Bastille Day

Happy Bastille Day!

I thought today would be a fitting day to close out my blogging about France. I'll probably keep this blog going about my personal life, but this will be the last France-centered entry. I've been home since about 8:30pm on Friday. Being in America has never felt better! It's so nice being around familiar things again, and having friendly people around. I thought it would take awhile to readjust, but it kind of felt like it all just fell right back into place.

That's not to say that I didn't have a great experience in France. I miss the people I met in Paris. I miss being able to look out my window and see the Eiffel Tower at night. I miss being able to switch back and forth between English and French depending on what I felt like at the time. I learned so much about culture and how to understand and appreciate the differences between various cultures. The things I learned in Paris are things I never could have learned without stepping outside of my comfort zone and living like a Parisian for seven weeks. There is absolutely no way to explain this kind of experience to someone who hasn't actually done it. It's experiential learning in the highest sense. Hopefully, through my entries, you all have gotten to understand a little bit more about a culture that was a little bit foreign to you.

One of the things that everyone keeps asking me is, "So, is the USA better than France?" The thing is, we're talking about culture here. There's no such thing as a "better" culture. France is different, but it's not better and it's not worse. It's just different. The same thing goes for any culture, whether it be German or Japanese or Egyptian or Iranian or Thai. No culture is inherently better or worse than another. They are just different.

So, time for me to get off of my soapbox. I could talk all night, but really, the only way for you to understand what I'm talking about is for you to go out and do it yourself. If you find yourself with a couple of weeks to spare, seize the opportunity and move to another country. It doesn't have to be forever, and it doesn't have to be a study abroad thing. Just living like a native of that country will change your views, most likely. It won't be easy, but it'll be worth it.

Happy traveling!
Riley =)

Tres Cher

So, life in Paris is not cheap. I just changed my plane ticket to come home July 11th instead of the 18th because I can't afford to stay in a hotel after my study abroad program ends (it was cheaper to pay the change fee than pay for a hotel and food for a week). I went to the grocery store today and bought cereal and cookies...and it was eight euro. The only somewhat food-related thing that isn't expensive is wine...I got a bottle for 1 euro 47 today! I fortunately found a cheap clothing store today, which was awesome because the weather here's been quite chilly and I needed a jacket.

Last night, me and some of my friends had what we decided to call "French Stereotype Night." We took wine, cheese, Le Petit Ecolier cookies, and bread to the Eiffel Tower and sat there for a few hours. We also took along a beret and a French flag and posed for some goofy pictures. Here's one of my pictures, featuring the beret, wine, and me pretending to smoke...


So, I think it's about time for some observations about French culture. First of all, fashion...skinny jeans are the ONLY jeans that the French wear, and they are just about always a very dark rinse. I am very glad I brought one of my pairs, because I've been wearing them a lot. As far as shoes go, the only tennis shoes they wear are black Chucks (and I brought mine, so another check for me). Other than that, it's ballet flats or heels. Their shirts are almost always one solid color, usually something neutral (but occasionally you'll see some color). A lot of people wear scarves; hardly anyone wears hats. Most everyone wears a black coat everywhere, even if it isn't cold.

Next, food. French people love to sit and eat. Their dinners are an hour long at minimum (which I know I've touched on before in here). They barely eat anything for breakfast, just bread or a croissant and coffee or tea. Then, they have a baguette sandwich or a big salad or something for lunch (and they always have dessert). Some people do the whole afternoon tea (gouter) thing, but it doesn't look like too many people do. Dinner is the big occasion...everything closes early so people can eat with their families. Dinner consists of the entree (not the main course like in the US...actually the appetizer), the plat (the main course), a fromage (cheese) course, and dessert (usually fruit and a cake or tart or something). French people DO NOT snack. Ever. They think it's really really bad for you, apparently. They also never drink anything. My old host family didn't even pour anything in their glasses until they got to the fromage course, and then it was half wine, half water. They would drink one glass, and c'est tout(that's all). Most people drink wine with their lunch and dinner here, but it's just a glass, and they don't have anything else to drink with it.

Lastly (for today at least), the shops. EVERYTHING is closed on Sunday, and most everything is closed on Monday, too. On Sunday, the only places you can find open are tourist shops. Like a few stores on the Champs-Elysees (but not any of the clothing stores except for the designer ones) and all the tourist traps around the Eiffel Tower...and that's it. We went to Laduree for gouter (tea) yesterday because it's one of the few places open at all on Sundays (because it is geared towards tourists). Grocery stores, boulangeries, cafes...all closed on Sundays. On Mondays, most grocery stores and most clothing stores are closed, save for the ones in the bigger shopping centers like Forum des Halles. On rue Daguerre, where my school is, there are like six small grocery stores...one was open today. None of the specialty food places are open, either...on rue Daguerre, that includes the fromagerie (cheese shop), several boulangeries, the poissonerie (fish store), all the butcher shops, the chocolate shops (yes, plural...there are chocolate stores EVERYWHERE), and basically any other specialty grocery-type thing you can think of. It's quite frustrating.

I don't think I am ever going to take 24-hour stores for granted ever again after this. Nor do I think I will ever complain about food being expensive.

Off to dinner with the host family!
Riley =)

A Fresh Start

So, a few of you have been reading this blog for awhile now and may notice a few changes. First of all, the layout has changed. Second of all, all of my old posts are gone. There's a few reasons for these things.

I started this blog with the intention of documenting my travel experiences and it didn't really serve that purpose before. Now, I have been accepted to a study abroad program in Paris, France, for this summer and I want to use this blog for its original purposes, but I wanted to get rid of all of the other, irrelevant stuff that may have detracted from that.

What exactly will this blog be documenting? On May 25, I will be leaving Indianapolis for 54 days and studying in Paris, France, through a program with IES Abroad! I will be studying until July 11, then staying in France (doing God knows what...I'll figure that out when I get there!) until July 18. I'll be staying with a French family, hopefully improving my French speaking skills, and taking classes in French culture and language. It's going to be an exciting experience!

So, I hope you all enjoy reading about my adventures and misadventures abroad! Please leave comments...I'd love to hear from you!

Riley =)