Hello Everybody!
It’s funny how nature can put you at peace and fill you up with a sense of belonging. This is what I told my friends and family back home after I walked through the beautiful gardens of Place du Thabor. The gardens house a wonderful variety of flowers, fountains and birdcages that interact harmoniously. Just like the Eiffel Tower, La Place is meticulously well maintained. There are seven sections. My favorite section of the gardens is called “Les jardins a la francaise.” It is full of symmetry and precision, tying into the overall French perception of how something should be presented. (To get an idea of the extent to which symmetry and precision are respected by the French from an architectural standpoint, I encourage you to visit Philadelphia’s own Ritten House Square or the French Quarter. You’ll see a carre or very square layout. “Les jardins a la francaise” are located on the right hand side of La Place and house tons of bancs where people can sit to enjoy a relaxed afternoon out in the sun. This is what I indulged in after having walked through the other sections of the gardens. Looking around I noticed that many young French college students were also out relaxing in the gardens. Beforehand, I thought I was going to be one of the only young people to do so. Even though I did not faire la connaissance of anyone there, I began to feel a connection with them. They too needed a moment of repose, a place to refuel their energy and regain focus. There was no loud noise, just people taking in and enjoying the scenery. Seeing this has significantly boosted my confidence in my ability to get out there and become friends with French students. I realized that there are students out there like myself that enjoy being outdoors and just relaxing. I am sure that this positive outlook will help me as I sage way into my first week of classes, one of which will be directly through the university with other French students. Speaking of classes, I recently had the opportunity to take get a guided tour of Universite de Rennes 2 (where I will be studying over the next few months). It is compact, medium sized campus, reminiscent of Drexel. The student body seems friendly and everyone appears to have their own individual style. Wish me luck with this first week of classes!

Hello Everyone!
Before getting situated in our host families, we were given a cultural pass to perhaps the most beautiful city in the world- Paris. Paris is separated into 16 arrondissements, the 7th of which hosts La Tour Eiffel. La Tour Eiffel, or the Eiffel Tower is a massive structure that spans over 1,000 feet. Its immense presence made it difficult to observe in its entirety. The crowds of tourists clamoring to get their tickets all the way to the top added to monumentality of the experience. In order to get a better view, we decided to sit down on a lawn situated halfway between the ticket stands and Trocadero, une place, that hosts foreign street performers, French break dancers and guarantees a breathtaking view of La Tour. Nathan, our student tour guide, started telling us a little bit about the history behind the Eiffel Tour. Two details that stood out to me in particular was 1.) The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 and 2.) It is recoated with that rich dark brown paint every 7 years. The fact that the Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 means that this formidable monument has been on French soil for 122 years. 122 years of existence means that the Tower has gone through a series of developments including the addition of an ice staking rink in 2004! The fact that the Tower is repainted every 7 years means that the body of structure is well maintained by many caring and hardworking people. Immaculate preservation of this monument is reflective of the French view of presentation. After spending 8 months in France last year as a teaching assistant, I learned a lot of this aspect of French life. Hard work is put in to maintain the beauty of the home, the neighborhood, and of course historical edifices. Very few areas surrounding La Tour Eiffel or many of Paris’ other famous structures craint (are poorly maintained). They, just like their host monuments, have an air of refinement. This air of refinement emanates from the Eiffel Tower no matter where you are in relation to it. Overall, this trip to Paris was eye opening because it gave me the chance to not only see the Eiffel Tower, but to learn about its history. I have learned that no matter where you go in the world, sightseeing is pointless unless you learn something about what you have seen.