Grande aventure: I quit my job in NYC to try life in France. Everything was different including pizza, which had such a thin crust, it was hard to pick up (even for a New Yorker.) I liked it best with billowy pools of over-easy eggs on top.
Channon Hodge
Déjeuner typique: This was a frequent lunch: a traditional french baguette, stuffed with meat and fries.
Channon Hodge
Sortie sportive: Our school organized trips like this one to a very bloody rugby match.
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Jours de vin et de travail: I spent a long time debating taking a job many students opt for before school resumes in the fall. Harvesting grapes involves hours spent hunching over to gather grapes that bend low to the ground once ripe. However, the job comes with free hearty meals, housing and is considered a respectable achievement.
Channon Hodge
Tous ensemble: My friends and I naively started watching the PRIDE parade from the sideline. We quickly realized parades were collaborative and meant to gather people as they go.
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Leçon d'histoire: Southern France has many towns with castles and palaces. Avignon, the home of Catholic Popes in the 1300s, was a day-trip destination for my classmates.
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Rues de ma ville: The streets in Montpellier are full of restaurants offering "plats du jour," tourist shops, and small grocers offering inexpensive local cheese, fruits and vegetables.
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Ça marche: Anyone without European citizenship has few job options. While I was hired with these coworkers in a mall juice bar, other students took odd jobs or relied on their savings.
Channon Hodge
Pas de problème: It was completely against the law to scramble down the dangerous cliffs to the water in Marseille, France. There was an interesting disdain for laws that people felt overstepped their rights.
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La vie en froze: We'd spent so many days on the beach, we foolishly tried spending the night on one. We were frozen by midnight and fled home at 4 a.m.