Unfortunately as of December 1, 2007, my Student Visa that I had for France became invalid. After a long and lengthy process of applying for a Carte de Sejour (a French residency card), I was denied the card by the French government. Therefore, I had to vacate France before midnight on Friday night to London in order to get my passport stamped. Once I had an exit and re-entrance stamp into France, I could stay in France for another 90 days without a problem. Luckily Dr. Roynier helped me make train reservations, and my friend Brooke decided to join me on my flee from France to seek asylum in London.

The Eurostar
One of my dreams since I was in 6th grade as been to go through the "Chunnel," which is an underground tunnel linking England with France by train, and I finally got to do it. The entire time we were on the train, called the Eurostar, I kept asking Brooke if she thought we were going through the tunnel as it was dark outside. I sounded like an extremely eager small child, but I was so excited to be going to London and riding through the Chunnel.
The Eurostar is extremely convenient for anyone who lives in Paris to get to London or vice versa. Since both train stations are in the middle of both Paris and London, it makes for easy access. The Eurostar just started service to a new train station called St. Pancras station. While it is already a very high-tech and beautiful station, when they finally have all of the shops and restaurants open, I'm sure it will be even better.

Lost in the Tubes
Since the taxi "queue" (as the English call it) was extremely long when we arrived at St. Pancras, we decided to be brave and take the metro, or the "tube" to our hotel. Since we are experienced Paris metro travelers, we thought we could figure out London's tube with absolutely no problem. Overconfidence is a scary thing. Their subway system is set up much different than Paris' and the lines are constantly changing endpoints. We ended up traveling around the metro for a good hour before we finally figured out what was going on.
To make matters worse our hotel is located about 10 minutes from the metro stop, but because we weren't really sure where the hotel was, we walked around for nearly a half an hour in the freezing, pouring rain with huge wind gusts. Umbrellas were physically impossible, and after the 8th time that mine flipped inside out, I decided it was a waste of my energy, and just surrendered to the idea of getting soaked.

The Big Red Bus
We had one full day in London, so we wanted to hit all of the major attractions. We decided to use one of the "Big Red Buses," which takes you on a tour of London. We saw St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, Notting Hill Gate, Waterloo Train Station, and of course the London Bridge. Surprisingly, London is quite spread out. I was expecting it to be a lot like Paris, but the buildings are actually quite a bit shorter and things are less crowded. The Thames River is also rather large, which was unexpected.

The Eye Over London
To end our trip to London we took a "flight" on the London Eye, a huge Ferris wheel erected for the Millenium celebration. The large capsules fit about 25 people, and within them, you get a 360-degree view of London. It was magnificent to see the city light up with Big Ben chiming the time. Everyone should definitely do it when they visit London as it truly is a wonderful experience.

The Texas Embassy
Giving in to our overwhelming temptation for REAL Tex Mex and a Dr. Pepper, for our second dinner in London we ate at the Texas Embassy. The only embassy to have been constructed by the Texas Republic in the 1800s, the embassy now is a multilevel restaurant and cantina. It was authentic, just like Texas. It was so fabulous to have Queso again that wasn't just melted cheese. We also saw a sign that had a map of Texas on it, we signed our names and proudly put SMU on the map! Look for it if you're ever in London!

After a very unexpected but fun weekend, I have to finish several papers, and get through finals!

Stressed-out from exams and papers, tired from the ongoing metro strikes, and a tad bit homesick, my friends, Stephanie and Brooke, and I decided to travel to a mini-America located 45 minutes outside of Paris, also known as Disneyland Paris, this Saturday. Luckily, the metro strike ended Friday, so we were able to take the RER (a suburban fast-speed train) out to the Disneyland Paris stop.

Mainstreet USA
To our excitement, Disneyland Paris has most of our beloved Disney rides as well as a few extras that have a European flair to them. We were so excited to see Mainstreet USA and the Christmas decorations lining the road. For about two seconds, I felt like I might have actually been in a very small town somewhere in America, until I heard children yelling in German, Italian, Czech, and French. The whole park is set up into the exact same "lands" as Disneyland, which was nice considering our California resident, Stephanie, knew exactly where everything was without having to look at a map!

Disney Goes Upside Down!
Wanting to hit all of the big rides before the crowds, we immediately went to Space Mountain. From the outside, Space Mountain looks exactly the same, but the ride is VERY different! I was expecting the rickety old roller coaster where I would be spun around at weird angles and have my stomach drop a few times, but oh no, the Europeans do it much differently! When we sat down into the ride, I was wondering why we had the type of safety bars that went around our heads and neck, but didn't really ask questions. About 20 seconds later I was doing corkscrews, 360-degree loops, and flying through the air at about 70 miles an hour. Needless to say, when we got off the ride, Stephanie, Brooke, and I all stared at each other and went, "Are we at DISNEYLAND!" It was an exhilarating ride, but unexpected. Several other rides were like this too, which was really fun!

3, 2, 1 ... ACTION!
Disneyland Paris contains two parks: Disneyland and MGM Studios. Since we were staying for the whole day, we decided to buy a two-park pass. The MGM Studios, wasn't that great considering there were no shows going on and most of it was under construction, but they had a brand-new Finding Nemo ride called Crush's Coaster, which was so much fun! Even though the three of us were definitely the oldest ones going on the ride without a 5-year-old, I really enjoyed it.

Disney Christmas
Starting in the middle of November and going through early January, the entire Disney park is decorated for Christmas. Lights are hung from Mainstreet USA buildings, the castle is ornamented in white lights, and there are Christmas trees scattered in the park. It was absolutely beautiful at night when they turned on all of the Christmas lights and the park just glowed off the twinkling lights of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. To celebrate Disney Christmas even more, we all bought matching Mickey Mouse Ears that had a Santa hat attached. I would never wear it anywhere but Disneyland because we looked like such dorks, but it was so fun. Plus it kept our ears and heads warm in the 30-degree weather!

Disneyland was a great break from the hustle and bustle of Paris, but now it's time to start cracking down for finals!

This past Thursday was Thanksgiving. It was the first time I've ever spent Thanksgiving apart from my family. Even though Thanksgiving isn't a very big deal in my family, as there are only three of us, I still found myself a little down and out to be away from my family during the first of the holiday season.

Thanksgiving is a hard concept to explain ...
Earlier this week I was attempting to explain Thanksgiving to Anne-Marie's 10-year-old grandson. In the middle of giving a brief history lesson about the Pilgrams and the Indians, I realized that there's a lot more to Thanksgiving than I really ever think about. While technically Thanksgiving is a day that we, as a nation, are supposed to have a feast in honor of the first pilgrims who settled in America, in the past few centuries the holiday has taken on a much more broad meaning to Americans.
I explained to Anne-Marie's grandson that really Thanksgiving is a day where families come together, stuff their faces with good food, and enjoy each others' company. He seemed satisfied with my definition, and so did I. Thanksgiving is truly an American tradition, and unless someone is an American, I'm not sure one can truly understand the logic behind Thanksgiving.

A French Thanksgiving
SMU arranged for a Thanksgiving dinner for all of the students. The food was advertised as "real American home cooking," and while they attempted the traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce, the results were a little different. The turkey was all dark meat, and as a fan of white meat I was a little disappointed, however it made me open my horizons a bit. The mashed potatoes had a sprinkle of sugar in them. I'm pretty sure the restaurant was trying to re-create the traditional "yams," but someone should have told them it's only proper to put sugar on sweet potatoes, not white fluffy ones. The most interesting part of all was dessert. I expected one-fourth of the pie like I normally eat on Thanksgiving, but to my disappointment, I got only a sliver of pecan pie. Luckily, I chose the right pie, as I heard the pumpkin one lacked any sort of flavor.

While the food was less than phenomenal, it was really nice to be with my friends on Thanksgiving and feel like a little family celebrating Thanksgiving. I was very happy that Dr. Roynier arranged for this!

Once again several French unions are striking in opposition to President Sarkozy's plans to revamp retirement benefits. Unlike last time, when we conveniently fled Paris for the South of France, all of the SMU students have had to endure the nasty "greve." Much like my friend and fellow blogger Brenda, I have experienced some rather unpleasant metro and bus moments this weekend.

Thinking that Saturday would be a perfect day to go do some much needed further research on the Jansenists for my history research project at the Bibliotheque Nationale in the 13th arrondisement, I left my house around 9 in the morning. I figured an hour would be plenty of time, even with the strike going on, to get to the library. I had my route all planned out, and I even had a backup plan. As I stepped out of my house I was filled with overwhelming confidence and thought to myself, "Ha! This strike isn't even bad because I know my way around!"

Little did I know that in about 40 minutes my confidence would be shattered and I would once again feel like the stupid American who was stuck in Paris with an American flag permanently planted in the top of her head.

What just happened?
When I arrived at the bus stop I saw that there was only going to be a 12-minute wait for the next bus. There were only a few other people waiting for the bus with me, so I figured that the stories I had heard about metro cars and buses filled to the brim with people were just exaggerations. As my bus pulled up to the stop, out of nowhere a literal gang of old French women with their rolling shopping baskets full of vegetables, freshly skinned rabbits, and baguettes began to swarm around the entrance of the bus. Since I was raised to respect my elders, I let a couple of the old women board the already crowded bus before me, even helping one lift her ridiculously heavy shopping basket into the bus.

Just as I was about to step on, thus taking the very last centimeter of available space, I was shoved out of the way by a balding, brutish man. As I began to start shouting that this was unjust, etc the doors closed and the bus took off, leaving me on the side of the road, totally confused as to what just happened.

Calming myself down, I rationalized that I had a backup plan. I walked to the other bus that I knew would bring me close to line 14, the only metro line that was working normally due to the fact that it is run by a computer. To my surprise, there was a notice on the screen informing me that this bus was not going to be running for another two hours. Completely frustrated, I got out my Paris Pratique map and started trying to plot a new way to the library. I decided to walk all the way to Montparnasse, a main metro station, about 40 minutes away.

On the edge
I should mention here that I have a completely rational and normal fear of falling into the metro tracks and being run over by the metro, so when it's crowded I never stand by the edge of the tracks for fear some deranged person will push me in. Well I nearly experienced my worst fear today. The quai at the metro was packed with people. Every time a train would come, you would move up in, for a lack of a better word, "line."

After a couple of trains, I was finally at the front of the line and was standing rather close to what I consider the "no go zone" (about 6 inches from the edge). There was a group of rowdy guys by me who, like most young guys, thought it was cool to act like they were going to push one another into the tracks. The boy closest to me was shoved and in effect shoved me, and I tripped, landing with my foot half way on the edge, halfway off. Luckily there was a police officer doing crowd control so he came over and settled the boys down, but I can't tell you how fast my heart was beating and how shook up I was after that. I finally got to the library and stayed there as long as possible, dreading the return home.

The return home was not as terrifying, but just as unpleasant. I was able to catch a bus that drops me off almost at my doorstep, which made for less transfers, but a very long bus ride. I was the last one to get on the bus, so I was trapped at the very front of the bus in this awkward space between the barrier of the bus driver, the door, and another RATP worker who was riding the bus for "crowd control." My entire upper body was smashed against the front window of the bus, my breath fogging up a small portion of the window, as my legs were balancing on someone's briefcase, and a fire extinguisher.

As I was balancing there, the RATP worker kept on making jokes, saying "Oh isn't this pleasant? We're all bonding!" The entire time I was thinking, "No you dope, this isn't funny. I do not enjoy you in my personal space, breathing on me, as I balance on a fire extinguisher, brace myself against this window, and pray to God that the bus driver doesn't run into anything because I'll surely die. And I'm doing this all for YOU!"

Enough already
Taking none of the politics involved and considering solely my own personal comfort and sanity, I'm backing Sarkozy on this one. I really do hope that this strike stops soon. I know I came abroad to experience a new culture, but this is something that I've experienced enough of. I really can't wait to be able to jump in my car and drive myself places again. So in the end, the strikes have taught me two things:

1) the personal space bubble I've been carrying around since high school no longer exists. My personal space is limited to the actual space that my body takes up, no more, actually, quite possibly less.

2) The French have a very twisted sense of humor.

What a week! After traveling to three countries in a span of seven days, I'm exhausted and I have school tomorrow! I got home from Athens last night at about 2 a.m. Right now I'm having some much needed bonding time with my parents at their hotel in Paris. How I've missed being spoiled by my parents!

The Squiggly Alphabet
I arrived in Athens on Halloween late in the afternoon after a not-so-pleasant flight that was supposed to last less than 2 hours and ended up lasting nearly 4 due to airport problems in Rome. When we landed, I had some major culture shock.

I expected a lot of people to speak English, considering that Athens was such a tourist mecca, but to my surprise almost no one spoke English, and if they did, it was very much Greek-lish. Knowing absolutely no Greek, except, of course, for the sorority and fraternity letters, navigating around Greece was a bit complicated. All of the menus were also printed in Greek so I was never really 100 percent sure what I was ordering, and on the first night, when I received a salad when I had ordered a sandwich, I knew I was doomed.

Sick as a Dog
I, of course, got sick on vacation. My body seems to decide to get sick during my free time versus during school time, which really stinks! The entire time we were in Greece, I was running a fever, my tonsils were so swollen they were touching, and I was just generally feeling like death rolled over. Like in Rome, though, I was determined to make the best of my time in Athens and see everything I possibly could, which is a lot easier said than done.

The Parthenon ... or the Acropolis ...
You can't go to Athens and not see the Parthenon, which is on the Acropolis hill. It took us a long time to figure out exactly which name fit with which object. For a while we thought the Acropolis was the actual structure, but we learned that it's the name of the hill on which the Parthenon, the Athena temple, and other Greek ruins stand. The hike up the Acropolis is beautiful. You can see the entire city, which is littered with traditional white stucco houses, and surrounded by the brilliant blue ocean and rolling hills. It's truly breathtaking, so you don't really realize that you have to hike up about 300 feet to get to the top.

I know I say this about everything, but it's really amazing to think about how people nearly 4,000 years ago were able to construct these temples on the top of a hill using huge slabs of marble. It must have been torturous to have lugged those pieces of marble up the hill. I have to admit that I was also disappointed with the Parthenon. It was covered in scaffolding, and they have put new mortar around certain parts to "reconstruct" what pieces of it supposedly looked like. To me, to "suppose" what something looked like is destroying history and making it into a type of Disneyland. I really would have preferred them just to "restore" or "preserve" the Parthenon without "reconstructing" it. I really preferred the nearly untouched Athena temple to the Parthenon. This is a smaller, but much more intricate temple. On the facade there are busts of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and patron goddess of Athens.

The Good Eye
After visiting the Acropolis site and all of the Greek ruins, we did what girls do best ... shopped. Each one of us was able to find beautiful souvenirs and jewelry to bring back to our families. By talking to one of the local shopkeepers, we learned about the Greek "good eye" that is a symbol of protection from "bad spirits." I bought several for my friends and family, hoping to ward off any evil that might come their way.

Delfi
On Friday we decided to take a day trip to the mountainous village of Delfi. It was almost a three-hour bus ride to the village where there stands a temple dedicated to the god Apollo. The temple is built literally on the side of a mountain. At one point, we were actually standing in the clouds because we were up so high on the mountain. Unlike the Parthenon, this site has remained completely untouched. Everything is original and gives a very good sense of its age. It's amazing that after 4000 years, the columns are still standing where they were placed. While the temple itself was interesting to see, the drive was equally as interesting because it displayed the Greek countryside, which is very varied including rolling hillsides, vast plains, and finally a mountainous region.

While I'm glad that I visited Athens to see the Parthenon and other ancient ruins, if I was going to return to Greece I would probably prefer to go elsewhere, like one of the many islands. I think we could have spent one less day in Athens and still have covered everything that we did. Still, this was one of the most interesting and most enjoyable vacations I've had in quite a while and I'm glad I got the opportunity to see all of the places that I did! I can't believe I have to go back to the grind of schoolwork tomorrow!

Happy Halloween! Right now I'm on the plane going to Athens, Greece. Actually we're waiting on the runway to take off because supposedly they just shut down the Rome Fuimacino Airport for unspecified reasons. I always love hearing the phrase "unspecified reasons" at airports. It makes me feel safe.

Apartamento
As I'm sitting here thinking over the list of things that I did in Rome, the question shouldn't be "What did I do in Rome" but "What DIDN'T I do in Rome?" I feel like I've had a crash course in Roman history all weekend, and I've loved every minute of it! Instead of staying at a hotel in Rome, we decided to rent an apartment for 4 days, which was a lot of fun and very practical for the 5 of us. Best of all, right outside of our window there was the Roman "Pyramid." Though not an actual pyramid, it was an architectural feature of the old Roman city walls from the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, because our apartment is on a major street, it was extremely loud, with motorcycles blaring by every second of the night.

Mama Mia!
My parents were visiting Rome at the exact same time that I was, so I took my friends to go meet them at the Trevi Fountain. It was so nice to see them! I'm an only child, so I've really missed my parents despite the fact I talk to them almost every day. Keeping in the tradition and folklore of the Trevi Fountain, everyone threw a coin over their left shoulder into the fountain in the hopes that one day we will return to Rome. Stephanie did it last summer and returned, so I think that's a pretty good indication that the folklore is fact.

Russell Crowe's Stomping Ground
After one of the first leisurely mornings in a very long time, we went to the Colosseum on our second day in Rome. I, unfortunately, was about ready to die the entire time as I was really sick with a horrible cold. Determined to do as much as possible, I was a trooper and stuck through it all. I really can't believe that the Colosseum is over 2000 years old. A lot smaller than I've always imagined it to be, it was none the less magnificent. According to our tour guides, Stephanie and Federico, the Colosseum was able to hold almost 10,000 spectators. I can only imagine how crowded and hot it must have been! As far back as I can remember, whenever we have learned about the Romans we are given a picture of the Colosseum, so to actually see it in person was very cool.

To the Vatican, and make it FAST!
My parents had a guided tour of the Vatican set up for us on my third day in Rome. Since we had decided to visit the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, a gorgeous private villa that houses thousands of pieces of art work and displays a typical aristocratic Roman home, we were running very late for our visit. Luckily, we found a nice taxi driver who sped us to the Vatican just in time for the beginning of our tour. Even though I'm technically a (non-practicing) Episcopalian, I know a lot about the Catholic religion both because I went to Catholic elementary schools and because when you study the Renaissance you can't help but learn about Catholicism!

I was absolutely in awe of the Vatican - the smallest country in the world, making up a mere 27 kilometers. It's amazing how much art the Vatican has amassed through the years. There are masterpieces from Bernini, Castiglione, Michelangelo, and thousands of others. There is even a room dedicated solely to the representation of animals in sculpture and portraiture! When I was standing in front of Michelangelo's School of Athens I almost couldn't believe it. Junior year of high school I wrote a paper in European History about this painting, and all of the sudden I was looking at it in real life! Surprisingly, there weren't that many people on the tour that day so I actually was able to closely look at the masterpiece for a few minutes.

Is this the REAL Sistine Chapel?
I was a little bit disappointed by the Sistine Chapel. First of all, there were so many people in the chapel, people were elbowing one another just to get into the door. Second, because the ceiling has recently undergone restoration work, the colors are very bright, making the figures look almost like cartoons. Every representation I've ever seen of the Spark of Life has always been dark, with lots of grey tones, but in reality it was very bright with blues and yellows popping out. I was rather disappointed with it, but I was glad I was able to see Michelangelo's work finally.

St. Peter's
My favorite part of the Vatican was, of course, St. Peter's Basilica. I was absolutely floored by the size, grandeur, and decadence of the basilica. There is such a mix of flamboyant gothic, Renaissance, and Italian baroque style all mixed into one. Not to mention the huge quantities of marble that covers almost every inch of the church. I really liked that at each of the holy water fountains, there were two gilded, fat, and cute baroque angles holding a massive seashell full of blessed water. It would be fabulous to attend a service in St. Peter's because of its sheer size and beauty, however, since I'm not famous, a Catholic, or live in Rome, I doubt that will ever happen - still itss fun to think about.

The only piece of signed sculpture by Michelangelo, The Pieta, is housed in St. Peter's Basilica behind an 8-inch piece of fiberglass. I took a picture from far away, but not satisfied by a mere shutterbug moment, I used my American heritage to my ability and shoved my way up to the front so I could see the piece with my own eyes. After looking at the sculpture for a complete 3 seconds I was pushed out of the way by a very aggressive Japanese tour group, but I was successful in my mission! I have now seen two of the most famous works of art: the Mona Lisa and the Pieta.

Well, I'm delving even farther back into history with my trip to Athens! I'll let you know how that goes soon!

What a wonderful weekend I've just had in Prague!

I have to admit that before I came to Europe I hadn't really considered Prague among one of the destinations I had wanted to visit, but after staying here for a couple of days I'm so glad I came! Though the capital city of the Czech Republic, Prague is a relatively small city. In fact, we were able to walk most places in the city without any problems.

After spending nearly two months in France and constantly having to translate during conversation, it was actually kind of weird to speak English again. Luckily, though, pretty much everyone in Prague spoke English so there wasn't a big language barrier.

Our hostel, Old Prague Hostel, changed my perceptions about all hostels. This one was actually decent. We had our own private room, and the location was convenient. The only weird thing was for breakfast they gave us sandwiches ... Maybe that's what they do in the Czech Republic? Either way, it was a decent and safe place to stay for the two nights that we were there, and I would recommend it to anyone going to Prague on a budget.

All aboard!
On our first day in Prague we mainly walked around the city, acquainting ourselves with the major landmarks and streets. I stupidly insisted that we go on a boat ride on the Prague River, which turned out to be less than thrilling as it was about 20 degrees on the boat. We saw all of the major sites, like the Dancing House, the Charles V Bridge, the Parlement Building, and Prague's version of the Eiffel Tower.

Shades of Communism
I've never been to a former communist country before, and to see the effects that communism had both on the morale and the economy of the people was quite striking. The Czech people are definitely attempting to bring more capitalism and investment into their country by having department stores and major brands, but it's clear that they are still in a "transition" phase. You can tell in the faces of almost all the people, even 20-year-olds who endured the civil war in the early 90s, that life isn't easy, and they are struggling everyday. It was a little bit of a reality check to be there.

Because of their transitioning economy, everything is dirt cheap. Luckily I exchanged Euros for Czech Koronas, so for every 1 euro I got about 30 Czech Koronas, which is about 3 dollars. I couldn't believe how inexpensive food and souvenirs were; it was amazing! I was able to buy my mom a really nice Swarovski crystal figurine for very cheap, so if you go to Prague, shopping is a must!

The "Eurodog"
Also really cheap in Prague is the food; a nice change of pace considering the food is so expensive in Paris. Every place that we went we were able to get a very nice meal for about 7 or 8 euros! I have to admit though, the food wasn't that good. There was one exception to this rule, though. I've never been one to be drawn to the hot dog vendors on the side of the street, but in Prague there are tons of little hot dog stands that smell absolutely divine. Giving into our overwhelming desire for a "hot dog out of a cart" three of my friends and I bought a hot dog, fries, and a Diet Coke and let me tell you ... it was the best meal I had in Prague.

Footloose!
On Friday night Brooke, Brenda, Federico, and I went to the "largest dance club in continental Europe," Karozy Lane. There are five floors of dance space, each with a different theme. Be aware, though, that it's a very varied mix of ages, there were high schoolers and people on retirement packages dancing next to each other. Also people in Europe dance very differently from Americans. For the most part, "dancing" is defined as "flailing your arms and legs to music." It's quite amusing to watch and imitate.

Recommendations
If you go to Prague be sure to check out the Charles V Bridge, the Old Prague Square, the Astronomical Clock, and of course the Prague Castle. Unfortunately when I visited the Prague Castle, it was closed due to renovations, but the facade is very interesting with an odd, but pleasing combination of gothic and baroque architecture. Wear your walking shoes, though, because the hike to the top of the hill where the castle is located is a killer!

Though I am sad to leave the quaint city of Prague, I am so excited to be going to Rome!

I've just returned from our second study trip to the South of France, and I'm preparing to travel again in just TWO days! Hopefully Fall Break with my friends will be just as interesting as this trip.

Last Friday all 20 SMU students traveled to the South of France on a five-day tour of Marseilles, St. Tropez, Juan-les-Pins, Nice and Giens. I've never been to the Mediterranean Coast so this was a very exciting trip for me. Since the Cultural Formations course in Paris this semester deals with the "interwar" period between 1918 and 1939, most of our time in the South of France was devoted to studying the development of cultural and society within this fragile time period.

Marseilles
One of the largest cities in all of France, Marseilles is a very busy port town. Important here were the actions of an American man, Varian Fry, during the Second World War who helped thousands of French and other European intellectuals escape Nazi persecution immediately after French occupation. Also interesting to see in Marseilles were the "original" streets, which are very small and narrow compared to the more modern streets constructed after the World War II bombings of Marseilles. In less than 60 years it was able to re-create an entire city that had been devastated by bombs.

St. Tropez
I have to admit that when I first stepped off the bus in St. Tropez I was immediately starting to look for celebrities who I knew frequented the small port town. Alas, since it was October and freezing cold, I wasn't able to spot any celebrities. There were, however, hundreds of very swank private yachts stationed in the marina so maybe Beyonce and Jay-Z were in one of them. Unfortunately, since it was a Sunday when we visited St. Tropez, all of the small boutiques were closed. None the less, St. Tropez was stunningly gorgeous, and I hope to be able to go back there during the summer to really experience what it would be like during the "peak" season.

Villa Rothschild
As an example of the flamboyancy and grandeur of the 1920s in the French Riviera, we visited a private villa of the Rothschild family. Situated on the top of a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the pink house embodies the 1920s. There are extensive gardens, each with a theme like a rose garden, a Japanese garden, a "floating" garden, and even a desert garden! Best of all, there are fountains that are synchronized with music so they give the allusion of "dancing."

Nice
Probably the most famous city in the South of France, Nice was our last stop. The entire town is built around a boardwalk for pedestrians to stroll along the waters edge. Though it was freezing cold when we arrived, my friends and I still managed to go sit on the beach for just a little while! All of Nice is decorated in the Art Deco style of the 1920s. Several Casinos litter the main boulevard that overlooks the rocky beach. I'm very happy that I get to return to Nice again in January for orientation because I feel I only was able to scratch the surface of what Nice is really like!

Well, after a full week of traveling, I can't believe I'm about ready to start traveling AGAIN! This time 3 countries in 5 days ... it should be interesting!

On Wednesday, October 17, at 6 PM, French transportation employees went on strike, which so far has lasted all of Thursday and into Friday. In France, workers have a legal right to strike for more employee rights, therefore, strikes are quite a frequent thing in Paris. While I was convinced the entire city of Paris would be paralyzed by a strike of metro, bus, and train workers, it seemed to be a day like any other, except with more people on bikes.

Walking to school
Because I live in the 7th arrondissement, very close to the Eiffel Tower, I normally do not take the metro to school, but I instead take the bus. Anne-Marie, like everyone else, was very unsure whether or not the buses would be running. It is up to the discretion of each individual bus driver whether or not they will strike, therefore there is a small chance some of the buses will run.

Unfortunately, my bus was not running on Thursday morning, so I had to leave my house at 7 AM to walk the nearly 3 miles to school before my 10 AM class. Luckily, it was quite cool, so it was actually refreshing to be out in the crisp autumn air.

As I was about one-third of the way to school, I spotted a bus and immediately jumped on it without even looking at where it was going. I realized as soon as I was on the bus how stupid that was, considering I could have been going the complete opposite direction from where I needed to go. Thank goodness it was going the same direction as I was and would actually drop me off relatively close to school.

From that stop I only had a 20-minute walk, and I was there in plenty of time for my 10 AM class. Almost everyone in my class made it despite the annoyance of the strike.

Not like home
In the United States, because we often don't have strikes that directly affect our lives like a transportation strike, it was a bit bizarre, but also another lesson in cultural differences. There were people who were supporting the strike, wearing pins supporting the transportation workers, but there were also people who were yelling at the metro workers on strike, saying they should get back to work. At the heart of the whole strike is Sarkozy's (the new French president) plan to reduce the retirement benefits of metro, train, and bus drivers and require a minimum of 40 years of work for full pensions.

If you consider that, in the U.S., most people work until they are about 65 or 67, working 40 years really isn't that much - in fact, it's pretty standard for Americans. However, France transportation workers have only had to work 30-35 years for full pensions because of the "extreme stresses" caused by the job.

Personally, I agree with Sarkozy that there should be an increase in the amount of years worked by transportation workers. It only makes sense that people should start working longer as life expectancies increase. Yet, I respect the workers for voicing their opinions and standing up for their rights.

Hopefully, the strike will end soon, and the annoyance of having to walk to and from school every morning for several hours will be over, otherwise my legs are going to be ridiculously toned by the time I get home. Now, on second thought, maybe the strike isn't so bad after all ...

In case you didn't know, the World Cup of Rugby has been going on in France since my arrival to Paris in September. All of the games take place at the ultra modern "Stade de France" on the outskirts of Paris. Throughout the city, however, there are several giant screens set up in parks for people to watch the games.

To make it clear that the Rugby Cup is going on in Paris, the Eiffel Tower is decked out in a green light (the official color of the Rugby Cup), and there is a giant inflatable rugby ball hanging from the middle of the tower.

Shades of Dallas Cowboys
Because I'm not a sports enthusiast, I literally have no idea how rugby is played. From watching the sports segment on the news every night before the weather, I can tell you that rugby involves very large men pushing and hitting each other in order to get a larger version of a white football. To me, it looks a lot like football with more violence, but less padding. I was surprised to see that the United States actually has a national rugby team (though we lost in the qualifying rounds of the tournament).

Despite my personal dislike of the sport, it has taken over Paris like mad. Last weekend, Paris defeated New Zealand, one of the best teams in the league, and the city went wild with screams of "Allez les Blues" (Go Blue!). It was interesting to see men running down the street wearing the French flag on their backs and screaming patriotically. I guess in the world of sports, everyone is the same, whether you're rooting for the Dallas Cowboys, or for the French National Rugby team, guys will always dress up, go crazy and scream loud for their favorite teams.

English invasion
Unfortunately, last night England defeated France in the semifinals of the tournament. Several of my friends were at the Champs de Mars watching the game and told me it was virtual mayhem when the game was over, with the British cheering and the French upset over their defeat. I heard many English people last night walking down my street singing the English national anthem and assumed they must have won. I'm ready for rugby to be over and for the city of Paris to be free from the hoards of British, Scottish and others who have seemingly taken over the city with "rugby fever."

I had the most frustrating day I've had in a while today.

First I woke up late, thanks to my battery-powered alarm clock that decided to die at 3 AM. Then as I was walking out of the house, I forgot my cell phones (yes, plural, I have one for France, one for the USA) and had to unlock the complicated front door which literally takes 10 minutes.

To make matters worse, as I was walking to the RER Pont d'Alma station, I stepped in a fresh pile of dog poo. To me it seemed like a scene right out of a movie: I was already having the worst day ever, and to top it off I stepped in the nastiest of all things. Little did I know the morning was just a warm-up for the rest of my miserable day.

Library blues
As I've mentioned before, I have the privilege of working at the BNF (Bibliotheque Nationale de France) for an advanced History course. Well, today, things didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped they would. I had reserved 10 books, and 2 "microfiches," which are reproductions of old manuscripts. When I went to pick them up, I only received 5 books. The lady working the book bank told me that my card "does't have the correct documentation" to pick up the rest. Naturally, I was extremely confused since a week earlier I was given full access to all of the library's collections.

Very confused, I rushed to the "Information Desk" to figure what the problem was. Of course, they told me the book bank was wrong, and there was nothing more I needed and "to insist I have the books." Well, France is NOT a place that you "insist" anything. There is a very different understanding of "customer service" here. In the United States we swear by the motto "the customer is always right," whereas in France the customer is only sometimes right, which I learned today.

When I returned to the book bank, I told the young lady working there that the Information Desk said there wasn't a problem and possibly her machine was acting funny (exactly what they had told me to say). She literally looked me up and down (imagine Regina George in Mean Girls), and said in broken English, "I told you it no work." I again explained, very politely and with a big smile, in French, what the Information Desk had told me and asked to speak with a supervisor. What a mistake! As soon as I said that she huffed and puffed at me, ran to the back and got TWO people.

I can understand French pretty well now and basically they were mocking the way I spoke French, the way I was dressed, and saying what I was asking them to do was somehow outrageous. Finally after almost 20 minutes of talking about me, they made me a new card and told me to "wait until Monday to use it." Somehow, I was inconveniencing the employees of the library to actually do their job!

To say the least I was upset, frustrated, and mad. I had to keep reminding myself that things are different here: they speak a different language, their idea of customer service is completely different, and I am a foreigner. After calling my mom and dad almost in tears, I calmed down and rationalized the situation. In the USA, there are people just as rude to foreigners as the girl was to me today. I will have to adapt to that situation and work my best around it. I'm going to run across rude people, whether it's in Paris or Dallas!

The experience taught me two things today:
1. I'm really NOT in the USA. Attitudes are different here, and I better get used to it and make it into a learning experience. These obstacles only teach me how to deal with "real life" situations and give me questions to ask my French teachers about what to say in certain situations.
2. At home, I should be more patient and understanding of people who can't speak perfect English. They are at least trying!

Not only is France teaching me important French and history lessons, but France is also teaching me valuable life lessons! Hopefully, next week when I go to the BN with Dr. Kahan, we can figure out exactly what's wrong with my card!

Once a year the city of Paris celebrates its eclectic, vibrant, and beautiful culture by flooding their city with light all night long! During "La Nuit Blanche" or "White Night" all of Paris - monuments and attractions, like the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees, the George Pompidou Museum, La Madeleine and others - are open to the public (usually free of charge) and feature various art exhibits, light shows, and theatrical shows. The city literally glows from the amounts of string lights hung on the trees, buildings, and light posts.

A Ferris wheel ride
My friends and I decided that Nuit Blanche was NOT an event we could miss. Though most of the activity runs parallel with the Metro Line 14, we opted to stick around the Louvre area in order to ride the huge Ferris wheel in front of the Tuileries Garden. For only 8 euros we rode around the wheel about 15 times and even got to stop at the top! We had an absolutely stunning view of the "city of lights."

Though we were absolutely in awe of the beautiful city, I'll admit that a few of us were a little scared to be up that high. The Ferris wheel "buckets" also spun, much like the Tea Cups ride at Disneyland, so when we would come back down at the bottom a man would always spin us so we would literally feel like we were going to fall out! Even though I was a little freaked out, it is one of the most special memories I have of Paris.

Candle light and techno dancing
While we were on the Ferris wheel we noticed that the Tuileries garden was on fire! Well, not literally, but there was an exhibition of thousands of candles displayed on different types of torches in the Tuileries Garden. I encouraged my friend Federico to light one of the candles that had gone out, but I guess you're not allowed to do that because later a security guard scolded him!

After walking through the Tuileries Garden, we noticed that in front of the Palais Royal were these three large video screens that kept changing colors in rhythm with this strange techno-trance music, with various members of the audience being invited to dance in front of them. Little did we know that three of our friends who had separated from us earlier that night, Brenda, Margaret, and Brooke, were dancing in front of them just minutes before we got there!

TAXI!
I decided at around 1 AM that I wanted to go home, and I thought it would be simple getting a taxi. Boy was I wrong! That night France had defeated New Zealand in the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup (taking place in Paris at the Stade de France). It was literal pandemonium on the streets of Paris due to the victory combined with Nuit Blanche. People were riding their scooters with the French flag swaying in the wind, and traffic was at a virtual standstill.

After walking up and down rue de Rivoli looking for a free taxi cab and pleading with taxi drivers to take me home (in Paris it's illegal to "hail" a cab like it is in NYC), my friend Stephanie finally found a taxi stand. All of a sudden I saw a free cab, cut about 25 people waiting for a cab, jumped in and got home safe and sound at around 2 AM, a whole hour later than planned. I was extremely lucky compared to my friend Stephanie and her housemate, Claire, who waited for a cab for almost three hours until they finally decided to just wait until the metro reopened to go home! Luckily they had each other, because I would have been very scared to take the metro that night by myself!

Even though there was the difficulty with the taxi, La Nuit Blanche was a fabulous night. If you are ever in Paris during the first weekend of October, it is a must see. I'm not looking forward to my midterms next week, but luckily, immediately after that we head to Provence for our second study tour!

As part of the SMU-in-Paris program, we not only get to go on two study tours, but we have several day trips in the Paris vicinity over the semester. While we were originally scheduled to visit the town of Reims, where the French kings were coronnated, there was unfortunately a problem with the train, so we visited Chantilly by bus instead.

In French the word "chantilly" actually means "whipped cream," gaining its name from the region in which it was created, Chantilly. The castle is a blend of flamboyant gothic architecture and high Renaissance architecture, with large, pointed arches, intricate details on the facade, and several domes over the various rooms of the castle. Unlike some of the other chateaux I've seen, this was not a royal chateaux, instead it was a hunting lodge used by the Conde family.

Art History in action
While the chateaux has beautiful architecture and gorgeous Renaissance decor, Chantilly is best known for its immense art collection. In the Conde gallery, there are pieces by Raphael, Philippe de Champiagne, Corot, Corbet, and Regnault. There is also a room dedicated to small portraits of royals and nobles. Since I am quite interested in the Ancien Regime, I, of course, took my time looking at the portraits of Henri II, Catherine de Medici, Henri III, Charles IX, and Marie de Medici, just to name a few.

Since our Art History midterm was the following Monday, my friends and I were jokingly "analyzing" the paintings hanging on the wall, however, I have to admit even though it was in jest, it did help to do that, as dorky as it sounds.

I was a tad bit disappointed that we didn't get to see Reims because I am enrolled in a history class entitled "Images of Power," and Reims would have been a wonderful example of a presentation of royal power, but Chantilly was a good second option.

Now I really have to buckle down, memorize my paintings for Art History, and study my French grammar for my midterms next week!

I've officially been in France for a whole month, and while at first thought I can't believe it's already been that long, I definitely am starting to miss some things from home, specifically television and a clothes dryer! As Midterms are approaching next week, classes have gotten very intense with lots of reading, papers, and homework.

Last week I finally got access to the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (BNF) for my advanced History research class! It was a bit intimidating having to speak to the BNF officials completely in French, explaining exactly what I was researching and why the BNF would help. It was definitely a test of my French skills! I know my French professors and tutor would be very proud of how well I handled it!

The BNF is what I imagine the "Ministry of Magic" (from Harry Potter) to look like. It is an ultra-modern building constructed in four glass towers that are actually supposed to represent opened books. (Personally, I think it's kind of stupid to keep books in glass towers that are exposed to the sun most of the day, but I guess I'm wrong...) Once inside, I have to swipe my card to get access to the bottom level where I can actually access my books. The entire library is decorated in an ultra-modern way, with deep red carpet, very high ceilings with exposed pipes and very modern furniture.

Dr. Kahan explained to me how to "order" books. The BNF is not like normal libraries. In order to view certain books, you have to order them from the library and are given a specific time to look at them. You cannot check out books, so I have to spend a lot of time at the library taking notes and reading. I'm currently researching a Catholic religious sect called the Jansenistes in 17th-century France, which should make for a very interesting research paper.

For my Art History and other History class I have also often been going to the Louvre, observing the pre-Impressionist painters such as Rubens, Constable, Turner, and Fragonard as well as images of the kingly power for History. I really like having class in the Louvre. At first I was skeptical of having class in the Louvre again because I spent nearly 18 hours this summer with Dr. Freidel at the SMU-in-Paris Summer Study Abroad, but I still find the Louvre a fascinating place. It just goes to show that no matter how many times you can be in the Louvre, there is always more to see!

Unfortunately, according to many French journalists, the government is expecting a public transportation strike to begin on October 18. I really hope the government and public transportation employees can come to a compromise before October 18 because a strike of that magnitude would mean all the buses, metro system, and RER trains would be shut down, leaving only taxis (which would undoubtedly raise rates) and walking as the only modes of transportation. I'm a good 45-minute walk to school, so let's hope that doesn't happen!

Now I have to buckle down and get to studying for my midterms!

This past weekend, my friends and I jetted to Barcelona for the weekend. My friend Stephanie and I flew separately from our other four friends, and unfortunately, neither one of us speaks a lick of Spanish! We were extremely worried we wouldn't be able to find our friends in Barcelona and would end up staying at the airport the entire time. Luckily, we used my Spanish-French dictionary that Anne Marie provided me and we were able to find our friends at the bus station!

We left Paris in the middle of a torrential downpour and arrived to a sunny, but steamy Barcelona. I've been to Bilbao, Spain, on the Atlantic coast, but never to the Mediterranean coast, which is much lighter, more vibrant, and definitely hotter! Not only was it my first time to the Mediterranean coast, it was my first experience staying in a hostel. I'm used to staying in nice hotels with my parents on family vacations so I had to constantly remind myself that I was not with my parents and was on a budget! Though the accommodations were a little bit sketchy, it was fun being able to stay with all of my friends in the same room, and we said several times that it felt similar to a "youth camp" experience.

Barcelona was also my first encounter with Tapas, a traditional Spanish cuisine. Tapas are small (usually only 2-3 bites) entrees of things like enchiladas, mini burgers, chicken kebabs, scallions on toast, and thousands of other types! They are delicious and relatively cheap in Barcelona.

My favorite site in Barcelona was the Gaudi Park, in which there are hundreds of mosaic tile art pieces. It's nice because people can actually walk up to the art and sit, touch, stand, or take pictures next to it. The park is also on the top of a very steep hill, so it provides a beautiful view of Barcelona and the sea!

Barcelona was a very fun trip and I have a feeling that my fall break trip to Prague, Rome, and Athens will be just as interesting and entertaining! After a very long weekend of traveling and little sleep, I have to finish my assignments for Monday; after all SMU-in-Paris isn't all play and fun, it's work too!

Living in Paris with a French family, I also get to practice my French skills every night at dinner! I hope to also be able to travel this semester to some other countries in Europe to soak up the history and culture of Western Europe.

School has gotten progressively more intense, but luckily this weekend we had a bit of a break with a study trip to Normandy, a region in the northwest of France on the Atlantic Ocean. Though Normandy is most famous for the D-Day invasions in World War II, the region represents the French agricultural center. To the disappointment of my waistline, Normandy is also notorious for the best tasting crepes (a type of French pancake that can be filled with sweets or meat).

The landscape of Normandy is rather odd. There are cornfields directly across from the beach. To me, corn next to the ocean just doesn't make sense. It's clear that Normandy is an agricultural region because vast farms and countryside surround all of the towns. It was rather picturesque, but I can never see myself being in Normandy for more than a weekend without going insane!

The first town we visited in Normandy was Le Havre. During World War II, Le Havre was completely razed by British "intimidation bombings" so the city is rather modern, with square, uniform buildings. It's amazing to think that an entire city was damaged so much during the war that it had to be completely rebuilt.

On Saturday we visited several memorials dedicated to World War II including the Caen War Memorial, the American War Cemetery, and the beaches of Normandy. The Caen War Memorial is more of a museum rather than a memorial. I really liked the symbolic architecture of the building that is split into two halves with a black "slash" in the middle to represent the "scar" that World War II left on France. The Memorial features some intimidating Nazi memorabilia and traces the events leading up to World War II.

In the afternoon we headed to the Normandy beaches. Nestled on the top of a cliff of "Omaha" beach is the American War Cemetery. There are over 9,000 American men buried here from World War II. It was overwhelming to see the thousands of white cement crosses lined in rows for what seemed like miles. It sounds corny, but seeing the graveyard gave me a tremendous sense of pride for the United State. I realized what a huge sacrifice these men made, not only for our country, but also for our allies and the "greater good" of humanity. I was astonished of how many men died on that first day, June 6, 1944, (it was literally every other grave marker).

The D-Day beaches themselves don't look much different than normal beaches at first glance, but then you look behind at the cliffs and you can see the cut outs from bombs exploding and in the distance you can see remnants of German bunkers that once contained huge cannons. The beach is now considered hallow ground in a way, but life still goes on, with people building sandcastles and frolicking on it. It was a bit odd to see that, but it also represents how the world has moved on somewhat from the physical devastation of World War II.

I've always wanted to see the Normandy beaches, especially considering my Grandfather fought in World War II. I was very proud of him and all the other soldiers who had to scale the cliffs of Normandy while enduring a shower of bullets in order to help the French fight off the Nazis. Though Normandy wasn't the most exciting place I've ever been, I'm really glad that SMU brought us here. It finally made World War II come alive and helped me really understand the devastation, both physical and emotional, that was caused by the war.

It was a weird feeling for me to wake up this morning and have almost no mention of September 11th. I explained to my French mother, Anne-Marie, the importance of September 11th and what it means to Americans. She knew what had happened and obviously that the actions had sent America into war, but she never knew really how it affected Americans. It was nice to be able to share a bit of my culture with her for a change.

Speaking of my host family -- I live with Anne-Marie, a single, older lady in a HUGE apartment in the 7th arrondisement of Paris. The apartment is not only beautifully decorated, but I have my very own bathroom and room! (I feel I lucked out compared to some other students who have to share their bathrooms.) Best of all though is my view of the Eiffel Tower. The Champs de Mars (the park under the Eiffel Tower) is literally across the street, I can't believe I was ever worried about my French family! Anne-Marie is so nice and encourages me to really work on my French and experience as much Parisian culture as possible. She's very similar to my mother at home, so it's comforting to have her to talk to and laugh with during the evening

This week was the first week of actual class. It's a bit bizarre having to take public transportation to school considering I'm so used to hopping in my car and buzzing down to Airline Garage. I quickly realized that in order to be on time, I have to plan ahead and leave at least 30 minutes in advance. I usually take the bus to school, but almost all of my friends take the metro (the French version of a subway system). Each month I have to buy a "Carte Orange," which gives me unlimited trips on the metro, bus, tramways, and RER (a fast train to the outlying suburbs). I can't imagine getting around Paris without the bus and metro! Cabs here are pretty pricey, so I have been avoiding them as much as possible.

SMU students take classes at a center called Reid Hall which houses several other universities study abroad programs such as Columbia, Vassar, Sarah Lawrence, and Dartmouth. It's a beautiful building that has a lot of "Parisian" charm. In the center is a gorgeously manicured courtyard that we can study in, chat with friends, or surf the net with WiFi. So far I LOVE all my classes. The professors SMU uses are extremely knowledgeable and have a passion for their subjects. So far my favorite classes are definitely my independent study history class (5392) with Dr. Kahan and my French (4373) class with Dr. Roynier. Both are challenging, but interesting. For my research project I'm currently in the process of trying to get approved for a Bibliotheque Nationale de France card to let me have access to original documents from the 17th century.

I still can't believe I'm actually living in Paris for the next year! Over the past few days I've been sitting in cafes with my friends, laughing about the funny things that could happen to us in the next semester, but I know no matter what this will be a life changing experience!

I have finally arrived in France! As soon as I arrived at Charles de Gualle airport I had my very first taste of culture shock. Unfortunately a passenger had left a "mysterious" black bag and the police evacuated the terminal where I was supposed to be meeting the other SMU students. As I started running for dear life toward the nearest exits screaming "Pardon! Pardon!" to get out of harms way, I soon realized that no one else in the airport was moving. In fact most of the French people around me were grumbling and fighting with the police. When I had finally found the director, Dr. Roynier, outside of the terminal, she told me that in France this sort of thing happened all the time and therefore the people weren't usually phased by "evacuations." I was so surprised, but then again, I had to remember that I was now living in one of the largest cities in the world and "evacuations" must happen all the time.

For the past four days we have been in a small, picturesque town north of Paris for Orientation called Compiegne. We have about 20 SMU students on our program, which is a nice sized group. At Orientation I was able to easily get over jet lag while retuning my ear to French with the help of Dr. Roynier and a French professor from Switzerland, Fabienne.

Luckily for me, Compiegne and its surrounding countryside is full of history! On our first day we visited a former Roman ampatheatre and a Roman temple which reminded me that I'm living in a country that had a thriving civilization nearly 2000 years ago! Around Compiegne we also visited Pierrefonds, an enormous 14th century fortress that played an important role in the Wars of Religion, as well as Laon, a medieval town that holds the cathedral Nortre-Dame de Laon. At the Cathedral, we had a private tour and were allowed up to the roof of a bell tower to get a view of the city and surrounding countryside. It was absolutely breathtaking to see a medieval city from an aerial perspective! All of the roads are tiny and houses seem to be built one on top of the other. It was an experience I'm sure I'll never forget!

Today we visited the exact point where the Armstice agreement was signed for World War I outside of Compiegne. Even though I have learned about World War I before, it never seemed "real" to me until I was on the exact soil where Germany surrendered and spiraled downward until World War II. It was a really strange feeling to know I was walking on the same path that Hitler walked on 20 years after the first Armstice. I have to admit, as dorky as it sounds, I had goosebumps.

While I'm glad we had the opportunity to sleep off our jet lag, get ot know one another, and relax before we met our French families, I'm definitely ready to get to Paris! I am a bit nervous though about meeting my French family for the first time and becoming a Parisian.