Hamilton in France

Day 2 in Paris, I decide to grab a quick bite to eat at a Vietnamese place in the 2nd arrondissement. I finally make it through the line and ask the Vietnamese man for a sandwich and a “nem au canard, s’il vous plaît.” In a thick accent making his question unintelligible, he responds, “Rechauffé?” Although I can’t make out what he says, I clearly see all the solemn French people behind me waiting for me to speak. I answer “non” very seriously to not seem ignorant. I come to realize what he asked as I walk down the street munching on a frozen nem. I would have loved my food warm…

Thankfully, I’ve made progress since my first days here in Paris, but these situations define me nonetheless. These instances stand as small hurdles that I overcame, indicating my integration into daily life. Now I speak to that same Vietnamese man at least once a week, sometimes eating lunch with him, and I always leave with my food warm. As time has passed, my ability to comprehend, to communicate, and to build relationships has progressed as well. From my experience, much of this refinement happens over a glass with my host parents or a cup of coffee with some French students who found me and my attempts at acting like a native endearing and entertaining.

Academically, this semester I am taking three courses at the Institut d’Études Politiques, mainly just called by its short hand Sciences Po, to satisfy requirements for my major in world politics; this opportunity is allotted only to yearlong students of the Hamilton in France program. The courses offered at Sciences Po include subjects ranging from the abstract such as “Theories of International Relations” which is a large lecture class with an associated TA session, to the very specific and concrete such as “Dynamics of the Global Economy: Macroeconomic Management to Structural Reforms.” I am enrolled in both and can say that the student body pulls from every continent and affords students an opportunity to interact with a diverse population of individuals unified by a common interest in politics with a uniquely French perspective. As a native Spanish speaker, I found the opportunity to speak the language I spoke back home in Miami with students from places like Colombia and Puerto Rico invaluable. It provided a much-appreciated sense of home. I can’t say, though, that I find the weekly 8AM TA session thrilling, but the red-eyed French graduate student with coffee stains on his scarf leading the session doesn’t either – we empathize with one another.

The IEP also provides multiple opportunities to participate in extracurricular conferences, clubs, and sports ranging from discussions on bioethics to boxing classes in the 6^th arrondissement. These types of events, sprinkled in with the HiF excursions to other gorgeous areas of France like Marseille and Burgundy as well as the pervasive beauty and activity of Paris itself have made my time abroad extremely exciting and like nothing else I have ever experienced. Paris brings the old world together with the new world in a way I have never seen, mixing modernity with antiquity, producing all around beauty. Even if you want to do nothing all day but sit at a café, a perfectly French cultural activity, nothing feels like something and you will find yourself happily content. I am 6 months into my 9 month stay, and I can say with certainty that I made the right decision staying here for the year.

Ram Franqui

For their first trip after the winter holidays, students visited four iconic cities in Provence, in the South of France. They started with the Palais des Papes in the city of Avignon, which was ranked by UNESCO as a world heritage site. During the 14^th century, the administrative center of the Catholic Church was in Avignon, displaced from Rome, until it moved back to the Vatican in 1370. This impressive fortress-like structure still contains some murals and provides beautiful views from the high terraces.

The group posing in front of Avignon’s Palais des Papes

The next morning, the group headed to the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct that was built in the first century AD by the Romans to transport water from Uzès to Nîmes. It is the highest of the standing Roman aqueducts.

A guide allowed students to walk through the highest level, through the tunnel that conveyed the water.

In the afternoon, they visited the town of Arles, which is also well known for its Roman arena and theatre.

 

Students posing in the Roman Arena and listening to the guide telling us about the story of Roman theatres

The third and last destination was the city of Marseille on the French Riviera. The city is the second biggest in France after Paris, and it is famous for its historic harbour and the Quartier du Panier. The ‘Mistral’ wind blew over Marseille but the sun was shining all day.

 

Students enjoying the seaside and Ram Franqui (Hamilton ’19) tries the ‘Bouillabaisse’ soup, a typical dish in the region.

Taking a walk in the ‘Quartier du Panier’ and its street art collection on walls

 

Watch the video of the weekend here: