STUDY ABROAD September 28, 2§§S /
Letter from Genny in France
GENEVIEVE BOISVERT
Contributing Writer
France is one of those plac
es we’ve all wanted to travel
to, but never really thought
was possible. The plane ride
here was an interesting one.
The airline that brought me
here was huge. With four
seats in the middle, and
three seats on either side of
you, it was rather spacious
for an overseas flight. When
I stepped foot out of the
plane into France, my first
steps were in great excite
ment, but an almost fear of
what I was about to encoun
ter. As I have never trav
eled anywhere so far, or by
myself, I neither knew what
to expect, nor what 1 was
about to encounter. Charles
De Gaulle Airport is one of
the largest airports I’ve ever
seen! As soon as I stepped
foot off the plane, it was ap
parent to me that I wasn’t in
the United States anymore!
Although everyone tells you
that “Everyone in France
speaks English!” the fact is
that “Everyone here speaks
French!” If you don’t know
the language, you truly have
a hard time getting around.
When I finally got my
baggage, as tired as I was,
I ventured out into the open
French air. Outside, I quick
ly found the steward for the
bus and asked him, with my
American-French “Ou est la
guerre?” instead of “Ou est
la Gare?” He looked at me so
strangely, and I realized that
I had asked “Where is the
war” instead of “Where is
the train station” (the French
take the pronunciation of
their language very seriously,
and for good reason). When
I made it to the train station
of Montparnasse in the cen
ter of Paris, (That’s right, the
capital of France!) I had just
seen the Cathedral of Notre
Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and
several other parts of the city
that we’ve all seen in mov
ies, pictures, or in postcards.
It’s really one of the most
wondrous places I have ever
seen. I could have cried from
joy if I wasn’t so terrified to
be so far from home on my
own the first day. I caught the
train from Paris to Angers,
and was met immediately by
the teaching assistants of the
school, The very same peo
ple who would be teaching
me phonetics, pronuncia
tion, idiomatic phrases, and
the culture of their country.
The woman with whom I
was to live, picked me up
at the bus station and drove
me to the place I would call
my home for three and a
half months. The cars here
are much smaller than in the
U.S. They are much more
fuel efficient, but are as long
as you are tall.
Photo courtesy of: Genevieve Boisvert
On an adventure across a river, Genny takes a picture of a boat
similar to the one she was on.
Photo courtesy of: Genevieve Boisvert
Scenic picture of the Castle Chenonceau In France.
The food here is one of the
best things I can tell any
one about. Breakfast is very
sugary, but good. Often the
French breakfast consists of
bread with butter, a crepe
with jam, or chocolate (yeah,
that’s what I said, chocolate
for breakfast!), and tea with
a type of mini-cake called a
Madeline. At first it was a
lot to get used to; chocolate
for breakfast, but as much
walking as you do here, the
sugar really comes in handy
to give you those bursts of
energy when you're ruiming
to catch the last bus of the
hour! Lunches are very nice,
usually. Both lunch and din
ner have several courses. For
lunch, you first have a salad,
like smffed tomatoes over
lettuce with rice, then some
vegetables, and the main
course, followed by cheese,
and a dessert. All lunches
here have either Merlot, or
Bordeaux, water, and OJ to
drink. Dinners here can last
anywhere from one hour to
three! No kidding! It’s very
important to do as much
homework before ditmer,
because you won’t get back
to your room before 9;00pm
most nights (as the French
eat later than Americans do).
The French, from what I’ve
experienced use meals more
for conversation and conser
vation of their culmre rather
than the primary source of
sustenance. Dinners at my
hostel (a place with an indig
enous family that provides
you with room and board)
consist of a soup, salad, a
course of vegetables, meat,
a pasta or casserole. Then
cheese and a dessert, and
of course, all French meals
come with bread! Lots and
lots ofbread!.Yum!
The classes here are great!
You leam a lot, and you learn
it quick, It’s amazing what-
you leam when you have to
talk to people. You can't try
to revert to your English for
backup here, they want you
to use your French (after-all
that’s why you’re here!) no
matter how poor you speak
it to explain what's in your
head!
Computers? French key
boards are quite different
form American keyboards.
The letters are placed in a
different order from what
we are used to. The inter
net is not something that is
come by regularly in French
house holds. There are how
ever internet cafe’s with free
wireless, computer labs, and
the post office for sending
handwritten letters. There is
so much to do here, and not
enough time to do it all. If
you travel, you must come
with an eager, open mind and
the predisposition to talk as
much as you can, no matter
how bad you sound. I’ve had
my home-sick days, but the
world abroad is so interest
ing and fun, you can’t help
but be excited for yourself
There are castles on the side
of the road, vineyards every
where, old buildings, and a
beauty unmatched by any
where else in the world.
Wish you were here!
Photo courtesy of: Genevieve Boisvert