Dispelling the Myths: The “American” Study Abroad Experience Friday, May 21 2010

I have spent the morning reading my University of North Dakota colleagues’ experiences overseas this past year, and I felt ashamed that the one thing I have not conveyed to the general population is what Study Abroad really is and is NOT about. I feel compelled, as in any post, to teach my readers something about the system of studying overseas, culture or how to overcome obstacles. Therefore, I give you: dispelling the myths of the “American” studying abroad experience.

I will be completely honest and say that when Study Abroad told me that the process of applying to another college, getting a visa, booking plane tickets, organizing classes, rearranging my courses at UND and bracing myself for culture shock would be EASY… I believed them. I know they meant well, but they lied to me. It’s not easy. It’s excruciatingly difficult. The difficulty of studying abroad is what gives the Study Abroad advisors their jobs. If it were so ridiculously simple, I could have done the paperwork myself! Just getting on the airplane pointed toward my destination felt like a HUGE accomplishment!

Traveling is exhausting!

And just in case you didn’t feel like you accomplished anything by getting on an airplane where the pilot speaks your native language, the next step is even more worthy of a victory dance. The culture shock of studying abroad is nothing to skim over. You’ll recall my entry about the Culture Shock Ninja and his sneaky ways! I do not jest. He is very sneaky.

Culture Shock Ninja Weapons: 1 Kg of Nutella and a Spoon!

Study Abroad is many things, but it is not a chance for a student to go overseas for the express purpose of getting themselves sloshed every night and to wake up with a splitting headache.

Study Abroad is not about going to every country except the one you came to acquaint yourself with. If you came to learn a language and meet the native speakers, why go globetrotting? See the sights! Enjoy the culture! Drink the wine! Speak with the native speakers (even though their Normandy accent is almost impossible to understand)!

Studying overseas is NOT cheap. It does NOT cost the same as your in-state tuition. The end.

Too bad that's a 1000 Czech crown note and not EUROS!

Trains Trains and more Trains! They aren't always reliable, especially in France and the national sport of "Striking!"

Americans have the same warped perceptions of how “small” Europe is in the same way the Europeans have a warped perception of how giant North America is. It takes a very long time to get from point A to B via train.

Study Abroad IS, however, an experience of a lifetime. When I tried to wiggle out of studying abroad, the realization that I would never get another experience like this one struck me, and I signed on (with much fear and trembling!) for the bumpy ride.

Study of a language abroad is invaluable to acquisition. It takes seeking out the people with whom you do not share a common language outside of French and talking with them, stumbling through bad grammar and phraseology in order to convey your thoughts.

It is a way to shrink the world. You will find that you’re only a plane ride away from your family and just down the hall from the girl from Italy who’ll be your friend for the rest of your life. You may even be in the same CITY as your culturally-adopted family!

University Family

My new Brothers and Sisters

It is a time for growth: physically, mentally, academically and spiritually.

Studying abroad is a time to be flexible in your sleep schedule, your class schedule and your every-day comforts. It’s a time to let go of things you thought you absolutely need to live and see how it is to live like a true adventurer!

Study abroad is a unique opportunity to make lifelong friends, cultural adjustment, sacrifices, splurges and life-changing decisions.

So! With the truth before you, what will you do with your life? Where are you going with your goals, and are your goals used to bring glory to yourself or others? Are you ready for adventure? Are you ready to grow emotionally, physically and spiritually?

Go ahead, jump. Do something great.

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The Funny Things We Say Monday, May 3 2010

The Quote Book of this oddessy has grown! When you factor in jet lag, culture shock, late nights, early mornings, French men, hunger and lack thereof, you will find that we said some pretty funny things. Enjoy!

At the Minneapolis Airport, predeparture: “So you don’t have any livestock? Small farm animals? Nothing like that? No? Good. You look like a Chicken Smuggler. That’s why I asked.”–TSA agent to Kelli

Upon arriving in France, at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris: “We’re going to have to ask you to remain in your seats as we switch ports. It looks as though we’re parked in the wrong spot.”–Our pilot

“Don’t your intestines have enough length to, like, wrap around the earth, like, four times?”–Kelsey Baumann

“My left boob was just compromised by a deaf Frenchman!!!”–You know who you are

Upon being critical of the French cultural kisses: “Lingering bises tend to be sort of like Magellan circumnavigating the globe.”–Thomas Carlson

On finding shoes that will fit big feet in a country where big feet don’t appear to exist: “GERMANS. Now THOSE are some big women!”–Kelsey Baumann

On warding off bride gifts from other foreigners: “At least you haven’t gotten a goat yet.”–Danielle Beyer, to Kelli

On the topic of the goodness of Kebab meat: “It’s meat with garlic shoved in it. How could that NOT be good?”–Kelli Bren

On the potency of a certain kind of beer named Elephant: “Elephants. They’ll get ya every time.”–Kelsey Baumann

Upon realizing she’d begun a collection of pet-named creepers: “Now I gotta watch out for KFC AND Goats?!”–Kelli

When we realized we were getting sick of eating the same thing over and over: “EAT THE ______ RAVIOLI!!!”–You know who you are

On the taste of French milk: “Whoo, boy! This milk…. man! It’s like sucking on a cow’s nipple!”–Kelsey Baumann

In reference to the pet name we coined for pining French men: “Shoot that chien!”–Kelli

In honor of Thomas’ Magellan quote and after a series of cultural kisses: “You just got Magellan’d!”–Molly DesRoches to Kelli

While walking into the Trouville casino: “I feel like I’m walking into hell…”–Kelli

Franglais (French-English) fun with Desperate, pining French men: “Roti that Pigeon!” and “Pose that Lapin!” (Literally translated, “Rotisserie-bake the pigeon, “Stand him up!”)

In Lisieux at the childhood home of Saint Therese: “C’est le cheveux de St. Therese! C’est le vrai cheveux de St. Therese!”–Wrinkly Little Nun

On being ill: “My throat feels like I swallowed a cat.”–Danielle Beyer

On our dress-up day in Oral Communication Class: “Well! This will be the second time I’ve cross-dressed…”–Preston Leslie

While at the D-Day Beaches: “Okay, so what were the 4 countries that helped liberate France in World War II? USA, Great Britain, Canada and…?”–Danielle Beyer

“The Germans? No, wait, that’s not right.”–Laura Fugelburg

“I’m so hungry I could eat my own hand… but I don’t know where it’s been.”–Danielle Beyer

On an inappropriately short skirt on a woman in a bookstore: “And we’re back! On a ladder! Man, that’s so awkward. Do people not look in the mirror? They’re called full-length mirrors. Use them.”–Kelli

“There is a giant head statue in Paris. So clearly, I had to pick its nose.”–Danielle Beyer

In Salzburg, Austria, on board our tour bus: “You look like a grown up Gretel [from The Sound of Music]!”–Peter, our tour guide to Kelli

On the French strikes that cause so many problems with travel: “SNCF, wrecking lives one train ride at a time.”–Molly DesRoches

“Let me reflechier on that for a second.”–Molly DesRoches, Franglais Fluent

“I oublied that.”–Molly DesRoches

“My milkshake bringeth more menfolk to the yard. Verily, ’tis better than thine.”–Molly DesRoches

“That makes my heart happy!”–Kelli

“I don’t need sweets because I’m with you!”–You know who you are

On calling home at Easter, my cousin’s big news: “Grandma told me I’d make a good stripper.”

“Everything on you sparkles!”–Thomas Carlson

On not understanding anything in class: “Comprende.”–Anne

“I just got kamakazi kissed!! The nerve!”–Kelli

[rancorous laughter] “It’s my personal joke: You said ‘Merci Beau Cul’ when you meant merci beaucoup.”–Nordahl’s Father to Kelli at Chateau des Ravalet (Depending on how you pronounce “beaucoup,” it could sound like you’re saying “Thanks, nice tush!”)

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The Object of French Unions Wednesday, Apr 14 2010

We began our spring break tour bright and early with a train wreck. Well, not exactly a train wreck but rather a unionized strike at the train station. The workers of the SNCF (the railroad system in France) decided would be perfect timing to strike just as all 20,000 students from the Universite de Caen Basse-Normandie went on spring break.

France loves strikes. They strike over almost anything for no apparent reason to the general public. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t care. But when I have a flight to Prague that is waiting for me, a fairly expensive ticket and no place to stay in Paris, I DO care.

While the public waiting for trains got more and more unrestful, we Americans waffled for two hours over what mode of transportation would be most rapid, economical and efficient in lieu of a train that didn’t exist. We had no way of knowing if the trains would begin running shortly or not run at all for the day. Just before despair began to set in and the option of a 450 € ($600.00) taxi was looking viable, SNCF announced that the 10:15 would be running to Paris. With a cheer, happiness abounded through the station! Now, if we could get to Charles de Gaulle Airport in time for our flight, all would be right in the world.

We hailed a taxi to the airport and watched our departure time come and go as the meter in the taxi clicked on and on. Stupid SNCF had made us miss our flight to Prague! We rescheduled our flight and whined to official SNCF workers who probably didn’t care about our misfortune. It was decided that the best idea would be to find a place to sleep for the night before any more time passed. One, two, hotels passed. By the third hotel, we feared that finding anywhere to sleep was futile. I began to feel that a very cold and long night in the Paris airport with the homeless people and crack addicts was in the cards.

But joy of joys! Luck finally smiled at us with the Neva Hotel right off of the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The Neva Hotel had 2 cancellations for that night, and although it cost a small fortune to sleep there, we booked the two rooms. That night we promenaded down the beautiful, famous Champs-Élysées Avenue. Beautiful people, haute couture, fine dining and sparkling jewels displayed in spotless display cases lit up the city as the sun sank behind L’Arc du Triomphe and Le Tour Eiffel started its spotlight.

I was exhausted, greasy, still angry at the SNCF and feeling much poorer, but the fact that I was experiencing a romantic city on one of the most beautiful avenues in the world while the world glittered with a million lights made me feel much better. I was fed (courtesy of The Victoria) and safely housed in a warm, safe hotel. I couldn’t stay angry long.

The next morning, I enjoyed a beautiful, flaky pain au chocolat that crumbled all over me while walking toward L’Arc du Triomphe that stood majestically in the sunlight. Sunday morning in Paris was slower-paced, sweeter and held so much potential. And even though the SNCF owes me about 120 € for its idiotic strike, I am flying from Paris to the Paris of the East (Prague) and life couldn’t get too much better.

To learn about L’Arc du Triomphe, Le Tour Eiffel and the Avenue Champs-Élysées, click on the respective links.

Click here to see my “castle” off the Champs-Élysées when I unexpectedly spent the night in Paris!

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Orientation Day Monday, Feb 1 2010

The only thing more terrifying than attending a new social atmosphere you’ve never experienced is attending a new social atmosphere you’ve never experienced in another language.

All my fears were instantly settled when a woman who looked like the French version of my Kindergarten teacher ushered me into a little room and proceeded to speak in kind and delightfully slow French. I UNDERSTOOD HER! Joy!

Well it turns out that this system doesn’t take into consideration the time it takes to go through orientation let alone the timing of one’s class schedule, so no sooner had I settled into being a Kindergartener again with Mrs. Rich at the front of the class than Cedric got me to orientation and a fresh set of peers and teachers. Talk about classroom whiplash! No more Mrs. Rich (whose real name I am sorry to say is most certainly not Mrs. Rich but Madame Baton). This is where I felt like a complete rockstar, however, because I understood almost everything presented to me via overhead projector and then was rewarded for my efforts by fresh pain au chocolat (bread and chocolate) et cafe (and coffee). After a brief lunch, we were ushered to another building where stacks and stacks of paper was given to us along with the charge (in French) to present every document we brought with us to France.

It is a miracle. I not only spent 200€ to get health insurance but 30€ for a tram pass and lunch to boot.

Might I just take the time right now to say that if I were to be injured in any way that about six insurance companies would be paying out bank to me. This is only slightly tempting given my current economic status.

I met about a dozen hilarious and wonderful Americans, got a telephone, filled out a billion pieces of paper and handed over my passport to about 10 different people. Whatever system of orientation the French have developed thus far seems to work for them. Normal Americans would freak out at such insanity. It’s a good thing I’m too nieve to realize that I was getting jerked around to every international official at the Universite de Caen Basse-Normandie.

I got a STACK accomplished today. I’m planning on contacting a French family as per the suggestion of the international programs, going to Carrefour again today with Molly and Company and going to bed early. It’s been another wonderful, exciting day!

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