Ain't bad to play badminton.

As I have been too focused on school and homework, I obviously paid little attention to extra-curriculum activities. I missed the fair where students can sign up for clubs, so I thought practicing a sport would not be possible. Little did I know I was wrong. I went to the café français, a social gathering where the aim is to speak French. I met there an International student from China that I already knew from Early Arrival, and somewhere during our conversation I learned he was heading to the badminton club afterwards. My interest was particularly aroused and he suggested that I came.

At seven o'clock, we arrived at the gymnasium. I was surprised to see that ¾ of the space was for tennis courts. The rest was for badminton. On the one hand, I was eager to play again but on the other hand, I realized immediately how bad I was. As I had not touched a shuttlecock for at least six years, I knew I would be rusty but I did not expect to be that terrible, regarding simple basics such as catching the shuttlecock (in whichever possible direction) and serving. Naturally, the more I know the trainer's attention is on me, the more anxious I get. However, the atmosphere was friendly so little by little, I became more relaxed Fortunately, after about thirty five minutes of practice, my body retrieved the badminton skills it had lost a while ago. The trainer and the pal I went with were both surprised, the latter said “wow, you learn fast!”. The thing is, I have just forgotten!

For two hours and a half, I did have fun playing. I kept laughing and encouraging my teammates and even when I made mistakes I took it lightly. The other players were also nice. Basically, I was the only girl (out of ten people) but far from being a problem, it was very enjoyable. Even when I had P.E at high school, I preferred being with guys for I always found it more challenging and thought they seemed to be more into sports (whereas the girls would be more lazy about it). Overall, I was definitely satisfied of this experience that I am going to renew, now that I know badminton club takes place three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). Practising a sport is the best tool to release stress thanks to the endorphins. Contrary to jogging, it feels you have an aim when doing it. What I mean is that the goal is to fight and ultimately win against your opponent, so you know why you have to put so many efforts into it. Whereas jogging bored my brain out, as well as being exhausting. Whenever I gave jogging a try, I would end up being even more hopeless. In my case, I do not last very long before I am out of breath or get a stitch. Besides, what is the point of running? You only go straight ahead, and that is it, basically. B-o-r-i-n-g. When playing badminton, I did not see time fly, and although I had played non-stop for two hours and a half, I did not feel tired.

Living on campus and having so many facilities close to me is definitely a plus. As an addition to that, it is free, so I am pretty happy about being able to play a sport I like, for not only does it make you feel better but it is also health-friendly.

22 years old.

As you can see on the top of my Samsung Galaxy: many notifications from Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Viber, Gmail for my birthday, of course! (thanks again to my Uncle Bernie! Btw, the protection case, both front & back won't stay on the phone, it keeps removing itself...)

 I turned twenty two today. 

Nothing changed, but I knew it was a different day.

Birthdays have never been such a big deal to me for after all, nothing really changes, apart from the fact that we grow older. 

Yet, October 5th is a special day, the only day when you get a lot of attention and that you feel very important. Facebook and Twitter covered me with happy birthday messages, even from people I seldom hear from.

Today was nice though. As I have already said, less ordinary and a bit more special. Here in the USA, when you are the birthday-girl, you are congratulated with hugs (something I am not used to).
The funny thing is that no sooner had I left Middlebury College Bookstore than I saw my roommate and the following occured:

- Hey, what's up?

- I've just come back from the bookstore. 15% off after all, eh!
- 15% off? *confused for less than a second* What? It's your birthday?? Why haven't you told meeeee? Come here for a hug!!

Today was also different from the October 5th of these past twenty one years because it was the first time I was all alone. No parents, no siblings, no grandparents, no uncles, no other relatives. Whenever it is someone's birthday, we would go to my grandparents' house to celebrate it among family members in a simple but warm way. Birthday cake(s) and champagne. The person born on that day would blow the candles then everybody would spent the afternoon together, talking about everything and what-not. That is how my asian family rolls. Family matters! So it was weird not to do anything with them today. As a matter of fact, this made me realize even more how alone I was here.

Although I have never celebrated my birthday with my boyfriend, the fact that we are both very far away from each other is more than tough, and on these special days, bittersweetness is what our lips taste like. Presents-wise, I got to do a bit of shopping at the bookstore and...received an envelope from my boyfriend! It contained a mini photo-album of him and I. He got me something else and is still struggling whether he should ship it to me so I can already have it or if he should listen to his selfish-side that would rather have me open the present on December, so that he can see my reaction. 

Even though it may sound insignificant,it was odd not to wake up in the morning and to see my brother quickly saying "Ouais, joyeux anniversaire!" in a still-sleepy yet trying to be cheerful tone, while my sister would exclaim "bon anniversaire timooyoomotoo!". My parents would be nicer to me on that day, and my mom would call me "ma puce". My grandma and grandpa would be extra-nice and give me extra...notes as well. I find it amusing how my grandma gives them to me, by usually saying "Ong Ba Ngoai cho tien nhưng phả cogan học!" The phone would keep ringing, and everytime my mom would tell me to pick it up because it is for me: who else could it be but my uncles? Hehe.

These are the kind of things that go unnoticed throughout your life but that pop up in your face when you are far away from home, and that makes you realize they are so much more significant than they seem.

 Worse, any birthday-girl would wish her boyfriend was here to cover her with even more affection and attention on that day. At that point, it could be any day, the both of us would cherish every single day we would have together.

Tough it up, 22 year-old birthday girl!

A little trip to Burlington

Burlington, aka a city a bit more urbanized than Middlebury.

                During Orientation Week (right after Early Arrival and before the beginning of classes), not only did we have to choose our courses but we also had plenty of activities, including a trip to Burlington, the most-populated and urban city of Vermont and one hour away from Middlebury (sic). I thought that like at the airport, a Middlebury College van would bring us to the city. Surprise, it was a bus! THE American yellow bus, the one that you always see in movies, video games (The Sims!) as well as cartoons (The Magic School Bus! Ah, goold old times). Back then, the weather was warm and sunny, whereas today was awful: rain, wind, coldness, I have had it all.

THE American school bus!

Isn't it exciting to be in a yellow school bus?

Inside...the school bus.

 

                As you may have already noticed, this article is more of an illustration of Burlington through tons of snapshots, rather than a long text describing what life is like at Middlebury College. Taking as many pictures as possible to remember this trip was therefore much obliged.
It was the first time I got out of Middlebury, and since I will seldom have other opportunities to do so, I jumped on the occasion. Being quite stuck in the middle of nowhere as well as not having a driving license is one of the cons of Middlebury, although this definitely has pros too.

Trees and little houses: typical Vermont scenery.

An hour later, we found civilization again.

The Pedestrian Street.

                Unfortunately, we only had two hours to do whatever we wanted Burlington which was a shame because it was way too little time to really discover the city. I did not do any research about it prior to my visit, something I have just remembered my mother would not do. She likes to print pages and pages of information about what to do, what to explore in a specific area. She would even do it for me, see how helpful and involved she can be! I decided to go to the Pedestrian Street, where a lot of international well-known brands are located. You have guessed well, my intention was to go shopping. After all, from what I have seen so far, Middlebury’s reputation is not based on its fashion sense. This was the unique opportunity to enjoy a girly activity, so it was now or never! 

 

                I entered Macy’s, a mall. For some unknown reason, I really like mall’s atmosphere. Is it because it is so huge yet so comfy? French ones seem to be narrower, having less space and thus more crowded, and few benches. GAP, Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, Aeropostale, Pac Sun, and so on and so forth. A refreshing change from European brands! I ended up buying quite a lot of stuff, justified on the fact plenty of them were on sale and nice. Moreover, I probably will not have the opportunity to go shopping before a while, so why not seize it when possible?

Not so funny when it has happened to you (thanks to my sister)!

I bought one because I found this original and cute but only noticed afterwards it was Mac-shaped...

 

                After two hours, it was already time to go. See you next time, Burlington!

An education

       

      In France, being able to go to the university (with the condition of having the baccalauréat) is often seen as normal, unremarkable. Then you tend to ask yourself why acing the high school exams during your last year is such a big deal, as it will “only” open the doors to higher education, i.e universities, grandes écoles, etc. Thus, since most people continue their education, being a student would seem to be an obvious and natural thing. Before going to America, I already knew that most of the average individuals did not have the chance to have an education that would go beyond high school, for the price of higher education is extremely expensive. 

Newspapers available for free every day at the dining halls: USA Today, New York Times, The Boston Globe.

            The French education gladly opens its arms to students, given an annual fee that covers studies and compulsory social security. Basically, in the United-States, money is the key if you want to access good colleges and universities for the annual cost of education is exorbitant. Although Middlebury College is need-blind in terms of finances, you can definitely tell the Middkids are not poor. I have always studied in public schools, hence being used to the blending of types (in terms of ethnicity, wealth, etc). For instance, in a French university, you tend to have a little bit of everything: well-off people as well as not-so-rich but below-average people. Receiving financial aid, mostly grants is common. 

My desk! Looking quite clean.

 So when back to school occurred at Middlebury College, all I could see was very different people. They look…well-off, rich. Everybody wears high-brands, carries a Mac (MacBook Pro, naturally), has high-tech devices and…wear Hunter boots when it starts raining a bit. One of my first thoughts was: “Gee, is everyone rich or what?”. Of course, seldom do you expect very poor students attending a private elite liberal arts college but people with big means.

I like to think these books are also for my personal knowledge...

 Not only are people quite well-off here but they are also incredibly smart. At school, I usually ranked first, but until now, never did I feel challenged. The individualism and an incentive towards personal thinking may be the reasons why. Contrary to my home university, where in class, you could just sit and write down every word said by the teacher  then leave at the end, here it is definitely not possible.  First, because of the size of the class. In France, there are two hundreds of students in a lecture while a module would generally be attended by fifty students. Yes, fifty. In a module. How can you work and participate well in these conditions? How can a teacher deal with fifty people, that is definitely too much to manage correctly! Isn’t it because the government keeps cutting teacher jobs by deciding not to renew jobs that are left by those retiring? 

Strawberry begonia that I got thanks to a free plants-giveaway.

          Anyway, this is totally different at Middlebury College for a class is made of no more than fifteen students in average. Thus, this is a much more beneficial environment to learn in. Inasmuch there are few people, we are bound to participate more for hiding in the back of the classroom is less than possible. In these favorable conditions, we are more likely to blossom in terms of personal-thinking. Indeed, most classes involve discussions where students have to express their opinion regarding a specific subject. Individual thinking is more emphasized, whereas in France, the key is to mechanically learn by heart. Furthermore, no one ever asked questions during my studies in France, for no one dared to. This is something that makes me wonder why, for here, everybody does ask questions whenever something has not been understood. Nobody hesitates in doing so. I have noticed that students seem to be much more passionate about their studies, for they do work, do the readings and therefore, have a lot of things to share. Such a huge difference with what I have always known: people bored out of their minds.

All the books I had to buy for...this semester.

 Back to the subject of the cost of studies, I can definitely say I feel very privileged to be an Exchange Student, for under the agreement made with my home university, the host college covers the cost of my tuition, board and lodging. Wondering how much? Take the price of an annual fee in a Master’s Degree and multiply it by 135. In comparison, the cost of the books bought for ONE semester is equivalent to the amount paid for TWO semesters of studies. Crazy, isn’t it? While buying books is only recommended for classes in France, here having them is absolutely essential for the well-being of your studies. Not such a surprise since most of the knowledge is to be found there.

View from inside the library.

I have realized how incredible the opportunity to study abroad is. Not only does it provide an unique experience in terms of language, culture and education, but it also shows you a whole different environment. As I have always travelled even since I could walk, the cultural divergences of countries do not surprise me, but when changing the perspective from a mere tourist to a student who gets to live the American life, this is way more fulfilling. Being able to experience a different education system is so refreshing from what I know in France. Sure, things are definitely not easy here, but it is part of the challenge that life provides.

(Home)work or die.

 As I have just finished writing my reaction paper for tomorrow, I am more inclined to write about the differences in terms of homework between Middlebury College and my university. Having to read one hundred pages of paramount interest about the causes of the English revolution (1529-1642) to then write a reaction paper is definitely tricky. Although I technically had two days to do that, you have to take into account that I have other school-related things to do and that I am not used to having to work every single day. Curious about why? Continue reading!

Very comfy seats, perfect for arduous readings...

 The French university system, where the workload is quite light, has always enabled me not to burden myself with homework. As a very good and serious student, I have always managed to ace my exams. Doesn’t it sound contradictory and paradoxical? What I mean is that at my home university, you do not have to revise your lesson every day so as to be able to follow the class, even though it is obviously advised. The ideal thing would be to work regularly so as to acquire knowledge progressively so that when the exams arrive, you only have to revise. Something that a studious student like me did…not. Every time, I would do last-minute revisions, i.e a week before (after a semester consisting in chilling out and playing video games) so as to pass my exams.  This entailed me spending hours and hours on intense and exhausting revisions (or learning…) till late at night (or very early in the morning). Of course, every time I would tell myself that I learned from that bitter lesson and that therefore next time, it would not be like that. Naturally, I was wrong! But the good thing is that I have always done well in my studies.

Quite the view, eh?

 Nevertheless, asserting that doing so at Middlebury College and succeeding would be regarded as a joke that everyone would laugh at. It did not come as a surprise for I already knew what to expect, but still, it is not easy. Here, if I were to spend all my nights playing Plants VS Zombies (one of the few games that can be run on my netbook) and merely leaf through my expensive-as-hell books, I would end up drowning in a sea full of issues ready to take me down. So far, I do not think I have ever worked that much on a daily-basis and unfortunately, this is only the beginning, folks. Far are the times when I came back home and spent my evening catching up with my boyfriend via Skype and playing Left 4 Dead 1 & 2 and Borderlands with him. I am not saying that chilling out is out of the question but doing so way too much is definitely not affordable. Moreover, as I am completely immersed in a English-speaking environment, I have to work more because of the language barrier (fortunately, my English is fluent but still, it does require more work compared to an American student).

I have noticed that learning is very different here. I have always been used to learning from the teachers through their lectures. People passively attend the classes and write down what is being said, whereas here, active participation is a must. You cannot just hide in class. To be able to take part in discussions, you must have knowledge. Where does it come from? In my opinion, not so much from the teacher, but mostly from the books you have to read. Then every student has to discuss topics and issues raised in their readings. Then again, it depends on the course, for the lectures given in my accounting classes do bring knowledge but for the most part, you have to go and seek it.

Orientation Week: the brain-teaser-friendly quest for courses.

Welcome to Middlebury! Population: 8183 habitants.

At Middlebury College, Orientation Week enables students to make up their minds and choose their courses over hundreds of possibilities in various departments. It was the first time I encountered this kind of system which is peculiar to liberal arts colleges. Over this week, the question that one could hear the most was “what courses are you taking?” How astonished was I when people would tell me they chose completely different subjects. For instance, choosing psychology, computer sciences, Hebrew and Greek history altogether is completely plausible. For someone like me who has always been used to register for an already-defined set of courses, that was one drastic change to observe.

Unfortunately for me, I could not enjoy such academic freedom.  As an Exchange Student, although I am studying at Middlebury College, I remain a student from Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3. As a consequence, I am subjected to constraints that require me to take courses which match the ones taught at my home university. And here comes the challenging part. Not only did I have to pick up courses which content resembles that of my university’s, but I also had to make sure there were no time schedules conflicts. Another troublesome element lied in the fact that obviously, not 100%-matching courses could be found, but sometimes finding if only one slightly similar course was a hell of a task. When you do, you then have to ask for the approval of your home university’s supervisor and coordinator (and technically wait for their response). In my case, my pedagogical contract established four subjects for this semester:

-          ECON 220: American Economic History

-          ECON 0316: Corporate Finance & Accounting

-          ECON 0444: International Trade

-          CHNS 201: Intermediate Chinese

Le Château

       Naturally, nothing went as expected. In our information packets, we had a sheet indicating the courses we were pre-registered in. Much obliged, I was negatively surprised I was enrolled in one hundred-level courses: Topics in Socio-cultural Anthropology and Intro to Microeconomics. What, what, what? Panic and stress ensued as usual, my bad. In my quest for further information, I found out that the International Programs service could not register me ahead of time for my courses are advanced-level (not surprising since I have finished my undergraduate studies…) and therefore required the professors' approval. It makes sense. Wonderful, another quest to add to my journal: to go see the faculty members in order to obtain their signature for the add-card. 500xp if done (I miss playing RPGs…sic). The add-what? Simply put, it is a green card in which students have to indicate the course they wish to enroll in and then get it signed by the professor and academic advisor. At Middlebury College, you can add courses in a limited period of that ends two weeks after back-to-school, and dropping them is possible until five weeks after. Great system, isn’t it? That way, you can audit several classes you still are undecided about and get a sneak preview. What an awesome option for people who cannot make up their mind, like me.

The Window - McCardell Bicentennial Hall

                As I wanted to take a Chinese course, I took the placement exam that consisted of a 200 words-essay and an interview. Aiming at the two hundred-level courses, I was quite confident I would not be put in beginners. After all, how could I, having learned Chinese for three years (yet only two years of grammar classes). The tricky part was the oral examination. Although the teacher was nice, I was struggling when it came to finding the right words. That is what happens when you do not practise a foreign language. How could I, anyway? I do not have any Chinese background and no one to talk in Chinese too – apart from myself, however I do not think this is the most fabulous idea.

A cosy place to study and whatnot - McCardell Bicentennial Hall

 The results were displayed the next day and I was advised to take…CHNS 0102. 102? As in, beginner? Indeed. I could not help feeling a tad ashamed for after six semesters of Chinese, I was judged ready to take a first-level course for J-term? When put into perspective, that should not be surprising. Middlebury College is particularly well-known for the high quality of its language courses that involve intensive lessons (the double amount of time that I had at my university) taught by a highly-qualified faculty staff. 

Davis Family Library

                Let’s continue with never-ending surprises. When I went to see the professor of International Trade, who was willing to take me in her course, she immediately warned me with the following:

“Have you studied calculus before? Econometrics? Because you’ll need to know them in order to write a research paper.”

Calculus? Eco-what? Research paper? Help, I do not have a clue of what she is talking about! She showed me the types of exercises that would be done in class, and even though she suggested me to take a lower-level course (ECON 0340: International Economy: a Political Approach), I was still not reassured by the presence of all these nasty mathematical formulas. After all, all the courses in Economics I have had never dealt with mathematics, let alone statistics and variables. My field of studies being Foreign Languages applied to Economics and Law, the approach was definitely not mathematic-based. Instead, it focused more on understanding how firms dealt with the economy in a global context, in theory and practice. My skull was heavily hammered in surprise. Change of plans required! (Journal quest updated!) I decided to turn to the Department of Political Science, hoping it would open its heavy gates for the hopeless soul that I am. It did. By the end of the week, I decided to take the following courses:

-          PSCI 324: The Political Development of Western Europe

-          ECON 220: American Economic History

-          ECON 316: Corporate Finance and Accounting

Two of them are college-writing courses (ah, so that is what CW stands for!) but it cannot be worse than dealing with mathematics. In the end, I told myself that if not all my courses are approved by my home university, I would still have had the privilege and the incredible opportunity to not only stay in the US for an academic year, with all its benefits, but also to experience the education system at an elite private liberal arts college. I was a lucky (or rather, worthy and well-deserved one) person among a few and even if it meant re-doing a year at my home university, studying abroad was still an unique rewarding and fulfilling academic, cultural as well as personal experience.

Cosy yet chic atmosphere, perfect for study purposes, isn't it?