Reflections on a Semester in France: The 10 Most Important Things I Learned

As I reflect on this trip I am reminded how incredible this experience has been. I have thought countless times of moving out to this country, preferably along the French Riviera, and forgetting all my worries.  To briefly conclude this journey I will relate the 10 Most Important Things that I have learned while in France.

1. Paris is always a good time.

Sometimes restaurants are not open at midnight, like they are supposed to be, because certain girls took too long to get ready and you end up eating at some small Chinese restaurant.  Sometimes the city of Paris has different plans for you and you just have to get lost in the city. No matter where you go in Paris you are bound to have a good time. Whether the climate be cold, windy, rainy, or snowy, the city has an incredible beauty that encompasses all others.

2. French wine is divine.

I would not consider myself a wino, though every now and then I like to enjoy a glass that complements my meal.  There is no doubt in my mind that French wine is the best in the world, and for good reason, the French know their wine. 

3. French people love their cigarettes.

There is no problem with cigarettes in France, despite the fact that they still kill you according to the slogan on most cigarette packs, "Fumer Tue", "Smoking Kills", accompanied with the picture of some poor decrepit individual with a disease caused by smoking.  This does not matter though, the French will continue to smoke if it kills them.

4. The French architectural style is the most beautiful in the world.

There is no doubt. Every building is incredible, from the chateaux to the apartment complexes, to the villas and little cabins.  Each building is different in some small way, but they are all joined together by the beauty of French architecture.

5. The aristocracy did not just have a lot of money, they had A LOT of money.

Versailles is approximately the same size as Paris and each chateau houses enough rooms for a small country.  The incredible amount of architectural brilliance in cohesion with the landscape and the significant amount of artistic pieces reveal that these French counts and dukes and kings did not have a lot of money, they had an overabundant cornucopia of money that refilled itself by means of a money tree growing out of it.  The way that we know they had this much money doesn't come from the chateaux that these aristocrats built for themselves, but the ones that they built for their mistresses as well.

6. The Alpes-Maritimes has the best view in the world.

 
The ancient towns like Eze, St. Paul, and Cagnes-Sur-Mer, provide an incredible contrast with the more modern cities like Nice and the Principality of Monaco.  These contrasts seem to complement the scenery of the mountains on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It does not matter where you go in this area, the view is always incredible.

7. Disney movies lie to you, particularly about happiness and intercultural competence.  Romani people are not fun to deal with.

My first realization came in the Loire Valley, after I had finished reading Victor Hugo's "Notre Dame de Paris", when I wanted to watch the Disney interpretation to make comparisons.  The two renditions are completely different and I criticize Disney for trying to make such a tragic story into a children's story, as the two plots did not even reveal an inkling of similarity.  My second revelation came through Caylene, when she explained to me that Native Americans do not live like Pocahontas, instead, they like Twilight and cannot talk to the plants.  The third revelation came through my experiences with the romani people, or gypsies, in Paris.  I was accosted at several times by these troublesome nomads who tried to pickpocket me, then steal my money. If someone asks you to sign something for a donation, put your hands in your pockets, hold on to your valuables, don't acknowledge anyone, and whatever you do, keep walking... 

8. Everyone wants to get a picture of the exact same thing.

Everything in France is incredible and everyone wants to get a picture of it.  On many occasions people will fight to get this picture. If someone were to look through all the students' pictures, they would find the exact same picture somewhere.  All of the people in this image are at some stage of taking the same photograph...

9. French cuisine is incredible. Everything tastes delicious.

There is nothing to say that can describe the cuisine here.  Everything tastes incredible. You cannot simply say, "Let's go to that good restaurant," because all the restaurants are delicious. This picture is a special tribute to Amorino's Gelato, as it will be missed, along with all the other French foods, when I have to go back to America and eat food that doesn't even compare to the same caliber of cuisine.

10. Bring a bigger bag next time, or just move here.

Everyone in the group bought a bunch of stuff in France, or along the trip. There are flea markets and street vendors everywhere, and the quality of the stores here makes the products in American stores look like posh and prepped up pieces of garbage. Ultimately, everyone in the group needed a larger suitcase to contain all of their original items and new purchases.  My advice would be to save yourself the trouble and just move out here. I am looking for some new roommates... The picture should act as a hyperlink for one of the pieces of real estate I plan on obtaining...