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A little advice

To those studying abroad in Europe:

Get to know your city. Traveling around Europe is the dream, I know, but weekend after weekend away from your home base takes away from your experience abroad. I feel like I would know Paris much better if I hadn’t been away in other countries last semester. I think a lot of students need to sort out their priorities when studying abroad--and this is hard, for it took me a whole semester to figure out what I wanted from this year. 

Do you want to be as immersed in a culture as possible, know your city inside out and where all the magical niches are? Or do you want to check things off your bucket list, going places for a few days just for the sake of saying you’ve seen it all? 

I can tell you that this semester I’m staying put. I want to be able to say I LIVED in Paris, and mean every. single. word. 

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Venice, Italy. 

Fall break! Five whole days of no school. Truly a gift. My friend Michelle and I had quite the adventure here–and it started the moment we stepped off the plane. After an impulsive decision to hop on a random bus to the island and learning that there are no roads in Venice, we finally ended up on a random boat in hopes of it stopping near our hotel. We checked in around 1am.

It was amazing to see such beautiful Venetian architecture, and I think I pulled Michelle into every open church. We consumed an unhealthy amount of gelato and carbs, but it was totally worth it. Venice is a small island, and we walked basically all of its entirety within two days. A student from NYU that we ran into explained Venice quite accurately: It’s like Disneyland. Everything is catered to tourists, which is annoying but convenient at the same time. It’s a gorgeous place, and quite literally out of a postcard, so I can see why so many people flock here during their holidays. Also pro tip for anyone planning on visiting: the whole city goes dead after dark, and there aren’t many bars. The Venetians must really love their sleep, and I can’t blame them.

To get a change of scenery, we bought train tickets to Verona ($20 round trip, what a steal!) for a day trip. Though we only really went to see Juliet’s House, we ended up loving the little city. I think our favorite part was exploring the Arena, which was built before the famous Colosseum. Juliet’s House/Wall proved to be a disappointment of sorts, but the rest of the city and little markets made up for it.

We also spent a day on Lido, one of the islands accessible by bus-boat from Venice. We rented a two-man peddle cart and roamed the streets, and eventually found an amazing beach off the side of the road. With the most incredible sand, this beach stole my heart. It was nice to get away from the crazy busy main island, and we had a great time relaxing and exploring here. I would definitely recommend visiting the surrounding islands here!

Venice made me want to see more of Italy, and hopefully I’ll get the chance to later this year!!!

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Halloween in Europe!

Though I am head over heels for Paris, living in France has truly shown me just how much I LOVE America. Iced coffee, buttermilk pancakes, semi-respectful drivers, public water fountains, free bathrooms, English… I miss it all. And it only hit me after being here for two months. But the entirety of October had me missing one thing more than anything else: Halloween. 

I’ve always been aware of the fact that Halloween is pretty much exclusive to America, but every decorated window and pumpkin I saw here had me going crazy. Just the mere sight of orange streamers from across the street made me feel ecstatic. My mom sent some spooky window stickers in a care package, and I went to town decorating mine and my friends’ windows that face the street.

It’s funny how much I wanted people to know: I’M AMERICAN, I CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN! When I first arrived in France, I wanted nothing more than to blend in and become Parisian as soon as humanly possible. But now that I’ve settled into the French life, it’s become clear to me that I don’t need to pretend to be Parisian when I’m clearly not.

Deciding to embrace our (amazing) American holiday, my friends and I scouted out the spookiest place in town to visit. Obviously we chose the Catacombs, with miles of dark, centuries-old underground mining tunnels filled with bones of the deceased. It was actually way creepier than I anticipated, and we ran through the tunnels squealing. It was basically a haunted house.

The same day, the RAs hosted a Halloween party (bless their hearts). My friend Kyle and I arrived donned in our Hogwarts’ garbs, but we sadly lost the costume contest to a ten year old girl in a witch outfit. Not salty because she was cute (and Eugene’s daughter), but still totally salty because prizes.

On the actual day of Halloween, Michelle and I were in Venice for Fall Break. We were surprised to see groups of small Italian children running around in capes and masks carrying orange trick-or-treating bags. While eating gelato and watching kids run around us and trade candy–and after running into a few other NYU students (small, small world)–we were inspired to seize the day (night?) and dress up for Halloween. We raced back to the hotel and picked apart our makeup bags, looking for anything that would aid us in creating costumes. Finally settling on vampires (because Twilight and Italy and Volturi, duh), we went out looking for pizza and gelato. Yes, gelato, for the second, if not third time of the day.

The looks of utter surprise we received from people on the streets was truly amazing. We bonded with others who were dressed up for the night, and it seemed like all the Americans on that freaking tiny island could sense each other. Spidey senses or what?

After that night, I finally realized where my seemingly out of the blue American pride came from. In Europe, or anywhere abroad for that matter, it’s like we’re all a part of the same secret club. We’re all foreign and we all miss home in one way or another. Which is why we all end up at Chipotle. Because no matter what kind of American you are, you are bound to miss burritos, and you will eventually wind up at their front door, looking for chips and guac.

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Weekend trip to Marseille.

 It was nice to escape rainy Paris and get some Vitamin D. Marseille is stunning with an intriguing history of immigrants. I hope to return sometime in the spring to hang out at the beach!

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Remember my excitement of having class at the Louvre? Maybe? Probably not, but it was kind of a big deal.

Last week I met my Cultural Foundations class outside the glass pyramid and we followed our fearless leader (Prof. Davies aka bandana-clad Marina) into the *special* entrance for groups. It was electrifying. For me at least.

Even though I’d been to the museum the week prior, it was still breathtaking when we walked into room 17 of the Greek section, marble statues meticulously scattered about. This is one of my favorite rooms so far because of the caryatids (supporting columns in the forms of women) that frame the entranceway.  

I also had time to wander off and find the Mona Lisa and quick-walk through a hallway of renaissance paintings. Mona was small, sad, and guarded by god knows how many inches of bullet proof glass, but I had low standards to start with, seeing that everyone complains about the let down of the da Vinci. I face swapped with her on Snapchat though, so pushing my way through the crowd was worth it.

The fact that I was able to take the train to the Louvre for a 1.5 hour class still amazes me. Tomorrow I have a writing class at the cemetery Montparnasse and a few weeks ago my Social Foundations teacher brought croissants and cider from Normandy to our 9 am class for a mock version of The Symposium. Class in Paris rocks, to say the least, and I’m so appreciative for all the opportunities I come across every single day.

NYU Paris is also in such an amazing location. St-Germain is surrounded by amazing food and history, and the night life is poppin. Today after school, I went to Notre Dame with a couple friends and climbed up to the top. Casual, right? The view–an eight dollar view, to be exact–was spectacular. We could see the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Sacre Coeur from the top of the tower, and from the south side of the cathedral, our little campus situated in the Eyrolles building stood out in bright brick.

During stressful times like midterm weeks (which happens to be these next two weeks for me) it’s nice to take a break by exploring a little and finding new places to make you fall in love with Paris even more. 

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Here’s a little catch-up on some of the places I’ve visited so far. From top to bottom: Montmarte, Versailles, the Louvre, and d’Orsay. I love that with a whole year to get to know Paris, I don’t have to stress about seeing everything all at once. I know some friends who are traveling every weekend because they are only in Europe for one semester, but I prefer having a whole year to spread out my travels and tourist activities.

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Weekend trip to Interlaken, Switzerland. Probably the most gorgeous place I’ve ever visited. The lakes and rivers are so pristine and clear that they give off a deep turquoise color that I’ve never seen before. Our activities included going up to lookout points, bussing out to a lake, buying chocolate, eating fondue, and CANYONING with Alpin Rafts! The weather was good to us, and it only rained for a few hours the last day. I am definitely going back to Switzerland as soon as possible. 

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Wow, Paris food appreciation post. 

These images don’t even include most of the dishes I’ve tasted–mostly because I dug right in before taking any photos. Paris really surprised me. I thought I’d be deprived of Asian cuisine, but boy was I wrong. I’ve made several trips out to Chinatown to get takeout and good eats, and I also had the opportunity to crash a Korean church barbeque, in which I had the homiest meal yet (last pic). 

Some pro knowledge and tips:

Food markets are tempting. Too tempting. I’ve had too many waffles from the waffle tent on the walk from the metro to school. If it takes crossing the street to avoid the heavenly aromas of chocolate, do what you must. Because at the end of the day, you’re just going to realize you only eat carbs. help. 

Don’t order any type of drink that is 65 cl. I didn’t know what a centiliter was. Is that even a thing? It’s huge. you might think it’s a good deal, but it’s probably not worth it. It is the gateway to a very, very long night. 

Ordering crepes from a fancy restaurant is going to be 10x more expensive than getting one at a stand. Save your money, you broke fool. 

If you’re curious, donuts taste the same here as they do in America. I don’t know why I thought any differently. 

Smoothies and smoothie bowl consistencies are always off. 

Fish is amazing here. Especially sushi and tartar. Salmon sandwiches are heavenly and you will thank me for that piece of knowledge. 

Wherever you go, you’ll find good food. As long as someone is not planted outside the restaurant shoving a menu in your face, trying to persuade you to come in. Basically, avoid the food allies of the Latin Quarter if you don’t want to be ripped off. 

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I’ve been here a month, which is hard to believe. Adjusting has been weird, to say the least, but I think I’m finally starting to get the hang of how things work around Paris and NYUP.

College is hard. Especially the first month. In addition to putting in the extra effort of being social (which is emotionally exhausting), there is the stress of doing homework after being in academic hibernation the year prior, due to senioritis. I’m thankful to be in a city where I can escape my worries by adventuring into the unknown.

I’ve had time to explore new neighborhoods and historical sites, but my favorite day was spent at Versailles. I enjoyed wandering around the beautiful chateau, but this day was special because it’s when I truly realized my independence. I could literally go anywhere I wanted now, whenever I wanted. All I needed was a metro map and good company.

I still haven’t been to Montmartre or Invalides or the Pompidou or the inside of the Louvre or the top of the Eiffel Tower, but Paris is starting to feel like home. It’s the little things–like buying a croissant in the morning and handing the boulanger a euro or racing to catch the metro–that contribute to my daily rituals and make Paris feel a little less foreign.

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First week of classes is finished! I haven't seen much of Paris yet, but the exploring has just begun.

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Lists for students studying abroad

Keep in mind: This is geared towards those studying abroad (and dorming) for at least one year. My dorm room has two beds and linens, closet space but no drawers, two desks with shelving, two desk chairs, a private bathroom with towels, kitchenette with pots and pans, and small eating table with chairs. 

What I’m glad I brought from home: 

A pillow and blankets from my bed

Pictures and postcards to hang up

A nice, fluffy towel

A speaker

Large shampoo and conditioner with pump

A small stand-up cosmetic mirror

Clothes hamper-- the mesh kind that can be easily compacted

Fabric storage cubes-- one used to store miscellaneous things, the other for socks and underwear

Command hooks-- good for hanging bags, necklaces, and jackets to free up closet space

Hanging closet shoe organizer-- In addition to shoes, I use the space to store wallets and purses, scarves, and sportswear. 

Mason jars-- for storing pens, pencils, jewelry, and cotton balls

Peanut butter, American candy, and Asian snacks

Rice cooker-- a gift from the heavens

Necessary items purchased in Paris (so far):

Duvet and pillow cover and bed sheets-- Monoprix is a life saver

A lamp

Multiple plug socket

Cleaning supplies--such as sponges, disinfecting wipes, small dust pan and broom, and dish soap

Plastic box for storing toiletries in bathroom

Small tupperware-- for bringing lunch to school

Duster

Laundry detergent

Garbage cans-- one for the kitchen, another for the bathroom. We purchased ours cheap at a local bazaar. 

What I still really need:

A rug

A bath mat

A vacuum or Swiffer-- hardwood floors get gross really quickly

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Yes, I’m going to college. No, it’s not a gap year.

You might be surprised how many people questioned if I was going to “real college” this year. At first, it was a little humorous. Then it slowly became a stale joke. And now, I just have to set it straight for once and for all: for my freshman year at NYU, I will be studying in Paris at NYU’s campus located in the Latin Quarter as a part of the Liberal Studies Core Program. I know, it sounds exotic and awesome and kind of out of the norm, but it’s legit. I promise. 

Here, you can do your own research: http://www.liberalstudies.nyu.edu/page/core.about

This year, I’ll be studying history, philosophy, politics, art, literature, music, writing, and French. I’m ecstatic take on subjects that I am passionate about, and even more excited to be able to extend my knowledge on these topics at museums and historical sites in France. 

On my Cultural Foundations class syllabus, four words stood out to me: CLASS AT THE LOUVRE. I can’t even begin to explain how happy those words made me feel. It’s always been a dream of mine to study art in Paris, and now, everything I’ve ever dreamt of is slowly becoming my reality. 

I can’t wait to get the ball rolling, here in Paris. There’s a lot to learn--about myself, this city, and from school. I’ve never been so excited to read books written by dead people. Ultimately, I hope to receive a new perspective on the world by living in this new city, which I think is the most important thing I can gain from this experience abroad.