Temple University Athletics
Veronica Radice Blog-July 1, 2009
7.1.09 | Field Hockey
July 1, 2009
Bonjour!
Throughout high school I always told my parents that I wanted to study abroad. I decided there was no reason to wait around until junior year so I applied to study abroad in Paris, France after having completed my freshman year at Temple. I chose to study with the Temple in Paris Summer Program at the Sorbonne University for four weeks during the month of July. The program is just the right amount of time between finishing the first summer session at Temple and the start of preseason for field hockey in early August.
I leave for Paris in two days! This will be my fourth trip to France (third stay in Paris) and I am so excited for the experiences I will encounter throughout the upcoming month. I am staying with my cousin’s family in the thirteenth arrondissement, which is about four Metro stops away and a short walk from the University. I am looking forward to spending time with my cousin and her family, as well as welcoming the new baby she is expecting in July!
The summer program is a four-week intensive French language program that runs for about two hours five days a week. Students are placed into appropriate levels after taking a placement exam upon arrival. There is additional time spent in the phonetics laboratory throughout the duration of the program. I am a biology major with a French minor so the four-credit course will count towards my elective credits for my French minor.
As you can see, there is a lot of free time! After classes, I am planning on thoroughly exploring the city of Paris at my leisure, strolling through the beautiful parks and people-watching at cafés. I have mapped out several new museums that I would like to visit, but will most likely also return to Musée d’Orsay (my favorite museum), which is situated in an old train station. Everyone knows that there are many wonderful foods to enjoy in Paris, so I know I will be testing out many crêperies, boulangeries, and pâtisseries in search of the best pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant) and crêpe avec nutella et bananes (crêpe with banana and chocolate-hazelnut spread). On the weekends, we will embark on day excursions to Giverny and Rouen, Chantilly, and Chartres. For my last weekend in France, I have booked train tickets on the high-speed train, TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse), to Roscoff, a coastal town on the north-western tip of France. During my stay, I am meeting with a professor at the biological station in Roscoff that is known for its marine biology research, which is what I am interested in studying.
Well, now I have to go finish packing and prepare for my flight on July 1st. See you in France!
Cordialement,
Veronica
