Loving France!
September 26, 2019
Walking Through History On Wednesday, we had a night tour of the Louvre. The tour was supposed to start at 6:45pm but because of miscommunication, we all arrived late and had to essentially run through the museum to see all the exhibits that our tour guide wanted to show us. Even though the tour was rushed, it was still absolutely amazing. We started with the history of the Louvre itself and had the chance to see parts of the original castle. Some other noteworthy things that we saw included the Mona Lisa (of course), Charlemagne’s sword, Napoleon’s throne, and mummified fish (which is so bizarre to me). It was the fastest and most fascinating walk through world history, and seeing the different artistic expressions and displays of political power only ignited my love for the past. APA gave us student passes to the Louvre, so I definitely plan to go back and explore some more. The amount of museums in Paris is overwhelming, and the fact that we only have 5 weeks in the... Read More
Bourgogne and more!
September 26, 2019
Hello again! At the end of my last blog entry, it was Thursday evening and I was packing and preparing to leave bright and early for Bourgogne (Burgundy), a beautiful region of France a few hours from Paris. This weekend excursion is the first of the APA organized excursions,... Read More
La Vie Parisienne
September 19, 2019
Bonjour! It’s time for another update! I’m coming to the end of my second week in Paris and I’m feeling well adjusted to my life here! Friday night I (along with the rest of the APA Paris students) went to a tour of the Louvre at Night, and learned about the history of the... Read More
Leaving Home
September 17, 2019
It is hard to believe that I am studying abroad for a semester. My summers spent abroad have been much less daunting. A few weeks of going on adventures and exploring new places is the perfect summer vacation, but doing the same for a whole semester raises many... Read More
Settling into life in Paris
September 16, 2019
Bonjour tout la monde! It’s Calista again! This week has been a whirlwind of returning to Paris and making this quintessential city feel more like home! We returned to Paris on Saturday and moved into our home stays and student dorms called “foyers” that night. For me,... Read More
First Week in France
September 5, 2019
Hello everyone! I’m Calista Goldwasser, one of the students studying abroad this semester in the APA Paris Advanced program and I’ll be your window into the study abroad experience with APA! A little bit about myself: I’m a junior at DePauw University where I study... Read More
Last Week in Dakar
July 25, 2019
Soccer Update On Friday, Dakar’s streets were decorated for soccer because Senegal played against Algeria in the final match of the Africa Cup. All day, Senegalese soccer jerseys were worn everywhere, and taxis proudly displayed Senegalese flags. I wore my jersey and everyone... Read More
Connecting with Dakar
July 18, 2019
New Dresses 2 weeks ago Nakeshia, Siddhakshi, and Seneca went to buy fabric for a Senegalese outfit to bring home. Siddhakshi’s sister took them to a shop to pick out fabric and get fitted for their new looks. I was in class when they picked out everything, yet I already had... Read More
Making New Friends
July 9, 2019
Day at the Beach Tuesdays are my day off, so my host sister invited me to go to the beach with a few of her cousins. There were five of us in total and we all squeezed in a taxi to go to Monoco Beach. Unfortunately on the way there, we got stopped by a... Read More
Getting to Know the Diops and Settling Down
June 28, 2019
Meeting the Family On Tuesday, my aunt invited over to her house to meet my cousins. We had briefly spoken on the phone, but only basic introductions were being exchanged, the pauses in between questions filled with anxious laughter. My aunt has four kids, her son lives in... Read More
Exploring the City and My Two New Families
June 23, 2019
Tourist Destinations On Monday, Richard who is another student from APA, invited me to go downtown with his host family. His host sister has a car, and after our class, she drove us to our first stop: the African Renaissance Monument. With us were also her adorable son Theo, and... Read More
Intro to Dakar!
June 23, 2019
Senegal was one of the first countries I learned to identify on a map. My mom always said that it looked like Pacman, engulfing Gambia whole. Our apartment was always filled with art from Senegal, an allusion to my mother’s time in the Peace Corps and a reminder of my own... Read More
Castles and Princesses
May 8, 2019
One of my absolute favorite things about studying abroad with APA is that they have built in pre-paid trips to other cities in France for us to further explore the culture and history. Our first one was to the north of France to Normandie, which I had already visited in high... Read More
Cheers to the Freakin’ Weekend
April 10, 2019
H A P P Y A P R I L ! It’s our second to last month but we couldn’t be happier to be here! This past weekend in Paris was one for the books! I’m definitely paying the price as I’m sick in bed typing this but definitely worth it. Friday night I... Read More
Dinner Time Chez Isabelle
March 25, 2019
Let’s just start out with that I love food. So much. She is the shoulder I cry on, the friend to laugh at my jokes, the comforting hug in the middle of the night. Because of my commitment to my relationship to food I have since our first week evolved to a dairy machine,... Read More
