Back in the US and Post-Program Reflection

I am finally back in the United States after spending an unforgettable month in France, and without a doubt, I miss it already.  Everything: the food, my host family, the beautiful French language spoken from people's mouths, the clear blue waters juxtaposed to the hills saturated with quaint houses, the architecture...not to mention my Abbey Road friends and teachers!  I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend the summer in between high school and college than in this program and in France, and I was so blessed with the Chris Meyer scholarship and opportunity to go.  A month in a foreign country can really change you, as it did for me; you start to see the world from a different point of view, and you don’t believe everything you did before was “the right way.”  Now that I’m back in the United States, I see and do everything a little differently; I have brought back bits and pieces of France with me, and not just in terms of photos (although I did bring back 11 gigabytes of photos back..) or French goods.  


The day after I came back to the states, I went grocery shopping.  Standing in the huge, spacious grocery store, it hit me that okay, maybe America does everything bigger. Bigger houses, bigger grocery stores, bigger cars, longer showers…but is it really better? Going to France made me realize that, no, bigger is not necessarily better. Sure, a big house is nice and great for house parties, but it’s not the big house that makes you happy.  It’s long dinner conversations with family, a sense of coziness, and a sense of security. 


The sun shined every single day while I was in France, except one, and it definitely reflects how happy I was there.

As for the actual program, I thought it was great. The staff,  Fabien, Hélène, Sirine, Mary and Vanessa, were all really friendly and hard-working; after all, it was them that taught us, accompanied us to various cities, planned transportation from the train station to our respective homestay houses, etc.  I cannot thank them enough.  I thought it was an extra bonus that everyone there (except Mary) was native French who learned English as their second/third language.  For example, during conversation class with Sirine, I would learn so much more about the non-apparent differences between French and American culture, as did she, because we were Americans and she was native-born French.  Plus, their pronunciation was on-point, enabling me to better comprehend the French accent as well as speak it.  It was also helpful, however, to have Mary, a native American who specializes in French, because she was able to translate any French (in French tours, for example) for those who aren’t as proficient in French and because she was able to relate to us Americans and our habits. She was also really helpful in leading us around Paris and/or other French cities because she had taken history courses and had visited them before.

As for my French, I think I have improved immensely, and I am almost (if not already) fluent, thanks in part to my adherence to the “French-only” contract. I am able to carry conversations with my French family or people on the streets without any hesitation.  Before this program, never would I have believed I could approach any person on the street and ask questions or talk in French without worry.  I am able to understand everyday conversation, as well as most of what is said on the news; plus, I do not have to think in English before translating to French—the French comes automatically, with a few blips in vocabulary. Furthermore, I am proud to say that while in Paris, I picked up a couple days worth of Le Figaro, a French newspaper, and commenced reading the news in French. For the most part, I understand it, and can read more quickly than I did before.

My favorite activities were, without a doubt, parasailing, banana boating and snorkeling in France, just because they were so fun. And to be honest, I loved all of the weekend day-trips (to Nice, Monaco, St-Tropez, San Remo, etc.) because there was always something new to see and somewhere new to go, whether it’s the old village, the beach or  the shopping area. 

I’m going to end this reflection with my homestay experience.  The homestay experience was, without a doubt, the best part of this program, and I would not have chosen any other program if given the chance. The homestay was where I learned the most about French culture, improved the most my French, and was the happiest.  Through the two-hour long dinner/breakfast/lunch conversations with the Mulet’s, I got to understand the essence of being in a French family and how it operates. The French quirks, if you will.  And I would like to thank the Mulets with all my inexpressible gratitude. Thank you for talking with us, understanding us, cooking for us, doing our laundry…merci, merci, merci. Not enough merci’s I think. The Mulets will always remain my secondary family.

I don’t want to say goodbye to France, and I won’t, because I know I will be back. Somehow, I feel like France is such a good fit for me, and like a magnet, it will pull me back into its embraces. Who knows how soon?  Hopefully during college, either a semester or year or summer abroad. And although French is not necessarily related to my major or future career path (neuroscience/health and societies, medicine), I will continue to study and learn it because learning is not about learning for my job.  Learning it is about opening my mind and my horizons; it’s for my own pleasure…because I have fallen in love with the Côte d’Azur and all that France has to offer.

Paris!

So for the last few days, I've been in Paris with some kids from the Nice, St-Laurent and Aix-en-Provence program, and let's just say that it's been so cool, yet so tiring! Especially after a month in the Cote d'Azur.

I don't mind looking like and saying I'm a tourist in Paris. Because I am. Come on, it's my first time in Paris--I got to enjoy it that way.

Our hotel is right near the Eiffel Tower and really comfy; the first night, we went to a restaurant, Moulin Rouge (the cabaret after which the movie is named), Montmartre and Sacre Coeur. Montmartre is a hill and the highest point of Paris, so you can see the whole view of Paris from above; it's also the site of many artists who can draw your sketch in a few minutes...of course, famous artists like Monet and Picasso used to come here.

The next day, we headed to Musée d'Orsay, which houses a lot of art, and especially famous Impressionist paintings; I enjoyed it, especially in comparison to modern art. Afterwards we went to the Jardin de Luxembourg and took advantage of the last day of soldes (sales) in France before heading to another Parisien restaurant.

And today, we went to the Louvre (massive--and LOTS OF PEOPLE). Mona Lisa? Forget about it. It's tiny, and there's at least 500 people in between you and the smile. But I really enjoyed the Louvre and its artifacts and paintings, considering I've been studying of all of in history (Egyptians, Greeks, Renaissance, Napoleon, etc. etc.). As if walking around for 3 hours wasn't tiring enough, we also decided to head towards the gorgeous Opera and famous Galeries Lafayette (kind of like Bloomingdale's) filled with all kinds of chic brands and designers...but I kind of just plopped on the very top floor (my legs were exhausted).

Atop Galerie Lafayette

Guess where.

I introduce to you...the most photographed woman in the world.

Last few days...

I can't believe it's my last full day here in St-Laurent-du-Var. France has been amazing, to say the least. I am so grateful, first and foremost, to my homestay family, the Mulet's, who have taken care of me this past month! I will miss two hour-long dinner conversations and their open arms. I am also grateful to all the teachers/instructors who had tried so hard to make this experience both educative and fun: Fabien, Vanessa, Sirine, Hélène and Mary--thanks! And of course, I am thankful for all the friends I have made on this trip, without whom, this trip would not have been as memorable.

Last night, we celebrated at Dylano, the first restaurant we went to, and had a delicious meal (Delaney and Shannon had the most spectacular cakes for their belated birthdays!). Afterwards, we sang karaoke on the hilltop of St-Laurent-du-Var...what a great way to end the trip--by singing our  hearts out (albeit in English).

I have learned so much here, and there is no doubt that I am more confident in my French skills, above all in listening and speaking. Who knew that I would be able to navigate the cities by myself, able to speak French to shopkeepers, waiters, etc? Who knew that I would be confident enough to approach strangers and be able to converse with them in a foreign language? I think Abbey Road has changed that.

I will no doubt come back to Provence and the Côte d'Azur to experience the sunny weather, beaches, fabulous shopping and friendly people. And I have, without a doubt, fallen even more in love with France (before, I was just in love with the idea of France. Now, I'm in love with France, having lived here for a month). I want to come back in college or during the summer-- and explore even more of France.

Gah I'm not good with gushy good-byes, but St-Laurent-du-Var, it's been a good one.

Now tomorrow, I'm off to Paris, to see the iconic landmarks and paintings, historic streets and French cafés...I'm excited to be in France for at least another four days.

Talent Show and Farewell Video

Last night, July 26th, was the night of our anticipated (?) talent show! We practiced all day yesterday for our respective acts (albeit a little reluctantly), and in the end, it was a crazy night (for me anyway).

I had practiced my song "Sur Mes Gardes" with Sam and made a video with Morgan, Rachel, Rachel, Anne and Shannon (see below), but when I arrived at the "Mini Boule" they realized that Macs didn't work with the projector...apparently I was the only one with a PC, so I had to go back to my host family's house, grab it, and then made sure it worked. It did, after some fumbling around. But then there was a problem of converting the video from a Mac to a PC, and then, to my dismay, my mousepad didn't work because it was disabled during the fumbling around (I didn't realize how it was disabled until afterwards). Thus, I had to maneuver through the flash drive to find the videos--all through the keyboard. And then there were problems with volume, etc. Meh. I learned that Macs and PCs do not mesh well.

Aside from that, everything went well--our host families were too nice, and we had some funny, as well as "aww pretty" acts; Parker and Drew sang "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber (in French and English), a few did skits of the Three Macarons and Little Red Riding Hood, Sam and I sang, Emma and Nikki danced, Bridget and Christina showed off their drawings, others did a photo montage, the summary video, and of course, some girls did danced to the MIKA song "Elle m'a dit" in these neon color, retro swim suits from H&M--it was pretty epic. But here's some little samples:



Voilà the video that I helped film and make! A little nostalgia...

Food!

My long overdue video that couldn't upload because of Youtube and slow uploading speed... :(
But it's here now!

Flying in the air and flying into the water (separately)

Today has been the most fun days so far--I have been laughing so hard that my abs are getting a workout (something that has not happened since the beginning of the month).

We had our normal class in the morning before heading off to Nice for parasailing and banana boating.

The sun was out and it was beautiful, as always. In Nice, the water is the clearest and bluest of all of the beaches, like that at St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Three at a time, we went parasailing along the coast--the second time I have done parasailing since I did it beginning of high school in Outer Banks, NC. I love it then and I love it now. 

You literally feel like you're flying, and not just flying in an airplane. Like in-your-dreams flying. Like I-wish-I-had-this-as-a-superpower flying. Your feet are dangling and the view is...one that people never see unless you go parasailing along the Côte d'Azur because, I mean, you are up in the air over the Mediterranean see. I wish I could have brought my camera up there to remember the coastline, and there aren't words to describe it...spectacular. 

Up in the air!

After that, we had the chance to go banana boating which is basically like tubing except you do it with 5 other people, and you straddle the Flyfish and hold onto the handle for dear life, kind of like bull riding (but with two hands.) And oh my goodness, I screamed and laughed my head off it was so exciting and wild. The boat was going so fast that the "flying fish" was literally almost flying off the water, bringing us with it. I was trying so hard to hold on, but it was futile--I kaplombed off the boat (while laughing of course). But that force, combined with the fact that the friction of the seat and bottom of the raft were so low (water made it slippery) made it so easy to crash into the water. It was so absurd and hard and the fact that everyone was yelling made the ride so thrilling. 

Needless to say, Nice is an awesome place, and the parasailing and fly fishing/banana boating brought some excitement into a day at the beach.

Hitting up the boats and starlight at Antibes and St-Tropez

Our excursions along the Côte d'Azur continued Sunday and Monday with trips to Antibes and St-Tropez--Antibes is known as the second biggest port for private boats after New York. It is also know for having housed Picasso for a period of time as he cranked out his works. At Antibes, we visited Musée Picasso which used to be Picasso's workshop area, and saw works such as La Joie de Vivre and others with lots of sea urchins, goats and women. After, we just walked around the shops area (like all the other villas--what else?) before heading to our meeting spot...and we were greeted with thunder and claps lightning. We had a twenty minute sprint to the train station in the pouring rain. As the French say, "Il pleuvait comme un vache qui pisse." Not very pretty but we were literally holding out beach towels over our heads.

Musée Picasso

Monday, we took a bus to St-Maxime before heading out on a boat to St-Tropez--a little town known for its glamour (many stars seem to visit) and boats. We saw a ton of luxurious boats and yachts that we would have loved to board...as well as restaurants, creperies, glaceries, high end shops, ready-to-wear shops, etc.  The view of the sea ad the hills was gorgeous as always, and after walking around, we headed back to St. Maxime to lounge on the beach and eat at a restaurant (which was delicious). I had the Salade Niçoise and Rum Raisin and Amarena ice cream! Then it was a long 1.5 bus drive back to St-Laurent...

Boat ride to St-Tropez!

St-Tropez

St-Tropez

Tropizienne! A St-Tropez specialty, kind of like a creme/bread sandwich--mmm.