France | Finals Week!

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BY NATASHA SZOMBATHY

Finals season is in full swing!  This past week I had my first two finals.  For the majority of courses here in Bordeaux, your final grade will be based only upon a final exam, and from time to time a midterm and final exam.  For others, you will be graded based on what is called “contrôle continu,” which essentially means that your final grade is composed of multiple assignments or exams administered throughout the entire semester.  This is a little similar to what happens in most UC courses, except the final graded exam doesn’t have any significantly higher weight on your final grade than the previously administered assignments. 

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For me, the obligatory methodology course was graded as a “contrôle continu,” so on Monday I had my final in-class essay exam.  It went really well, and I am very satisfied with my score!  My other exam this week was for my Système Terre class in the geography department, for which my entire grade depended only on the final exam.  Lots of pressure!  I was sooo extremely nervous because this was an oral exam, meaning I was to meet with the professor in her office and she would give me one question on any subject discussed in the course and I would have 15 minutes to basically teach her everything I knew about it.  Most of the immersion courses with French students will be graded this way for you.  I studied so much because I had never had an exam like that in my life, and it ended up also going very well!  My advice is just to try to stay calm in that test setting, like any other!  

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All of my remaining finals are next week and the week after, so for now I will just be studying and taking in my last few weeks in Bordeaux.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I went to Strasbourg last weekend for the Christmas markets!  I went with three other girls from UCEAP, and we had such a wonderful time exploring this city which serves both as the capital of Christmas but also of the EU!  It is certainly interesting to see the differences between France and America during Christmas time, and Strasbourg was definitely a winter wonderland.  Strasbourg is located very close to the German border in the French region of Alsace, so the local cuisine is quite influenced by German tradition.  We tried local specialties like choucroute, a sauerkraut dish served with sausages, cured meats, and potatoes, as well as jambonneau, a huge pork leg covered in Munster cheese!  It was a good thing we had all of that hearty food because it was freezing cold!! All of us California girls were bundled up in layers upon layers of thermal T-shirts beneath our coats, but it was so worth it!  The local craftsman ship put into all of the gifts being sold at the markets was beautiful and something like I had never seen before back in America.  The dusting of snow over the city on our final day was definitely the icing on the cake for such a Christmas-y little trip!  

Natasha Szombathy studied abroad in Bordeaux, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/univ_of_bordeaux_coursework_french.aspx

France | Bordeaux in the Winter!

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BY NATASHA SZOMBATHY

Before I came to Bordeaux, I talked with some students who had previously studied here, and “bring warm clothes” was in each of their top three pieces of advice.  I always thought “bone chill cold” was a bit of a dramatic over exaggeration of the fall weather here…but let me tell you, it is not a joke.  It is usually below freezing when I leave for school in the morning, and my trench coat and Patagonia fleece unfortunately do not suffice.  All of the California students have become frequent shoppers at UNIQLO near Rue Sainte Catherine, stocking up on all of their thermal shirts and leggings. 

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I was really reminded of this cold when I met the students and professors of our gastronomy class early last Saturday morning, as we headed out in an icy-windowed mini bus to a honey farm about an hour outside of Bordeaux.  All of the dewy fields along the way were so pretty, and the couple which runs the farm showed us all of the processes they use to produce honey.  Even better, we got to taste at least eight different varieties of honey, as well as many different types of candies made out of the honey!  It was so delicious. 

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We then hopped back in the bus which had fortunately thawed out during the visit, and we went to the old little village of La Réole, to visit the Saturday market and have a few hours to explore the quant and quiet streets.  A couple of students and I got quiches and éclairs, and we enjoyed them on the sunny riverbank.  

After that, we went on to an organic vineyard.  Once again owned by a small family, we walked through the vines and learned all about the techniques they use to make their wine.  I had a little “aha I’m in France moment” when we, twenty American college students and our two professors, were invited into the family’s home to have some snacks!  They were so incredibly hospitable and welcoming; they even let people use the bathroom in the master bedroom.  It was just something I could never imagine happening in the US, and it was truly just such a nice amicable environment.   

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I’m happy to say I feel that sense of friendliness a lot here in Bordeaux, and it was something evident again last night at the Bordeaux-USA Club’s Thanksgiving dinner.  Prepared at Le Chaudron, a small restaurant in the center of the city, all of the students from California and all of the members of the club had a Thanksgiving away from home together.  It was definitely interesting to taste a French version of thanksgiving, but it was great…. especially the mashed potatoes full of French butter.  Can’t get much better than that.  

In other news, final exams are coming up in a few weeks, so I’m starting to prepare for those now.  Oooh!  And the Christmas markets have opened up in Bordeaux!!  I cannot wait to explore the little chalets selling gifts, and walk through all the streets of the city decorated with lights!  I will be going to Strasboug, the so called Capitale de Noël, in two weeks, so prepare for some Christmas-y posts!  

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Natasha Szombathy studied abroad in Bordeaux, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/univ_of_bordeaux_coursework_french.aspx

France | Fall Break!

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BY NATASHA SZOMBATHY

Fall break is upon us!  Unlike getting a short break from school at Thanksgiving as we have at UCLA, the Université de Bordeaux has a one week vacation from Saturday October 28 to Sunday November 5.  Since I don’t have classes on Fridays, I was lucky enough to get to start my vacation on Thursday evening, October 26!  

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Leaving after school on Thursday, I took a combination of the tram and a bus and got to the airport with all the transit fees included in my TBM card!  Don’t forget you can always take the Bus 1 from Gare Saint-Jean straight to the Bordeaux airport with your card as well, and it only takes about one hour!  EasyJet and RyanAir offer many inexpensive flights to destinations all around Europe from Bordeaux, and for the first leg of my trip I decided to go to London.  Since I was taking EasyJet, the flight was leaving from what is called the “Bili” terminal at the Bordeaux airport.  A word of advice: when flying out of here (all flights on EasyJet and RyanAir), arrive a little extra early.  There are border police that check all passenger’s passports before boarding all planes, so waiting in line can take quite a long time.  Also if you plan on going to London, I would recommend not flying into Luton if you are in a rush.  It is the only airport without a train direct from the airport to the city, and I ended up sitting on a bus for two hours just to get into town).   

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Anyways, one of the incredible gifts studying abroad has given me is new friends from other countries. Chris, a friend I made while traveling in Switzerland before coming to Bordeaux, met me in London!  Even though we were in an English-speaking country, which admittedly felt a little strange after a few months in France, Chris also speaks French so I got to keep in practice.  We had a packed three days of visiting the Harry Potter Studios, the London Eye, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, and so much more!   

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For only 17 Euros, we travelled from London to Nice for the remainder of the week.  There, Chris and I met my friend Tracie from Bordeaux!  I would highly recommend taking a trip here during your stay in France!  Nice was a great home base to visit all the highlights in the south of France, including Cannes, Monaco, and Èze.  We never paid more than 5 euros for train tickets, as France offers reduced train fares for all people under 26 years of age.   

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Even though we were having a very fun week of travelling, we still had a little schoolwork to do!  Tracie and I are both in the same méthodologie class required for all California students, and we each had a presentation scheduled for the Monday back to school after break.  A great thing about this course is that it prompts us California students to always learn more about Bordeaux.  We were simply tasked with creating a ten-minute exposé in the French style on a place that can be visited in Bordeaux, and to expand on the history of the location and its role in the city today.  Because I spend almost every Sunday morning going to the market with my host mother, I decided to do my project on the Marché des Capucins.  It was Bordeaux’s first open-air market, and the largest still to this day.  Full of local producers and small restaurant counters, the market is truly the stomach of Bordeaux and also something you must visit during your time here.  

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All in all, I had a fantastic week of traveling during the break.  My presentation went very well at the return to school, and now I am getting ready for some more midterm examinations and projects.  Many interesting things are coming up that I cannot wait to tell you about, such as a visit with my gastronomy class to a honey farm, wine producer, and another outdoor market outside of Bordeaux! 

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Natasha Szombathy studied abroad in Bordeaux, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/univ_of_bordeaux_coursework_french.aspx

Italy | Best Otaleg in Trastevere

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By Andrea Zachrich

Otaleg is what word backwards? I’ll just give you a minute…

GELATO!! Otaleg is easily one of my favorite gelato places in Rome, and certainly my favorite in Trastevere. What I look for in a gelato place are:

The Flavors

Are they unique flavors? Do they have the classics and some new, more creative flavors?

This place has it all! They have more interesting flavors such as mango with chocolate (which was delicious by the way) and classics such as stratiacella (chocolate chip) and fondente (dark chocolate). They would also occasionally change out their more creative flavors, so there was usually something new to try when I went in.

The Price

Is it cheap? Does the gelato place scoop a decent amount for what you pay? (Giolitti, for example, is a little on the high side at 2.80 euros for a small with two flavors, but the scoops they give you are huge and they don’t charge extra for the panna (whip cream)).

Side note: try panna if you get the chance! It’s essentially whip cream without the pressurized air (so like it’s literally whipped cream). It’s delicious and almost like you get another scoop of ice cream on top of your gelato

This place is simple: they charge a euro for a scoop. So two flavors is 2 euro, and 3 flavors is 3 euro, etc. All the scoops are the same size, because they use a little ice cream scooper (which is a little unconventional for a gelato place, but at least it’s standardized). It’s also really tasty, so I think that it’s worth the price!

The Presentation

Is the inside cute? Do they have all the flavors displayed nicely?

I know this is nit-picky, but when you get gelato nearly every day for a month, you have to have some way to distinguish between the places! This place has a modern look, which is different from many of the places in Rome. The flavors are displayed in front of you, and the flavor names are written in Italian and English. While the English is unnecessary (you will learn food names in Italian quickly, trust me), it does make ordering easier because you don’t have to ask (or guess) what all the flavors are.

Cool, modern interior of the gelato shop!

How to get there

This place is very centrally located in Trastevere, and is right by the main church of Santa Maria de Trastevere on Via d. San Cosimato. Here’s a map to help you find it!

Notice how close it is to the main square and the river!

Giolitti will always have my heart, but this place was much closer to our apartments, so it was a good subsitute when my love of Giolitti’s wasn’t strong enough to walk all the way across the city in the summer heat. If you happen to find yourself in Trastevere, and want some gelato, I would definitely recommend this place!

Rome | Ara Pacis

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by Andrea Zachrich

The Ara Pacis, also sometimes called the Altar of Augustan Peace, is one of my favorite monuments from ancient Rome. It’s a cunning piece of propaganda by Emperor Augustus, and its excavation story is pretty awesome. Being particularly well-preserved, it can tell modern scholars a lot about the imperial imagery and symbols. It’s also very pleasant to visit because the altar is kept inside of an air-conditioned building next to the Tiber River.

Ancient History

The Ara Pacis was dedicated in 13 BC by Augustus and the senate after his return from three years abroad and completed in 9 BC. Originally, it was in the Campus Martius just outside the official city walls of ancient Rome and on an axis with Augustus’ Mausoleum. The altar was dedicated to the goddess Pax, the Roman goddess of peace. It is made entirely of Italian marble, and it would have been painted in antiquity (the museum had a rendering of what it might have looked like painted). I would suggest googling mock-ups of the paint because it’s gorgeous and there are a bunch of different ones online.

Side note: Almost of the marble reliefs or sculptures from antiquity would have been painted. They look so pristine and white because all the paint has faded off because they’re 2000 years old. Not painting a sculpture is a modern Renaissance concept that attempted to copy artists from antiquity, but these more modern artists failed to realize that these statues were painted, they just don’t have their paint any more. Occasionally, scholars can tell what color something would have been based on microscopic residue of different kinds of materials that would have made different paint colors.

Symbolism/Architecture

The altar is a pretty basic, open air altar surrounded on 4 sides by walls to protect it. The outside of the walls is where Augustus put his most aggressive propaganda because these would have been the areas that the normal citizens would have been able to see (only the elite and those who ran the cult could go inside). The four sides all have different representations of fictional and real people and items that were intended to make the people view Augustus as the savior and peace bringer of Rome.

The front side, which includes the entrance to the altar, includes depictions of Aeneas or Numa and what scholars believe depicts a scene where the shepherd who raised Romulus and Remus finds them. I say that “scholars believe” that this is what was depicted there because most of the panel has been lost. The depiction of Aeneas/Numa shows the main male figure sacrificing a pig. We are unsure which of the figures it is, but I think it’s more convincing that the figure is King Numa – the second king of Rome who is legendary in ancient Rome for bring peace to the city while he was ruler. Aeneas, although an ancestor to the founder of Rome, has no obvious associations with peace. Already on the front of the structure, Augustus has managed to associate himself with powerful men from Rome’s past.

The sides of the Ara Pacis depict real people, although scholars have yet to agree on exactly who is who. Both sides show what is believed to be the dedication procession for the altar. We even have a depiction of Augustus (well, just of his head because the body has been lost). All the figures are wearing Roman togas. There are priests leading the procession, then Augustus, them Marcus Agrippa (Augustus’ best friend and right hand man), and then his family (including women and children). It’s hard to tell exactly who is who beyond Agrippa, but it’s likely that Augustus’s beloved wife, his grandsons, and his sister are included in the line up.

Similar to the front, the back of the monument features two reliefs. The one on the left is of a seated female deity surrounded by symbols of fertility and wealth such as babies and fruit on her lap, sacrificial animals, and other female figures riding a dragon and a bird. The deity could be many goddesses: Pax, Aphrodite, Demeter, or Roma, and the babies could be many babies: Romulus and Remus or maybe Augustus’ two grandsons (whom he was counting on to succeed him before they both died as teenagers). Similar to the front, the other relief is poorly preserved. Many scholars think that it is a seated Roma, sitting on weapons taken from the enemy. This interpretation is based on coins that show a similar image.

Close up of the sides

All around the bottom of the monument is a frieze that depicts acanthus leaves and bunches of grapes. Acanthus leaves in ancient Rome were symbolic of long life or immortality. Grapes were symbolic of fertility and prosperity. Perhaps, by using these plants, Augustus was trying to say that he had brought long-lasting peace to Rome and has made the empire prosperous and wealthy. Also, hidden among the acanthus leaves and grapes, are small depictions of animals. The most famous is a chick escaping from a nest being attacked by a snake, which many scholars believe represent Aeneas escaping from the Trojan war.

The Inside

You can actually walk around inside of the monument, which is very cool. The inside features carved garlands connected by cow skulls. Garlands were used as decorations during celebrations and also symbolize wealth and prosperity. The cow skulls were most likely symbolic of the animal sacrifices the ancient Romans performed as a way to appease their gods. The altar inside is fairly simple, and shows scenes of sacrifice.

Modern History

The first fragments of sculpture from the monument were discovered in the 1600’s and shipped all over Italy, but archeologists did not realize what it was until the late 1800’s when a scholar identified the pieces using information from Augustus’ memoirs. In the early 1900’s, they attempted to excavate it, but it was underneath a Renaissance Piazza and a famous theater, and the excavations were compromising these buildings, so they stopped. Then, for the 2000 year anniversary of the birth of Augustus in 1938, Mussolini decided he wanted to excavate it. The excavation was an extraordinary feat of engineering that involved freezing the ground water to support the buildings above while the Ara Pacis was dug out piece by piece. It was then reassembled where it is now. Originally, Mussolini commissioned a building to be put up around the altar, but by the early 2000’s, it was in poor shape. The American architect Richard Meier (the same guy who designed the Getty Museum in Los Angeles) won the project to rebuild the building. This created some controversy both because he was American and because the building is very modern and does not match with most of the buildings in Rome. The building by Richard Meier is the Ara Pacis’s current home.

You can get a bit of a sense of the building design and altar size in this picture!

Tips for Visiting

Our class went on a Friday evening, and we were the only ones in the museum. When I walked past it a few other times to show friends and my brother the structure, I also saw very few people inside, so I think it’s a safe bet to go whenever you like. It might even be nice to go right in the middle of the day before or after lunch as a way to get out of the sun for a little while. If you don’t want to pay for the ticket, you can see most of the structure through the windows from the outside, and this is how I showed the monument to my brother and my friends who came to visit Rome while I was there. Personally, I would go inside, but I’m also a bit biased because I study the ancient Romans. The Ara Pacis is a fascinating monument with an interesting ancient AND modern history.

Class picture in front of the monument! We got yelled at for standing on the stairs.

France | Pain au Chocolat? Boulangeries in Bordeaux!

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BY NATASHA SZOMBATHY

It’s a rainy Sunday in Bordeaux, so my friends Adam, Tracie, and Amy and I decided we would spend the morning in a cozy café in the city center.  Little did we realize, brunch is a huge thing in Bordeaux.  Originally trying to eat at the British restaurant The Breakfast Club, which was raved about by other students, we met an hour and a half waiting time to be seated.  So, we walked around in the pouring rain looking for somewhere else where we might be able to eat.  After trying four other cafés and meeting the same fate, we realized we got up a little too late for Bordeaux brunch, as most restaurants don’t take reservations.  

We ended up at Le Parlement, a tea house at la Place du Parlement, right in the center of town.  We each ordered the “petit dejuener gourmand,” which consisted of viennoiseries, baguettes, fresh squeezed orange juice, coffee, and cake.  It was just delicious, and it inspired me to do a little post about some of my favorite boulangeries in the city!  

 

First of all, there is a very important bit of local slang you must know when you go to a boulangerie in Bordeaux! While in the rest of France, a chocolate croissant is called a “pain au chocolat,” be sure to refer to these little delicacies as “chocolatines” in Bordeaux. People will give you funny looks if you don’t, guaranteed 😉  They will probably follow up with asking if you if you’d like “une poche” for your chocolatines, which is the bordelaise version of “un sac” (or a bag).  Get these words right, and they will know you’re a local!  

One of my favorite boulangeries here is “Le Boulanger de L’Hôtel de Ville” (76 Rue des Trois-Conils, 33000 Bordeaux).  Also great is “La Boulangerie” in the quarter of Saint Michel (51 Rue des Faures, 33000 Bordeaux), and Anaïs from the California office will tell you to check out the boulangerie right across the street from the tram line A station at Hôtel de Ville. 

If you are in the area of Université Bordeaux Montaigne, the closest, and tastiest boulangerie in my opinion is Bernils (92 Avenue du Dr Albert Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac), which specializes in Basque treats!  They also have really great quiches and sandwiches for lunch, which you can combine with a pastry and a drink for about 6 euros.  The only downside is that this boulangerie does not have any seating, but there are nice grassy areas to sit right across the street on sunny days! Another quite good boulangerie close to the university is at the tram B stop at Forum (285 Cours de la Libération, 33400 Talence).  Here there are a lot of tables, so it is a great study spot (and the wifi usually works)! 

Hope you’ll enjoy these recommendations if you find yourself in Bordeaux!  The boulangerie is truly an integral part of French culture, and it is a strange day if I do not find myself in one!  You’ll quickly learn, especially if you are staying in a host family, that bread with confiture and butter is something French people can’t live without for breakfast!  Even if you’re not at one every morning for breakfast, most boulangeries, such as the ones I mentioned, offer very inexpensive lunch formulas, which is great for students!  Bonne dégustation ! 

Natasha Szombathy studied abroad in Bordeaux, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/univ_of_bordeaux_coursework_french.aspx

France | Exploring the Outdoors in Bordeaux

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BY NATASHA SZOMBATHY

Now that I’m finally really settled into school and life in Bordeaux, I thought I would share some of my favorite things to do around the city!   

Bordeaux is such a walkable city, so taking a stroll has been a favorite afternoon activity of mine.  Over the weekends I have been taking runs on the quays framing the Garonne.  My favorite “loop” so to speak is running from Pont Pierre, the picturesque bridge built in 1819 to connect the left and right banks of Bordeaux, to Pont Jacques Chaban Delmas, and back around.  Pont Jacques Chaban Delmas is the modern draw bridge that was constructed to allow large ships into the port of Bordeaux. A great Sunday activity is watching the bridge open to allow for the exodus of the enormous cruise ships of tourists that had come into Bordeaux for the weekend.  From this bridge you can also see the Musée du Vin with its stunning architecture, designed to look like wine swirling in a wineglass! 

The best part of this run is along the right bank of the Garonne, which is the much less visited side of the river because it is largely host to modern construction and thus lacks the charm of the left bank.  That said, the right bank offers incredible views of the beautiful buildings of the left bank.  Seeing the Place de la Bourse through the trees while running is simply stunning.  Some weekends there are even sailboat races in the river, making for a great spectacle for a little break from running! 

If running isn’t really your cup of tea, perhaps biking is!  Bordeaux has an incredible bike rental system, called VCub.  With bike parking stations all over the city, all you need is a credit card to rent a bike for 24 hours….and it only costs € 1.60! I have to say biking the same route I described above is wonderful, but biking is also a great way to explore the city itself.  Bordeaux is a city without too much traffic, and most of the streets in the center are closed to cars.  In the busier areas there are always designated bike lanes, so I haven’t had a problem feeling unsafe while biking around here.   

On afternoons free from school, my friends and I have been renting bikes and exploring the city.  We often end up in the Jardin Public after, for some relaxation in the sunshine.  Even though it is nearing the end of October, we still have been having some days with temperature in the 80s! 

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While the Jardin Public is my favorite park in the city, also worth visiting is the beautiful botanical garden, the Parc du Château Piexotto, and the Parc Bordelais.  The Parc du Château Piexotto is only 4 stops away from Université Bordeaux Montaigne, and it is a really lovely place to stop for lunch.  I like to stop at a boulangerie near the park and have a quick snack there during breaks between classes.  The Parc Bordelais is definitely a place you should check out if you feel you need a little touch of nature.  Full of old, enormous trees, this park surrounds a pond full of beautiful birds.  The park is also the home to many animals, from rabbits, to goats, to chickens.    

I’ll have to dedicate the next post to some fun things to do indoors around the city…I have so many cafés to recommend!  À bientôt ! 

Natasha Szombathy studied abroad in Bordeaux, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/univ_of_bordeaux_coursework_french.aspx

France | Family Time

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BY NATASHA SZOMBATHY

The past two weekends have been incredible because I’ve got to spend them with family!  Since I do not have any classes on Fridays, I had a three-day weekend to travel to Munich for a “family” reunion on September 15!  My parents, my brother, and my extended family all traveled from California for the special weekend together.  I say “family” reunion because German and American friends also came along, it was incredible!  We spent Friday and Saturday exploring the city, and on Sunday we travelled to a small village about an hour and a half from the city for the formal reunion.  I studied in Paris during the summer before my UCEAP program started in Bordeaux, so it was so nice to be with loved ones after three months apart.   

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This was my first major trip from Bordeaux, so I had the opportunity to better learn how to use the airport here!  The bus line 1 takes riders to the airport, and the ride was free with my Bordeaux public transit card (or the TBM card as they’d call it here).  Volotea is the only airline that flies directly from Bordeaux to Munich, but their flights only run once on Fridays and once on Mondays.  Unfortunately, the timing didn’t’ work out for me, so I had to fly with Air France and stopover in Paris…which is where I had my first major travel problem.  It was only after leaving Bordeaux that I realized I was traveling to the Paris Orly Airport, and that my connecting flight from Paris to Munich would be leaving from Charles de Gaulle…which is a completely different airport.  Oops!  Luckily I figured out how to take the one-hour bus ride between the airports pretty easily after the panic subsided.  I even made my second flight (which was delayed to my advantage)!  

I went back to Bordeaux that Sunday evening, but luckily for me, Munich wouldn’t be the last place I’d see my parents!  They came to Bordeaux on September 21 for another three-day weekend together!  

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We spent one day in the beautiful village of Saint-Emilion, about a one-hour trip outside of Bordeaux by train.  Even better, the train tickets were only €7.50 each way!  This is a trip you must make during your stay in Bordeaux.  The charming medieval village is surrounded by beautiful vineyards, and is the home of the original macarons in France, brought over by nuns.  

Our other two days were well-spent in Bordeaux.  I shopped for some much-needed winter clothes on the famous Rue Saint-Catherine with my mom, and I got to take her to my favorite crêperie in the city.  We also took advantage of the VCub city bike rental system offered here in Bordeaux.  For €1.50 for 24 hours, you can rent a bike and park it at the various stations which can be easily found all over the city.  We rode to the beautiful Jardin Public, and then along the paths next to the Garonne until we reached la Cité du Vin, Bordeaux’s museum on the history of wine.   

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 Needless to say, it was incredibly difficult to say goodbye to my parents at the train station last Sunday, but I am beyond thankful that they had the opportunity to come to Bordeaux.  It was so much fun to show them around my new home!  

Natasha Szombathy studied abroad in Bordeaux, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/univ_of_bordeaux_coursework_french.aspx

France | Université Bordeaux Montaigne

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BY NATASHA SZOMBATHY

University classes have begun, and I must admit that the registration process is fairly stressful.  As I mentioned before, all of the students in the UCEAP program have access to all of the University of Bordeaux campuses.  I have decided to try to fulfill a couple of GE and French Minor requirements while abroad, so I will be staying at the humanities-centered campus, Université Bordeaux Montaigne.   

 All foreign students have two weeks to try out different courses before officially registering in them.  In the French system, there are Cours Magistraux (lecture courses), which are often accompanied by a Travaux Dirigié (discussion section).  Some courses have only CM’s, and others only TD’s, but I have found a combination of the two to be the most common.  Most CM courses are 2 hours long, and usually there is not a break halfway through.  Make sure you drink your coffee before coming to class because it is not allowed to have any food or drinks other than water in the lecture halls.  Coming from UCLA, it is a little surprising to not see anyone eat or drink in the classrooms, but, like the extra long lecture times, this is just another little adjustment all of us California students are going through!  

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to try out every course you think you might be interested in within the two-week test period.  I have found some professors to be significantly easier to understand than others.  Do not expect to have a detailed PowerPoint presentation containing images and explanations to accompany your lectures.  Most professors have about 3-5 slides containing key words that they show for each two-hour lecture.  It is quite common that they will sit at a desk in front of the lecture hall and simply speak for the duration of the lecture.  It is a little different than back home where professors tend to be a bit more animated, but this is just a reality of French universities. 

Since I am in the French-track, I am required to take a methodology class, which so far has been a great survival guide to French university!  We learn everything from where we can use our student ID card to pay on campus, to how to properly write essays according to the French standards.   

Students in the English-track program do not have any mandatory classes, but the California Study Center has created a course on French Gastronomy which they have the option to take.  Any remaining spots are offered to students in the French track.  Even though the course is instructed in English, I have been really wanting to learn more about French gastronomy and its regional importance here in Bordeaux, so I felt so lucky to get a spot!  

Students in either the English track or the French track have the option to take courses at the DEFLE, the French department for foreigners.  I have decided to take a class on French press there, but they have other offerings in French tourism, literature, grammar, phonetics, and general culture.   

 In addition to these three courses, I have decided to take a course on medieval art in the art history department.  Today I tried out a course on modern French history, and tomorrow I am trying out another course on Earth systems in the geography department.  In total, we must take a minimum of what equates to 22.5 quarter units.  For most students this is about five or six classes.  With the four courses I have chosen so far, I have 21.5 units, so I am still shopping around for one more class to add.  Wish me luck!  

Natasha Szombathy studied abroad in Bordeaux, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/univ_of_bordeaux_coursework_french.aspx

France | ILP + Excursions

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BY NATASHA SZOMBATHY

For the two weeks leading up to the start of university classes on September 11, our group of UC students had classes for the Intensive Language Program (ILP).  For the first week of classes, we had six hours of class per day, but we only had two hours per day in the second week.  We took the courses at the DEFLE, the department for French for foreigners at the Université Bordeaux Montaigne.  Each UC student was placed in a course according to their results on the placement exam we took in the first week.   

Each class focused on different material, depending on the needs of the students.  I was placed in the advanced class, and we did a light review of grammar (mostly only on the passé simple), but focused much more on written and oral comprehension, as well as written expression.  I know some of the other classes focused more on grammar than we did, but all of the professors were really great at tailoring the subject matter to what the students felt like they needed to learn.  Michel and Christoph, my professors, were so happy to teach us everything from social rules in the tram to how to set the table in France, and even local slang!   

After our first week of the ILP, the entire group of UC students took a trip to le Bassin d’Arcachon and the Dune du Pilat, the largest sand dune in Europe!  We started our visit at le Musée de l’Huître (the Oyster Museum), where we learned all about the unique oyster farming industry in le Bassin d’Arcachon.  It is one of the few places in the world in which oysters can be successfully farmed, as the location offers the precise environmental parameters needed for oyster babies.

As new experts on the oyster industry, we headed over to a restaurant to taste the local delicacies!  For many of us it was our first time tasting oysters, but Joelle made sure to teach us all how to properly eat them!  I can already say that that knowledge has come in handy, as the Bordelaise eat oysters all the time!  Following up the oysters was a feast of roasted ham, salads, fruits, and cheeses.   

Next we were off to the Dune du Pilat.  What better way to work off all that food than to trek up an enormous mountain of sand?  We all thought it would be better to run straight up rather than taking the nice staircase that had been installed for visitors to take up the dune…needless to say we were very breathless by the time we reached the top! We followed up our visit with some relaxing and swimming at the beach!  I highly recommend a weekend at Arcachon if you’re looking for a little relaxing getaway during your semester in Bordeaux!  

The following Wednesday we took a trip after our morning ILP classes to the historic home of the famous French author François-Mauriac, which is surrounded by beautiful vineyards. Following our tour of the residence, we walked through a vineyard with the maker of Sautern wine.  Learning the economic and social importance of the wine industry of Bordeaux from a small-family winemaker himself was immensely interesting, and brought all of us closer to understanding one of the most key aspect of Bordelaise life.  We even got to learn, by tasting grapes off the vine, how a winemaker decides which grapes of his vineyard are ready for harvesting, and how the “terroir” of Bordeaux creates grapes with the unique flavors that define its wine.  

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Natasha Szombathy studied abroad in Bordeaux, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/univ_of_bordeaux_coursework_french.aspx