Tips for future pigeons
December 22, 2015
My last week in Paris was a flurry of exams and papers. To recap so any future students can know what to expect, I took 5 classes. Two were the required APA classes, one a language course, the other essentially a modern French poli sci and culture course. I took three classes with the French public university system: two at Paris 8 (Saint-Denis), one at Paris 10 (Nanterre). French university has three years instead of four, and any classes you might take are divided into L1, L2, and L3 level courses. I took two L3 and one L1 courses. Between university work and APA, I had 3 oral exams, two in-class exams, one written exposé, one group paper, and one six-page essay and one ten-page essay. Yes, it was hard and yes, it’s all in French, but I promise you’ll be okay. My tip is to make sure a French person reads anything you write before you turn it in. Even if your French is fantastic, things don’t always directly translate and sentence structure is important at university... Read More
Madelyne Pigeon Barcelona
December 22, 2015
Running off to Barcelona the weekend before exams perhaps isn’t the wisest idea, but I honestly regret nothing. I even watched “Vicky Christina Barcelona” the night before leaving to excite myself for the trip. Leaving Friday after impulsively buying a cheap round... Read More
A digression into ducks
December 22, 2015
The weekend after London I did very little except study, prepare for exams and attempt to write 10 page essays in French, but I did get out a little to explore more of Paris. Here are some pictures from the Canal Saint Martin, the 4.5 km long canal that starts near Place de... Read More
The British Pigeon
December 22, 2015
First, I have to apologize for my absence the past couple weeks. As finals have come to an end, I finally have some catch-up time. For any future students doing an abroad program in France through their university system, be ready for a storm at the end of each semester, the... Read More
The Identity of a Pigeon
November 25, 2015
Despite all that has happened, Paris has almost gotten back to normal. People still go out to cafés, bars, concerts and continue to live with joy and vivacity as always. C’est toujours le bonheur à Paris. The city has a special way of rebirthing itself and igniting tiny... Read More
Growing roses from bullet holes
November 15, 2015
After staying inside for the past couple days, I started to get the sense that it wasn’t really real. That it must be happening somewhere else, somewhere far away that could only reach us from a news station, or that it was just a dream. Today I left my apartment and to... Read More
Le prochain jour
November 14, 2015
I haven’t done much today. I stayed inside (as per President Hollande’s recommendation), read, watched TV, bought groceries, and often refreshed the BBC Live Update report online. Yet by 7pm, I am exhausted. I slept very little last night due to the siren noise that... Read More
L’état d’urgence
November 14, 2015
At around 8pm this evening I went out to bring home dinner for a night in. Around 10pm I get a message from a friend in the US asking if I’m okay. A few seconds later I become aware of a chorus of sirens from outside my building and really in every direction I... Read More
The Spooky Pigeon
November 2, 2015
As the world well knows, this past weekend was Halloween! Halloween is my favorite holiday of all time. For me it ranks above Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day and my birthday. While our study abroad advisors were warning us about the homesickness that comes with the fall... Read More
The Traveling Pigeon, Part 3
November 2, 2015
Our final leg of touring around France ended on the beaches of Normandy. For me, this was the second time I walked along the shores where over 2,400 American men lost their lives. The first time was during the summer I studied abroad in high school, a time when Normandy becomes... Read More
The Traveling Pigeon, Part 2
November 2, 2015
Next on our journey across France, we left Lyon in the morning and rented a car to drive from the Rhône-Alps to Provence, the famous seaside region of France which I had heard about since childhood. I couldn’t have been more happy we rented a car. Instead of driving on... Read More
The Traveling Pigeon, Part 1
October 31, 2015
This past week was Fall Break for most Paris universities as well as APA, and while many students use this time to fly to a nearby European country for the week, I decided to fully indulge myself in France. After this trip and my previous time abroad, I can now say I have been... Read More
The Tragic Pigeon
October 30, 2015
This post will be short, but last week I was walking home from class and came upon a rather disturbing sight. My building is in the 12th arrondissement, next to the beautiful Parc de Bercy and La Cinématèque Française, a film museum, library, and theatre occasionally showing... Read More
The Bohemian Pigeon
October 21, 2015
In my first post, I wrote that in seeing Montmartre, I discovered the reason people write about Paris. While the entire city is beautiful in many ways, Montmartre embodies the spirit of the true Bohemian lifestyle, one filled with art, charm, wit and beauty. With its art-deco... Read More
An evening in
October 16, 2015
Initially I didn’t want to join my fellow APA girls for a weekend in Bretagne to visit the town of Saint-Malo and the world-wonder of Mont Saint-Michel since I’ve actually already been there. During the summer before my senior year in high school, I spent a month in... Read More
