Pâques, Pascoa, Easter 2011

I decided that instead of writing in the usual format I do, I'd make a list of the top moments from Easter 2011. Just to introduce, I spent this year's Easter in France with our good friends Jean-Claude and Claudie and their family. I did not really know what to anticipate, but I can assur you that I did in fact have a traditional French Easter. Instead of spending it with them in their house in Moreuil close to Amiens, we celebrated at their beach house in Fort-Mahon, France (where I will be living this summer while interning at the local tourist office).

1. Food and Drink
Let's just say it was like Christmas in April. Seafood: crab, shrimp and homemade mayonnaise; Appetizers of all sorts; Amazing chicken with moroccan spices; Steak (need I describe more?); CHEESE (including camembert, roquefort, chèvre, maroille, brebis, and comté); Desserts: four different types of cake and all the Easter chocolate you could dream of. Champagne. And champagne. And oh, champagne.

2. Location
Beach in Northern France. I have been here before during the summer, and let me tell you, it can be cold, so I was wondering what it would be like in April. However, I can honestly say that it was perfect weather. Sun, not too windy (except for the last day), and I even got a tan...in my opinion anyway. This beach town, Fort-Mahon, is located on the English Channel. Jean-Claude and Claudie's beach house is literally a two-minute walk to the beach.

3. People
Everyone from Christmas minus my good friend Katie and plus my good boyfriend Laurent. This included JC and Claudie, their daughter and her family and their family friends from Rouen and Amiens.  I had actually seen one of them in Rouen when I went in March, but couldn't put a name to her face. Small world. We laughed, conversed and had fun spending time together. JC and Claudie's four grandsons were there and have friends in Fort-Mahon so afternoons were spent with young people ;).

4. Activities
Beach. Promenade around town and in the Channel. Bike pedaling (those four-wheeled bike type vehicles you can rent) around town with Laurent and Paul, the youngest of the grandsons. Eating - yes, it is an activity. Uno. Visiting my future employer. I was not able to attend an Easter service - kind of a bummer and made me miss my family traditions and family, but at least I was with people who cared about me. This made missing out on activities back home a bit easier.

Last activity: documenting the trip with pictures, even though Laurent enjoyed my camera more than I did :) (The photos below were taken by him)

Riding around Fort-Mahon

Champagne. 

French boys: Ben, Romain, Gauthier

Yum. 

Fort-Mahon

:)

Enjoy!

3 Countries, 1 Weekend: France, Luxembourg, Germany

It took me a while to figure out what I was going to do with my spring break. Wonderful places like Venice, Barcelona and Athens that I have not yet been to were possibilities for a while, but I wanted to spend some time in France as well so it came out to be sort of complicated to travel to countries that weren’t exactly right by each other. Right now I am in Paris (in a Starbucks – oops) just coming back from a weekend trip that I took with Laurent. Since he Works full time he couldn’t take off a whole week like us students can, but we managed to take a semi-random but incredible trip to...wait for it... Luxembourg! When I told people that I would be spending part of my spring break on a beach in France and the other parti n Luxembourg, people seemed to understand the appeal of a French beach but definitely not the appeal of ‘Luxembourg’. “Why are you going there?? There’s NOTHING to do there!” were the kind of comments I received.

I admit that I had no particular reason in choosing Luxembourg other than the fact that it was another country I had never visited and the TGV train tickets from Paris to Luxembourg were cheap and lasted only two hours. I was happy to not have to be in another airport, worrying about baggage limits. However, I am very happy with this choice.

When we arrived in Luxembourg we had nothing – no map, no directions, list of places to visit. We left Paris at 7 AM and arrived at 9 AM. The tourist information of the train station was closed but we found a larger map on the wall and located the Hotel Delta where we were going to stay. Although we couldn’t check-in until the afternoon, we left our things so we wouldn’t have to carry them around while visiting the city. Once we got our map with the ‘hot-spots’ of Luxembourg to visit, we set out on the path they lined out for tourists. Some of the interesting and beautiful places we saw included: Notre Dame Cathedral, Pont Adolphe, Gëlle Fra, a monument commemorating volunteers in the armed forces of the Allies in WWII. We ended this part of our tour with lunch in the incredible Vallée de la Petrusse, and even got a little bit of sun because of the perfect weather. We had some friend fish, a panini, calamari and a delicious Luxembourgish specialty – I forget the name but it is a type of flat potato pancake – in the open market that Saturday, right after looking at the rows of flowers and passing through the crowds of people.

Gëlle Fra

Behind the Cathedral

Flowers for sale!

Fried...fish, calamari and potato pancake

in the Vallée de la Petrusse; Photo Credit: Laurent Box

Vallée de la Petrusse

Aqueduct

We ended the day with a late dinner. We were worried for a moment because nothing seemed to be open around, but once we got into the center of town we found a reasonable priced Mexican restaurant. Yes, a Mexican restaurant in Luxembourg. Mounds of great food for 10 euros, delicious sangria and an old man signing and playing guitar made the day. And to think just that morning we had been in Paris!

The next morning we hopped on a bus to Saarbrücken, Germany. I originally got the idea to try to see Germany while in Luxembourg from my mom who studying abroad there in college. I have already seen and met the places and people my mom discovered and met while in France, but never Germany so this was a pretty cool part of the trip for me. The ride took one hour and when we first arrived we did not know where to go. There was the train station, and then even though we walked a while (following a map we got from the station), we weren’t seeing anything. There were two churches, St. John’s Basilica and St. Johann’s Cathedral… and then closed stores and no restaurants. We were afraid for a minute, since according to a local this was the “center of town”. However, after walking a bit more in search of a brewery we saw gins of life. Cute shops located in tiny roads. Restaurants. A fountain. After having a wonderful lunch, me picking off of Laurent’s plate more than my own, we walked a bit more and to our joy found a park by the river! Right before sitting down to get some sun we spotted a sign “Saarbrücken”. There was another couple trying to get pictures of each other so we went up and offered to photograph for them. They, in exchange, took our photo and we discussed a bit about our lives after. They enjoyed the fact the Laurent was French, that I was American, had studied in France but now lived in Portugal. Complicated, really. The best part though was finding out that this couple was from Portugal. Coimbra, in fact! She, Inês, was finishing her PhD in Saarbrücken and he, don’t remember his name, was visiting her from Coimbra.

St Johann's

The real center of town

Walking to the park

After we “tanned” in the sun and bought some ice cream despite the language barrier, we returned to the train station to go back to Luxembourg. Our train the next morning to Paris was at 6 am so we thought it best not to stay out late. However, this did not stop us from getting Mexican food (at a different restaurant – we wanted to mix it up) and some amazing cocktails. First and best piña colada I’ve had.

Everything about this trip was wonderful: the sunny and warm weather, my friend and boyfriend, beautiful sites and getting to know another part of the world. I just felt extremely lucky despite becoming a bit sick. So, for those who say there is nothing to do there in Luxembourg I reply that you have to find the right sites, the right food and of course, travel with the right person to experience the luxe of the country.

Up next, Easter in France!

Piscina, Palácios e Portugal

A couple updates from the fim do Março to the fim do Abril:

VISEU

It has been a while since I have updated my blog, but now that I am on Easter vacation and no longer filling out internship applications, I have a moment to write about where I have been and what I’ve been doing for he past couple of weeks. I’m not going to describe everything in one post since there have been various trips. The first is Viseu, Portugal.

As part of my study abroad program here in Portugal there are two organized trips: a day trip that we have not yet had and a weekend trip that took place in Viseu, Portugal. Viseu is about an hour and a half from Coimbra by car. The five of us (me, Amalia, Alex, our director Ana Paula and her boyfriend Francisco) drove to Viseu Friday afternoon to our five star hotel and spa, Hotel Montebelo. Amalia, Alex and I all shared a room, fully equipped with a bath and hot shower, something that lacks from our apartment at times. We ate the complimentary fruit plate before slipping into our robes for our massages. The spa was equipped with a pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and, my personal favorite, hamam or Turkish bath.

That night we went our to eat before heading to the “Ice Bar”, a bar completely made of ice. A “hot” or rather cold (hold your laughs please) tourist attraction, we enjoyed our delicious drinks at this incredible location.

Saturday was filled with visiting museums and cathedrals. Unfortunately it was raining and cold, but nonetheless interesting to see all of the religious art in the area. Our visits included the Ireja da Misericórdia and the museum of Grão Vasco, the biggest Portuguese painter of the 16^th century. That night we were on our own for dinner and evening activities which included shopping at the mall. Viseu was interesting, but it is not the size of Lisbon or Porto so we were also able to visit a museum in Carambulo as well, a museum that displayed propaganda and also a temporary exhibition of old cars. Unfortunately I forgot my camera for this part of the trip in my suitcase, but it was a good way to end things, even though we were absolutely exhausted. The last meal included “sandes de leitão”. If you don’t know what that is, you’re better off looking it up online. Very good, but we probably drove around from an hour (the time it takes to travel between Viseu and Coimbra) to find these oh-so-precious sanduíches, according to our director.

Sé Cathedral Square

Miséricordia

Saint Isabel, Coimbra's saint

SINTRA

After our massages in Viseu, we took a train down to Lisbon a weekend after. Mario, my dad’s childhood friend picked us up, made us a wonderful dinner and drove us to a house in Sintra. My dad has another good friend, Helder, with a vacation home in Sintra. Helder offered up his home for the weekend so we three girls, looking for a weekend away, took the generous offer. The house is gorgeous and despite the lack of hot water, was a nice getaway. We slept in comfy beds and watched a movie, In her Shoes. During the day, however, our visit in Sintra was packed.

Since Sintra isn’t exactly pedestrian friendly, Ricardo, Mario’s son, kindly drove us around and served as our guide for the weekend. We enjoyed sites like Palácio da Pena and the Castelo dos Mouros on Saturday and took a trip to Mafra and visited the palace there on Sunday. We were also able to drive to Cabo da Roca, the most western part of Europe, and Cascais. My favorite part of the trip was definitely the Palácio da Pena and the Castelo dos Mouros. The Palácio incorporated so many styles and colors and its location at the top of a mountain made it even more pristine. From the Palacio we could spot the Castelo dos Mouros, a typical looking castle you’d see in a children’s cartoon of a medieval story. Situated on the castle’s peaks were the different Portuguese flags and their evolution, and the style was typically arab.

Palácio da Pena

Claustros da Palácio

From below

Castelo dos Mouros

View from Cabo da Roca

Library inside Palácio de Mafra

The morning we left we had hot water. Such a nice change from our apartment’s shower. Sintra, although touristy, is a beautiful historical city. Although the trip was last minute sometimes those are the best kind of trips. Going in without a ton of knowledge of the location or expectations of the trip can make it one of the best ones. I am learning that I enjoy traveling like that. 

Aveiro - The Venice of Portugal

Estação de Caminhos-de-Ferro (Old Aveiro train station)

This weekend I am without my "Terrible Twos" Amalia and Alex (just kidding they are great) because they are visiting Barcelona. I was thinking of going with them, but flights just got to be too expensive as did the flights for France (one of my other possible options for this weekend). So, what did I do? Went to a random city: The city of Aveiro.

We have a few maps in our kitchen - of the world and of Portugal alone. After class Friday afternoon I came home and looked at the map, saw the city Aveiro and googled it. Aveiro is in between Coimbra and Porto and the ria de Aveiro is around the city. So this morning I woke up, got dressed, packed myself a chorizo sandwich and headed to the train station.

Igreja da Misericórdia

When I first arrived in Aveiro I asked for information on returning trains as well as a map of the city. The times on the internet aren't always the most reliable, and I didn't have time to write down any information about the city the night before because my internet was down. The train station didn't have anything - I mean, why should I expect them to have a schedule of the outgoing trains right? However, I stepped into a little newspaper / magazine kiosque that had some free packets for tourists. And that's what I was right? A tourist for the day. I ordered my galão like a non-tourist but then blew my cover by opening up the map that was filled with pictures of the top things to see in Aveiro. After this I set off onto the main street - Avenida Doutor Lourenço Peixinho.

It was super nice weather - around 70 degrees - and everything reminded me so much of a mix between Malibu, California and San Francisco. It was super strange to be reminded of home in such a random city, but comforting at the same time. I didn't see everything the tourist map suggested because honestly that was not the point of this trip for me. I enjoy being surprised, taking pictures of what I feel is interesting and taking in what's around me (not exactly going to search for it on a map). I saw the town hall, the Igreja de Misericórdia, Theatro Aveirense, Assembleia Municipal, The old train station, a gorgeous park Rossio close to the Central Canal.

"Do you see the Venice in me?"

Aveiro is called the "Venice of Portugal" because of the canal that runs through the city. Gondolas crowd the river, taking on tourists who want this Portuguese Italian experience. The city is by no way flooded, but I suppose it has it's own type of venetian charm - I'll let you know if I ever make it to Venice. Gosh, I don't travel anywhere... ;)

So I must confess that I did not only do sight-seeing and accidentally take pictures without knowing the black and white setting was on. I also did some shopping and took another galão break. All in all it was a great day. I rushed home, took a shower, and ate before heading to a church here in Coimbra with my friend Felipe. It is literally right down the street from my apartment. Even though I pass it everyday, I had never noticed it until I went tonight. The church is small, but everyone was super welcoming. Most of the people there are Brazilians so songs were a bit difficult to sing at first because 1 - it's in Portuguese, and 2 - it's in Brazilian Portuguese, but I think I'll be going back again.

At the beginning of my day and at the end as I was on the train home watching the sunset I started to think "Life here in Portugal might not be so terrible".

Abraço,
Tatiana

Março Madness

It's about time I update this again, and since I seem to have some extra time today right now seemed about right. 

At least I didn't have to walk up these to go to "class"
 this morning because of the location of our new apartment

Today I woke up an hour after my alarm to get to class. No worries, I wasn't late, but it wouldn't have even mattered because class was canceled. Whoops, thanks for the warning! :) This event just seemed to be yet another example of my life here in Portugal. As I've told my mom, you just have to laugh, but sometimes it's crazy to think of how things just don't right. I think that I'm going to have a nice surprise when I go back to the US because simple things like being able to make your coffee in the morning will be seen à la fois easy et as a gift. 

My time thus far here in Coimbra has been pretty fun, but very different. My roommates and the only other two girls in the program from Madison have had fun in our new apartment making dinner or just chorizo and butter sandwiches. We have mastered getting groceries from the store to our apartment, but the rest of Portugal seems to stil be a bit of a challenge. Like I said, you have to laugh... a lot. At the fact that stores are closed or if they are open, unable to do function, that the machine eats your bank card, that our mail goes to some unknown location, that there is no gas for our stove at the moment, that we have to pay for the residence hall even though we're not living there, and that our classes are often canceled. Laugh. Laugh. Laugh. I don't wan tot be perceived as that American studying abroad that will only complain about the "cultural differences" rather than embracing them. I do love Portugal in the way Portugal should be loved. It is a wonderful old country with stone roads and lots of history. Yes, there are tourists, but not as many flocking the streets like in Paris, and for the most part, people are super friendly. Also, the galão is one of my best friends - be sure to try it but not to spill it all over your lap and then drop the glass on the stone ground. Don't want to stain the stones ;)

We just had a few vacation days for Carnaval. I decided to go to Paris to finally get my visa so I could study here. The plan was to pick up my visa in Paris and then when I arrived back in Coimbra, register to get my temporary resident card which would allow me to be here until August. Even though the visa woman never contacted me back for a meeting and was not there when I arrived, I figured I had nothing to lose and I needed to get my visa, which apparently was ready. Someone else, Eduardo Santos (who also studied in Coimbra figure toi), took my passport and put in my visa. Great, right?! They only problem? Wrong type of visa. I was so close! Laugh. I received a temporary stay visa instead of a resident visa. Long story short: after talking to the person helping me with all of this in Coimbra I am not getting a temporary resident card, might have to leave Portugal by June 5, and for the moment don't have to pay anything. It was a bit frustrating but it's part of life I suppose. The good thing: I am even more determined to receive my Portuguese nationality / citizenship through my dad and so I am actively researching and looking at the possibilities. 

I thought today would be a good time to blog because I have just been thinking a lot about my study abroad experiences as a whole. It's normal to compare last semester to this one, discovering the different benefits and overall differences betweens these two European countries. Like I mentioned, I love Portugal for reasons I didn't love Paris, and now I'll say equally that I love Paris for things that I don't enjoy about Portugal. It is the case everywhere, advantages and disadvantages, but it's okay. People are often more warm and welcoming in Coimbra than in Paris (not always, in general) and they are probably canceling class or closing stores early for a good cause, like a coffee or galao break for example. At least that means I get to take those breaks, too. And in Paris, well the classes and requirements of the program just seemed a bit more rigorous. In Coimbra, it’s almost like to you to challenge yourself. Immersion isn’t as easy - we are surrounded by other exchange students and often are used to speaking English. We have to actively make the choice to be immersed. So far I’ve been immersed to the administration system ;), but now it’s time to focus more on the language learning.

Those have been my thoughts lately. I am currently working on Portuguese homework and looking for summer internships in Europe and back home. It’s hard to believe I’ve been in Europe for over 8 months. 8 months. I’ve definitely learned more than languages, and in all I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve gained a better idea of what I want to do with my studies and of how I’d like to live my life, and just waiting of what will happen next. 

In other news... Here are some pictures of what's I've been seeing lately:

Took a trip to the Conímbriga ruins: Thermal baths

 In front of the Cathedral in Rouen.

Picture of kitchen in our new apartment. She's a looker, huh?

"Chamo-me Tatiana Gonçalves" - I can say this correctly for the first time in my life!

Olá!

Cheguei em Portugal há já duas semanas e meio... e estou já mais habituada à falar em português :)

Just kidding, I am not ready to write a complete vocabulary-rich and grammatically correct blog post in Portuguese. However, since being here I have become more comfortable to do some basic tasks such as ordering food / coffee, introducing myself and carrying on conversations, and speaking on the phone.

Moving from Paris to Coimbra from like moving from night to day, in the literal sense. I quickly realized that I didn't need my winter coat and could wear my flats and give my boots a rest for a little bit. The sun is a nice change, and even though it's a completely different experience, I'm excited about it.

People say that in general, Europe is slowed paced, which I have learned to be true. Paris however is a bit quicker than Coimbra so I will still have to get used to the pace even though I have been in Europe for over 6 months now. I still cannot believe that - 6 months. Goes by fast... So what's this again about time in Europe passing slower? ;)

I first arrived in Lisbon from Paris (even with a bit trouble with my flights / baggage - just be aware of luggage restrictions with Easyjet! ;)), I was greeted by my father and his childhood friend, Mario. I was not able to see my family at Christmas so seeing my dad was great. It was weird to speak English and we quickly started to speak in Portuguese so I could make the transition from French to this new, equally beautiful language. After visiting Lisbon and surrounding cities (like Obidos and Cascais) for a few days, I was able to travel with my dad and Mario to different cities all up the continent. We stopped in Coimbra, dropped off my bags in my dorm room and headed up to the North to visit Mario's sweet girlfriend, Rosa.

Spending a few days in Melgaço, where Rose lives, was pretty fun. Melgaço is right on the border between Portugal and Spain and so Mario was nice enough to drive us even further up north to see San Santiago Compostela, where thousands of people make a pilgrimage by foot, bike, or another form of transport (but that of course, would be less hardcore). Although all the traditional things to do in the church were closed, this was nonetheless an unforgettable experience. The San Santiago Catherdral used to house thousands of traveling poor and homeless from all over Europe, and I was able to see this. Obrigada ao Senhor Mario!

It was hard to have my dad leave. I kind of got used to speaking in Portuguese with him, going out to eat and getting coffees in the morning and afternoon, even drinking "Ginjinha" and eating "Pasteis de Belem" with him. He helped me with paperwork and was my spokesperson in difficult government situations.. Such as explaining why I do not yet have my Portuguese visa. I think we bonded a bit, and I'm glad.

But, it's ok. I'll have to admit I was a bit homesick after he left, but it's normal. I mean, I'm allowed right, after six months from home and then I'm reminded of my family that's there and not here? Since then, it's gotten better, don't worry. I'm reminded of my family in other ways... the food, the coffee, the atmosphere. Reminds me of California and the Portuguese family back there, only here it's "Big Portugal" rather than "Little Portugal":).

Not much has happened - just a lot of administrative things to get the semester going. Paying for housing. Getting a bus pass (which will only cost around 17 euro a month - beats the 60 I had to pay for the metro). Faxing papers / figuring out classes. I started my language classes last week and so far so good. I got placed in the Intermediate level  so I have a mix of language classes and culture classes. I'm still trying them out to figure out exactly what I want to take, but for now it looks like I'll be adding in a Portuguese literature class where I would be directly enrolled with other Portuguese students.

Well, I'm about to leave to make dinner with Amalia and Alex, the only two other people in this study abroad program. Good thing we get along. Like really well. After that going to explore Coimbra by night! :) I'll post some pictures when I get a chance... Promise.

Até logo! Beijinhos!

4 Countries and Counting

My January has been one of the best months abroad so far. It seems like seriously just a few days ago I was celebrating the "Nouvel An" in Paris with my good friend Katie, my boyfriend Laurent, and some other super great people.

Country 1: I spent my 21st birthday in Paris, went to a bar and had my first drink! No, just kidding, but I did receive a free cocktail and the chocolate orange cake Laurent made was great. :) I spent two weeks in Paris, one week being a tourist with Katie and the other relaxing before my ten day trip around Europe. With Katie, we went to Moulin Rouge, Sacré Coeur, the TOP of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, The Champs-Elysées, L'Arc de Triomphe, and some other things, including everything we did in Amiens et in Moreuil with Kennede, aka Cannelle.

Moulin Rouge

View of the Eiffel Tower from Montmartre

Me, Katie, and Rob in front of a monument I can't remember the name of

Country 2: I left for Budapest January 8th to spend 5 days with Guillaume, Claudie's niece, and his wife Zsoka, oh and their cat, Tom. This was one of my first times visiting a country other than France in Europe. Before my study abroad trip I had visited France three times and the Azores once. If you don't know where the Azores are, you should look them up and then visit. Hint: Beautiful tropical islands off the coast of Portugal. You'd think for one of my first times visiting a country other than France I'd go to Spain or Italy or Germany, but it was Budapest. I would have never thought to visit Eastern Europe if I hadn't been offered a bed to sleep in by some super great people and if one of my good friends from high school, Chris, wasn't studying there. Even though I could barely understand or pronounce one word in Hungarian, literally barely one word, Budapest was a great trip. I got to visit Hero's Square, The House of Terror, St. Stephen's Basilica and Square, Budapest City Park, Gellért Hill and Citadella, the famous and ultra fancy Gerbeaud Coffee House, Roosevelt Square, the Central indoor market, Castle District, and the BATHS, oh the baths. The Baths. Thermal Baths. Did I know they were super popular and not expensive in Hungary? No, but let me tell you, when I walked into Király Fürdó, Turkish baths that were constructed around 1500, I felt like I was walking into one of those Greek movies where everyone is socializing and talking politics and planning to kill Julius Ceasar. I went to another one of these baths the next day called Széchenyi. It was pretty sweet as well, but not as old. Bigger and outside, meaning you're warm but during the freezing Hungarian winter, these baths had a lot of different pools, saunas, etc. It's pretty cool when you think about this all being natural mineral water from the underworld of Hungary. I left Hungary with an invitation to come back from Guillaume and Zsoka, some Hungarian wine and some of that famous Hungarian paprika. I think I'll be going back.

House of Terror, museum remembering Hungary under the Nazi regime and the Soviet Union

Saint Stephen's Basilica and Square

Country 3: My next stop was Geneva, Switzerland... for one night :). I was greeted at the Geneva airport by my mom's work friend, Sophie, and another friend, oh and Swiss chocolate. They took my to my hotel and waited for me as I checked in and put my bags in my room, and then we went out for FONDUE! YES.
You'd think after a semester in Paris I would have gone out for fondue, but no, just raclette, so I was content to finally go to a real fondue restaurant. I spent the night in the most comfortable bed ever. With four fluffy pillows. And a free breakfast the next morning. Then I visited Geneva before I had to head back to the airport for my flight to London. I climbed up to the top of St. Peter's Cathedral, which looks out at Mont Blanc, the town of Geneva, and parts of France. I was also able to see la Chaise cassée (Broken Chair), a monumental sculpture promoting the elimination of mines as well as remembering those who have been killed by antipersonnel mines. This was located in the Place of Nations, right in front of the UN building. Other places I saw in Geneva included The Opera House, Rousseau Island, le Jardin Anglais, the Reformation Wall, Place et Temple de la Madeleine, the WHO building, and the Musée de la Croix Rouge (Because the Red Cross started in Geneva!). Being an International Studies major, I was stoked to see all of these buildings and what they represented.

Chaise cassée with the United Nations building in the background

Saint Peter's Cathedral

At the entrance to the Musée de la Croix Rouge

Country 4: That afternoon I caught my flight to London. Now if any of you know about London airports, you know there's the Heathrow airport, closer to everything, and then there are the other airports. I arrived in one of the others, Gatwick. It just sounds gross. Lucky I didn't miss my bus like I though I had (because my phone didn't change automatically like I thought it would) and had a nice long ride to the center of London. Took the TUBE to Victoria station where I stayed. Right in the center of everything I was given an apartment type room with a little kitchen instead of a smaller room with no kitchen like I paid for. No worries, it was the same price, which was great because I ended up saving money making my own food. I was so tempted to imitate the accent, but resisted. I got to see a lot of things in London: Parliament and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park and Green Park, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, St Paul’s Cathedral, Millennium Bridge, and Harrod’s. I took my sister Katya’s advice and got a coffee at Caffé Nero, and I ended up getting tea and gelato at Harrod’s.

Parliament and Big Ben

Hyde Park

Buckingham Palace

I am now in France relaxing before I head back to Paris on Monday, only to get ready to leave Saturday January 29th for Portugal, country number 5. I haven’t seen my family since the beginning of August, but my dad is going to pick me up from the airport in Lisbon, and I’m so excited to see him. I honestly don’t really feel ready for Portugal: I have forgotten a lot of my Portuguese, and I do not have my visa and will be heading to Portugal without one. Yeah, that’s right. I am just starting to feel as though my bags are under control. Since I’m flying Easyjet I have a super strict weight limit, so I’m going to have to pay for extra luggage. It’s not too bad though; I’m only up to 65 Euros for the entire flight, luggage and all. Much cheaper than it would be to fly from San Francisco. Plus, I have about a suitcase of clothes and gifts to send back with my dad, so in reality I am packing lighter to Portugal. It just won’t seem like it right away.

I hope these pictures give you an idea of my time abroad. Sorry these posts end up being so long, but I’m grateful in thinking that someone is reading them, and hopefully it encourages you to travel abroad!

Remember December

I remembered that it was December and that I finally had to update this again. Then I remembered this is my last month in my study abroad program here in Paris. As of yesterday, there are two weeks before I leave. It won't be forever. In fact, I will be spending and week in Amiens, France with my French family, and then my good friend KATIE LUNDSTROM and I will spend December 26th to January 1st in Paris.

Usually the "last" blog of one's study abroad trip is one of reflection (which I typed in French before erasing because it's a misspelled word in English), but I really don't want to do that right now, reflect on the last four months and how much I've loved my time here in Paris. It'll just probably make me sad to think about all the ridiculous, funny, frustrating and significant moments I've experienced in Paris. De toute façon, I'll still be here in January, traveling back and forth between Paris and other European cities (Budapest, Geneva / Berlin, Amsterdam, and London) before finally going to Portugal for Spring semester. Seriously, can anyone tell me where the time went?

For the most part, I feel like time has moved quickly. It's only when I skyped with my family yesterday that I realized how far away they are! It was about 9:30 at night here in Paris and around 12:30 in sunny San Jose, CA. They were having lunch after church and I just looked at them, eating a giant chocolate coin that my Mom sent me, and realized how much I missed them. Talks about Thanksgiving, hearing about the latest family drama at Vavo's, seeing all the animals and making random jokes made me do that thing with my face that signifies "This is kinda hard. I miss them".

And then on the other side, there's that moment of awakening that you are soon going somewhere else, leaving Paris for another city in a country that you don't really know. This morning on the metro we stopped because of some traffic right over the Seine river. I love crossing over the Seine because I can see the Notre Dame and Eiffel tower right from the metro car. Even though it's a rule not to smile on the metro, I smile everytime. That, and when someone is playing the guitar and singing "Aicha". Yes. I'll be leaving that soon, but for another city, another adventure really, but one in which I honestly have no idea what to expect! I came to France with the ability to communicate easily and with a knowledge of French culture because of my past experiences. And even though I am half Portuguese and grew up around some very Portuguese Portuguese, I still feel like I'm flying into the unknown. Maybe it's the fact I'm taking EasyJet and the ticket was dirt cheap. Another European mystery, I suppose.

Quoi qu'il en soit, I know everything will work out. God has really encouraged me this semester, and obviously all the worries I had before France about classes at the university and meeting people are not worries now. Evidence of His love. I have been blessed this semester. The 17 of us. The professors. The nouveau jour, nouveau parfum group. All the People I met at the Hideout. Le chat orange. Hillsong Church. Teuta. Erica. Mariel. Flo. Laurent. Aicha, of course. The grandma that I live with and her Golden Girls friends. I really don't know if I could have asked for a better study abroad experience here in Paris, my third home.

Next blog: Maybe a final au revoir to Paris, or maybe bemvindo to Coimbra. Or something in between.

Nantes

One of the many protests that changed my transportation plans

Bridge between le Grand Palais and Les Invalides

Musée d'Orsay

Path to Sacré Coeur

"N'importe quoi" ou "C'est nul ça" ?

I cannot decide which phrase is my favorite so I'll use them both. What is "nul" and what is "n'importe quoi" in my life right now in Paris?

"Nul" = "argot" or slang for "dumb"

- That I only have 1 month and 18 days left in Paris
- That I don't update this more often (but I am keeping to my promise of at least once a month ;))
- That Paris, although lovely, is quite expensive. Especially when you are having to buy food and transportation. Note: My pass NaviGo costs me 60.40 euro a month. This allows me to ride the metro, bus, train, etc but it definitely hurts me every month)
- That the sun in slowly disappearing and it is getting even more and more cold (BUT, nothing like Wisconsin)
- That I have not been reimboursed by RyanAir for my trip to Barcelona which was cancelled due to the protests that take place so often in Paris
- That all things considered, I really have nothing to complain about and that I seriously love this city more and more. Maybe it's "nul" that I can't stay longer.

"N'importe quoi": How do I explain this phrase. I say it a lot and I know when to say it, but I don't have a direct translation in mind other than "Whatever"... We can do "n'importe quoi" or just say to someone "n'importe quoi" when they are being ridiculous. What is n'importe quoi in my life? I am just going to say random things that have been going on.

- Since we couldn't go to Barcelona, I took a trip to the south of France. The cities of Aix-en-Provence and Marseille are gorgeous. Aix is smaller than Paris but super lively with lots of students. We walked everywhere pretty much and our hotel was not far from the center of town, which was super convenient. The hotel was sweet. 20 euro a night per person is not a bad deal. But beware, apparently when you order "4 beds" that means "enough room to sleep four people" as in you are sharing a bed. We fought a got a room with "three beds".. That is a fold out couch, and two twins smashed together to make a big bed. Haha. N'importe quoi.
- Homework : School is very different here. I don't know if I would describe it as harder because even though classes at the university are generally a challenge I still feel like I'm on vacation. Talking to professors at the university (which I will refer to as the "Fac") and working out the paper work wasn't easy (I am two weeks late on sending papers to my university), and the work is structured differently. We have specific assignments that French students have learned how to do since I don't know how long ago, but it's been a learning curve for me. Also, I have about four books I need to read. N'importe quoi...
 - Social life? Making French friends, practicing my French. Got mistaken for a Frenchie :), that was encouraging. Amourette might exist. N'importe quoi...

What's coming up?
- School and getting back in the groove from vacation
- Tomorrow I will be going all around Paris and taking pictures of the fall / winter. I will also be taking care of school work and paper work
- Traveling more hopefully when prices to Amsterdam, London, and anywhere in Germany go down
- Starting things for Portugal... This includes paper / visa work, brushing up on my Português, and finding a flight there in January :)

Thanks for reading my blog! I hope to talk to you guys soon - feel free to ask me questions and contact me!

Teuta, Alex and Tati in Marseille. Photo taken by Laurent Box.

We're halfway there... Already?

Well I didn't promise weekly updates so I guess I wasn't doing anything wrong by waiting almost a month to update this blog.

"Studying" Abroad has felt like a vacation. I realized yesterday that I have been in France for approximately two months and I am about halfway through the semester. To think about that makes me sad. If I weren't going to Portugal next semester I would be staying here in Paris for the year, there is no doubt in my mind.

This past month our group visited Nantes, a port city historically known for it's participation in the Triangular Trade and transportation of slaves. All of my classes have officially began - two at the CIEE center (for exchange students) and two at the Sorbonne Nouvelle. I'm currently taking a Writing Workshop and a class called Theory and Method of Critical Studies at the center, and at the university a class about Marguerite Duras and one called Writing and Anthropology of Violence, a class concerning genocide and international human rights. The university classes are intense. I'm going to have to get out of my vacation mode a bit because I have some hard work ahead.

"Toota and Tati" in Nantes

I have grown really close to a lot of people in the program. I hang out with three girls most of the time - Erica Freding, Teuta Jonuzi, and Mariel Dupont. We have met some great people from other universities and around the city. Nothing "louche" or sketchy, but it's been good to spend time with people our age that know the city. I would highly recommend it. Just make sure to not fall in love with them! And I'll leave you with that... Check out Facebook for more pictures :)

Nouveau jour, nouveau parfum

Finally updating this. It's been a crazy time since moving out of temporary housing. Our group got split up into all different arrondissments, or districts, but for the most part everyone is pleased.

I am living in the 13th district. That probably doesn't mean anything to most of you, but for me it means a non-touristy, non-expensive quiet neighborhood. The grocery store is right by my apartment building, as is the metro and the outdoor marché every Wednesday and Saturday. I can walk to these amazing gardens which is also close to my university, Sorbonne Nouvelle, and even though it's far from the study abroad center it's nothing the metro can't handle - expect on September 7 during the general transportation stikes. Oh, the French :)

I just finished my Intensive Language class that lasted 3 weeks. My professor was amazing and we studied Montmartre and Montparnasse, two historically intellectual and artistic areas key to understanding Paris. We visited these places, and that is only the beginning of how much I've learned so far in class. Tomorrow, I start two of my classes - a Writing Workshop and a Theory and Method class. University classes don't start till the end of the month, and it's definitely not as organized as my university back home so that will be an interesting experience...

I have gotten really close with some people in my program, and it's been fun to go to coffee shops, hit up the Bastille, and having the weirdest experiences on the metro. We just celebrated Erica Freding's 22 birthday Friday and Saturday night. Some of us found a new church, the Hillsong Church, and it has been so cool to go to. The music is contemporary and the services in English and French.

I've had some great adventures so far, but I won't bore you with those other stories ;). Hopefully this gives you an idea of how much I've loved studying abroad so far and actually, how I could see myself living here.

A la prochaine fois! - I'll try to update this more frequently.