From Paris with Love

Hey all!

I thought I would end this blogging assignment with a more upbeat post on my favorite places in Paris (just in case anyone would like to go there). Of course you should go to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe and so on, but here are a few lesser visited places I recommend.

First, I think if you're not creeped out super easily, one of the coolest places to go in Paris are the catacombs! It's basically an underground cemetery which holds the remains of 7 million people. The bones were moved into the underground quarries after cemeteries became too crowded in the 18th century. It's a really interesting story, so to learn more visit: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/paris-catacombs-180950160/?no-ist. There is more than 200 miles of tunnels underneath Paris (the catacombs only makes up a tiny part of them). Anyway, the bones are arranged into cool shapes like this heart:

 



In fact, all the cemeteries (both above and below ground) are great to see. The three main cemeteries Pere Lachaise, Montmartre and Montparnasse are beautiful and hold the graves of some very interesting people: Edgar Degas, Jean Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Jim Morrison. More info on those here: http://www.pariscemeteries.com/

Next place you have to go in your in the City of Lights is the Basilica of Sacre Coeur. Located on top of the hill at Montmartre, this gigantic white church is a must see. It's a bit of a climb but at the top you can see all of Paris. There is also a lovely market behind the basilica. Be careful though, there are a lot of pickpockets and people trying to take your money here. Well, actually pickpockets are everywhere so be on the look out.

Lastly, I would recommend is the Paris opera house (Palais Garnier). This theater is the most gorgeous place I've ever seen and it was the place that inspired the book, Phantom of the Opera.

Well, that's it for now! Thanks for reading! And as always, I recommend everyone go explore Paris, it's an experience you will never forget!

Reverse Culture Shock

For this blog post, I would like to shed some light unto the subject of reverse culture shock. We've all heard of culture shock which is, "is the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit to a new country, a move between social environments, or simply travel to another type of life." For example, one could feel culture shock after leaving high school and going to college. I was told that culture shock was a normal part of studying abroad. So when I went to Paris, I was prepared for the changes and how to deal with culture shock. For more information about culture shock, follow this link: http://www.worldwide.edu/travel_planner/culture_shock.html
 
What I wasn't prepared for was how accustomed I would become to life in Paris, and how I would feel returning home to  my normal life. Reverse culture shock hit me way harder than culture shock. I found an interesting quote from Dean Foster, founder and  president of DFA Intercultural Global Solutions, a firm that specializes in intercultural training and coaching worldwide. He said that, "Reverse culture shock is experienced when returning to a place that one expects to be home but actually is no longer, is far more subtle, and therefore, more difficult to manage than outbound shock precisely because it is unexpected and unanticipated.” The euphoria of coming home and seeing loved ones quickly wore off and I would that American culture and the things I was used to no longer felt normal to me. Spending time at home in my Chicago suburb, I felt so bored and isolated in comparison to how I felt in Paris, a bustling city. The worst part of it was that I missed Paris so much but the more time I spent at home the more my semester abroad felt like a dream. I would stare at the postcards I'd collected of all the sites and place I'd been, and it didn't feel real. I was worried I would never get to go back and that I would forget all I'd learn from the incredible experience.


Reverse culture shock and culture shock have very similar stages, illustrated by the picture below:

 

 

 I think schools with study abroad programs should put more emphasis on how students should deal with returning home and less emphasis on the shock of being in a new place. You can read more about reverse culture shock and how to deal with it here: http://www.expatica.com/nl/moving-to/Moving-home-Reverse-culture-shock_104957.html

More Study Abroad Musings

Welcome back!

After a few weeks back on campus, I had the opportunity to assist with Marquette's Office of International Education Study Abroad Fair. My job was to talk to students interested in studying abroad in France and give them any information they might need about the different programs. It was great to get to see other people get excited about living in Paris, Lille or Lyon. For reference, here is a map of the major cities in France:

 I felt like volunteering at the study abroad fair was a way for me to give back and use my time abroad for a good cause. I love that Marquette makes it as easy as possible for students to be able to study abroad and experience cultures different from their own while still being able to stay on track academically. I realized when I was applying to go abroad that this would probably be the only time I could have an experience like that; spending half a year in a different country just wouldn't be as feasible or probable any time other than in college. Of course talking about my time in Paris also made me miss it even more. If you are a Marquette student and want to know more about study abroad programs, visit this site: http://www.mu.edu/abroad/

I really admire my friends who decided to do a full year abroad; while this wouldn't have worked with my school schedule, it would have been nice to stay in Paris longer. Not only could I have traveled more but I think I would have become much more immersed in the culture and would have been able to make more friends who were native Parisians and not just other American students. Paris had so much to offer and so much to explore than even in four months I feel like I barely scratched the surface of all it had to offer. And, getting to go to Italy and Austria wouldn't have been terrible either. I think more students should consider a one year program if they can so that they really can say they learned all about the culture and traditions of the country. Bonus: photos from my time in Amsterdam

Dreaming of Paris

Hi again!

When I decided to study abroad, I was told that culture shock when arriving would be normal. I was told French/Parisian customs and traditions would be very different and it may be difficult to adjust to the new setting, school and people. To be honest, I think I was prepared to the culture shock and when I arrived, the adjustment was much easier than expected. The excitement of actually achieving a dream of mine softened the blow of the changes; I was more excited to embrace the differences between the two cultures. For a brief summary of French customs follow this link: http://www.livescience.com/39149-french-culture.html

What I wasn't prepared for was the intense culture shock I felt when I returned to the States. In Paris, there was always something to do, and somewhere new to explore. Back home in a suburb of Chicago during the freezing winter, I spent most of my time home alone, stuck inside. It was great to see my family and friends but things just weren't the same.

I was worried that returning to school, where I lived in a sorority house filled with 30 girls, would be even more overwhelming. Thankfully, my sorority sisters welcomed me home with open arms, eager to hear about my adventures and were understanding when I wanted to be alone. Also, we had recruitment which meant so much time with my sisters: if you want to see a video from our Bid Day this year, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGp3oOqQ5o0

I still miss Paris every day, but thankfully the transition has gotten easier with time. To any students thinking of studying abroad don't let the idea of culture shock keep you from having the study abroad experience because I wouldn't change my time in Paris for anything. Bonus: here's a photo of me in front of the Notre Dame cathedral.

An Introduction

Last semester I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad for four month in Paris. It's cliché but this been a dream of mine since I first saw a picture of the Eiffel Tower as a six year old learning greeting and colors in a kindergarten French lesson. That six year old stuck with French classes until she decided to minor in it and then later declare it as her second major, knowing that trying to master the language would only help her accomplish her dream of living in Paris. Not that I would consider myself fluent...

Thanks to the support of my parents, my advisers and my friends I pushed through my anxiety about leaving on another continent and went for it. I found a roommate, another Marquette student who became my lifeline in Paris, registered for classes and attempted to fit four months of outfits into a 50 pound suitcase. Not an easy task.

I'd always heard from other study abroad students that it was one of the best decisions they ever made and after having experienced it, I couldn't agree more. Escaping the college bubble and my Milwaukee comfort zone helped me grow into a more confident and adventurous person along with making me more culturally aware. Here's more information about why student should study abroad during college: http://www.vistawide.com/studyabroad/why_study_abroad.htm

After having such an amazing experience, rejoining the Marquette community and the college grind was anything but easy. I'll be continuing to post about my transition back to reality and my memories from abroad so stay tuned! Thanks for reading!

Also, enjoy this Buzzfeed post which includes an amazing video of Paris:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/briantron/paris-is-love#.ryKlOBoOn