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, …

Draw, Like One Of Your French Girls

The story of my first day in art class My first day at l’Ecole de Beaux-Arts de Nantes, I got lost. After three levels of gray cement floors, catwalks, and metal railings, the only things that reassured me I was still in the right place were the eccentrically-dressed students and a mass at the entrance …

An American in Paris

This past week, we at IES were lucky to have a week-long winter break. I say ‘winter’ loosely, as the weather here has been steadily approaching the mid 50’s since the start of February and the rainy mist of January has given way to lush green grass, but I digress.  During this vacation, my older …

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 …

Enjoy the Show

“Profitez bien” is probably one of the most frequently used well wishes in France. Essentially, it is a sort of all encompassing “enjoy”. Enjoy an event, enjoy yourself, have fun, make the most of it, ‘profitez-bien’. One way I have been trying to profit from my time here has been to sign up for the cultural …

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, …

Trams, Trains, and Planes (But Mostly Trams)

Ok I might have lied. This is not a blog post where I talk about planes at all actually, or trains for that matter. Although both of the latter are very useful and common modes of transportation for traveling long distances across the country, I am excited to write about one of my greatest surprises …

Apply, Apply Again

I’ve always been an organized person, just take a look at my planner! Since my first, school-given agenda in 2010 I’ve kept track of deadline after deadline, even notes for things as simple as ‘text Mom!’, to help me keep track of my days. In my experience, if it’s not written down it will quickly …

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 …

A Weekend in Paris

One of the many pros to studying abroad in Europe is that you are so close to other European countries. My flight this past weekend to Paris took less time than it would take me to fly from Michigan to Florida. In my program, IES classes are 90 minutes Monday through Thursday which gives us …