France: Art, War, and Human Rights

My advice to any student going on to study abroad is to let yourself become a part of the place you’re in. Don’t be a tourist; be a Parisian, a Roman, a Venetian.

If you keep the tourist mentality you will miss out on completely unique experiences and places. My advice to future students on either Honors Study Abroad program is to listen to the professor and program assistant.

Professor Bailly teaches the classes in such a way that you will never be bored; listening to him will enrich your experience and make everything so much more exciting.

Don’t be afraid to ask them for recommendations or to accept their invitations to visit someplace; they know the best places to eat, to hang out, to shop, and to have a unique experience.

I’m bilingual in English and Spanish and am currently learning French, but I was concerned about the language barriers before arriving.

I even did a quick Duolingo course in Italian the week before I departed but I did not run into a language barrier.

I understand Italian very well and Italians understand Spanish. Most of the people I met in France spoke English; I only had to speak French once when my friends and I were a bit lost.

However, I would advise people that only speak English to learn at least basic phrases and food items; not everything will be translated and many older adults may not speak English.

There are so many experiences completely unique to these amazing countries. Only in Paris could I have kissed Oscar Wilde’s tomb or celebrate Bastille Day with fireworks at the Eiffel Tower.

In Rome, I was blessed by a Franciscan priest in St. John Lateran and was painted into a portrait by an artist at Babington’s Tea Room. One particular experience that stands out to me was listening to Monsieur Claude Bloch tell us his story of surviving the Holocaust in the very prison where he was incarcerated with his mother and thousands of other Jewish people in Lyon. It was a sobering experience that made me yearn for my own mother.

I had similar experiences during the program when I met a French Resistance fighter and a second Holocaust survivor, Monsieur Joseph Weismann. These experiences taught me the dangers of hatred and reminded me that we must all be vigilant and responsible to act when we see injustice.

We were based in Paris for the France program but we spent a night in the Alps, which is one of my favorite memories from the entire trip. We hiked up a mountain in the Plateau des Glières, a feat that I did not think I would be able to finish but I did, and spent the night at a refuge.

My most cherished memory from the entire France program was that night when we walked outside under the stars before going to bed. During the Italy program, a few friends and I visited Capri for three days which was extremely fun.

We went into the Blue Grotto, hiked from Mount Solaro into Anacapri, took a boat ride around the island, and ate delicious seafood. I never thought I'd visit Capri because it seems like a place only the rich and famous visit, but I did and on a budget!

The French know how to cook escargot so everyone should at least try it once. I didn't enjoy the texture but it does taste very good! L'As du Fallafel has the best falafel in Paris; I went three days in a row once.

The must-have food in Italy is pizza from Napoli. The best pizza I ever had was in L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Naples; it was the most perfect pizza ever.

Also, everyone that visits Italy should get used to the coffee culture. I found myself drinking multiple cappuccinos a day by the end of my time in Italy. Everyone should try wine in both countries; it’s delicious and an essential part of dinner meals.

Absolutely, both of these programs have changed me. I've become so much more aware of what’s going on around me because I learned that every action we take is history.

From the France program I learned that what occurred in history was once real; we read and learn about history very passively and forget that all these historical figures were once as real and true as ourselves and felt everything we feel too. I learned that if I am not actively participating, I am just sitting back and letting things happen.

From the Italy program I learned that beauty is something we can all understand and appreciate. My experiences from both programs have taught me that I am braver than I think. Before studying abroad, I did not think myself able to hike up a mountain or a trail along coastal cliffs or be without my family for weeks but I did all these things and more.