gratefulIs it time to say goodbye already? I can't believe it. I just got here. I just started blogging. I just recently got to meet you people.
My semester has come to an end, and wow has it been an amazing experience from start to finish. I got to walk the eternal streets of Spain and Italy. I spent a 21st birthday party in Morocco. I even experienced snow on the French Riviera, something that hasn't happened in 20 years.
My mind was opened, my brain was filled, my eyes were dazzled, and my jaw was dropped numerous times. It really is one of the best things I have ever done. A vacation, a learning experience, and just an all around wonderful time with wonderful new friends who will last a lifetime.
I would strongly recommend anyone to venture outside of one’s comfort zone and experience the inviting wonders. This experience is teaching and reinforcing the values and know how’s previously taught by my parents, my school teachers, and my best teacher of all, past experiences. Being in a foreign land has challenged me to socially interact with people of different backgrounds, efficiently manage time and money, and continually strive for further self-development.
I am also quite fortunate to be in an environment that allows a combination of mental stimulation, emotional resolution, and spiritual evaluation. For this experience I’m eternally grateful.
I just can't believe it's time to leave. I have so much left to accomplish. I have so much left I want to do.
Oh well, I guess I'll just have to come back...
And thank you. Thank you so much for sharing my adventures with me. I know we'll meet again.
nicetonnia
The Grand Finale
Some more photographs of my experiences…….
A group of students at dinner celebrating the birthday of Aurelie, a colleague from Belgium!
At a jazz club one night enjoying the music and each other’s company
Spread at wine and cheese night!
I forgot to mention, my roommates and I also hosted a classy wine and cheese night at our apartment for females only, to unwind and get to know one another better.
Some that attended the wine and cheese night
Partying at a club in Nice one night
Having dinner again, this time at an African restaurant in Nice….it seems as though we don’t get tired of eating (I guess it’s part of the cultural experience).
Here we are getting ready to depart for Monaco to celebrate Kim’s 21st birthday!
A group shot of everyone that came out to celebrate Kim’s birthday, and Kim’s birthday cake.
Words cannot fully express how much I’m enjoying my semester in France. Among other things, I have learnt how to master the skill of balancing class assignments, study hours, and recreation in order to absorb what this opportunity has to offer.
I have been able to develop life-long bonds with my colleagues that I intend to continue to nurture, for one day I plan to visit each of my friends in their part of the world. My roommates and I have developed a special bond from sharing different experiences together, realizing our faults and our strengths together, and engaging in extremely lengthy conversation over dinner, or at our apartment at nights that sometimes welcome the morning sun, together.
I have pitched the questions to my roommates to learn their perspective and reasons for:
-Why they wanted to study abroad?
-What they planned to achieve?
-And what would you advise/recommend someone wanting to study abroad?
Their responses were as follows:
Jennifer, a Marketing major and a very adventurous individual who has already travelled to Europe before, Mexico, and experienced a Caribbean cruise said that she chose to study abroad to gain “a better understanding of different cultures and to differentiate [her] résumé from others, as well as to make herself more marketable in the workplace.” She wants to, “achieve a greater appreciation for different cultures, and improve [her] French language skills while building international contacts.” Jennifer would recommend to, “anyone that is studying abroad to have a little experience in the language before arriving, (if going to a country with a different language to one’s mother tongue).” She also advises, “to prepare mentally and emotionally, to expect to have trouble adjusting to a new place because as we all know ‘there’s no place like home,’ and most importantly to research the area travelling to, so you would know a little bit about its culture.”
Kimberly, a New Zealand born triple major in International Business, History, and Politics, who resides in Australia and previously travelled to Indonesia said that she, “thought studying in a foreign environment would be challenging and extremely beneficial for the program in which [she’s] enrolled in”. [She] has lived in Australia, Perth for the most part of [her] life, so [she] saw studying abroad as a fantastic travel opportunity.” She hopes to achieve primarily, “knowledge, experience and culture,” She also wanted to, “learn how to speak French fluently, make connections with people from diverse backgrounds from around the world, and gain independence from back home.” She would advise, “to have no expectations, to be willing to compromise, to enjoy yourself, and to know that you’re in for a ride.”
My own thoughts will come next...
I have been able to develop life-long bonds with my colleagues that I intend to continue to nurture, for one day I plan to visit each of my friends in their part of the world. My roommates and I have developed a special bond from sharing different experiences together, realizing our faults and our strengths together, and engaging in extremely lengthy conversation over dinner, or at our apartment at nights that sometimes welcome the morning sun, together.
I have pitched the questions to my roommates to learn their perspective and reasons for:
-Why they wanted to study abroad?
-What they planned to achieve?
-And what would you advise/recommend someone wanting to study abroad?
Their responses were as follows:
Jennifer, a Marketing major and a very adventurous individual who has already travelled to Europe before, Mexico, and experienced a Caribbean cruise said that she chose to study abroad to gain “a better understanding of different cultures and to differentiate [her] résumé from others, as well as to make herself more marketable in the workplace.” She wants to, “achieve a greater appreciation for different cultures, and improve [her] French language skills while building international contacts.” Jennifer would recommend to, “anyone that is studying abroad to have a little experience in the language before arriving, (if going to a country with a different language to one’s mother tongue).” She also advises, “to prepare mentally and emotionally, to expect to have trouble adjusting to a new place because as we all know ‘there’s no place like home,’ and most importantly to research the area travelling to, so you would know a little bit about its culture.”
Kimberly, a New Zealand born triple major in International Business, History, and Politics, who resides in Australia and previously travelled to Indonesia said that she, “thought studying in a foreign environment would be challenging and extremely beneficial for the program in which [she’s] enrolled in”. [She] has lived in Australia, Perth for the most part of [her] life, so [she] saw studying abroad as a fantastic travel opportunity.” She hopes to achieve primarily, “knowledge, experience and culture,” She also wanted to, “learn how to speak French fluently, make connections with people from diverse backgrounds from around the world, and gain independence from back home.” She would advise, “to have no expectations, to be willing to compromise, to enjoy yourself, and to know that you’re in for a ride.”
My own thoughts will come next...
No Supporting cast members - Audition
Back in Nice…..With Pictures
It has become tradition that each week a different group of students would host a party at their apartment. This particular week it was time for my roommates and me to host the weekly gathering; so, we decided to have a party with the theme of ‘Traffic light’. This was the ingenious idea of Kim who specified that the following colors should be worn, depending on your love status; red if a part of a couple, green if single, and yellow if confused. The ‘Traffic light’ party was a huge success –a lot of IPAG students attended as they wore their respective colors, and seized the opportunity to again mingle with people of different ‘colors’- according to Jen, outside of the classroom setting.
Our first group of guests...notice the color they were wearing!
From left to right: Alexandrio (Mexico), Jack (England), Chris (USA), and Spanish guy.
The hostesses along with Roglio (Spain) in red, and Juan Carlos (Mexico) in yellow.
A view of the ‘Traffic Light’ party in action!
Another view
Our first group of guests...notice the color they were wearing!
From left to right: Alexandrio (Mexico), Jack (England), Chris (USA), and Spanish guy.
The hostesses along with Roglio (Spain) in red, and Juan Carlos (Mexico) in yellow.
A view of the ‘Traffic Light’ party in action!
Another view
Barcelona, Spain……With Pictures
It was nearing the end of February, and there was a one week break from school – so, it was time to plan a vacation to Barcelona, Spain. In order to cut cost and have fun, my roommates and I decided to take an 11-hour bus ride from Nice, France to Barcelona, Spain. I must admit that even though it was a long bus ride, we meet a lot of interesting people (that some may consider weird) from various parts of the world that we interacted with, and shared quite a few unforgettable laughs.
On arriving to Barcelona, I took a refresher course this time in Spanish (for I studied Spanish for a couple years in high school), in order to greet and treat the natives with courtesy and respect while in their culture (by this time my linguistics was becoming puzzling even for my own tongue).
My roommates and I then checked in at a youth hostel which was not at all what I expected because the luxuries that I had grown accustom to were not present. However, we decide to stay and rallied in the fact that it was all a part of the learning experience.
In Barcelona, my roommates and I visited the Catalonia Museum which provided visual representations and detailed descriptions of the settlement and evolution of the native settlers of the Catalonia region of Spain. While there we also took a tour bus in which we were able to see sites such as the ‘Home of Barcelona Football Club’, the ‘Home of the Barcelona Olympic of 1990’, the ‘Picasso Museum’, and the glorified works of the famous architect, Antonio Gaudi.
At nights we selected restaurants off of Le Ramblas (the most popular boulevard in Barcelona) that offered various cuisines to dine. After dinner it was time to unwind and dance off our meals - which was not a difficult task.
On the streets of Barcelona, trying to find our way around!
Kim and me on the Catalonia Port
Here is Kim and I very excited about the bus tour we were about to undergo.
This is the famous Sagrada Familia Cathedral that was designed by Antonio Gaudi in the late 1800’s. Unfortunately Antonio died before ever seeing it complete – to date it’s still a work in progress.
Another one of Gaudi’s creations.
My roommates and I are dining on at a restaurant at Port Olympic
This is a funny story…..Here we are lounging in the VIP section of an upscale restaurant and club. During that day while perusing the streets of Barcelona, we came across this club which was located underground near the sea. We decided to take a closer look at the interior, and the price list just in case we wanted to return there for dinner that night. On entry we spoke to a welcoming gentleman who was willing to answer any question we had. We were quite pleased with the club’s ambiance along with the service that we received, and as we departed he gave us the address card of his establishment, so we can locate it again. Quite impressed, there was no question that we were retuning later on that night. After dinner, we retraced our steps to relocate our ‘chill spot’ for the night. We were successful in doing so, and as we entered we met the same gentleman again. He was pleased to see us and extended his impeccable service once more. We were ushered into the VIP section of the lounge even though it only catered to patrons that requested bottle service. Nonetheless, we were more than happy to oblige. We stayed in that area for the entire night, drinking ‘Sangria’ an inexpensive, but popular Spanish wine concoction while dancing to pulsating rhythms. Later that night we discovered that the gracious gentleman was the owner of the Lounge. (Weren’t we lucky?)
On arriving to Barcelona, I took a refresher course this time in Spanish (for I studied Spanish for a couple years in high school), in order to greet and treat the natives with courtesy and respect while in their culture (by this time my linguistics was becoming puzzling even for my own tongue).
My roommates and I then checked in at a youth hostel which was not at all what I expected because the luxuries that I had grown accustom to were not present. However, we decide to stay and rallied in the fact that it was all a part of the learning experience.
In Barcelona, my roommates and I visited the Catalonia Museum which provided visual representations and detailed descriptions of the settlement and evolution of the native settlers of the Catalonia region of Spain. While there we also took a tour bus in which we were able to see sites such as the ‘Home of Barcelona Football Club’, the ‘Home of the Barcelona Olympic of 1990’, the ‘Picasso Museum’, and the glorified works of the famous architect, Antonio Gaudi.
At nights we selected restaurants off of Le Ramblas (the most popular boulevard in Barcelona) that offered various cuisines to dine. After dinner it was time to unwind and dance off our meals - which was not a difficult task.
On the streets of Barcelona, trying to find our way around!
Kim and me on the Catalonia Port
Here is Kim and I very excited about the bus tour we were about to undergo.
This is the famous Sagrada Familia Cathedral that was designed by Antonio Gaudi in the late 1800’s. Unfortunately Antonio died before ever seeing it complete – to date it’s still a work in progress.
Another one of Gaudi’s creations.
My roommates and I are dining on at a restaurant at Port Olympic
This is a funny story…..Here we are lounging in the VIP section of an upscale restaurant and club. During that day while perusing the streets of Barcelona, we came across this club which was located underground near the sea. We decided to take a closer look at the interior, and the price list just in case we wanted to return there for dinner that night. On entry we spoke to a welcoming gentleman who was willing to answer any question we had. We were quite pleased with the club’s ambiance along with the service that we received, and as we departed he gave us the address card of his establishment, so we can locate it again. Quite impressed, there was no question that we were retuning later on that night. After dinner, we retraced our steps to relocate our ‘chill spot’ for the night. We were successful in doing so, and as we entered we met the same gentleman again. He was pleased to see us and extended his impeccable service once more. We were ushered into the VIP section of the lounge even though it only catered to patrons that requested bottle service. Nonetheless, we were more than happy to oblige. We stayed in that area for the entire night, drinking ‘Sangria’ an inexpensive, but popular Spanish wine concoction while dancing to pulsating rhythms. Later that night we discovered that the gracious gentleman was the owner of the Lounge. (Weren’t we lucky?)
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