Hello everyone!
I've finally started a blog! While I debated many wonderful and clever titles, I decided to go for simple over chic, taking a cue from a German friend here who was absolutely confounded why I wouldn't just call my blog "paris" or "myblog"– as the German students here are teaching me, there is rarely a need for frivolity. Thus, I invite you to read my blog "Ariella in Paris" or "Une Anneé a Paris" throughout this school year as I study at Sciences Po in Paris, France. While I'm writing this blog for family and friends, (and anyone who stalks me on facebook) I'm also sending it to Colorado College's Study Abroad advisor, Heather Browne. She wants to put it on to CC's website in hopes that prospective students, or current CC students considering this program, will be able to learn a little bit more about it. Therefore, I will start by introducing myself, and the exchange program at Sciences Po (bear with me, mom).
I am a 20 year old (soon to be 21 year old!) Junior at Colorado College, majoring in Political Science, with a concentration in International Relations, and minoring in French. I actually started at CC a semester late, choosing to do the "Winter Start" option, and studied abroad in Varanasi, India for Fall of 2009. If it isn't obvious, I love to travel. Even though I was behind in credits, I knew that I wanted to study abroad in my Junior year, and since I have a strong background in french I decided to look at french language programs. Early on, the exchange at Sciences Po caught my attention. I realized that I didn't want to join a group of American students studying abroad - I'd already done that in India, and I thought that I could handle something more challenging, more independent this time around, and Sciences Po is definitely that. So I applied, interviewed, was accepted, and now am currently sitting on my bed in a dorm in Paris with a student ID card from Sciences Po! Whew!
A little bit about why I chose Sciences Po for my year abroad: it is a much larger university than Colorado College, and therefore offers not only more classes, but classes in much more specific areas of study. For example, I'm taking a class this semester called "Redefining the International Community: From Humanitarian Intervention to the Responsibility to Protect." The class looks into the reasoning behind (be it financial, moral, political) and reality of foreign intervention, and the ways in which it can hurt or hinder a state in need. This is exactly what I am interested in. I want to work on with an international organization, specifically in conflict resolution - deciding what constitutes a "need" for foreign assistance, how best to address these "needs," when it is legally and/or morally allowed to intervene with force in another nation-state. Therefore, this class is exactly what I'm interested in! This is just one example of class at Sciences Po that a small college like Colorado College cannot offer. Don't get me wrong, I love CC and I have continually been impressed with the professors and classes offered in the Political Sciences department, but part of the trade off of going to a wonderful, intimate college is having limited class options. By going to Sciences Po for a year, I think I'm managing to get the best of both worlds.
Okay, so onto Paris! I'm loving it here so far! It's been almost three weeks in, and I'm starting to feel fairly comfortable in the city. I chose to come to Paris a few weeks early in order to attend Sciences Po's welcome program – an orientation program in which you learn about the "methodologie" (which I'll explain in a later post) and you get a french "buddy" to show you around, assist you in setting up a bank account, etc. I think it was well worth it. While the methodologie classes were a bit dull, I enjoyed having a few weeks to settle into my temporary room at the Cité Universitaire and get to know some of the other exchange students. And now I've had a week's worth of classes! But I'll get into that another day, I think this post has been long enough. I've got to keep some level of suspense to get you all to come back, right? Now I'll try to figure out how to put up pictures (I feel very inept at all of this...)
A bientot! (translates to "until soon")
Ariella
I've finally started a blog! While I debated many wonderful and clever titles, I decided to go for simple over chic, taking a cue from a German friend here who was absolutely confounded why I wouldn't just call my blog "paris" or "myblog"– as the German students here are teaching me, there is rarely a need for frivolity. Thus, I invite you to read my blog "Ariella in Paris" or "Une Anneé a Paris" throughout this school year as I study at Sciences Po in Paris, France. While I'm writing this blog for family and friends, (and anyone who stalks me on facebook) I'm also sending it to Colorado College's Study Abroad advisor, Heather Browne. She wants to put it on to CC's website in hopes that prospective students, or current CC students considering this program, will be able to learn a little bit more about it. Therefore, I will start by introducing myself, and the exchange program at Sciences Po (bear with me, mom).
I am a 20 year old (soon to be 21 year old!) Junior at Colorado College, majoring in Political Science, with a concentration in International Relations, and minoring in French. I actually started at CC a semester late, choosing to do the "Winter Start" option, and studied abroad in Varanasi, India for Fall of 2009. If it isn't obvious, I love to travel. Even though I was behind in credits, I knew that I wanted to study abroad in my Junior year, and since I have a strong background in french I decided to look at french language programs. Early on, the exchange at Sciences Po caught my attention. I realized that I didn't want to join a group of American students studying abroad - I'd already done that in India, and I thought that I could handle something more challenging, more independent this time around, and Sciences Po is definitely that. So I applied, interviewed, was accepted, and now am currently sitting on my bed in a dorm in Paris with a student ID card from Sciences Po! Whew!
A little bit about why I chose Sciences Po for my year abroad: it is a much larger university than Colorado College, and therefore offers not only more classes, but classes in much more specific areas of study. For example, I'm taking a class this semester called "Redefining the International Community: From Humanitarian Intervention to the Responsibility to Protect." The class looks into the reasoning behind (be it financial, moral, political) and reality of foreign intervention, and the ways in which it can hurt or hinder a state in need. This is exactly what I am interested in. I want to work on with an international organization, specifically in conflict resolution - deciding what constitutes a "need" for foreign assistance, how best to address these "needs," when it is legally and/or morally allowed to intervene with force in another nation-state. Therefore, this class is exactly what I'm interested in! This is just one example of class at Sciences Po that a small college like Colorado College cannot offer. Don't get me wrong, I love CC and I have continually been impressed with the professors and classes offered in the Political Sciences department, but part of the trade off of going to a wonderful, intimate college is having limited class options. By going to Sciences Po for a year, I think I'm managing to get the best of both worlds.
Okay, so onto Paris! I'm loving it here so far! It's been almost three weeks in, and I'm starting to feel fairly comfortable in the city. I chose to come to Paris a few weeks early in order to attend Sciences Po's welcome program – an orientation program in which you learn about the "methodologie" (which I'll explain in a later post) and you get a french "buddy" to show you around, assist you in setting up a bank account, etc. I think it was well worth it. While the methodologie classes were a bit dull, I enjoyed having a few weeks to settle into my temporary room at the Cité Universitaire and get to know some of the other exchange students. And now I've had a week's worth of classes! But I'll get into that another day, I think this post has been long enough. I've got to keep some level of suspense to get you all to come back, right? Now I'll try to figure out how to put up pictures (I feel very inept at all of this...)
A bientot! (translates to "until soon")
Ariella
yay!
ReplyDeleteI read a weblog, I hope that it doesn't sadden me as much as this one. I’m talking about, I know it was my selection to read, but I actually thought you'd have something interesting to say. Great work admin..
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