and has all sorts of different light shows at night, though it is a little bit pricey (€25). If you're looking for a moderate sized rink at a relatively cheap price, I would recommend the one near Hotel de Ville (The Town Hall). Entrance fee is only 6 euros. The nice thing about French rinks is that they have regulations on how many people are allowed on the rink at a time, so it's never too terribly crowded. The down side? You might have to cue up in the cold wind for a very long time. My advice? Don't go when it's around Christmas time because that's when Paris is flooded with tourists and people who are on break. Go sometime earlier and in the afternoon instead.

3. Fontainebleau. You have probably heard of Versailles, but that's just, way too crowded for my taste. Actually I went to Versailles in December where there were barely any tourists. It was incredible because I never expected Versailles to be empty but I walked in the gardens this time instead of just inside the palace, and it was peaceful and quiet because most tourists would just tour the inside of the palace and call it a day. Fontainebleau is another chateau near Paris and I personally prefer it better to Versailles, simply because I've been to Versailles three times already. It's a little bit harder to get to, in comparison. You'll have to take the Transillien train from Gare de Lyon. If you have a youth card, it's approx 8 euros, other wise it would be 16. After you reach Fontainebleau, you'll have to take a bus to reach the Chateaux. The rooms are just as lovely as the ones in Versailles, if not more lavish. Napolean actually preferred it more to Versailles. We went towards the end of December and there were barely anyone there, which was awesome. "All these lands are mine! mwahaha" The town of Fontainebleau is really cute too, so that's definitely a plus.

4. Canal Saint Matin. I personally prefer the canal saint Martin cruise to the conventional Seine cruise, just because the canal passes through a part of Paris that's usually less touristy. There are usually two cruises per day. The one in the morning departs near Musee D'orsay and goes to Bassin de la Villette in the 19th arrondisement. And the one in the afternoon does the vice versa. After October I think, the cruise only operates on the weekends. The area in the 19th arrondisement has a lot of quaint bars around the canal, so it's a really nice place to chill when the weather is still nice and there are also a lot of really cool little stores scattered around the neighborhood.

I really enjoyed touring Europe in winter because it's the low season and there are so much less tourists around. So I would wait around a bit when you first get to Paris if you're doing Fall Abroad because the end of august/ the beginning of september is still sort of too touristy for my taste. Lines are long and people are everywhere. Maybe wait until around end of october/ beginning of november to start doing the touristy things. (But that's also the time when Sciences Po has its midterms and exposes, keep that in mind). I stayed for a bit after my semester is over in Paris, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the touristy spots a lot less crowded than I have imagined.

Till next time, Paris!

Lessons learned outside the classroom

AdminDecember 31, 2014December 14, 2018

By bevvy2212

This week I'm going to talk about a few things that study abroad has taught me. I have to admit that in the beginning of my time in Europe, I'd rather be in Madrid than Paris, so I wasn't sure I would get anything out of this experience. I think at one point, I was actually a little bit bitter because I felt like I'm not enjoying my study abroad experience as much as everyone else is. But as the program is wrapping up, I did a little reflection and I realized how much I've learned/matured throughout this four months I've been away from my comfort zone.

1. An appreciation of art. Europe is the center of art. I wouldn't say I was a brute before coming to Paris but I've definitely gone to more museums than I have previously combined during my stay in Europe. I mean, there's just so much around. Louvre, L'Orangerie, D'orsay etc are just the big names. There are countless less famous museums scattered around Paris and they don't pale out in comparison either. Churches are also one of my main things. Even though I am not a Christian myself, I admire the intricate designs whenever I encounter one, and since there are so many churches in Europe, it's really fun to compare and contrast the different styles/ epoch of the churches. I even decided to take an art history course (Italian Art and Architecture in the 16th century) once I get back to GW next semester. Also, I recently got into Dan Brown's books and since a lot of the settings of his book are based in Paris/ Italy, it was very interesting for me to go see those places in real life. Not to mention the background info that was provided in the books gave me the privilege of playing the tour guide to my friends when we go visit famous historical landmarks and made me look smarter than I actually am. *brush dust off the shoulder*

2. Embrace solitude. It's hard sometimes, studying abroad, especially if you're in the direct enroll program instead of taking collective classes at a study center. That being said, sometimes, it does get a little bit lonely when I can't find people to have dinner with. Back at GW, it was never really a problem because the probability of all my friends having prior engagements and not being able to make it to dinner is miniscule. Even with the rare occasions when this does happen, I'll just get chipotle to go and eat in my room, no big deal. Solitude enlarges itself when you're abroad in a foreign land where you can't completely master the language. I used to be terrified of being alone but as I get myself lost in those winding European streets, I realized that solitude is ok. I just came back from a week-long solo trip in Italy and I visited this small island off of the coast of Venice called Burano, and as cheesy as it sounds, I found inner peace. It was a tiny fishing village with brightly painted houses. I walked past the tourists and into this very quiet neighborhood, and it was just me and the water and the houses, and I’ve never felt so at peace with myself at that moment. It was nice to get away sometimes, all by yourself, and just think, because most of the time we are so wrapped out with pesky little things, all cooped up in a city, that it's hard to hear ourselves think sometimes. I was able to think a lot of things through on my one-man-wolfpack trip.

3. Learn to let go. I hate letting go, albeit it be an old sweater or a friend. I just dread the feeling of losing things. I met a lot of new people here in Europe and 95% of them I'm pretty sure I will never see again in my life, even though we all parted with "oh yeah I'll come visit you for sure", we all know that's never gonna happen. There's this French friend of mine who's a really private person and doesn't have any form of social media to interact with others and during our last class together, I kind of puppy-eyed him and was like, "I'll never see you again." He shrugged, c'est la vie. And I realized, he is right, as much as I hate to admit it. Life is like a train, people get on and get off, rarely anyone will be there for you from start to finish. I made incredible friends at hostels while traveling and we had a blast, but it was like Cinderella's party, after the clock strikes 12, everything returns back to normal and we'll have to move on with life. It's a very helpless feeling, at least for me, because I can not stop the progression of time. I can not make those friends stay in my life, nor will I be able to stay for them either, so enjoy the feast while it lasts.

Lessons learned from outside the classroom

AdminDecember 26, 2014December 14, 2018

By bevvy2212

This week I'm going to talk about a few things that study abroad has taught me. I have to admit that in the beginning of my time in Europe, I'd rather be in Madrid than Paris, so I didn't really expect to get anything out of this experience. I think at one point, I was actually a little bit bitter because I felt like I'm not enjoying my study abroad experience as much as everyone else is. But as the program is wrapping up, I did a little reflection and I realized how much I've learned/matured throughout this four months I've been away from my comfort zone.

Music. Musique. Musica

AdminDecember 22, 2014December 14, 2018

By bevvy2212

This week's topic is on music.

Before coming to France, I was somewhat aware of how big electro/ house music is in Europe. I myself am not a big fan of the dubstep and mindless head-nodding to the beats, so I was quite dubious about European club music when I first came to France. To me, the beats all sound monotonous and I often get tired of it very soon and end up sulking in a corner. So I asked my French friends why they like the dubstep so much and their answer was quite, unconventional. I'm not sure if this is all-inclusive for the general feelings toward dubstep but they told me that since school is generally very stressful these days, the monotonous dubstep beats somewhat numb the mind after a while and it's kind of relaxing, to just let loose and nod along. I found this explanation so fascinating because I always thought of dubstep as noises, not music. But this actually brought me new perspective on viewing dubstep, which segways into the next topic that I'm going to discuss.

One of the most popular musicians in France is Stromae. (He is actually from Belgium, but most people automatically assume he's French.) His song "Alors on danse" (which translates to "so one dances")became a huge hit in the US and from first glance, I, like many other americans, thought this was just a normal dance song and since it's in French and I didn't pay much attention to the lyrics. But one time I actually paid attention to the lyrics and it's actually quite dark and pessimistic. I read more into Stromae and his songs are in general quite representative of the current generation of European youth. "When we say money we say spending. When we say forever, it means divorce. When we say family, we say grief, because misfortune never comes alone. So we go out and forget our problems. So we dance." Referring back to what my French friends were saying about numbing themselves with dubstep, the current European generation is facing a slumping economy so they are under a lot of stress. The youth unemployment rate in France is roughly 24% and in countries such as Spain where the economies were really hard hit by the crisis in 2012, youth unemployment rate reached to almost 50%, which is a ghastly prospect. Stomae's songs, albeit catchy, all have deeper meanings underneath, which I found fascinating because most songs these days have mindless lyrics talking about unrequitted love and insignificant things but having songs that have meaningful lyrics and catchy at the same time.

It's interesting to see how music across the world varies. When I was in Peru this past summer, they played a lot of latin/bachata/cha cha music (which I absolutely loved but couldn't really dance to). I loved how everyone there can dance, not just girls. The guys actually got really good moves and every time when I ask the boys at the school that I taught at if they like to dance, they always responded with "oh yeah I love dancing" and then start busting out moves on the play ground. Whereas guys dancing in the US is kind of perceived as feminine, it's very normal and popular there in Latin America, which I really liked.

Tips for finals

AdminDecember 6, 2014December 14, 2018

By bevvy2212

This upcoming week is going to be rough, seeing as how most of my finals and papers are due this week so here are a few tips for you future youngsters to avoid being snowed under seven feet of work, like me.

1. Time management. Ok, I exaggerated in the previous sentence. I do have a lot of work due this week but since I'm a little bit of a control freak so I had everything sort of planned out ahead of time. That's the key: keep a planner/calender. I don't think I need to stress the importance of having a planner as you are all probably used to doing that back at GW. The thing is, the last week here at Sciences Po generally contain some make-up class periods. Some time during the semester, if your professor had decided to cancel class, they will generally be made up during this week and the schedule does get a bit hectic because depending on the time and availability of the rooms, your make-up class might not be at the same time/room as your normal class period. So keeping a planner will definitely help you keep track of what's due on what day.

2. Some classes will have their finals during the last week of classes. Actually I think most electives and seminars do. (Hence the importance of having a planner and knowing when your classes are during this week) But the lectures usually have exams during a designated week after classes are done, kind of similar to GW. So bear that in mind when making travel plans.

3. The second half of November, starting December is generally hell-ish for a lot of the students here at Sciences Po. Exchange students generally take a lot less classes than those who are actually enrolled in the school. I have quite a number of friends who are doing their Masters at ScPo and their schedule is just, overwhelming. Whereas I am only taking six classes, they usually take up to 10 or 12. So when they say they really don't have time, it really is, because they are dying from all the work, not because they don't like you. Which brings me to my fourth point:

4. If you can, stay a little bit after your semester is done in Paris, catch up with friends who are too busy to meet up with you during finals weeks or do the things that you haven't done yet in Paris. I regret not doing as much as I could back in September/ October when I still had a lot of free time on my hands. I always thought, oh I'll have time for that later when the tourist season thins out but now I only have a week left and I have all these things on my bucket list that I have yet to cross off.

Final rant: for as much as I've complained about Paris through my #dailyrant statuses on Facebook, it is very depressing to be leaving Paris in like, a week. Especially with all the Christmas lights up and going. Paris truly is magical.

Preparing for Departure: Au Revoir, Paris

AdminDecember 5, 2014December 14, 2018

By mcbitter

It seems like just yesterday that I was writing my very first blog post - it's hard to believe that this is my last! My classes are wrapping up this week, as are my final exams, so soon I'll be leaving this wonderful city and heading back to the States. In a way, I'm ready to go home, but it's really bittersweet because I'm not sure when I'll be back. (I know I will at some point, though!) Before I leave, I'm making sure to check off a few last things that I didn't get around to visiting, like the Catacombs (which I hear are AMAZING) and an exhibition of American photographer Garry Winogrand. Overall though, while I didn't have the chance to visit every corner of the city (it is definitely too big for that), I think I've gained a thorough understanding of Paris, which became my primary goal throughout this trip.

What am I going to do once I'm back in the States? First thing on the list - after getting over my jet lag, that is - is to visit my friends and family. They've been a huge source of support right from the beginning, especially when I was homesick. Speaking from experience, homesickness abroad was a real issue for me, and it was a different animal than the kind I experienced when I first got to GW because of the time difference and not seeing family midway through at Thanksgiving or parent's weekend. All I can say is that I am eternally grateful for Skype! Also, speaking of homesickness, I will most definitely be paying a visit to two very important parts of my heart: Chipotle and Target. (Yes, I went there.) It might sound silly, but those are definitely the American things I've missed the most while I've been here. No Mexican restaurant or French store could replace either of them!

I've realized that I'm really glad that I decided to study abroad in the fall because I get to come home to the holiday season in full swing. Christmas and New Year's are bound to be amazing in Paris, but being with my friends and family is what's most important to me. Overall though, coming here for study abroad has given me incredible opportunities, and I won't soon forget that. I traveled to numerous places, including Ireland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and different regions within France. I got to improve my French and see how French people live on a daily basis, especially when I began babysitting a little Parisian girl on some weeknights. I've made a lot of new friends from all over the world, most importantly the GW and Sciences Po students with whom I've spent the last few months. Most important, though, is that I really and truly learned a lot about myself. I know that everyone says something along those lines, but it really is true. Studying abroad has been probably the biggest challenge I've ever faced; some days were really hard, to be completely honest, but others were simply amazing. Looking back, I'm really proud of myself for taking advantage of this incredible opportunity and will definitely carry it with me for the rest of my life. So, yes, it's been a crazy ride - thanks for coming along with me!