Play ‘Cinema’ by CIX. A well-known fact about me: I love to watch foreign TV and film. Bong Joon Ho, the director and writer of many critically-acclaimed films including Parasite (2019), said it best as he accepted the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020: “Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will …
Author Archives: rachael.grochowski
Swingin’ by the Carnaval de Nantes
A few weeks ago the wide gravel path beside the Cathédral Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Nantes was filled with colorful swings and churros smothered in whipped cream for the Carnaval de Nantes, one of the oldest and largest festivals in France. Carnival lights outline the sharp edges of the cathedral in blues, reds, and greens every night …
Mise en scène: Performing in France
The IES Abroad Nantes Program offers a variety of courses taught entirely in French, from Gastronomy to Translation, but the most interactive course is without a doubt TH 343: Theater Production. You read that right! Theater Production. No, we’re not sitting at desks in the IES center analyzing French comedies— we’re rehearsing for a live performance, every …
Don’t Sink: Visiting Saint-Malo and Mont-Saint-Michel
Though France is beginning to blossom and warm, on Saturday morning I wrapped my fuzzy pastel scarf securely around my neck in preparation for the cooler coastal winds of Saint-Malo and Mont-Saint-Michel. For the third IES field trip of the semester, we headed back to Brittany, the northwestern region of France known for its cider, …
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Sightseeing in Paris Pt. 2: The Catacombs
After meandering through The Louvre (see Sightseeing in Paris Pt. 1), my family and I decided to end our second day in Paris by tackling an unusual item on my bucket list: Visiting the Catacombs of Paris. I wouldn’t say the ossuaries deep underneath the bustling city of Paris were high on my bucket list, …
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Sightseeing in Paris Pt. 1: The Louvre
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a student studying abroad in France must be in want of a trip to Paris. Okay, that’s not quite how Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice begins but it very well could, were it set in modern France— There’s a predictable plot for the next Netflix series set in …
Royal Residences: The Loire Valley Châteaux
After a few days of exploring the narrow streets and tram lines that shape the city of Nantes, France, we hopped on a bus early Saturday morning for our first field trip: A tour of the Loire Valley châteaux. Over 300 châteaux, or castles, decorate the Loire Valley. Relics of royal courts and the Renaissance, …
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Socks & Suitcases: Preparing to Study Abroad
48 hours. 48 hours until I say Au revoir! to the suburbs of Chicago and depart for Nantes, France. Well, maybe 54 hours is more accurate since I have a connecting flight in Texas, but my shock is the same. I’m leaving my parents, brother, three cats, and tortoise to travel over 4,000 miles to …
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