Today was our last "normal" day of orientation, and we spent the bulk of it discussing 1. tips for traveling around Europe and 2. cultural differences and similarities between the United States and France. In a nutshell, the French don't like being bothered in a public. The end.
The travel portion was the most interesting part of the day - we received a lot of information and suggestions about travel around Europe, but also about some cool, off the beaten-path trips in France. Michel, who works at the Illinois in Paris Program, went step by step through most of the major French regions with suggestions on trips and how to go to the locations. I've already planned a trip to Amsterdam with friends in late March, and I'm looking into several different trips both in and outside of France. The tough trip that I need to try out is the spring break trip. I'm lucky enough to have a 2-week spring break starting in late April, and I have an unbelievable amount of options for where I can go.
Some possiblities:
-Italy
-South of France (and possibly also Italy)
-Spain/Morocco
-Eastern Europe (Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, and/or Warsaw)
-UK
-Copenhagen
-Tallin, Estonia --> Helsinki --> St Petersburg
I think that last one would be the most interesting, but definitely the most tricky, logistically. And possibly pretty expensive for the flights. Still, if I could go to Russia it would be quite dope. That's all for now. Check out this article below and a couple songs I've been listening to.
From an internet cafe near the Luxembourg Gardens,
-Noah
Reading and Listening to:
Here Are The Three Victims Of The Chapel Hill Shooting - Buzzfeed
New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down - LCD Soundsystem
Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
