Tag: Lacy Myrman

By lacymyrman

As part of the AUCP: Bridge to the Mediterranean program in Marseille, France, we take a trip to Fez, Morocco to learn about the people whose culture is influencing the landscape and overall culture of the south of France. From 15-22 November 2015, we stayed with host families, practiced our French and Arabic, learned about the rich culture and history of Fez, and the role of Islam in everyday life. I am grateful for the experience and have outlined some major themes that were interesting to me. Also, I got to spend my 21st birthday in the Saharan Desert! How exciting is that? I describe the experience at the end of this lengthy blog. 🙂 Enjoy!

...continue reading "Fez, Morocco / Fès, Maroc / فاس، المجرب"

By lacymyrman

Now that I have just finished midterms, I think it is probably a good time for me to reflect a bit on the first half of the semester and to speak a bit on what's to come.

During the first week of the semester, I met all of my professors and classmates and went through a lot of the standard introductory material - Why did you choose Marseille? Why French? What do you aim to accomplish from this program? The list goes on.

...continue reading "Réflexions de mi-semestre – Reflections of Mid-semester"

By lacymyrman

I have officially been out of the United States for one whole month. In fact, I was talking with my host mom’s sister today about how long ago I arrived and all of the progress I have made with French. I remember when I first arrived how difficult it was to say anything and now I’m finding myself making jokes and really engaging in conversation much more.

...continue reading "Le Début des Observations Culturelles – The Beginning of Cultural Observations"

By lacymyrman

Although I left the United States Thursday night (9/3), tonight is only my second night in France and I’ve been here for just over 24 hours now! Already I feel like I’ve learned so much yet I also know that I have much to learn.

Thanks to Turkish Airlines, I had a 22-hour layover in Istanbul, Turkey prior to arriving in my new home city – Marseille, France. Needless to say, fatigue and anxiety built up over the days leading up to my arrival. I knew that Marseille was a diverse city with North African, Arab and Spanish immigrants, among others and that the demographic landscape is drastically different from that of other French states. I was unsure what the city would actually look like once I arrived or what the people would look like. I was pleasantly surprised.

...continue reading "Je suis arrivé (finalement!)"