A BIEN TOT MONTPELLIER

Ahhh! God…this is so hard because everyone knows it’s hard to write about what you know. As evidenced by my paltry excuse for a blog I’ve kind of avoided talking about Montpellier. Sure I can sum up my first couple of days, my time in Barcelona or Paris but when it comes to talking about the place I’ve called my home for the past four months it’s like pulling teeth. Everything I want to say doesn’t come close to summing up the most amazing and unreal 4 months I’ve had. I think there really is some truth to the steps you undergo when studying abroad. Kim told me the UW kids got this packet before they left that said you go through stages, the first being everything is new stage followed by the comparison stage and then finally the starting to get used to everything in love don’t want to leave stage. I am definitely in the last category. I met people from everywhere here. It’s hard to believe that my Romanian inseparable twin (or in our case probably triplet because I already have a twin brother) Lucy and I met because I was going to the beach with Kim and she was going with Steffi on the tram. We thought they looked French and they were bathing suits so we decided to follow them and it turns out they thought the same about us….thus a friendship blossomed. In the past four months Lucy and I became really good friends she’s just one of those people who is so incredibly friendly (in fact I’m pretty sure everyone in the Erasmus program knows her or of her) and funny and smart (she’s also a Politial Science/Law major). It was through her that I learned my quintessential Romanian words like boochie and pon a la fonde! My love of Alexandra Stan other Romanian pop singers was fostered through our friendship and I now know I have to visit Timisoara! I became so close with AM through all of our travels but also our like mindedness. I really feel like she’s going be one of those friends I keep for good because well one as she goes to U of A it’s already been decided she’s going to meet my twin brother fall in love and become my sister in law but haha all jokes aside she’s just an awesome person so nice and genuine and up for a good time (unless she’s already changed into her pajamas in which case good luck). Megan I really got to know after England and Ireland and while it was already 2 months into our study abroad experience I think things happen for a reason. She’s an incredibly carefree person and I wish in many ways I could be the same. I think after spending time with her it’s taught me to loosen up a bit and realize it’s sometimes good to not care what everyone thinks of you. You want to cry in the middle of the Place de la Comedie then you do it. You want to prance on the Cliffs of Moher then go ahead just be careful not to slip on the mud. Kim and I were super close in the first couple of months in Montpellier towards the last 2 we didn’t spend nearly as much time together what with her having an AWESOME Irish boyfriend and my own schedule but she’s also someone I see myself skyping with in the future because she’s just such a great person. Always willing to listen give advice and most importantly supportive. Finally it wouldn’t be right not to include Optimus as the number 1 reason why I will miss Montpellier. He is the most incredible guy I have ever accidentally looked at at Obar. Haha all jokes aside though I seriously know my 4 months in Montpellier wouldn’t have been the same without him. To sum up our relationship is impossible it would just be a list of inside jokes like Gingy the Asian Giraffe and Borbora the he/she pillow, the little invalid kiss, the argument over Mike Tyson vs. Mohhamed Ali (we all know Ali takes the crown), the number of nuclear power plants in France vs. U.S. and the yawning game….to list a few. He showed me not to be so judgmental when I was undergoing my comparison stage of America vs. France and improved my French slang immensely what a chaud lapin! ;) He’s just a great guy I’m so thankful to call my own and it sure as hell makes me happy I chose the south of France over Rome or something. Might I add it’s funny that I’m talking about missing Montpellier and this turned into the people I’m going to miss I’ll get to the stuff about Montpellier. I will miss kebabs, Americans with hot French fries, riding the tram without validating my ticket, the H&M that probably sells the same exact things in America but it’s “French”, watching tv and movies at 4 am because it’s the only time the internet isn’t too busy to function, saying “Qu’est que tu as dit?”, getting told I’m charming or my French is good as a way of flirting (such a joke), hot guaffres with lots of nutella, 2 euro bottles of wine, the cured sausage from Spain, Chambre 60, Dirty Jesus, O bar, Down on Me by Jeremiah, Panama, red lipstick, the sweater dress that is only acceptable to wear in Europe, ERASMUS!!!, Judith and Andre’s tough love and too many other things to list… can  I just say everything? I am so thankful for it all and I wish I could have it forever but unfortunately reality I mean Loyola does call. As I said in the title though it’s never aurevoir or goodbye it’s just a see you later or a bientot Montpellier!! Je te kiffe gravemment! <3 

Encore un fois

At the same time I was in Paris, my best friends from Loyola, Kate and Alissa (they study in Florence) were also there. I really wanted to see them because I hadn’t since the summer and I spent the entire weekend texting Liss to meet up. It turns outs Paris is a bigger city than we thought because while my hostile was located next to the Louvre there’s was by the Eiffel Tower on the other side of the city. On the second day the Erasmus group had gone to Sacre Coeur and Montemarte which was closer to their hotel and they were at the Louvre. When I finally got back I ran to the Louvre with AM and I literally spent 10 minutes saying hello, hugging and goodbye because they hadn’t been in the Louvre yet meeting me. Talk about a brief encounter. On the third day after we woke up early to go to the Champs D’Elysees and went a little sweater happy in H&M we went to the Louvre as a group were we saw the Jaconde and my favorite Eugene Delacroix painting. After were allowed to do our own thing so I suggested to AM that we  go to the Pantheon and the Pere Lachaise cemetery because I’d heard it was a must see. Together armed with our metro day passes we figured out the Paris subway system which really wasn’t as complicated as I’d heard it be? We found the Pantheon and I was incredibly happy because as it houses the bodies of the most famous French revolutionaries like Rousseau, Voltaire and Zola for a political science major as myself it’s like approaching the holy grail. The Pere Lachaise cemetery was naturally on the other side of the city as well close to the Sorbonne and we were on the subway for at least like 50 minutes. The cemetery is huge but morosely romantic. It was a sunny day and the rays of light caught the stained glass of the sepulchers in just the right way. I knew I wanted to see Jim Morrison’s grave as well as Edith Piaf’s tombstone and of course Oscar Wildes’. It took a lot longer then expected because they aren’t anywhere near each other and while we had maps they didn’t really help when it came to finding tombstones. When we’d finally seen Oscar Wildes we ran to catch the metro to head to the Eiffel Tower and meet up with the rest of the group. Of course we got lost again because we were late but thankfully we met up with our Belgian friends and they were able to find our larger group by the Northern side of the Tower. It worked out pretty nicely actually because we were late and we didn’t have to wait on the line. 622 steps later we had made it to the second floor. It was beautiful but with wire meshing (I guess partially a support structure as well as a preventative measure against potential suicides) it was kind of overrated. I think I enjoyed the walk up more than once I got there. The view from the Arc du Triomphe was much more clearer and in my opinion prettier. The only really cool thing about the view from the Tower is that you can literally see all of Paris and it was interesting to be able to point out, “Hey look there’s the Pantheon, we were just there!” It’s funny the way a view from the top can make such a big city seem so small or easily attainable. On the way back I had the most amazing sushi for 12 euro and the most pleasant conversation with the restaurant owner’s little French Asian toddler regarding her Happy Meal toy. After we collected our bags from the hostile we headed to the train station and while I was sad to leave Paris (it really is such a beautiful city) I was happy to return to Montpellier because at the end of the day Paris like London or NYC is exciting and fast and flashy but it’s not the place you call home. It made me incredibly grateful that I’d chosen to go to the south of France and endure having to take classes in French instead of taking the easier way out and going to the American University of Paris and taking my core classes in English. 

From Paris, with Love

AM and I spent so much time in Notre Dame we didn’t realize that the group had branched off and we’d gotten lost. After calling Jodi (one of the guides) and texting and asking directions in French (surprisingly the information desk answered us in French not English) we discovered they were down the street at the prison where Marie Antoinette and other guillotine victims were held. It was a cool museum because it had re-enactments like Disney world with mannequins dressed in the traditional guard’s garb and the probable furniture in Marie Antoinette’s prison quarters. After we were walking back and we once again got lost (seems to be a reoccurring theme here?) and our guide Alex finally found us and walked back with us. Along the way we stumbled across the Love Lock Bride or Le Ponte Des Arts which is a bridge in Paris that crosses over the Seine River. It sounds like just your typical bridge until you look at it and realize that it’s covered in locks of all shapes and sizes, colors, decorated and simple. I didn’t know the whole story but I knew the locks were special so I asked Alex about them and he told us the story about how the locks are tokens of love they are padlocked to the bridge by loved ones and the keys are then thrown in the Seine River. He could see the “awww” expression in AM and my face and was quick to tell us that the locks are cut down by the police every year and new ones get put up. I think out of all the touristy things in Paris this was by far the one spot that really resonated with me. It wasn’t some bulking piece of architecture or a church or some spot where a famous person once walked. It was simply an expression of love. A spontaneous something that was probably the reckless act of an in love couple trying to leave their mark and it sparked into a huge flame that continues and continues. That night we went on a pub-crawl and I was half expecting it to be like Barcelona but I was so wrong. I learned from a Parisian who was friends with Alex that Paris isn’t really a bar/club city it’s more famous for its sites and culture. The pub-crawl leader was a study abroad student herself from University of Kentucky; she like us had spent a semester in Paris. I quickly realized the truth behind studying in a really big city. At one of the bars, a girl had left their wallet and a kind French guy found it and brought it to our leader and explained simply he found it and if it belonged to any of us. She looked at him quizzically and asked him, “Do you speak English” and it took AM and I to explain the situation to her. She had spent 3 months in France and wasn’t able to understand a simple sentence of survival French. 

Paris Je T'Aime

After such a successful trip to Barcelona with Erasmus, AM and I decided to go to the Paris trip as well. This time there was thankfully no American/Red, White and Blue Party so we were good to go to catch the TGV. It was our first time on the infamous 200 mph train (AM did the conversion from 300 km) and we were both running on little to no sleep from the nerves/excitement. Instead of being able to get some sleep on the 3 hour trip we were unfortunately seated next to a group of Erasmus best friends from Spain who proceeded to loudly chatter in Spanish. Our attempts to make friends with them were in vain as they made no effort to speak in either French or English. I know this sounds awful but Spain Spanish is so much harder to tune out when you’re trying to fall asleep because it’s very whiny and punctuated when you compare it to Spanish from South/Latin America. When we finally arrived AM and
I were grateful when we finally arrived at the Gare du Lyon. It was so different from the small Montpellier train station but with palm trees decisively more laid back than New York City’s Grand Central station. That wasn’t the only difference between Montpellier and Paris. It was FREEZING! The week before going to Paris I’d gone to Palavas the beach that’s 20 minutes outside of Montpellier and hung around in my bikini. I’m not sure if it was cold by comparison or just cold in general but I had to reach into my duffel bag and put on two more shirts (which AM and I did throughout our trip). Our first stop was the hostile where we dropped off our bags because it wasn’t time to check in. The hostile as it turns out was close the Louvre and from their we walked to the Catacombs of Paris. I honestly had no idea what a Catacomb was and AM didn’t either we asked our guide (Alex) who tried to explain it to us unsuccessfully. As it turns out we didn’t need to ask because we found out soon enough. It was an ossuary and miles down the heart of Paris there were piles and I mean piles upon piles, walls of femurs, elbows, skulls all stacked on one another. Some of them were actually stacked into designs like hearts. It was creepy but cool because it was right around Halloween. Afterwards we went to a supermarket got food and then proceeded to have lunch at the Jardin du Luxembourg. It’s funny because I was so paranoid about germs after Barcelona I bought Pringles and ate them with my mouth. AM and my Belgian friends made fun of me for going to the extreme but hey I couldn’t take any chances. Thankfully one of the guides, had baby wipes and I was able to eat the rest with my hands. After lunch we went to Notre Dame Cathedral, where we got to go around on our own. I never realized how beautiful churches were before coming to Europe. As a Catholic I guess I should have more of an invested interest but whenever we visited cathedrals and churches in the past I guess I was too young to fully appreciate them. 

Barcelona...So Beautiful it Almost Kills You!

When we finally arrived in Barcelona it really felt like being someplace else. If I had been blindfolded and transported to Barcelona I would have been able to tell immediately we weren't in France anymore and not just because the people were speaking Spanish/Catalan but because the atmosphere just exudes a Spanish vibe. From the palm trees and the 10 monuments and fountains we passed on our trek to the hostel Barcelona was just breathtaking. As it turned out the Erasmus people really knew their stuff because we were situated in a hostile practically on the Ramblas (the main street). It was my first time in a hostile though and let me tell you although it was incredibly clean it was also very much what I would think prison is like? There were bunk beds stacked on bunk beds and we were in an 8 person room that thankfully had it's own private shower and bathroom. The only consolation besides the fact that AM, Lucy and I were with the Italians on the bus who were  really friendly was the miniature sized balcony that 3 people could fit on if you squished (which of course we did). The first item on the agenda of things to do was go on a walking tour of Barcelona which although was 2 hours and involved A LOT of walking I actually really enjoyed it. I was mostly fascinated that there's a square in Barcelona named after George Orwell because of his revolutionary opinions in the Spanish Civil War. It's now called Trippy Square because it's where people in recent years go to shoot up so they had to install surveillance cameras to hinder crime. Now for a Writing major or anyone whose a fan of Orwell for that matter and has read 1984, the irony doesn't escape you! I was also pleasantly surprised as a traveler that walking tours are free as the guides who are extremely knowledgeable work on tips and passion for the place alone. After that we went back to the hostel and napped because god knows we all needed one. Then AM and I showered got ready and went to the Erasmus organized event of flamenco dancing, followed by tapas and all you can drink sangria while Lucy stayed in because she was meeting up with her boyfriend who was coming to visit. The flamenco dancing was incredible so impassioned and serious which I was surprised about but I think it's important to note that flamenco dancing has nothing to do with Barcelona culture so much as it has to do with Spain. By the time tapa time rolled around I was starving and was hoping that they were good. I was blown away by the sheer amount of food that they kept bringing out and how amazing it was. There's nothing better than cold cuts on fresh bread with a little tomato and olive oil coupled with the sweet taste of sangria. Just writing about it now makes my mouth water... I do believe that is where it all went to hell though because I didn't wash my hands and we ate so much of the food with our hands (BAD IDEA FOR ANY TRAVELERS)...Later that night we went on a pub crawl which was amazing (totally American and touristy) and completely necessary. The bars in Barcelona are just on another level they had flaming shots and everything from a Harry Potter to a Monica Lewinski (better you don't ask how to take that one). It was just a fun social atmosphere to be in and then we topped the night off with a club called the Catwalk that had bubbles, foam, lights I felt like I was dreaming. AM and I decided that we'd had enough around the time 3 am rolled around so we decided to walk back which in retrospect I would not recommend as it was 20 minutes and our Spanish sucks...we kept using French, English and some Italian to be understood. I think it's funny that I spoke more French in Barcelona than in my time in France so far. For some reason the pressure I guess leaves you and you focus on trying to be understood rather than if you're using the right form of avoir and if it's a conditional statement. The next day we visited the Sagrada Familia undoubtedly the prettiest church I've ever seen. It's just like nothing I'd ever been exposed to and I'm Catholic so I thought I'd pretty much seen all the types of churches. Guadi's work is just incredible from the fruits on top of the pillars to all the intricate details in the stone and the stain glass that reflects and refracts rainbows onto your skin. I was fortunate because I got to see a marriage ceremony being performed but I think it's such a shame that because of tourism they have to have it in the bottom of the church which is very solemn and not nearly as breathtaking as the top floor. Afterwards, we opted to go on the Ramblas and go to the Bouqueria which is a market that has everything you could want and more. Fruit, candy, chocolate, cheese, meet, fish, olives, smoothies in legitimately every flavor and color and type imaginable. I couldn't help myself, I had to get a raspberry, strawberry smoothie as well as a french fry size cup of Spanish ham (soooo good) but once again didn't wash my hands. Later that night all the Erasmusers met up for tapas again only this time it was in a Beer Hall type atmosphere and we were all seated together. It was great because I got to meet new people and make friends with them while eating amazing food and drinking sangria that never seemed to end. After the tapas which once again I didn't wash my hands for (are we seeing a reoccurring theme?) we went to a club with 8 floors! It was pretty awesome although some of the floors were kinda empty. Finally around 5 am we caught the subway back with a big group of Erasmusers/our new friends. The next morning we ended our trip in Barcelona with what else...la playa! It was beautiful and so different from the Mediteranean beaches in Montpellier. The man made beach of Barcelona (learned that in the walking tour) was calm and the water was a bright blue the sand which was imported from the Sahara desert also had a distinctly dry and powdery feel. It was awesome because they were also holding an airplane exhaust competition that day so conversations were periodically punctuated with the sound of airplanes breaking the sound barrier and making shapes like hearts with red clouds. I think Barcelona was by far the best city I've ever been to and I've been to quite a few. I joke around because shortly after returning from Barcelona I got the sickest I think I've ever been. AM and I came down with the worst stomach flu ever and while we couldn't leave our rooms for a good 2 weeks undoubtedly because of our lack of hand washing, it was still totally worth it! I would recommend Barcelona to anyone and everyone just make sure you bring along hand sanitizer LOTS OF IT!

Barcelona...Pourquoi Pas?

Ahh...Barcelona how to describe the most beautiful city in the world? I suppose it could begin with how I ended up there in the first place. The University of Montpellier has an incredible Erasmus program (European study abroad program) and the organization plans cool trips like skiing, canoeing, visiting places in France like Avignon, Nimes, Paris and Barcelona because it's only 3.5 hours away from Montpellier. I'd been in France for about a little more than a month and I really wanted to go to another country. I tried to make Oktoberfest happen but I realized quickly that traveling although easier in Europe still requires time, effort, organizational skills and most of all patience (all attributes I will grudgingly admit I wasn't born with). So when I got the facebook invite one of my friends AM and I decided it was too good to pass up. 120 euros 3 days they'd take care of everything from housing, museums, even what to do at night and we'd get to meet other study abroad students from Europe. We almost weren't able to go because there were 50 spots and we had Grammar class that ran over the inscription time. It must have been fate though because I was #49 and she was #50. I also found out later that my good friend from Romania Lucy was also going and I couldn't wait! Now this wouldn't be a  true blog if I padded or obfuscated the truth so here's how the trip went down. The night before was an American themed party at  the Manhatten Cafe. Needless to say us Americans got really excited at the prospect of being able to play beer pong and represent the good old stars and stripes so AM and I decided to go hard and we'd wake up at 5 am the next morning and sleep for 4 hours on the bus. After experimenting with inexpensive unflavored hard liquor and what can only be called "devil in syrup form" aka grenadine and coffee cups we were good to go or so we thought. As soon as we arrived to the tram stop AM  asked to lie down and got really sick which obviously put the American party out of the question. After crashing in my dorm room and walking back to her host family home at 5 am she was good to go Barcelona. I was undeniably impressed by her ability to just flip a switch and be okay if it was me I'd be scrunched in a ball on my bed and not want to be disturbed for at least 48 hours. I will never forget running to catch the bus as we were clearly the last ones (stupid tram) and her saying wait up a second as we crossed the pedestrian bridge. She leans over the pont (or bridge) and starts to puke like a champ while people on their bikes gave kind of what the hell looks? I just rubbed her back and started saying stuff like "Ahhh...don't ever eat the fish again!" But when she got it out of her system she was all good and we got on the bus and we were off. Lucy had saved us seats next to her and the Italians she knew who lived in her batiment and who we ended up rooming with in the hostile. It was funny because I could tell from their accents that they were from the North and as soon as they said near Milano it only confirmed my assumptions. I spoke a bit but sometimes I get embarrassed (even though I guess I shouldn't) that I'm an American speaking Italian but with a Southern accent. I have to watch myself because at times when I speak Italian really fast I will throw in Neapolitan dialect which apparently is difficult to understand when you didn't grow up with a Nonna speaking it to you? AM struggled through sleeping/being hungover and as we were talking about it the German girls in front of us asked her if she wanted some anti-nausea medicine. She respectfully declined but out of that a friendship was born and we spoke with the girls for the rest of the 2 hours about where they were from in Germany and how long they were in France for and what there specializations were? Who would have known a great way to meet new people would be in a bus? I think what I loved most about the way the trip started was that it was perfect in it's imperfections. It also makes one hell of a story to remember....the American party that never happened, the pragmatic solution to rubbing alcohol vodka and the time AM puked on a ponte. It was a good beginning!

I'm the Worst...

Okay, so I've come to the conclusion that although I'm far from perfect...I can officially add blogging to the list of things I stink at. In fact, I might just be the worst blogger ever because I've been in Montpellier for about 3 months now and I've visited Spain, England and Ireland and yet you'd never know because according to my blog it's still my third day in France. I will try to give a good recap of my time abroad or at least as best as I can now that I've had the chance to reflect on everything I've done and experienced thus far! This should be interesting...

La Place de la Comedie et aussi un Creperie

La Place De La Comedie

August 16, 2011

            I came to when I realized that I was drooling on the innocent passenger sitting by me on the bus to Montpellier. Looking around I started to get really nervous because I was expecting all of Europe to look like an extension of Italy. When the bus pulled to a stop and I saw a brightly colored floral train/subway above ground (what I later learned was a tramway system the entire city runs on) I was unsure of what to do. I had emailed the school about my time of arrival but wasn’t sure if they’d received it and the powers that be were aware I wasn’t at a train station but at the bus stop. So armed with my halting French I managed to ask one of the girls I saw if the “gare” for the train was the same for the bus. As I tried to explain myself, « Ehh…est la….umm…gare? je pense ce dit comme ca….le meme chose pour le bus et le umm…le train? » While I was gesturing wildly with my hands and the girl was nodding her head for me to continue a short girl with torso length brown hair tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I was Valentina studying at the Universite Paul Valery. Thank god! The middle aged man next to me that hadn’t said a word the entire time said in English, “Good luck!” to which I hastily replied “Merci” but also couldn’t help but think if he knew some English why hadn’t he attempted to offer his services? Marion was the name of my savior and Resident Assistant for the 3 week prestage and while she tried to explain to me how the tramway works and the construction that would require us to switch over to a bus. I could understand everything she was saying but after 16 hours on a bus and having spoken Italian for 3 days every time I tried to speak all that would come out was a mélange of English, Italian and French. The worst part is I’d only realize I was doing it when she would then get the quizzical, “Que-est-que tu as dit?” (What the hell did you just say?) I’ve now become entirely used to and pretty apt at spotting this look but I’m not sure if it’s a good sign?

            I was the first one of the 34 students in the orientation program because almost everyone else had connecting flights from some U.S. state to Paris. I took the time to shower and set up my room which was smaller than it seemed in the pictures and that’s saying a lot because it looked like a closet online. Still there was something quaint about the lack in space and it compensated with a half bath and a mini-fridge. I met a few people and quickly discovered that most of the American students in the orientation program were from University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. I went from not knowing one single person from Washington to meeting I want to say about 20? I also had to ask about the Amanda Knox situation and if that affected their decision to study abroad. It hadn’t. I guess it wouldn’t really have affected me either come to think of it because the situation really was just a lot of unfortunate circumstance, trumped up evidence and poor decision making on the part of the defense. Anyways, I commiserated with a fellow and the only other New Yorker in the pre-session (although in a very un-Loyola way she doesn’t hail from 1. Westchester County or 2. Long Island). She was a little peeved because one of her suitcases had gotten lost in the midst of her 11827382929 transfers. It’s funny how people can bond over tragedy more so than good fortune. I found myself commiserating with her because although I hadn’t lost my suitcase on this trip I had in the past for about 2 weeks and knew exactly how she felt. And so a friendship stuck…

            Later that night I was bent on doing something and so with one of the other Resident Assistants, Madina, and August (the other Loyola student) we took the tram to La Place de la Comedie (a big piazza of sorts which is the center of town). I was speechless. It was beautiful from the marbled floor to the antiquated carousel. The fountain of the 3 Graces which sits in the dead center right across from a McDonalds (or McDo as the French people refer to it) and the pink and blue lights that hit the opera house and buildings in such a way that it’s not tacky like one would presume but rather quite breathtaking. We went walking around breathing in the sights and sounds of French people debating, drinking wine, eating at 10 o’clock at night on a Tuesday. Finally coming to a creperie we decided to stop and get something to eat. I opted for a nutella crepe because I have choco-holic tendencies while August had a vegetarian crepe that smelt like pizza fresh out of the oven. After talking with Madina I realized that 1. She knew so much more English than she let on (she explained it was because she had to read a lot of political science papers in English and Dr.House) and 2. She was working on her Phd writing her doctorate 3. She was from Niger (not to be confused with Nigeria which she apparently gets a lot). We spoke in a mixture of French and English to get the point across but I was really impressed with her story of how she ended up in Montpellier and was even able to bring up my service with refugee students of Fulani culture. I’d say for the first official night in France it was a success!

Moi avec la fontaine des Trois Graces

August 15, 2011 – “Do you want to take the knife with you?”

Bye Bye Pizza and The' Alla Pesca!

            Those were the first words out of my dad’s mouth as we drove towards the bus entrance in Naples, Italy. After pulling the Panda or as I lovingly like to refer to it as “the white box on wheels” to a stop, a man and woman came up to the window and started off by saying, “Bellissima, posso…” My dad already knowing the deal with Naples and pickpockets rudely ushered them away with a “No!” but after spending 5 minutes in the car and receiving a couple of more attempts at conversation by what can only be described as sketchy vagabonds I rolled up the window and found myself telling my dad, “You know what I think I’ll take the knife” and fastening the fanny pack I vehemently refused to wear all the way on the 2 hour ride from Salerno. In retrospect, I realize taking the knife was pretty pointless after all let’s be serious if I was really accosted would I be able to open the pocket knife let alone use it when I can’t even peel an apple? And so I found myself on the Eurolines bus for 16 hours stopping at Rome, Florence, Sienna, Geneva, Venice, Marseilles and Provence. While it was a true test of will power to sit for 16 hours without a footrest, smushed against the sweetest little old Italian lady heading to Marseilles to visit her daughter, I actually liked it. I enjoyed seeing the cities of the North as I’ve only really visited Florence and Pisa, I mean granted I was in a bus and we did take the highway for the most part but I was able to see the sun flower fields the region of Tuscany is so well known for. I learned from the Italian woman I was sitting next to that sunflowers are called girasoli because they gira (turn) towards the sole (sun). I also discovered that I was able to follow French conversations and actually mustered up the courage to ask the intimidating French bus driver who only spoke Spanish and French whether it was necessary to leave the bus for every break and he understood me! While traveling by bus isn’t per say glamorous despite the air conditioning which like wifi is also a commodity in Europe you can’t help but sweat profusely and just feel really gross, I now feel slightly more comfortable with my sense of street smarts. After all, I got off and on the right bus, I wasn’t robbed, I didn’t get left behind or forget my luggage…it’s a start right? By the end of the ride and after I connected with the next bus which took me to Montpellier I was exhausted, glistening and frustrated…to say that I hadn’t had second thoughts about coming to France for an entire semester would be a lie because when I frustratingly realized I couldn’t get by on my Italian it hit me…5 months! I couldn’t help but think that if I’d chosen the Rome program I would have had the opportunity to visit more of Italy and interact with Italians outside of Novi (the village my parents come from and where I’ve spent most of my summers) and I’d be within close proximity of my cousins who are studying fashion and languages as well as being able to visit my Nonna Tella who I felt I didn’t see enough of in the 3 days I spent in Salerno. But I just had to pep talk myself through it…I’ve taken French for 8 years and while truthfully speaking when in middle school and most of high school I felt we learned the same thing…present tense and passé compose, I knew this was my chance. Plus being able to speak Italian has opened so many doors for me and given me a greater sense of culture and understanding of others. There’s a sense of pride and confidence that comes with knowing another language and being to relay your thoughts to someone who doesn’t speak what most people believe to be the only language, “English.” Also, whether I liked it or not I really didn’t have a choice in the matter anymore…so I had to make the best of it!

Change of Plans!

Okay so due to unfortunate circumstances i.e. me having no internet connection (I have learned to truly value the luxury that comes in the form of wifi and will forever be grateful to the person or people who invented said wireless connection as an Ethernet cords happen to be the most inconvenient inventions in existence forcing one to remain within the 3 foot range of the cord and the outlet always seems to be in the most uncomfortable of places in my case underneath the  desk) and not having a proper convertor for my pc which I have clearly since remedied I was unable to account for the week I’ve been in Montpellier, France. Rather than skip the first week or try to hastily summarize all the humorous and momentous events that have since occurred I figure I’ll just recount my time in chapters with the dates and titles. So here it goes…