It has been about 2 days since I left Nice, and my post-Nice depression has not passed. It seems like only a few days ago I stepped off of the plane in Nice and into a great unknown. I miss my daily morning espresso and baguette, I miss my French classes, I miss the Mediterranean, and I miss my 4 new best friends. When I walked off the plane at JFK, reality hit, and I realized my trip had ended. I was cruelly given a too-brief and tearful goodbye to my friends thanks to the hasty and inconsiderate airport staff. I experienced a massive amount of culture shock as I made my way to my connecting flight, alone for the first time in a month. Everything was so hasty, everything was about convenience, my packaged Caesar salad was incomparable to anything I had eaten in France. Even my blue Powerade (one of my favorite drinks in France) was not the same.
Abbey Road gave me such an amazing experience, and I can't believe it's over. Abbey Road provided me with a great education in French, amazing cultural integration, time for me to grow, time for me to form friendships that will last a lifetime, and a whole new appreciation for the world. I am experiencing everything around me with new eyes, and even still - an appreciation for other cultures is growing.
I would recommend the Abbey Road Nice program to anyone who is looking to learn French, gain cultural experience, and make great new friends. The program was, for me, life changing. This was definitely a situation where you get back what you put in, and I cannot be happier with what I have gained in return. I should not only thank my mother for giving me this amazing experience, but I would like to thank all of the teachers, Arthur, and Kathy - our absolutely amazing program director - for making this amazing experience possible.
Nice 2012, you were good to me.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Italy
Today, we had a "super secret excursion" planned. Unfortunately the rumor had leaked that we were going to Italy, so the secret was not as super as originally planned. At 11:00 AM this morning we boarded a bus for San Remo, Italy!
It didn't take long to get there, and I didn't even realize we crossed the border. I suppose all of the countries are so close they don't make a big deal out of border crossing. Upon arrival, we walked to a beach club. They had kindly set aside 32 chairs for our group, so we put down our stuff. My friends and I headed out to find lunch, and wound up and a quaint and very delicious restaurant not far from the beach club. I ordered classic spaghetti with tomato sauce. It was absolutely perfect and simple, a traditional italian dish.
After lunch we wandered back to the beach club and spent the rest of the time there. It was a beautiful day, although most days here have been absolutely gorgeous. The water was very shallow and a nice temperature for cooling off. I began reading Travels With Charley for school as I laid in the sun. We all made a few trips to the snack bar for sparkling water (the best we'd ever had) and Magnum ice cream bars.
Our day came to a close with dinner. It consisted of focaccia, pesto pasta, and tiramisu. It was another traditional Italian meal, and a perfect way to end a long day in the sun. After dinner we had to make a very quick run to our bus. Most of us fell asleep on the way home, but we were allowed free time in the residence once we arrived home. I spent the remainder of my evening with my 4 closest friends: Kara, Alie, Sophie, and Jake.
Tomorrow marks the last day of our trip and I am so so sad. I honestly wish we could extend this trip for another month - or maybe two. I absolutely love it here and it's going to be so sad leaving Nice as well as all of my new friends.
It didn't take long to get there, and I didn't even realize we crossed the border. I suppose all of the countries are so close they don't make a big deal out of border crossing. Upon arrival, we walked to a beach club. They had kindly set aside 32 chairs for our group, so we put down our stuff. My friends and I headed out to find lunch, and wound up and a quaint and very delicious restaurant not far from the beach club. I ordered classic spaghetti with tomato sauce. It was absolutely perfect and simple, a traditional italian dish.
After lunch we wandered back to the beach club and spent the rest of the time there. It was a beautiful day, although most days here have been absolutely gorgeous. The water was very shallow and a nice temperature for cooling off. I began reading Travels With Charley for school as I laid in the sun. We all made a few trips to the snack bar for sparkling water (the best we'd ever had) and Magnum ice cream bars.
Our day came to a close with dinner. It consisted of focaccia, pesto pasta, and tiramisu. It was another traditional Italian meal, and a perfect way to end a long day in the sun. After dinner we had to make a very quick run to our bus. Most of us fell asleep on the way home, but we were allowed free time in the residence once we arrived home. I spent the remainder of my evening with my 4 closest friends: Kara, Alie, Sophie, and Jake.
Tomorrow marks the last day of our trip and I am so so sad. I honestly wish we could extend this trip for another month - or maybe two. I absolutely love it here and it's going to be so sad leaving Nice as well as all of my new friends.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
MAMAC & Antibesland
After our lesson today, our class took a trip to Nice's local modern art museum. The museum is a short walk from our residence and free to enter. We were lucky enough to receive a guided tour and we were able to learn about all of the really interesting pieces on exhibit.
The three artists on exhibit are Yves Klein, famous for his unique and bright royal blue color creation, James Lee Byars, a mysterious American sculpture, and Anish Kapoor, an artist of Indian origin who uses wax as his main medium. All of the exhibits were very intriguing, but I found Yves Kleins creation of color the most interesting to explore. Anish Kapoor's use of red wax was also very unique, and there is a massive moving wax statue that takes two hours to rotate fully. The scuplture/creation is not very easy to describe.
After our excursion, our whole group wished Haya a happy birthday, and we all went our separate ways for our electives. We took the bus to Ville Franche and wandered around their quaint little town for a while. When we returned, we headed out for Antibesland.
Antibesland is comparable to an American carnival/fair, but it's permanent. There's lots of carnival rides, cotton candy, and games. In all honesty, I found it a little bit creepy (the rides seemed a bit old), but I enjoyed the bumper cars and a few sweet treats, as well as the time spent with my friends.
The three artists on exhibit are Yves Klein, famous for his unique and bright royal blue color creation, James Lee Byars, a mysterious American sculpture, and Anish Kapoor, an artist of Indian origin who uses wax as his main medium. All of the exhibits were very intriguing, but I found Yves Kleins creation of color the most interesting to explore. Anish Kapoor's use of red wax was also very unique, and there is a massive moving wax statue that takes two hours to rotate fully. The scuplture/creation is not very easy to describe.
After our excursion, our whole group wished Haya a happy birthday, and we all went our separate ways for our electives. We took the bus to Ville Franche and wandered around their quaint little town for a while. When we returned, we headed out for Antibesland.
Antibesland is comparable to an American carnival/fair, but it's permanent. There's lots of carnival rides, cotton candy, and games. In all honesty, I found it a little bit creepy (the rides seemed a bit old), but I enjoyed the bumper cars and a few sweet treats, as well as the time spent with my friends.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Beach Day!
Yesterday during class, we learned about the future tense. Of all days, yesterday was my most enlightening class period. I finally understand the future tense, and I'm really really excited about being able to use it. It opens up whole new possibilities during conversations.
After class, we were given a free day. Excited and feeling deprived of beach time, my friends and I purchased Kebabs and walked to the beach as we ate. The day was absolutely gorgeous. There were some clouds so it wasn't too warm. We all managed to improve our tans and meet some other Americans. We all ended up back at home around 8. The rest of the group went bowling, and because I hadn't been feeling too well for a few days, I decided to go to bed very early!
Today I woke up early to get breakfast with a friend, and went to class. We discussed problems of the planet like global warming and overpopulation. We watched some trailers from documentaries and discussed the main issues the films wanted to addressed. We then headed out for a photo scavenger hunt to find things promoting local products, organic items, green transportation, etc.
Later today we're heading to Freegate to cook dinner and have some more beach time!
After class, we were given a free day. Excited and feeling deprived of beach time, my friends and I purchased Kebabs and walked to the beach as we ate. The day was absolutely gorgeous. There were some clouds so it wasn't too warm. We all managed to improve our tans and meet some other Americans. We all ended up back at home around 8. The rest of the group went bowling, and because I hadn't been feeling too well for a few days, I decided to go to bed very early!
Today I woke up early to get breakfast with a friend, and went to class. We discussed problems of the planet like global warming and overpopulation. We watched some trailers from documentaries and discussed the main issues the films wanted to addressed. We then headed out for a photo scavenger hunt to find things promoting local products, organic items, green transportation, etc.
Later today we're heading to Freegate to cook dinner and have some more beach time!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Rainy Day
After giving us a day to sleep in and searching for free wifi in old Nice, our group boarded a charter bus for a small hilltop town. On the way up, it began pouring rain. We were planning on going to a museum, but gave up on the idea with the rain. Instead, we waited out the rain in the bus, and got off to explore the town.
My friends and I found a cafe and ate crepes and sandwiches. We wandered around the town for a little while and then settled down in our meeting spot. It threatened to rain again, and we continued to wait. Once the group was all together and heading back toward the bus, it began to pour again. Never have I ever experienced such a downpour. The walk wasn't far - maybe 3 minutes - and we were all absolutely soaked.
Once home, we all stayed in. The rain, thunder, and lightning made outside uninviting. My friends and I ordered sushi for delivery from Planet Sushi, our new obsession. We ate it on the floor of my room again and watched our old favorite SNL skits. One of our teachers, Cyriel, joined us for sushi. Aside from being caught in a storm today, today ended up being relaxing.
My friends and I found a cafe and ate crepes and sandwiches. We wandered around the town for a little while and then settled down in our meeting spot. It threatened to rain again, and we continued to wait. Once the group was all together and heading back toward the bus, it began to pour again. Never have I ever experienced such a downpour. The walk wasn't far - maybe 3 minutes - and we were all absolutely soaked.
Once home, we all stayed in. The rain, thunder, and lightning made outside uninviting. My friends and I ordered sushi for delivery from Planet Sushi, our new obsession. We ate it on the floor of my room again and watched our old favorite SNL skits. One of our teachers, Cyriel, joined us for sushi. Aside from being caught in a storm today, today ended up being relaxing.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
St. Tropez Reflect & Shopping
Yesterday, our group traveled by bus to St. Tropez. Everyone seemed really excited to be there, however, I didn't find it to be especially outstanding. Everything was really expensive (especially the shopping). The beach that we went to was absolutely amazing. The beach we ended up at was the epitome of perfect Mediterranean beaches. It had wonderful sand and clear, blue water that you could walk out in and still stand. The water was a bit cold, but it felt very refreshing.
Today was great. We had class, and instead of being in the classroom, we took a trip to the Matisse museum. Shortly after, Perla, our cook, brought us sandwiches for a picnic in the park outside of the museum. We spent a nice time there, and then we boarded the bus back for Nice. My friends and I got off at the Galleries Lafayette stop and wandered around inside for a while. We finally found ourselves in Zara... I managed to find some amazing purchases there. We had sushi for lunch and then headed home for a night in.
We all ended up in my room listening to music and talking. We also ordered sushi again for delivery, and sat on the floor eating for a while.
Today was great. We had class, and instead of being in the classroom, we took a trip to the Matisse museum. Shortly after, Perla, our cook, brought us sandwiches for a picnic in the park outside of the museum. We spent a nice time there, and then we boarded the bus back for Nice. My friends and I got off at the Galleries Lafayette stop and wandered around inside for a while. We finally found ourselves in Zara... I managed to find some amazing purchases there. We had sushi for lunch and then headed home for a night in.
We all ended up in my room listening to music and talking. We also ordered sushi again for delivery, and sat on the floor eating for a while.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
St. Tropez Today!
Bonjour!
It's currently 7:20 AM and today our group heads to St. Tropez. We're taking both a bus and a boat to get to there and - from what I've heard - this is an experience of a lifetime. I'm really excited to head out and see St. Tropez for myself.
I haven't done much these past few days... I ran along Promenade Des Anglais with some friends the other day, and have been going to classes and electives. On Monday in photography, we attempted to take some pictures in black and white with lots of grain. Classes have been very interesting... On Monday we talked about food and then walked to a French epicerie to purchase some fruit for a fruit salad. Yesterday we talked about books and literature, and then went to a librarie, which is actually a French bookstore.
After class, I headed with my closest friends to our usual cafe and had carbonara. We all ate far too much food, and we walked to the beach. We had a good amount of free time yesterday, so most of it was spent sunning by the sea and swimming in the Mediterranean. It was absolutely beautiful yesterday and a perfect temperature.
So far I'm having an absolutely amazing time. I'm so grateful for this opportunity and I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks.
It's currently 7:20 AM and today our group heads to St. Tropez. We're taking both a bus and a boat to get to there and - from what I've heard - this is an experience of a lifetime. I'm really excited to head out and see St. Tropez for myself.
I haven't done much these past few days... I ran along Promenade Des Anglais with some friends the other day, and have been going to classes and electives. On Monday in photography, we attempted to take some pictures in black and white with lots of grain. Classes have been very interesting... On Monday we talked about food and then walked to a French epicerie to purchase some fruit for a fruit salad. Yesterday we talked about books and literature, and then went to a librarie, which is actually a French bookstore.
After class, I headed with my closest friends to our usual cafe and had carbonara. We all ate far too much food, and we walked to the beach. We had a good amount of free time yesterday, so most of it was spent sunning by the sea and swimming in the Mediterranean. It was absolutely beautiful yesterday and a perfect temperature.
So far I'm having an absolutely amazing time. I'm so grateful for this opportunity and I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks.
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