International Life

This weekend I finally saw some new French territory, and I loved it.  I can't forget that I don't need to leave these borders to find some amazing destinations.  The trip was booked through a student travel agency so it was really cheap and included 3 locations and 1 night in a hotel.  We left early saturday morning and were at Mont St. Michel by 1pm.  It was a really foggy day but as we drove in you could see the shape of the hill top abbey getting closer and closer.  When it finally became clear it was pretty amazing.  Looking from a distance you wonder how you can even walk on it... it looks so tiny.  But then as you walk up you realize how impressively large it really is.  We only had two hours so we went straight up to the Abbey and explored.  Walking through the narrow streets and getting views of the ocean was charming.  It looks like it'd be fun to go walk on the beach... endless space to lay a towel out and soak up the sun.  But in reality, it is surrounded by quicksand and can only be walked on with a guide. Not so nice. 

Mont St. Michel was really beautiful but I was a little disappointed I didn't get to see it at night.  Oh well, maybe someday, right?? 

The hotel we stayed at was great, but in the middle of nowhere.  The number of dinner options we had were: one.  So we went to a place with a sign that said "restaurant" and got (surprisingly) the best pizza I've had in a longgg time. 

The next morning we were up bright and early to go to Honfleur. Honfleur is a port town and given that I had almost no expectations, it exceeded them.  The town had a New England feel with the charm of French side streets, architecture and shops. The highlight of Honfleur is the old wooden church in the center.  We went to the church and went in to an Easter mass.  The light coming through the windows was a sight I tried to capture, but Iphone just didn't do it justice.  

egg soap!

After 2 hours here, we were off again to Etretat.  When we got there I had no idea what to expect, just knew it was on the ocean.  We walked through the town, which was equally as charming as Honfleur, and soon popped out to the bluest waters I've seen since my tropical vacations in high school.  It was amazing. Even though we had our scarves and winter jackets on there was something about it that brightened my mood.  We climbed up the cliffs and got some crazy views.  The ocean looked endless... overall everything was just breathtaking. The craziness that was Easter Sunday made it impossible to find a restaurant to sit in though.  Some places I would walk into they would just look at me and say "no." After multiple rejections we settled for paninis from a vendor and sitting on a bench.  It was okay though because we warmed up in a patisserie right after.  I bought myself an "easter nest" and snagged multiple free chocolate eggs.

Writing this I'm realizing I have a lot less to say, yet it was one of my favorite weekends.  I was so happy and impressed with everywhere I was that just sitting and watching people pass by was a satisfying activity.  I can't wait to explore more of France.  Especially the south (not because of the weather or anything....) 

Today I enjoyed my day off by going to a friends for an easter gathering and running in the (relatively) beautiful weather.  I even found a "fair" next to the citadel (where I run).  Reminded me of October in NC! 

Fair!!

Easter gathering 

Tomorrow I start my international finance class.  I should note that this was the LAST international class left to chose from, so now I have to take it.  I am hoping for the best.... 3 days of 5 hours of finance followed by an exam worth 100% of the grade sounds easy right?? Definitely a change of pace from my last class where our daily assignments involved markers, scissors and glue (see picture).  Well, until next time, au revoir!! 

Then the money... my mom made a wire transfer that was suppose to take up to 2 days.  I went to the bank 3 times this week with no money to be found in my account.  The bank lady said it would take a week for a US transfer to get here... I had to leave the building before I lost it.  Meanwhile my mom found a tracking number for my new debit card, and it was on schedule for yesterday morning.  I got so excited but then realized I shouldn't get too excited considering nothing ever seems to go smoothly.  I had class during the delivery time so I gave a note to the landlady to sign for me.  In class I was anxiously refreshing and refreshing the FedEx tracking, waiting for the moment I could rejoice in having my money again.  But one refresh later and it says "delivery attempt made." Landlady once again fails to show up. At that point I was just exhausted of this whole week and process. This morning I wasn't going to take anymore chances and I knew the truck would be coming to either my building or the landlady building.  So I stood in the cold in between the two buildings for 2 hours this morning until the truck came.  But what a glorious moment that was.  

Naturally I went straight to the mall, replaced my wallet, got a purse WITH a zipper and a couple other things (to celebrate me surviving this week).  So anyways, the week has ended nicely with me currently eating my first freshly baked baguette, cheese and a raspberry/apple pastry for dessert.  

Besides that its been a good week.  I think it's the first week that I really feel like I'm living here and not just visiting.  I have figured out the metro so I can actually get around (almost) the whole city alone, I'm no longer stuffing my face with chocolate and pastries since that is not a realistic lifestyle, and I'm coming home and doing homework instead of finding something fun to do. That being said, I can already see how hard it will be to say goodbye to this place! 

           For this month’s event I attended the Study Abroad photo contest unveiling in Caldwell lounge.   This is where the winners were displayed and the finalists were show on a slideshow. 

            I got there right when it began which was a good choice because there was a full selection of food from around the world!  I enjoyed some Mediterranean desserts and French cheeses.  The Mediterranean desserts are traditionally made with honey and walnuts, which was the base of all of these desserts.  One of the women there explained that she had seen many of these desserts made in front of her when she was studying abroad in Greece.   There were also snacks from Japan and breads from Italy.

             I then made my way to see the three winners of the contest.  There are three categories for the contest: pack abroad, people and culture, and natural and urban landscape.  Disregarding the horrible quality of my cell phone camera, you can see how great all three of these were in my pictures below.  The winner of the pack abroad category was a photo of an NCSU student doing a canopy walk in Inquitos, Peru.  The people and culture winner was of the ‘fishermans daughter’ in Brazil, and the natural and urban landscape winner was the daybreak in Venice, Italy.  I also enjoyed viewing the finalists on the slideshow.  Among my favorites were Machu Picchu in Peru, a student blowing an air kiss to a guard in Prague and a local Ghanaian teenager making the Wolfpack hand sign. 

            The other focus of this event was to talk about study abroad experiences and opportunities for students.  I spoke with a few of the people there who were working in the study abroad office and they were all very eager to talk.  I told them that I was going abroad next semester and they had lots of advice to give me.  The common theme between all of them was that it is a very challenging experience but one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.  This scared me but also gave me some reassurance that I made the right choice by studying abroad!

            This event really showed the integration of American culture into another country.  It also showed how America students learn to adapt to a new culture.  Study abroad is becoming a much more common thing for students to do which is really showing how globalization is not only changing things such as the economy and politics, but the values and choices of our youth.  With everything being so globalized, students are exposed to movies, fashion and cultures of other countries without even leaving their home.  However, this peaks the interest of many students who want to experience and learn these foreign cultures first hand.  This exposure to other parts of the world leads our youth to being much more prepared to work in and understand this globalized world that we are living in. 

            This years study abroad photo contest was once again a huge success because of the increasing numbers of students traveling abroad every year.  I think this is a great thing because our youth need to realize that it is not enough to only be knowledgeable at one’s home country.  The way the world is going, we will soon be expected to be able to interact properly with people all over the world and understand different cultural viewpoints.  I am proud to be joining the group of students who have studied abroad next semester! 

Yesterday, Sunday October 29, I went to Galaxy Cinema in Cary to watch the Bollywood film English Vinglish.  I was pretty excited about the idea of going to see a movie, but was unsure how much I would enjoy a movie that is over 2 hours long, in a language I had never heard, that required reading subtitles the whole time.  To my delight, the time flew by faster than most Hollywood films I have seen. 

            The film is about a mother and housewife, Shashi, who is constantly ridiculed and taken for granted by her family.  Her husband is especially crude.  For example, he says “chai, Shashi” and Shashi will have a tea ready for him, like the traditional housewife she is suppose to be.  Her family acts this way towards her mostly because she cannot speak any English. 

            When Shashi’s sister, who lives in New York, invites her family to her daughters wedding, Shashi travels to New York alone to help her sister prepare for the wedding.  When she arrives, she secretly enrolls in English lessons.  Here she meets a French chef named Laurent, who becomes attracted to her.  The English lessons are 4 weeks long and end with a final exam which consists of a 5 minute speech.  Shashi works extremely hard to learn English.  She watches English movies, and studies late every night. 

            Closer to the wedding, Shashi’s family comes to New York to surprise her.  She is excited but also finds it very hard to go to her English classes.  The day of her final exam ends up being on the date of wedding.  Everyone from her English classes surprise her at the wedding, and Shashi gives her 5 mintue final exam speech as a toast to the newly married couple. 

            Shashi’s family is shocked and finally realizes that they should not take her for granted.  The film ends with the family flying back to India.  Shashi speaks in English to the flight attendant and asks if she can have a Hindu newspaper.

            I thought this film was a great representation of globalization in cinema.  It really delved into the life of someone who wants so badly to immigrate themselves in the western life, culture and language.   In the beginning of the film, I learned about what the life of a woman is in India.  Shashi was expected to be everything a traditional housewife in the US was in the 20’s and 30’s, but even more obedient than we have seen in the US.  Even though she owned a successful business (selling Ladoo), she was not recognized for this at all.  It really showed the gender roles that are in India today.  

            When she started the English classes, there were people from all different cultures there.  There was a Chinese hairdresser, a Spanish nanny, a Pakistani cab driver and more.  It was almost like they took all the immigration cliché’s to this scene.  I am not sure if the writer did this on purpose, but it was a fairly accurate and eye opening representation of the melting pot that is the USA.  It also showed the sense of unity that these immigrants felt.  They were all from very different background, yet all came together in this room for one purpose.  It was very symbolic. 

            Another interesting part of the movie was the end when Shashi told Laurent that she was very grateful to him for changing her life.  In a Hollywood movie, it would be a disappointment if Shashi and Laurent did not run off together or have some kind of scandalous romance.  However, this was a representation of Indian values and traditions and the importance of the family. 

            Overall I thought the film was very compelling and interesting to watch.  It educated me not only about the Indian culture, but of the life of all immigrants to the United States. 

Yesterday, Friday September 28, I attended the International Festival in the Raleigh Convention Center.  It was the first day of the festival and the crowd was huge!  Walking in the first thing I noticed were the dancers on stage.  The picture of the stage I have attached shows a performance of traditional Lebanese dancing.  The performances changed every 15 minutes and featured a different country's traditional music and/or dance.  Around the outside of the room were decorated booths of food from about 20 different countries.  I started with a Kenyan appetizer, followed by a Colombian sandwich and Dutch dessert. The rest of the center was filled with vendor-style booths that represented different countries. Some booths (such as Haiti) were selling culture specific goods such as leather 'flasks' and hand painted t-shirts.  Other booths had displays of information on politics, sports, and history.  I really enjoyed the Canada booth because, though I am from Canada, I did not know a lot about the history that the booth had information on.  

The festival really showed how much of a melting pot the U.S. is.  Each booth was run by a group of people from that country who are currently living in the United States. I talked to a number of individuals and they all had stories and facts about their home country.  This reminded me of the reading about the transnational villages.  In a sense each booth was like a transnational village.  These people were very passionate about their home countries and made a point of continuing to stay true to their cultures.  Another interesting observation I made was during the "japanese percussion performance."  None of the performers were Japanese or even asian.  This really showed how globalization has spread cultures around the world.  All of these performers were teenagers. I believe that this shows that globalization is really effecting the younger generations.  It was cool to see a group of young students who have taken the initiative to learn about other cultures around the world.  

Overall, I had a great time learning about different cultures and observing things we have talked about in class.