How I Found Housing (TAPIF)

On September 21, 2021September 21, 2021 By nicolegrace22In TAPIF Blog FeedLeave a comment

So… I feel like housing found me. I know so many other people looking for apartments right now in Rennes and I’m having anxiety for them! I’m telling you I got really really REALLY lucky. There seems to be a bit of a housing crisis in Rennes because so many students and people are trying to move into the city and agencies are overbooked. After finding out my exact placement, I joined the TAPIF Facebook page and found the link to join the WhatsApp group for TAPIF assistants in Bretagne (Brittany). I think I was a part of the group for a couple weeks and then that’s when my roommate’s girlfriend messaged in the chat. She wrote out a whole paragraph describing her boyfriend Ludovic’s apartment (which was in a perfect location being only a 15-minute walk from my placement and it was only 425 euros per month) and how one of his roommates would be moving out. I knew I wanted to show my interest right away and I saw someone else typing so I made sure to send it out quick and say, “I know there are a few of us placed in Rennes but if you wanna send his number in the chat that would be great!” The other person messaged right after but I made sure to text her boyfriend as soon as she sent the number and then pretty much the rest was history. I asked him if he could send pics of the apartment and the place looked much nicer than the places I had been looking at and it had a living room which the place my référent (the english teacher I will be assisting) sent me did not have. Definitely did not want to feel like I was back in a dorm. Ludovic gave me the landlord’s email address and then within the next few weeks I got the contrat de location (renter’s agreement). I did a wire transfer for my deposit. DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY UNLESS YOU KNOW THE APARTMENT IS REAL. SCAMS EXIST! I knew I was good to send my deposit because my référent went to visit the place and spoke with the landlord.

I would say meeting my roommates was pretty natural. I met Ludovic first and he was very welcoming and then I met my other roommate, Prince, later that day and he was also super nice. I’ve lived with these two guys for a little over a week now and it’s been really chill. One of the first things we did together as roommates was go to Marché des Lices which is the second largest farmer’s market in France, and they have it every Saturday. They helped me buy two large avocados and then Ludovic and I got cooked duck (as well as a sausage for me) and potatoes for lunch. Ludovic and Prince are pretty much my big bros. The other day my friend and I went to the grocery store with Ludovic and she even said it’s like we were following our dad haha. He was getting items to cook chili con carné for Prince, Prince’s girlfriend, and I. I was very confused when I thought he said shitty con carné thanks to his accent, but I wasn’t the only one who thought he said that haha. The dish was very delicious and spicy, which I love. I felt like the last time I was here I didn’t have access to much spice, so I was really happy to have it. When he was cooking in the kitchen, we were all just hanging around chatting. Somehow, we ended up talking about flexibility and Ludovic made the joke that his body is a wooden plank and then proceeded to point to a wooden cutting board and said, “that’s me!” I mentioned I had done yoga before, so I jokingly said I’d knock on everybody’s door to do yoga at 5 in the morning to help work on flexibility.

Ludovic speaks French and English and Prince only speaks French. I really need to make sure I only speak in French if I want to improve my speaking skills, but if you decide to do TAPIF/study abroad don’t be too hard on yourself if you catch yourself speaking a lot of English when you first arrive, I have been meeting some cool people who speak both languages. It’s so easy to give up and slip into English, so try to sign a contract with yourself that you will try your best to only speak French. I wrote 10 personal goals before I got here and speaking only in French isn’t my number 1 (my list pertains more to my lifestyle and what I hope to work on, but I believe making a list of goals helps to visualize what you want to work on and help you think of the steps you need to take to achieve them):

Learn as much as I can from my students and give them the best language learning/cultural exchange experience I can give.
Focus on my mental well-being (therapy/doing things I love)
Make the most out of my friends studying abroad in France at the same time
TRAVEL!! (Even alone)
Only speak in French (okay, I see it is underlined but it’s still not number one haha)
Learn how to cook (like actually cook)
Join Régates Rennaises (rowing club)/gym (already rowed this past weekend!)
Keep up a weekly/bi-weekly blog (Hello there!)
Try to read more
Look into grad programs

Now I gotta figure out what renters’ insurance I should get. Definitely should have figured that out beforehand. I’ve been recommended maif so I’ll let you know how that goes. I’ve now hit the start of the storm of documentation I need to fill out after arriving in France. I’ll make sure to ask other assistants to see what websites they used to find accommodation and share them with you in another blog.

This past Wednesday I went to Vannes for the day and met some other TAPIF assistants. It’s only about an hour and a half away from Rennes on the southern coast of Bretagne. I decided to ask people in the Bretagne group chat if they wanted to join and three other assistants showed up. I will most likely go back again. It’s less than 20 euros round trip on the train unless you go with a TGV. Here are some pictures from that day:

À bientôt,

Nicole

Back in Rennes! (TAPIF)

On September 12, 2021 By nicolegrace22In TAPIF Blog Feed3 Comments

Writing to you from 6 in the morning thanks to some beautiful jet lag. I am officially back in France! It feels so surreal being back. As soon as I arrived in the U.S. after being sent home Spring 2020 as the Covid shut down began, I looked up the steps I would need to take to apply to the program TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program In France). TAPIF is a program where the French government will provide you a monthly stipend to work in one of their academies as a language teaching assistant and in my case an English teaching assistant from the beginning of October to end of April. They also offer opportunities in their overseas “outre-mer” departments like Guadeloupe and Martinique. I knew since my first year of college that I wanted to do this program but being sent home early from my study abroad motivated me even more to apply. I attempted to apply for the Fulbright scholarship to go with it, but I sadly did not get it. Although I was denied, all of that time and work I put into those essays didn’t go to waste. I was able to transfer most of my ideas into my TAPIF application essay. The TAPIF essay must be written in French, so if you go through the same process, I recommend not directly translating your Fulbright essays. The TAPIF essay is only around 500 words long when the Fulbright essays are two separate essays single spaced full pages.

I was notified on April 21^st, 2021, that I was accepted into the Académie de Rennes. TAPIF allows you to put down the top three regions you would like to be placed in. Rennes was my first because I decided I would really like to go back to the same region I did my study abroad in even if it meant I didn’t get placed into the city center (but I got lucky, and I was placed in Rennes proper!) My second choice was Grenoble and my third was Rouen. I think I remember hearing that those who are more qualified will be placed into their first choices more often. I just recently graduated May of 2021 and my major was French – Education K-12 with an ESL certification minor, so that probably helped me get placed where I wanted to and into the city center, since I put down that I wanted to be in a larger city. I officially start October 1^st, but I decided to come here earlier since my lease started the 1^st of September. I will write about my housing situation in another blog.

The Journey Here:

I went up to New York City August 9^th to apply for my long-stay visa. I was not able to set up an appointment until I got my work contract (arête de nomination), which is normally sent to you when you get your official placement within the Académie. My passport/visa came back to me pretty quickly, but I planned to buy my ticket about a month after my appointment so it would come in on time. My flight was at 6:50 p.m. on Wednesday the 8^th and arrived in Paris the morning of the 9^th. There was a small delay about an hour long. The only thing I hated this time traveling was sweating like crazy since it’s still pretty hot out and I had to lug around all of my stuff, while wearing one of my jackets. I got a lil lost when I got to Gare de Lyon. I took the metro and had to climb up some stairs with my bags. A really nice guy helped me with one of staircases. Somehow, I ended up exiting at the completely wrong end not really close to the Gare and had to walk all the way back up to it. I ended up staying at an alumni from my college’s place my first night in France, but I was a dummy and thought he was meeting me at the Gare. I should’ve just walked to his apartment right away because I ended up waiting longer than I probably should have. I was too tired to use my brain in that moment, but hey I still made it.

That evening we went out to dinner with one of his friends. I tried escargots for the first time, and I thought they were delicious! I’ll probably try them again to see if they are made differently at other places. I do not have my passe sanitaire yet, but I haven’t had a problem yet with showing my CDC vaccination card. I got the Johnson and Johnson vaccine back in March. The passe sanitaire is a QR code you need to have to show that you are vaccinated and can go into restaurants and museums. The next morning, I went to Gare Montparnasse to take a OuiGo (TGV) train to Rennes. I wish I had more time in Paris, but I wanted to get moved in and there was an open house at the rowing club I did the last time I was here that coming Saturday and I wanted to go get information. I’m so excited to start rowing again! I was happy to catch glimpses of Sacré Coeur and Notre Dame on my way to Gare Montparnasse and even happier to see the tip of the Eiffel Tower on the TGV on my way to Rennes.

I met my référent (the teacher I will be assisting this academic year) at the front of a food stand at the Gare in Rennes. She was very nice and greeted me with a warm welcome. We took the metro to the area my apartment is in, and we met my landlord at the apartment. The last stretch of pushing my dreaded suitcases I thought. My referent was very straight forward with my landlord and was asking about the apartment and the furnishing and acted honestly like a new mom which was awesome. She also gave me a quilt to use later on in the day because I needed to get sheets. My landlord was able to provide me with some and I found it ironic that they had gingko leaves on them since that was a big symbol at my university in the U.S. 😊

I am really happy to be here, and I can’t wait to share more of my adventures with you. In my next blog I will talk about meeting my roommates, how I found housing, and what I did my first week here.

À bientôt,

Nicole

A Tour of Rennes, France

On May 3, 2020September 12, 2021 By nicolegrace22In Study Abroad Blog FeedLeave a comment

Here’s a list of some key places and some of my favorite spots in Rennes.

Place de la République

This is a center where all of the bus lines meet. The Palais du Commerce and shopping buildings across from it, form the square. The Musée des Beaux Arts (Museum of Fine Arts) is walking distance just down the road, but you could take the C3 bus because that’s the first stop after La République. Every first Sunday of the month, you can go to the museum for free. You can find the metro station in front of the Palais du Commerce. There is an open area in the middle of the square between two streets where you can find plants, a couple food stands/trucks, and it acts as a walkway from the shopping center side to the Palais du Commerce side. The Vilaine river runs through underneath la République.

Left photo: Here are some of the plants that decorate the one side of the middle walkway. The Palais du Commerce is the building on the right. This is only a wing of the Palais.

Right photo: Point of view from the C3 bus stop. The Palais du Commerce is the building sticking out from the left.

Place de la Mairie

Walking distance from la République, you can find la Place de la Mairie. This is an open area between the Opéra de Rennes (Opera house of Rennes) and La Mairie (the city hall). There is a carousel and there are a couple restaurants near by. There’s a restaurant/Brasserie right next to the opera called Le Picadilly Rennes. I actually had class in there with my program director when the normal CIREFE classes were cancelled due to a strike. You can usually find kids running around and playing with the bubbles from a bubble maker in the center. This gives la Place de la Mairie a blissful feeling.

This was taken when I was standing next to a crêperie. You can see the Opéra de Rennes poking out from the left. The opera faces the town hall which is not pictured, but would be found on the right (pictured below). You can see the Palais du Commerce from la Place de la République straight ahead in the center of the picture.

La Mairie (The city hall) across from the opera.

Palais Saint-Georges

Also walking distance from La République is the beautiful Saint George Palace. There is a garden in the front that you can walk through. I think it’s not far from a cat café called Le Chat Puccino. Inscribed on the face of the palace is MAGDELAINEDLFAYETTE (Magdelaine de la Fayette).

Place du Parlement

If the Opéra de Rennes is on your right, you just have to turn right onto the street next to it and you will end up at the Parlement de Bretagne (Parliament of Brittany). Here, you can find the parliament building and different kinds of small shops that surround the square. I know for sure there is a stationary store and a Bretagne (Brittany Region) themed souvenir shop. Also, not far from here is a large book store. You can also find O’Connel’s, which is an Irish Pub that has an English language exchange on Monday nights.

Place Sainte-Anne

La Place Sainte-Anne is one metro stop away from La République. The metro stop takes you up to a section of the city where there are a ton of cafés. Right at the top of the escalator you will find the Basilique Notre-Dame de Bonne Nouvelle de Rennes to your left and the Crêperie Sainte-Anne and Columbus’ Café straight ahead of you. In the other direction, this is the area where you will find access to La Rue de la Soif (Thirsty Street) where the Rennais like to go out to on the weekends. This part turns into Place Saint Michel. You can also find le Couvent des Jacobins which is a convent that now serves as a convention center.

Place des Lices

This is where the second largest farmer’s market in France takes place. It’s called the Marché de Lices and it happens every Saturday morning. You can also find many cafés and restaurants in this area. There is a bar in the lower area down the stairs called Delirium.

Photo on the right credits: Emily Crandall

Place Hoche

You can find this area by walking through the shopping mall right by the Sainte-Anne metro stop if you walk straight past Columbus’s café. This little area also has a carousel. You can find a book flea market and then behind it, a space where you can find people sitting and enjoying each other’s company. This is also a hot spot for skateboarders. You can find a grocery store and a convenience store for more on-the-go items on the outsides of the square. The one side of the area is formed by one of Université Rennes 1’s entry-ways and buildings.

A building a part of Université Rennes 1

Parc du Thabor

Once you exit the shopping mall and are looking at the book stands, if you look to your right you can see the street leads you to the Saint-Melaine church. Right next to this church is one of the entrances to Parc du Thabor, which is a decent-sized park. Through this entrance, you can find a wide open green space. A lot of the times I saw joggers running around it. The park has a lot of open green space. The paths of the park lead you to different sections. There is a bird house, duck pond, and a waterfall. The area is decorated with fountains, flowers, and statues. One area has a rose garden. There is also a café and an orangery.

Cathédral Saint-Pierre de Rennes

On the other side of the city from the Parc du Thabor. There are a lot of side streets where you can walk around. This is the area where you can find the alleyway and the Cathédral Saint-Pierre pictured below. You can find a lot of the half-timbered houses and some of the oldest building in Rennes that survived the fire in 1720. The city does it’s best to maintain these structures. Inside the Cathédral, there is golden detailing surrounding the paintings on the ceiling.

More Spots in Rennes

Esplanade Charles de Gaulle: This is where larger concerts are held.
Bus stop Plaine de Baud: This is where I would get off to go to rowing practice, but this may also be a good place to get to the river if you want to run on the trails beside it. There are probably other starting points to this trail though.
Metro stop J.F. Kennedy: This is the stop right after Villejean-Université and it is walk-able from Université Rennes 2. If you are a student at Université Rennes 2 you can find a boulangerie, a Carrefour, and other food places if you don’t want to eat at the university. Any place is really accessible thanks to the metro.
Stade Rennais: This is the football (soccer) team’s stadium. When there’s a game there are buses that take you directly to the stadium.

I can’t wait to see the city of Rennes again one day.

Au revoir

– Nicole

Some Rennes Culture

On April 26, 2020 By nicolegrace22In Study Abroad Blog FeedLeave a comment

Rennes is such a lively city that I miss so much. Here’s some random aspects of the culture of Rennes I experienced while living there.

La Place Saint-Anne

Right by the metro station at Saint Anne there always seems to be travelers sitting around outside. They always have dogs with them as well. The dogs usually aren’t on leashes and most of the time the travelers entertain them by playing fetch. Sometimes they play music loudly. I’m surprised that the police do not tell them to stop loitering, but it’s probably become more of a norm for them to be there.

Manifestations

One time when there was a large manifestation at La République. I wasn’t there to see it go down, but I saw the aftermath. There were clean-up crews cleaning up the broken glass from the advertisement panels connected to the bench’s of the bus stops. There was also white spray paint all over other advertisements. Strikes and manifestations are a big part of France’s culture. They definitely got me out of class a few times. It’s better to avoid getting involved at a strike because tear gas could get involved.

Shopping

Do not forget to greet the store clerks as you walk in. “Bonjour” or “bonsoir” (good evening) will suffice. It’s pretty similar to the way you would act in an American store. Sometimes they’ll ask you if you need help, but if you just want to browse, you just have to say “non, merci” (no thank you). And don’t forget to say thank you and goodbye as you leave with “Merci. Au revoir.”

It’s like Black Friday every weekend during the four week winter sales. The best time to go is during the week when most people are at work or school. Almost all of the stores in the city had “SOLDES” (Sales) signs in their windows. It might be a good idea to bring your passport with you when you make purchases with a debit/credit card. When my friend wanted to buy something at Pull & Bear the cashier said she needed a form of I.D., but her driver’s license wasn’t enough proof. I’m not entirely sure why this happened. I never experienced that while purchasing with my card at other places.

On the other side of the shopping mall where you can see the church at Parc du Thabor, there is a little book market. My friends bought a couple books there. It’s not really watched over that much and the man selling the books is laid back. You just have to go up to him, say “bonjour”, and pay for the books. This is an open area right by one of the grocery stores I would go to and Université Rennes 1. In this same area you can find people sitting and enjoying each other’s company as well as skate boarders riding around and attempting tricks.

Clothes

To me, the French dress very chic. You won’t really come across someone just wearing sweats or leggings. I definitely wore jeans almost every day. Also, when it is colder, you’re going to notice almost everyone wearing a scarf. I never really wear scarves in the U.S., but I definitely feel like I wore one everyday while I was in Rennes.

Food

Galettes and Crêpes are probably some of the most important foods in the Rennais culture. This is the region where crêpes were invented. The most popular are the galettes complètes (wheat crêpe with ham and cheese, with a sunny side up egg on top) and the galette saucisse (whole sausage wrapped in a wheat crêpe). For dessert, a crêpe with butter and sugar, or jam.

You can find a Brioche Doré or a normal boulangerie all around the city as well as cafés. I feel like Rennes’ form of fast food places are Kebab joints. There are quite a few by la Rue de la Soif (Thirsty Street). They are definitely there to feed the people who like to party hard. My favorite was the Royal Kebab not far from the little shopping mall by Saint Anne. I always got a panini-kabab and fries with mayo and curry sauce on the side. They also have tacos with fries inside of them.

Une Galette Complète
(Home-made by my house mother)

A Perspective on Americans

Most cafés are opened late and usually have an outdoor seating area. One time when I was sitting with my friend in the outside area of a café, a random older man came up to us and asked if we wanted to buy jewelry. He ended up talking to my friend for a while making conversation. He complemented my friend’s french and asked where he came from, which was Syria and then found out I was American. Right away he said thank you to me. I remembered hearing how some of the French are so grateful because of the Americans helping out in the World Wars. I just smiled and laughed accepting the thank you even though I wasn’t even alive during those times.

Strange Occurrences

These aren’t really aspects of the culture, but I just thought I would share these experiences.

There is a Franco-American Institute that you can volunteer at. I only visited it once for a tour. They have American books in different genres and they also have a section for those at different reading levels (A1-C2). Something weird that happened was while a couple of my friends and I were leaving the tour a random guy started yelling in our faces. We turned around and walked back towards the institute ignoring him. This was the first time this happened to me, but supposedly it happened to my friends another time before.

One time when I was waiting at my bus stop at La République. A woman started saying something like a prayer and walked up into people’s personal space. When she came near me, I just stayed focused on my phone and just let her do her thing until she moved along to other people.

Just be wary of your surroundings, but don’t be surprised if this stuff happens. You are in a city.

Football

The Rennais are very proud of their football (soccer) team. The buses change their destination signs to have a football player on them. There are also buses that will take you directly to the stadium from La République. They won’t care how full the buses are after the game. I was pretty much standing next to the bus driver on the way home. The doors opened by accident while we were turning. It’s a good thing my friend was leaning against them.

Smoking

It’s very normal to be asked or to ask someone on the street if they have a lighter. Smoking is a very prominent pass time in France. I experienced my friend who smokes, ask someone for a light while walking by the river and they kindly gave it to him. Another time he was able to give a light while we were walking around the city. Also, when we were in another city, Nantes, a couple asked him for a light and he gladly gave it.

Celtic History

The region that Rennes resides in was not a part of France until 1532. The Celts came down from Britain during the Anglo-Saxon period. There is a lot of Celtic influence and the Breton language can be seen on some of the signs in the city.

There is also a Breton dance that is offered as a club you can join.

There are definitely other aspects I didn’t list, but I hope this can be used as small window into the everyday life of Rennes.

À bientôt

– Nicole

Planning Trips to Other Cities: Nantes, Paris, and London (UK)

On April 19, 2020 By nicolegrace22In Study Abroad Blog FeedLeave a comment

While studying abroad you are bound to do some travelling if your budget allows it. Luckily, I had been saving up the past few years so I was able to check out the cities listed above.

Booking Travel

Nantes and other cities near Rennes: For booking travel to a city nearby there is usually a Flixbus, Blablabus, or Ouibus you can buy a seat on. Blablacar is another option which is kind of like uber but in advance. You can also check the day of if someone is going there with Blablacar, but then there is less reassurance that you’ll have a ride. I originally booked Flixbus to Nantes, but there was a cancellation due to concern of Covid-19. My friend and I were able to find a Blablabus instead. The bus takes you to La Haluchère train station where you can catch a train to center city. This is the same place you have to go back to for your bus back to Rennes. This was the weekend right before I left France.

From Rennes to Paris: Paris is a little bit farther. It takes 3-5 hours or sometimes longer by bus (depends on extra stops the bus might have) but it is usually a lot cheaper than the TGV (high speed train). I have found bus tickets for under 20 euros. I was able to find a deal where I took a bus the Friday night of my trip and then a metro to get to the hotel I was meeting my family at. Then, I took a TGV for around 15 euros or less early Monday morning heading back to Rennes. There’s a specific platform for the TGV with OUISNCF at the station Paris Montparnasse 1 Et 2. I went straight from the Gare in Rennes to the university for a class that morning. The TGV is the quickest option making the trip only 2 and half hours long. Sometimes the price ranges from 35 to 60 euros, but it also depends on the time and day you book your travel.

Rennes to Paris to London and Back: I think it’s possible to take a train all the way to London, but I’m not sure about pricing. My friend and I booked flights from CDG (Charles de Gaulle Airport) to London Gatwick. The flight was around 8 p.m. so we took a bus around 11 a.m. so we would get there on time. We took a Flixbus directly to the airport. The bus drop-off and pick-up is right by terminal 3, which is where we had to go. Our friend on the same bus had a different flight and was able to take the CDGVAL (light rail) to her terminal. Once we got to the Gatwick airport, we took a train to the center city and then took the tube (metro/subway in London) to our hostel. On the way back home to Rennes, I took the tube to St. Pancras International and took a train (around 12 pounds sterling) to the London Luton airport for my flight back to CDG. The train takes you to a shuttle to the airport that costs around 5 pound sterling. Once I landed at CDG, I waited for a couple hours and then took a Ouibus back to Rennes, which was found at terminal 3 where we were dropped off the start of our trip.

This is the plane we took to London.
We waited on a shuttle before walking up the stairs.
It was pouring rain.

Packing for a Weekend Trip (Nantes & Paris)

Nantes: I could have honestly just brought one of them, but I brought a backpack and a tote. My friend used a duffel bag, which I feel like is the best option. I mainly had my backpack, so I could bring my laptop just in case I needed to do something about a flight back to the U.S.

Here’s a list of what else I brought.

Wallet/purse
Clothes for Saturday and Sunday
Underwear, socks, etc.
Pajamas
Jacket
Hairbrush
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Shampoo, conditioner, and other shower products (My Airbnb included these but I brought some just in case it didn’t)
Razor
Deodorant & spray/perfume
Makeup & makeup wipes
Moisturizer
Hand sanitizer (Covid-19 prevention)
Jewelry

I only wore boots that weekend which were fine, but it probably would have been smarter to pack sneakers since we were walking everywhere.

Paris: Paris was a little bit of a longer weekend from Friday until Monday morning, so I had to have clothes for Monday as well. I used a carry-on and backpack. I mainly brought my backpack for work I needed to do and then my carry-on had all of my clothes. I pretty much packed exactly what’s in the list above into my carry-on.

Packing for a Longer Trip (London)

Don’t forget your passport! My house mother told me about the person before me was at the Nantes airport and was flying out of the country, but she completely forgot her passport. My house mother was nice enough to drive it to her, but that might not work if you’re at CDG which is three more hours away.

My friend and I booked our flights with Vueling Airlines, which allow only one carry on and a personal bag. I had a separate flight back with easyJet, which has the same rules. We stayed in London from February 25th to March 1st, but both of those days were mainly traveling, so we really spent four full days in London. I packed things that could be reworn, so it didn’t make my carry-on too heavy. I kind of wish I had an extra pair of pants to sleep in, because my leggings felt gross by the last night we were there. We shared a hostel room with eight other girls.

I only had my carry-on. Here’s what I brought.

Passport
Wallet/Purse
4-5 shirts/sweaters
3 pairs of pants
Underwear, socks, etc.
Pajamas (Leggings and a t-shirt)
Jacket (I brought my rain jacket as well but I just used my regular coat)
Sneakers
Bathroom products (shampoo, conditioner, etc.)
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Deodorant
Moisturizer
Spray/Perfume (small 3-5 oz bottle for travelling)
Hand sanitizer
My friend brought a lock to put onto our storage locker in the hostel (It was also possible to borrow one from the hostel)
Hair ties

I’m going to be honest London is a really expensive place. I’m happy I got to experience four full days of it, but the cost of the tube and the food was a lot. I don’t think I’ll be back there anytime soon, so I would say it was still worth it since I had always wanted to visit it.

To-do Before Going to Another Country

Don’t forget to call your bank and tell them that you will be travelling to another country. (I forgot to do this and my debit card was eaten by an ATM at the London Gatwick airport. I assumed that it would be fine since the bank knew I was in Europe. My friend became my debit card for the trip and I paid her back once we got back to Rennes.)
Make sure your phone plan will work while you are in the country that you are visiting (I had Free while I was in France and I only paid 9.99 euros a month. I was able to use it most of my time while I was in London. I did run out of data by the last day, but you should be able to manage it so that that does not happen.)
Just an extra reminder to remember your passport 🙂

À bientôt

– Nicole

Places to see near Rennes: Le-Mont-Saint-Michel and Dinan

On April 5, 2020April 12, 2020 By nicolegrace22In Study Abroad Blog FeedLeave a comment

About an hour north of Rennes is a world heritage site known as Le-Mont-Saint-Michel. It is located in Normandy, but there’s a little argument about whether it is in Normandy or Brittany. I had been wanting to visit this place since early high school because there was a poster in the French classroom and I remember thinking to myself that I have to go there one day. This was made possible when I chose CIEE’s Rennes program. Sadly I only went on one, but the program includes three excursions throughout the semester. I didn’t make it to the second one, because I went to Paris with my family from the states. The second excursion got moved to the weekend my family was planning on visiting. That was two weeks before I had to leave.

CIEE recommends not planning travel until you get to Rennes, because sometimes the excursions do not have set dates. They aren’t mandatory but they are included with the program, so if the bill wasn’t covered by scholarships or grants then that means you paid for the excursion and you’re missing out on it if you don’t go. Also, the excursions are really fun so I highly recommend going. After classes start at CIREFE, you might not see the others from the program that often if they are in a different language level than you, so the excursions are a great way to bring everyone back together.

For our trip to Le-Mont-Saint-Michel, we met at Université Rennes 2 at 8:00 a.m. and loaded onto a charter bus. People encouraged me to sit closer to everyone when I got on. I’m just so used to sitting towards the back of the bus because that’s where I normally sit for crew races. This time I sat at the very front. I actually really enjoyed it because the driver pointed out to me, Le-Mont-Saint-Michel in the distance.

When we arrived, we got off the bus and headed to the welcome center. There were interactive information boards. We all used the bathroom before we headed onto the shuttle that would take us to the island. It’s during low tide that the shuttle takes you and the shuttle was pact. We were the first few on and then more and more people got on. It felt like the metro in Rennes, but honestly a little more squished. The ride had to be no more than ten minutes though. It drops you off at a distance where you can get a full landscape picture of Le-Mont-Saint-Michel and then you walk the rest of the way to the entrance.

Be prepared to walk up hill. I’m honestly super happy that I wore my knee brace that day. I have one because my left knee is a little weak and I wanted to start wearing one for when I go on runs. I also walked around Rennes for a long time the day before, so my legs were already a little tired. It is called a mount for a reason. Once you enter the little village you are constantly going up hill.

As you walk up the hills, there are little cafés and souvenir shops along the pathway. The pathway is actually pretty small. It’s just enough space to either walk up or down. There are lantern lights that hang over you as you walk along it (first picture above). I remember when we were leaving, someone giving a tour at the bottom the stairs said “this is where most people give up.” (middle picture) There is a small plateau area after you get to the top of the first set of hills and stairs. There are different levels you can walk up to. The view from up there is already amazing. You can see the sea expanding all around the island. (Picture on the right is the start of the tour after the plateau and another set of stairs)

We were only with our assistant director and she got us our tour phones. As we walk through the abbey, we type in the number we see on the signs on the walls and listen to recordings by holding the phone up to an ear. The recordings were in English but there are other languages available.

You’re outside most of the time during the tour and the heat isn’t really regulated inside the abbey, so if you’re going when it is colder be prepared to layer up. When we went it was super windy and I made sure to wear a sweater and my wool coat, since it was early February. The tour gives you the history of the abbey and of each room you walk into. Also, you learn about the monks and nuns that lived there in 966. At the end of the tour there is a gift shop. I noticed there were a lot of leather notebooks and items with the abbey on them. Most of the merchandise was very expensive in this shop.

After the tour, I went and sat with my friend at a stone ledge, which seemed like built in bench by a window to eat lunch. You could buy lunch there, but most of us packed lunches. We were free to walk around a little bit afterwards. My friend and I bought some post cards.

We all met at the entrance at a specific time to head back to the bus. The wind got super crazy and it felt like I was going to lose my earrings as we ran towards the shuttle, because we didn’t want to miss it. We went to the welcome center one last time to finish eating some of our lunches and used the bathroom before we left.

For the second part of the excursion, we stopped in a town called Dinan on our way back. Our bus driver made a wrong turn, but he also seemed like he knew where we were. We stopped at this random open field, but there was a monument next to the road called Le Menhir de Champ-Dolent. It was just a giant stone that sat straight up and it had an oval shape. We have no idea why we stopped to look at it, but we had fun and took pictures. I read that it’s the tallest standing stone in Brittany at over 9 meters high.

In Dinan we walked around and the group split up into smaller groups. We ended up going into a lot of different jewelry stores. I like thinking about how happy my one friend was when she bought a ring and a matching bracelet and another friend who bought a mineral bracelet. I think the other group went on a search for crepes. My group also ended up walking on top of the bordering wall where you can find a nice view of the town.

It started to rain a little bit when we left. There was a really steep hill we had to walk down and a few people in the group were slipping. At the bottom, we found a river and could see a large bridge. The bus driver arrived to pick us up only a few minutes after we got there.

I really enjoyed this excursion and I was happy to see the whole group together again. Definitely use these excursions to make the most out of your study abroad experience.

À bientôt

– Nicole

Rowing in Rennes

On March 29, 2020 By nicolegrace22In Study Abroad Blog FeedLeave a comment

Sadly I didn’t get a chance to row in any competitions while I was in Rennes, but I’ll be using this blog entry to provide the different options you have if you decide to row while you are there!

Conveniently, both clubs are at the same boat house. This building is huge and has a kayaking club sharing it as well, separating the two rowing clubs. It sits right next to the Vilaine River near the Plaine de Baud bus stop. The commute takes about 30 minutes by bus (C4 direction Saint-Sulpice) from University of Rennes 2 (you can probably make this shorter if you take the metro to la République from the university). It’s closer to where I live, so one time I walked to practice which took around 25-30 minutes.

I actually didn’t decide on a club until the week before I had to leave. I had practices with the university through their program called SIUAPS every Thursday. I think the thirty euros that you have to pay to join a club with SIUAPS was included with our payment for the CIEE program. This was with the same coach that ran one of the clubs. The process of meeting the other club also took a really long time because it was hard to get into contact with them.

The Clubs (Hours)

Société Des Régattes Rennaises

Framed slots:

Tuesday & Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (practice on land, erg machine, weight lifting, etc.)
Wednesday & Saturday from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (water practice)

Possible times to practice on the erg machines (Free practice/come as you please):

Tuesday between 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Thursday & Friday between 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The cost of registration is 85 euros (in cash), but because I decided on a club late and I was only going to be there for three more months, the coach reduced the price for me.

Créneaux encadrés :

Mardi et Vendredi de 17h à 19h environ (pratique au sol, ergomètre, musculation, etc…)
Mercredi et Samedi de 14h à 17h environ (pratique sur l’eau)

Pour les heures d’entrainement au sol sur l’ergomètre, il y a possibilité de venir n’importe quand (pratique libre) :

Mardi entre 9h30 et 18h30
Mercredi de 14h à 18h30
Jeudi et vendredi entre 9h30 et 19h30
Samedi 8h30 à 17h

Le coût de l’inscription au club est de 85€ (en espèce), mais parce que j’ai décidé un club plus tard et j’allais être là seulement trois mois, il a réduit le prix pour moi.)

REC AVIRON

Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. : row on water when weather permits, footing, erg machine practice, video analysis
Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. : (SIUAPS gym), rowers yoga, weight lifting
Thursday at 2:00 p.m. : row on water (depends on day light savings)
Thursday at 6:30 p.m. : row on water when weather permits, footing, erg machine practice
Saturday at 9:30 a.m. : row on water
Sunday at 2:00 p.m. : row (unless regattas, outings…)

The cost of registration is 75 euros for foreign students and students registered with SIUAPS (The price was also reduced for me but it was still a little bit more than the other club)

Horaires en Français :

Mardi à 18h30 : aviron (tant qu’il fait jour), footing, ergomètre, analyse vidéo
Mercredi à 20h00 : (gymnase du SIUAPS), ppg, musculation
Jeudi à 14h00 (varie dans l’année) : aviron
Jeudi à 18h30 : aviron (tant qu’il fait jour), footing, ergomètre, analyse vidéo
Samedi à 9h30 : aviron
Dimanche à 14h00 : aviron (sauf si régate, sorties…)

Le coût de l’inscription est de 75€ pour étrangers étudiant en France et étudiants déjà inscrits au SIUAPS. Il y avait une réduction sur le prix aussi, mais c’était encore un peu plus que l’autre club.

Practices

I would go to the practices on Thursdays when I first started. After class I would grab something to eat or buy something to eat on the bus and then head to practice that started at 12:15 p.m. You can choose to either go to the 12:15 p.m. practice or the 2:00 p.m. I chose the 12:15 p.m. because I had class later that day and I needed to get back to school.

It was a little hard for me to understand the coach at first because he talked really fast. Also, I was a little shy talking to some of the team members. I was kind of surprised the coach didn’t introduce me. He just carried on with practice as normal. I did get to talk to one girl a couple times, and I ran into her at Université Rennes 2 the day I found out we were leaving, so we kind of got to say good bye since it was when I wasn’t sure if I did have to leave or not.

The first practice with SIUAPS was on land, because the wind was a little too fast. We stayed in the boat house and lined up the ergs (rowing machines) in rows of two facing a projector screen. The coach had a training video. It was in French, but I was able to just follow the movements of the guy in the video if I didn’t understand right away. The video lasted the whole practice.

The second practice was on water. I still had trouble understanding, so I just followed what they were doing. We all worked together to take out the two boats we were using that day. I found the way we took them out kind of strange. Since the boat had a wider shell than my team at home’s boats, we carried them at hip height until we got outside. Then instead of going up to shoulders and overheads, we flipped the bloat to face upwards and held onto the sides of the boat. The inside was lined with a piece of wood we could grip onto. Once we got to the dock, we placed the boat gently into the water.

Another thing I had to get used to was that this was a sculling boat. For the majority of my practices and competitions in the U.S., I am in a sweeping boat which is just one oar per person. Sculling is with two oars. It’s a good thing I learned how to row by sculling with my home university. Since I was actually one of the more experienced rowers there, I was the stroke seat for my boat (I lead the pace). There weren’t enough people to fill up both boats so instead of four people in the boat, there was a coxswain (person that tells us what to do and steers the boat) and three rowers. I had a lot of fun and I talked to the coxswain when we slowed down. They actually switched coxswains halfway through, so someone else could have a chance to row.

One of the last practices I remember was another indoor rowing video. These videos had three sets of twelve different exercises, and we did stuff on the erg machines that I had never done before. One exercise was having one leg on the erg (seat moved out of the way of course) and stepping up with our opposite leg. We almost went on the water that day, but then the wind got worse and it started to rain. I talked to more people during this practice. I was really surprised to find out most of the people had only been rowing for about a year.

The day we found out we had to leave, there was actually supposed to be an indoor competition I was going to go to. It got cancelled due to the virus and the rule of not having a large amount of people in one space. This would’ve been a really cool experience, but maybe I’ll get to do something like it when I go back one day.

I decided to join Société Des Régates Rennaises because the hours worked better with my schedule and I already knew the coach since it was the same one that worked with the students from Rennes 1 and 2 (SIUAPS). I only got to go to one of their open practices where I just weight lifted a little bit and rowed on the erg machine. That was the last time I was at the boat house. It was all still a very fun experience.

I hope everyone is staying healthy.

À bientôt

– Nicole

Mental Health Services in Rennes

On March 15, 2020 By nicolegrace22In Study Abroad Blog FeedLeave a comment

I’m going to be honest. I wasn’t able to find a therapist that speaks English. They are available in the city, but for any therapist you have to pay around 50 euros per visit unless you have an international insurance. If you do look into international insurances, I would look to see if the insurance covers therapists that speak English or any therapist in Rennes (if this is where you choose to study abroad/live). Due to my situation, I had an insurance covered by my home university. This insurance is called GeoBlue, but it only covered up to five sessions and the only therapists nearby that accept this insurance were an hour away in Nantes. One really nice therapist decided to Skype with me once a week. I feel like these five sessions helped me get things off my chest when the overwhelming feeling of adjusting to a new country surrounded me.

The Search

First, we started at the university health center. This was kind of a frustrating experience for me, because the assist director couldn’t go back with me to the office. I was already a little stressed, but the nurse had a really hard time understanding me which kind of upset me. She was able to explain how there is a long wait to see students, since it is such a big school and I wouldn’t be seen until the time I would be leaving to go back to the U.S. She gave me a call about a list of English speaking therapists in Rennes, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford to go to one.

Second, my director sent me to talk to a psychiatrist just to get another professional opinion. He suggested it since that’s where students in the past had gone to. The psychiatrist pretty much listened to me talk about my life and how everything has lead me to feeling and thinking the way I do today. The whole thing was in French. He only knew a few key words kind of like the therapist. He said he would’ve wanted to have sessions with me, but only if I was French because there would definitely be misunderstandings if we did continue. Psychiatrists are able to write prescriptions as well if they think that is what you need.

Third, my assistant director helped me to find a therapist for the five sessions. She called all of the therapists covered in Nantes and she found the only one that accepted the offer to Skype. The CIEE directors of the Rennes program are all very supportive and are there to help you with anything you need. I started Skyping with the therapist a week after she contacted her.

Therapy in French

At first, I felt trying to express myself in French took up too much time because I was trying to find the words to describe how I felt. Sometimes I didn’t even know the words in English, but as the weeks went on I felt like I could express myself more. I just didn’t want to feel cheated out of an hour because I was trying to figure out how to say one thing. I found out from the director of the program that most of the time the French only get a 30 minute session.

The therapist I talked to was very nice. When I wasn’t feeling the best mentally during the primary adjustment stages I was able to speak to her about my history and then I expressed what I needed to. I feel like she could see after the first session that I was just looking to find ways to help cope with how I felt sometimes. I was able to express more after she was able to understand my history better.

GeoBlue

Since I was unable to go to my therapist, I had to pay for my sessions through the GeoBlue app. It was pretty easy to use. I just searched for my provider and then requested direct pay for the provider. I looked into adding more sessions, but I would personally have to pay for it or have to have a doctor sign off that I needed more sessions. It would be beneficial to have more sessions, but I feel like I got a lot out of the five sessions.

MySSP app.

Another option I have is the MySPP app. This is CIEE’s very own app and only CIEE participants can use it. I haven’t used it that much since I haven’t felt the need to, but all you have to do is put your personal information and what program you are a part of to create your profile. There’s a news feed page, but the main reason for the app is to have the ability to talk to someone 24/7. You are able to message or call through the app.

How to get around Rennes

On February 16, 2020 By nicolegrace22In Study Abroad Blog FeedLeave a comment

The easiest way to get around Rennes is with the public transportation system. There are buses and a metro available with STAR: Le service bus et metro de Rennes Métropole. Everyone describes how the bus comes every ten minutes and the metro comes every two minutes. It’s pretty accurate, besides the bus schedule changes on the weekends. There are still buses, but the times are more dispersed.

A STAR bus is pretty similar to a SEPTA bus if you’re familiar with the Philadelphia area public transportation system. On the bus, instead of inserting your money into a coin acceptor, you have to tell the bus driver where you are going and then pay them for a ticket to put into the ticket acceptor. Right after you pass the bus driver there are acceptors available on your left and right. I normally don’t have to talk to the bus driver besides say “bonjour” because I use a KorriGo card. I just scan it on a part that’s connected to the ticket acceptor and it says “bon voyage” after it scans. Sometimes you can see the date of the last day you can use your card until you have to charge it again.

Espace KorriGo

The KorriGo card has my name and my picture. There is a chip visible on the opposite side. I’ve never taken it out of the clear casing, because you normally just have to place it on the scanner. My friend Claire laughs at me because I normally swipe it around the scanner, when I really just have to hold it on there for a couple seconds. It’s better to hold it there, because it might say error if you try to swipe it so quickly.

This card is able to be used for both the bus and the metro. I’m not sure what the subscription process is like, because my program provided the cards for us. We each had to pay for the duration of our stay here which was around 168 euros for 5 months. The subscription tariffs depend on your age and the 168 euros is for those between 20 and 26 years old. I only paid for four months, because I paid for the last two weeks in January instead of covering for the whole month. Other’s paid for the whole month, so they wouldn’t have to return to charge more onto their card. I did it just to save a few euros. You can find prices and deals for shorter passes or tickets on STAR’s website under “titres et tarifs.”

Link: https://www.star.fr/titres-tarifs/a-la-duree

It’s pretty easy to charge your KorriGo once you have one. There are STAR stations available and you can charge it at any tobacco shop. Tobacco shops are pretty prominent, because smoking is still a popular pass time over here. This was something I had to get used to. I always joke with my new friend that I’m going to get him to quit by the time I leave.

The Bus

The bus itself seems to always be clean and the interior design functions well. Most of the time its a two car bus with an area in the middle that moves when the bus turns. The middle is also an optional standing area. There are smaller buses that are only one car, but there are two exits like the two car buses. Designated mobility impaired areas are available in both cars. Larger seats towards the front are available for senior citizens or those with a disability as well. The buses also have retractable electric ramps attached to the exits. There are small square platforms you can lean against if you are standing. Most standing areas also have railings to hold onto. Seats are available in the back of the first car, between the middle area and the second exit, and then the majority of seating is towards the back of the bus.

There are two screens on the ceiling of the bus that lists the stops and updates as you come to each stop. Also, a voice comes over the intercom to let you know what stop you are arriving at and what the next one is. When you hear/see that your stop is next, you can click on a “stop” button that are found all throughout the bus. You can tell if someone else clicked it when the “arrete demande” sign on the ceiling lights up red. When you get to your stop, you have to press a button by the exit that says, “Pour Ouvrir Appuyer,” which means press to open. Then, the doors open and you’re good to go!

Warning: Security sometimes goes onto the bus to make sure you scanned your KorriGo or paid for the ride. If not, you could be fined.

The “stop” button is yellow & red and “press to open” button is lit up with the button underneath.
Peep the “excellent” graffiti on the wall outside

Bus etiquette:

It’s polite to say “Bonjour” or “Bonsoir” to the bus driver as you get on
Leave the mobility disability areas open if possible (you are able to stand here, but just be aware in case someone needs the space) (This space is also used for strollers)
Offer your seat to senior citizens (If I’m sitting and notice some boarding I move to a standing area right away) One time I offered my seat to an older lady and she encouraged me to sit next to her because the seat was big enough for the both of us 🙂
Most of the time people keep a low voice, but depending on the vibe you can be louder

The Metro

There are metro stops all throughout the city and it’s the fastest way to get from one place to another. I normally use the stops at La Place de la République, Sainte-Anne, and the stop that takes me directly to my university. It’s really one main line with 15 stations. The line includes the direction J.F. Kennedy (West) and the direction La Poterie (East). Before getting to the train cars you have to swipe your KorriGo on the designated pillars. There are areas to buy tickets as well. You just have to insert the ticket into the pillars and it’ll spit the ticket back out for you to hold onto. It looks like you could easily get away with going on the metro for free, but if you get caught by security, you can be charged with a ticket. I heard from someone that the ticket costs around 80 euros.

There are seats available on the metro, but for the most part you stand and hold onto a railing. The doors are open for maybe 10 to 15 seconds and then a beep sounds right before the doors close. Don’t worry if you miss the metro, another one comes a couple minutes later.

Metro etiquette:

It can get pretty crowded in the train cars. Just try to respect other peoples’ space and don’t look at them in the eyes. It’ll probably make them feel uncomfortable if you do.
If there are a lot of people and you are trying to get through to the exit, it is polite to say “pardon” or “excusez-moi.” I hear “pardon” a lot more than “excusez-moi.”
Same thing as the bus. Keep a low voice unless you feel it’s appropriate to speak louder.

My Route

Almost every day I take the bus and the metro. To get to school, I walk down the street to my bus stop and then let it take me to La Place de la République, which is like a main center for all the buses. Sometimes it’s annoying when I’m walking down the street and I can see my bus arriving, because I think to myself “if only I left a tiny bit sooner.” At least it really doesn’t take a long time for the next bus to arrive.

From La République I take the metro to my university which is only a few stops away. The metro comes out of the ground at one of the stops. It’s pretty cool to look out of the windows on either side of the metro while it’s above ground because you can see the tracks. It’s really convenient the metro stops right at my university. Most of the time it only takes me 15-20 minutes to get to school after getting on the bus from where I live.

View from my stop to go home à la République (02/14/2020)

There are videos available on Youtube that show you what the inside of a STAR bus and a metro car looks like. Just search STAR Rennes bus or STAR Rennes metro and options will pop up.

À bientôt.

– Nicole

Orientation in Paris!

On January 26, 2020February 2, 2020 By nicolegrace22In Study Abroad Blog Feed2 Comments

Bonjour tout le monde! My first day in France was 13/01/2020. I am studying abroad through CIEE’s Rennes program. This program includes 3 days of orientation in Paris!

The Flight

Departure: I spent most of 12/01/2020 in the Newark International Airport. I was lucky to have my friend Bri from school, who is doing the same program, join me on the flight. We didn't sit next to each other, but I slept through most of the flight anyway. It was only a six hour flight and we departed at 6:25 p.m., but because of time zones it would be 6:30 a.m. the next morning. I made sure to sleep so I wouldn't be a complete zombie the next day.

Arrival: We arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. I was really surprised the security only checked my passport and visa and not the other documents I had with me. After grabbing our bags we went to the gate the directors of the program picked us up at. The shuttle that's a part of the airport was really nice because we had to take it to the complete other side. Others from the program started to meet up with us in front of Paul, which is a coffee and patisserie franchise. I ordered there for the first time speaking only in French. I was so freaking nervous and the cashier could definitely tell that I wasn't a native, but hey I still got my chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) and pains au chocolat. 🙂

Small wins really matter for immersion. You can’t let little mistakes get to you because they are bound to happen. It means you’re learning.

The directors arrived and oh my goodness they are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. The assistant director is so sweet and adorable and the director is very sympathetic and he smiles all the time :). I love them so much. They established not long after their arrival that we would only speak in French from that point on. The group is made up of mostly girls and one boy. Right from the start, they seemed like genuinely really nice people and I’m so happy that they are a part of the program.

We waited until everyone arrived and then we were shuttled to the MIJE hostel in Paris. I honestly really liked the hostel. I shared a room with two other girls and the rooms were key card accessible. We had a shower and sink in the bathroom, but the toilet was in it’s own little room in the hallway. We ate lunch at the hostel and the food was pretty good. I may have mistaken the dressing as soup and made a bowl of dressing haha. I realized it right away after I filled up the bowl. At least I didn’t realize by eating it. I swear it looked like cream of spinach. After lunch we had a meeting and signed contracts that also helped us make a promise to ourselves that we would only speak in French as long as it’s possible while we are here. This is so we can get the most out of our immersive experience. We also discussed academic and personal goals for the semester.

My Goals

Do what I always do academically and stay on top of things
Don’t stress (if you know me personally, you know this really isn’t possible but I’ma try)
Speak French as much as possible (English only with family/friends at home)
Stay active and row

After the meeting, some people in the group took naps or others like me went on a walk to see Notre-Dame with the assistant director. On our walk we ended up seeing the Eiffel Tower in the distance. I was immediately overwhelmed with emotions and I started to tear up because it didn’t feel real. The Eiffel Tower has been a big symbol for me for most of my life. The thought of seeing it in person is what helped me get through a lot of hard times in my life and it’s what motivated me to work hard in my French studies. I knew that studying French would be the key to getting to France one day and be able to see and touch something that was absolutely completely out of reach growing up.

I wasn’t able to see the Eiffel Tower up close yet because parts of the metro were closed down due to some strikes that had been occurring. But I can promise you that I will be returning and I’m most likely going to fall onto my knees and sob once it’s right in front of me. Notre-Dame is so much bigger than I had originally thought. I can’t wait to see inside one day after the restorations from the fire are done.

Petit Itinéraire (Little Itinerary)

The first night we ate dinner at Le Baricou: : brioche bread with vanilla ice cream for dessert

Breakfast (hot chocolate, bread/croissant, cereal, yogurt) & lunch at MIJE
Meeting with the group in the morning: discussion on how to greet and interact with our host families
Two tours in French: Le Marais & L’Hôtel de Ville de Paris
Saw the Arc de Trimphe
Dinner the second at Fuxia (Italian Restaurant)

A tiny bit lost in Paris

After the tours, some people decided to nap again and a small group including me, decided to go with the assistant director to see l’Arc de Triomphe. Everything was fine until we got to the metro. We didn’t realize how pact the train car was, so the door was about to close behind me and leave one of the girls (Claire) behind. I told the assistant director very quickly I would stay with Claire. The two of us took the next metro, but we realized we didn’t know what stop we had to go to. I heard the assistant director say something about the Champs-Élysées, so we got off at that stop. We were hoping to see them as soon as we got there, but they weren’t to be seen (they ended up getting off at the next stop on the line).

Claire was having a hard time trying to get a hold of our assistant director and we didn’t have access to GPS on our phones, so we decided to walk down the street that led to the Tombeau de Napoleon (I did not know that that’s what it was at the time). We didn’t realize l’Arc de Triomphe was in the other direction. We stopped once we got to the Pont Alexandre III (bridge), mostly because it was the closest view we have had of the Eiffel tower so far. I started to tear up again. At that point I felt like we got lost for a reason. We stayed and admired it for a little bit and then started back on our hunt for L’Arc.

We walked towards the direction of the Eiffel Tower and then turned right down one of the streets back towards the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. At some point we decided to look at the map the directors gave us. We didn’t do that at first because we didn’t want to look like tourists and draw attention to ourselves. I decided to look up at some point and look down both sides of the street where we were and said “Oh my gosh Claire, it’s right there.” On our way towards l’Arc de Triomphe we stopped at the toilets by the shops. You have to pay two euros to use the freaking bathroom there. I had to go really bad so Claire paid for me since I didn’t have euros yet and they didn’t accept card. I made sure to venmo her later that night.

After leaving les toilettes, somehow Claire’s phone was able to receive a call from our assistant director. This woman is so adorable, she was so worried about us. We knew she was probably freaking out right after the doors of the metro closed. The group was able to meet us by the Sephora not very long after the call ended. They had already seen L’Arc de Triomphe, but they were fine with going back to see it again. This also worked out because they went to go see the spot that Claire and I had the view of the Eiffel Tower earlier. We didn’t go onto L’Arc, but I’ll be able to do that another time when I’m in Paris.

Chartered off to Rennes

The third day, we started on our way to Rennes. We ate breakfast at MIJE and then loaded onto the bus. We made a stop in Chartres and had a guided tour in English of La Cathédrale Notre–Dame de Chartres. The church is so stunning and I’m happy to have heard some of the stories that are pictured in the stained glass windows. I hope to return and explore Chartres more and see the Cathedral again.

After arriving in Rennes, we were dropped off at the University where we will be studying. Our home-stay hosts were waiting there to take us home. Tune in for the next blog to read about how that went.

À bientôt!

– Nicole