notesFROM ABROAD

When people ask me where I live in Paris, the most accurate response is "down the street from Shakespeare & Company and a block from Notre-Dame." I live in a tiny apartment on a busy cobblestone street, surrounded by loud bars, delicious crêperies, and a boulangerie on the corner where I buy my daily baguettes (which cannot compare to ANY bread back home). A minute's walk and I can sit along the Seine to do my readings on war, women's studies, the Middle East, and French for my classes at Sciences Po. I am really enjoying these classes, all taught by brilliant professors, and all applicable to my major and minor.

It's hard to believe I have lived here for over three months, and with time flying by, I am trying to make every day count. I feel the most in touch with Paris in the mornings, when I can escape the throngs of tourists

and run or walk along the Seine, through the Jardin du Luxembourg, or through the Jardin des Plantes. It is nice to be alone to breathe in the fall air and really admire the beauty of the city. I have also enjoyed trying new restaurants and going on day trips with friends. We have visited Giverny (my favorite, it is Monet's hometown and the source of inspiration for his "Water Lilies" paintings), the palaces of Fontainebleau and Versailles, and I have also gone on a few trips around Europe. I still have a lot to see here in Paris, and I am looking forward to further exploring its sights and museums, and eating as much French food as I can, before going home. Four months really is too short of a time to live in this city. But I guess c'est la vie. Madeline Branch is a junior studying International Studies with a focus on Peace, Global Security, and Conflict Resolution and

the Middle East and North Africa. She is minoring in Women's and Gender Studies. She will be continuing her study abroad experience next semester in Rabat, Morocco, where she will be studying at AMIDEAST through the Regional Studies in French Program. What she misses most in the U.S. are dryers for her damp, stiff jeans.

For as long as I can remember, I have looked forward to studying abroad in college – a feeling that I’m sure many SIS students can relate to. Now, I live in Santiago, Chile, and I’ve been lucky enough to experience and enjoy many different aspects of living abroad!

I live in a home stay on the 11th floor of an apartment building. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to my view of the snow-capped Andes! I attend four classes downtown at the Universidad Diego Portales, one of which is a direct-enrollment course with Chilean students and a Chilean Nobel Laureate as my professor (so cool!). I intern twice a week at the National Forum for the Right to an Education for All, and on the weekends, I sometimes travel with other AU students, as well as volunteer on occasion with the organization Un Techo Para Chile.

The experiences I’ve had abroad are definitely ones I will not forget. My favorite memories so far include climbing to the top of Volcano Villarrica, the first big hike I’ve ever done, and traveling to Easter Island, where I got to see the moai and even experienced my first tsunami warning! Things I am still looking forward to include hiking in Patagonia.

Claudia Gonzalez is a junior who is studying International Studies with a focus on International Development and Latin America. She is also a Spanish Language and Latin American Studies major. What she most misses from the U.S. is real coffee because Chileans only drink Nescafé.

a note fromsantiago, chile

by claudia gonzalez - Isla dePascua,Rapa Nui

- Volcán Villarrica

a note from paris, france

by madeline branch

Paris,France

Giverny