Florence

Whenever you start to plan your spring break make sure that you go where you want to go and go where you will enrich your experience at the Abbey. I went to Vienna Austria, Interlaken, Switzerland, Venice, Florence, and Rome. My favorite city in Italy was Florence. Whenever I started my journey I thought I would enjoy Rome the best but I loved Florence. It you go to Italy you must go to Florence. Do not sell yourself short on your time there either. I wish I would have stayed there another day. If you go you must go to the top of the city, bring a bottle, of wine and reflect on your time there. If you do all of the major tourist sites you would have seen so many wonderful pieces of art. My favorite site I say at in Florence was the Duomo. It is a church, bell tower, and baptistery down by the famous artists of the early Renaissance era. Also, if you go to Florence you have to stay in the hostel Leonardo House. It is in the best location ever!!!
http://hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Leonardo-House/Florence/2165is the link to the great hostel I talked about earlier.

Wicklow County, Ireland

It has always been a dream of mine to hike through the Wicklow Mountians of Ireland. I am a big fan of the outdoors and love nature. With that said for a few days of my spring break I decided to go to Ireland. About 45 minutes outside of Dublin there is an unbelievable mountian region. I can not comment anything about Dublin because I did not go there, however I here if you are looking for a fun big city than go. The first day I was there I went to Glendalough and this was in the heart of the Wicklow Mountian National Park. At this location was St. Kevin Monastery built in the 6th century. Being a history major i had to go there. It was very cool, walking in the ruins was very moving. With it being in a national park there was nature trails all over the mountians. We decided to go on one trail up this mountain to this water fall. BEAUTIFUL. Everywhere you looked it was just amazing. Ireland was so green and breath taking. Next we decided to hike down to the upper lake. Looking out on the lake and seeing the mountains behind it was amazing. I knew that I will never forget that image for as long as I live. Walking on another trail along the upper lake I spotted a place called St Kevin's Den. Walking to that location I read the little insert and it said that this very spot was where St. Kevin ( the monk who founded the Monastery) would come an meditate. So i did the same. I was still and just took in God's unbelieveable creation. Religious or not i would highly encourage anyone to visit Glendalough because it indeed is one of the mose beautiful places I have ever been. The next day we visited the Powerscourt Gardens near the famous sugar loaf mountian. The gardens were pretty but i would only go in the summer time because the majority of the gardens were not in bloom. Irish pubs are just like the movies. Fun and good music. Please visit Ireland because I promise you will enjoy every minute of it.

Da Vinci's House and Amboise

Amboise was my favorite chateau because that is where the famous Leonardo Da Vinci is buried. Francis the 1st, Da Vinci's good friend, gave Da Vinci a small house to live this town. Da Vinci's died there and in the arms of his good friend Francis the 1st. Visiting his home was incredible because you walked where this Reinssance man walked, where he lived, and most importantly where he thought. His house was very small, however the grounds around it were large and beautiful. His final show Da Vinci's had all of his works on his lawn allowing many people to come and enjoy. He was not only an artist, but he was a engineer, a mathematician, a architect, and a scientist. His devices and contraptions that were all over his home and his gardens. Next, the Abbey Group had lunch on the river and we just enjoyed each other and laughed about past experience and funny monents. Then, Carlee and I visited the Chateau. We saw the chapel where Da Vinci was buried. The chapel is very simply. It just blew me away that I was fortunate to see where Da Vinci lived and where he is buried. After seeing the chateau we met up with the group and enjoyed the town because it was a beautiful day in the Loire Valley.

Travel Tips

Traveling is wonderful but it also is stressful. A few quick tips. Ryanair is and hour and a half outsid of the city and very often goes on strike. Easyjet is a great airline to use. Charlotte and I used Easyjet coming home from Rome. Give yourself about two hours preparation time before you plane leaves. My advice it take trains because you get to see the countryside of Europe. Charlotte and I on our way from Vienna, Austria to Interlaken, Switzerland took a nine hour train ride, but we got to go the Alps. Outside looked like a winter wonderland. By your train tickets in Italy once you get their, and the not so nice trains are much cheaper. Always go second class because you are more likely to meet other college students. Also be friendly to others while you travel all the while being careful. If something looks sketchy than it probably is sketchy. here is a helpful link for travel.
http://www.voyages-sncf.com/

Monet's House and Gardens

Claude Monet and his family lived in Giverny, France. This small town in Normany is about one hour outside of France. Monet moved there because he wanted to get away from the loud city of Paris. He wanted to surround himself in a small quiet setting. That he did!!! Monet created these beautiful gardens also his gardens uncluded the waterlillies. It was in these controled gardens where he painted his most famous works. This impressionist did not care what critics thought about his works. He believed that if a painting touches one's soul than it is indeed art. Being a huge fan of impresssion and Monet I decided to go. While looking online, My friends and I found a bike tour company located in Paris that would take us on a bike tour of Vernon and Giverny. This American company is called Fat Tire Bike Tours. You booked out spot online for Saturday and headed to Paris on Friday night. After a fun night at the Latin Quarter the girls and I were so pumped the next morning about this tour. The tour begins at the train station. You meet up with the group, jump on a 40 min. train to Vernon, get your bike :), head to a market, have lunch next to a lake(where there was a sailboat race going on), go down a bike trail and then arrive in Girverny. Our tour guides were close to our age and were alot of fun. The bikes were beach cruzers so very safe and easy. Once in Girverny you enter Monet's House and his Gardens. I encourage you to go in May because anytime before that the gardens will not be in bloom. We went our last weekend at the Abbey. The waterlilles were amazing. To be thinking that these grounds inspired all of Monet's famous works was mind blowing. His house and studio was precious. It was a great day indeed. The guides also take you to Monet's grave. The bike trail back was much fun and riding through Vernon was fun as well. After putting the bikes up we hoped on a train back to Paris. The trip took about 8 hours so it is a full day. Girverny was probably my favorite town besides Pontlevoy in France. Monet's was a very talented artist and it was a honor to visit where he lived and flouished as an artist.http://www.viator.com/tours/Paris/Giverny-and-Monets-Garden-Bike-Tour/d479-3588MONET

Stay in the Loire Valley!!!!

One thing that I have enjoyed the most about my experience at the Abbey is simply staying in the Loire Valley, especially in the spring time. You must appreciate the place you and living and the beauty it possesses. Go to all of the Loire Alive trips you can to see the chateau’s of the Kings and Queens of France. The towns are charming too. A lot of people go and get piercings in Blois. I have enjoyed going to the surrounding towns very much. You can catch the bus and it only cost two euro to get there and two euro to get back. Ambroise is a really cool city to go to because Leonardo da Vinci lived there. You can go visit his house. Blois is beautiful because it is on the river. Blois also has lovely shopping. Here is a website with information on all the chateau's in the Loire Valley. www.simplychateau.com/chateaufrance

London :)

I would encourage every Abbey student to visit the beautiful and historical city of London. My friend Lindsey and I traveled to London the first two days of our spring break. We flew East Jet and yes it was affordable however we learned if you do not have to check any luggage than it makes your trip alot easier and less stressful. Also, if you do have carry on luggage make sure it fits in a small back pack. Saying that you should keep in mind that the less you pack the better your trip will be. We flew into London Luton. This airport is 45 min. outside of the city. DON'T STRESS. You just ask for a bus ticket to the train station and from there you take the train inside the city. The train will arrive at a tube station. The tube is their subway system. So clean and so easy to opperate. Buy an Oyster Card it will come in handy because buying individual tickets will get old and expensive. In this post I have included the link to the hostel we stayed at. It was in the Kennsington District the location was perfect Lindsey and I walked everywhere. We went to these places and I encourage you to go: Big Ben( must see), Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey( all right by each other too). Westminster's Abbey is incredible it holds so much history my favorite part is the Poet's Corner. Also see all the government buildings, Buckingham Palace(changing of the guard is a must see), Kennsington Palace, Tower of London(where Anne Boleyn was killed and crown jewels are held), London Bridge, St Paul Cathdral(beautiful), and Shakesphere's Globe. Something special about London are its parks. Be sure to visit St. James and Hyde park. With only being there for two days I wasn't able to see any musuems, BUT go London's Imperial War museum is suppose to be amazing as well as the British History musuem. Be sure and see plays too and if you are into shopping go to Harrods. I hope this has helped. Know that London is very safe and clean. The people of kind and appreciate visiters wanted to learn in their city. Be sure to go to a pub grab a beer and get you some fish and chips :) :) http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Astor-Kensington/London/19000?source=googleadwordshostelsbyname&gclid=CLnOu8zAwKECFQ-Y2AodyB6xEQ

Fabulous First Impression

For my first blog I want to talk about why I can to the Abbey. My older sister had done the British Studies program and worked in the International Program office with Jessica Lamb. Even before I came to Southern Miss I knew that I wanted to study abroad. The Abbey Program was in fact one of the reason’s I came to Southern Miss. I could not think of anything more wonderful than living in a thousand year old Abbey studying literature, art and history. I was so excited about the places I was going to see and people I was going to meet along the way. I was ready for the adventure. I will never forget the first time I saw the Abbey. I slept on the bus next to Lindsey Cornwall. We were instantly friends. I remember stepping of the bus being greeted by Sami’s Saint’s hat. The snow was on the ground and as I looked at the side of the chapel I could not believe that this dream had become reality. It was so cold outside. It had been a long time since I had been around snow. That afternoon after Chelsea and I got our stuff unpacked Sarah, Cody, Chelsea, Nathan, and I went exploring the grounds. We went to the Hershey kiss forest and the reflection pond. It is so weird to reflect on this now. Then we went to the Pontlevoy Catholic Church. This is the first time I had ever seen a European church. I remember the architecture was on like anything I had ever seen. My first memories at the Abbey will always be very special to me. So when you future Abbey students first look at the Abbey remember to savor the way you felts and your thoughts. One helpful website that all future Abbey student should now is www.hostelworld.com.

My Homeward Bound Vision Quest (Readers Digest Version)

I came to the Abbey knowing this was my oppurtunity to get away. To get away from Hattiesburg, away from the responsibilities I have at home, and away from somethings that were starting to poison my life. I never thought that getting away would only make me want to go back.

I've always been a complete and total New Orleans nut. My home, my city, my Saints, you name it from NOLA, I'll love it. I even like the crazies down in the quarter. All my life, my home has been a huge part of my identity. I was and am Charlotte Brown, a Dominican girl from New Orleans who loves her family and loves Jazzfest more than life itself. But then again, Jazzfest is life. I came here absolutely certain of the definition of home. But, I wanted to know other people's definition. I learned that to the Beguin's in Pontlevoy, their home was a small farm with fresh duck eggs, bike rides after a very long, alcohol ladden meal in the beautiful Loire Valley country side. I learned that to the Austrian man who helped Carlee and I find the Belvedere gardens in Vienna that home was a place to share. In Interlaken, I learned that home was a place to cherish, but that was a lesson I am already familiar with. My friend Peche (like the fruit) lost his house to some very bad flooding in the Swiss Alps, and hearing his story made me think of the thousands of people who had experinced the same thing five years ago in Hurricane Katrina. I learned from him that suffering is universal, not just local. This is a lesson I should have learned years ago, but I was too wrapped in my own sadness to figure it out. And to the Italians home is a source of loud, proud pride. They wear their hearts on their sleeves and they are not afraid express their emotions.

Coming back from Spring Break, seeing my Abbey for the first time was like a fresh breath of air. I hadn't realized that over the past couple of months, I had made a new definition of home.

Home is nights around a table, sharing a meal and fun stories. Home is a ballet in a Viennese opera house. Home is duck egg hunting. Home is being wrapped in plastic while your French professor sings a very scary song. Home is disobeying quiet hours. Home is sharing an experience you'll never be able to fully explain to some other than your fellow Abbey students.

But, home is also where the blues was born, and it takes a cool cat to blow a horn.

Advice for Future Students

Traveling at the Abbey can be tricky.  There is so much to think about when planning a trip.  Where will you go, how do you get tickets to Paris and tickets to your destination, will you take the train or a plane, where are you going to stay... the list goes on for eternity.  However, the most important question is, DO I WANT TO GO?  During our orientation during the first few week, Dr. Mackaman told us to be selfish on this experience.  This is a time to explore Europe and ourselves.  Don't always do everything your friends do if it's not what you want to do.  I can assure you that traveling with your friends is amazing!  But traveling with new friends is great too!  Your old friends may not always want to go the same places as you.  You may not be able to afford a weekend in Switzerland.  So you do what you want and can do, and allow your friends to do what they want too.  If it matches up, that's great, if not, that's great too! 

I came on this trip with three of my very best friends from Southern (one from high school too).  There were trips that we all didn't go on together, but I still had the best time with the people I was with! 

Understand that this trip is going to change your life.  You will find things our about yourself that you didn't even know were there.  You will find out your flaws and your strengths as a person.  Don't be discouraged though.  Just learn from it.  Studying abroad this semester has been the best experience of my life.  I cannot imagine not having had this experience.  I hope that where ever life takes my new Abbey family, they will keep in touch and always remember the amazing semester we had here!  I love everyone I've met here and will miss everyone!  I am so excited for and jealous of future Abbey classes because their experiences haven't happened yet. 

Enjoy the time you have in Pontlevoy because once it's gone, you're done.  Enjoy the people you're with and the lessons learned because it all will shape you into a better individual!  Take what you have learn here and take it to the rest of the world.

The Unification of Germany and Italy / WWI

The unification of Germany and Italy was the result of the growing popularity of nationalism. Germans and Italians saw Britain and France and how they were unified and realized that these countries were able to do this because the citizens of these countries had a since of national pride and felt like they were not just a citizen of Britain or France but they were a part of Britain and France. This pushed the Germans and Italians to strive for that nationalistic pride and unification of each one of their countries.

Prior to the unification of Germany there was the French Revolution, which is what gave them the desire to have a unified state. In 1792 France drafted soldiers in order to ensure the success of a battle. They were able to draft soldiers because people in France had a since of pride and were proud to serve and die defending their country versus how they felt prior to nationalism where they would rather die for money than to die for France. The Congress of Vienna in 1815 put Europe back together and reinstated diplomacy within the European nations.

Prior to the Industrial Revolution Britain and France were nation states with capitals, united languages, measurements, etc. However, Italy and Germany at this time were ruptured states. Italy in particular was made up of lots of small nation states. Britain and France, however had no problem with states that were broken up because it meant there was less threat toward their countries because no one nation state is large enough to take Britain or France.

Germany used the Romantic idea as their basis for becoming a unified state, despite the fact that at the Congress of Vienna not approve Germany to unify because as far a peacemakers were concerned, it was better for them if Germany was broken up into smaller nation states. Bismark was a German statesman who was responsible for the German Empire in 1871. He used his ability to persuade people to his advantage and made allies with a lot of the European countries without each one of them knowing about the other. Bismark essentially started the war between France and Prussia. After King William I of Prussia met with the French ambassador, William sent a telegram to Bismark outlining all of what they had talked about. Before allowing the telegram to go public Bismark edited out certain parts of it and made it seem as though William was being rude and condescending to the French ambassador. Now this was a huge insult to the French people because by this point France had a high since of national pride and the citizens of France felt as though it was demeaning to their country. A short six days later France declares war on Prussia in 1870, thus giving Bismark exactly what he wanted. By 1871 Germany has become unified and rose as an empire state.

(http://www.ssa.gov/history/ottob.html)


In the 1820's Italy began rallying together to make their state unified. Garibaldi was the pushing force behind this rally. Not only did he mobilize Northern Italy armies to move down toward the Papal states in order to unify Southern Italy. All the way up to the Papal states in Italy became unified. Garibaldi's invasion of the Two Sicily's is what is attributed to the beginning of the unification of Italy. Garibaldi went in with only one thousand of his Red Shirts on May 5th and finally made it into the chief city of Sicily on May 31st. He was like a god to the Italian people and when he would go out people would flock toward him hoping to kiss his hand. The Italian people needed a leader who would bring them toward nationalism and Garibaldi did that for Italy much like Bismark did it for Germany. (http://www.reformation.org/garibaldi.html)


WWI had three main causes. They were the Alliance system, the Scramble for Africa, and the idea of integration and identity, meaning nationalism. First off, at this time there were two groupings of countries. There was the Triple Alliance which consisted of Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy, and there was the Triple Entente which consisted of France, Russia, and Great Britain. The Triple Alliance and Triple Entente gave each European country two other countries that would have their backs in case a country from the other group tried to attack them. However, these Alliance systems were one of the causes of WWI because it put countries such as Russia and Germany on opposite sides which gave The Triple Entente and advantage over The Triple Alliance because they could have what is known as a two front war with Germany because both of them touch it. The Scramble for Africa was also another cause of WWI because this is defined as European countries trying to expand their states, therefore creating competition to see who could get to the land first and also who could get the most land and be the largest and strongest European state. The idea of integration and identity in the form of nationalism was also a cause of WWI because people within these countries were so willing to fight and protect their nation that European countries didn't have any problems finding soldiers which made it easier and quicker to form armies. Although these were all causes in the start of WWI, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914 was the event that set off the European nations and starting WWI.

(http://www.thecorner.org/hist/wwi/national.htm)

Week 11 Blog: Casey Ladner, Jacelyn Tebia, Amanda Hammack, Erica Burgess

Pontlevoy

Now that its time to leave, I am starting to wonder what it is the most that I will miss about this place. I started thinking about all my favorite things about Pontlevoy and the Abbey. below is a list of things all Abbey students must do while at the Abbey, in my opinion.
1. go for walks in the spring and see all the fields of flowers
2. when the sun comes out, take ur blanket and go spend some times with the hershey kiss tress.
3. spend as much time with your friends as you can.. three months is a short amount of time and you will miss your new friends bunchs when you leave
4. start your take home finals early.
5. eat as many meals at le commerce as you can, it will save you money, but also, the meals are amazing.
6. take walks and relax, if you don't have class in the afternoon, take a walk and soak up as much Pontlevoy as you can.
7. get to know the locals, they are awesome, and u will make life long friends.
8. don't travel every weekend, spend some weekends in the Loire valley getting to know the surrounding area of your temporary home.
9. I recommend a host family, they are wonderful and you learn so much from them.
10. Try to speak French as much as you can. even if your bad at it. The more you try to speak it with the locals, the easier your French class will be and the better you will get.

finals week

Finals week..
well getting ready for finals is tough.. not only are all your finals on one or two days. but not only that, you dont get any times from the end of classes and the begining of the finals. Your last class is on Thursday and Finals are on Friday. So, some advice, start any take home finals you get EARLY. and Thursday night.. have coffee, coke and snacks to get you through the all nighter that you will most likely have. !! below is a website for tips on how to pull an all nighter...

http://www.wikihow.com/Pull-an-All-Nighter

Cornwall, England

For Spring break, Chelsea and I went to London, Cornwall, Ireland and Italy. My favorite of these three places was Cornwall, England. The main reason we went there was to see where my family is from. We weren't expecting it to be that cool. However, when we arrived it was beautiful. We stayed in a town called Falmouth. It was right on the water and it was beautiful. We were very pleased with our choice. The beach was gorgeous and it wasn't touristy at all. We got to know a couple people from the town as well. We were able to see a chateau that was used to help train our armed forced before they went to Normandy and we learned a little history about the area. We loved it in Cornwall and thought it was very cool that we went to such a pretty place many people don't realize it has so much to offer. So, if you are looking for a good non-touristy place to relax on the beach, try Cornwall, England. We stayed in a very cute bed and breakfast. the website for the bed and breakfast is below.
http://www.chellowdene.co.uk/

Saying Goodbye Doesn't Mean I'll Forget

With only 2 days left here in France, I have mixed feelings about leaving. I won't try to lie, I miss my family so much, but just the thought of having to leave France, Pontlevoy, and especially The Abbey makes me want to stay here forever. When I first decided to come to The Abbey I just knew that once I got here I would never want to leave. I love to travel and being in a place where you can easily travel to multiple countries over the period of days is so exciting to me. I couldn't even imagine at the time that I would ever miss America much less Mississippi. I had this amazing opportunity to make Pontlevoy, France my permanent residence for 3 months. I don't know many other people, with the exception of past students of The Abbey, who can say they have or will every have that opportunity. I have grown so much as a person through out these 3 months. I look back at pictures from the first week we were here and I hardly recognize the person I see. I have become so much more confident with myself and have learned that there will always be people who have negative things to say about you. The key to get through this is learn to only listen to the people that matter in your life because if they matter they will not be saying anything negative about or to you. As everyone starts to pack and clean their rooms I realize how big of an impact so many of these people have had on me. People who were there during the disastrous but mostly amazing travel breaks, those that partied hard with me at Le Commerce during Tuesday night parties, and those that were always there to listen when I was having a bad day. The true test, for me, will be after I return home to see if I can keep the same mentality my friends here have taught me it's ok to have. The mentality that you don't have to sacrifice who you are as a person just to make others happy, because as long as you are doing that you will never learn to appreciate yourself for all of the great qualities you possess. I am going to miss going going to class every morning and seeing the village of Pontlevoy and the endless fields out of the window, I am going to miss seeing a friendly face every time I turn a corner, and I am going to miss The Abbey! It's hard for me to describe how connected you become with this place over the course of 3 months. Don't get me wrong, The Abbey has its fair share of problems but I look at that as all part of the experience. Living, traveling, and hanging out with the same 41 people can test your nerves at time, but in the end you realize that whatever is bothering you can't be bad enough for you to let it stand in the way of you having a great experience in France, Pontlevoy, and The Abbey. With only 2 nights left here we all know that we have to make the most of it. No matter how much you may dislike someone, no matter how tired you may be from finals week, and no matter how hungover you may be the next morning, these last 2 nights we will be making our final memories in France. I don't have any great advice on how to keep in touch with everyone or how to make it less sad to leave, but what I can tell you is that your times at The Abbey will be memories you will keep forever. Whether its Tori falling twice the first day we were here, Jay having to have surgery on her finger the first week we were here, the hookups...ohhhh the hookups, the friendships that form and dissipate, the people you become closes too, the people who were their when you had your freak out American tourist moment (who were probably doing the same thing), the endless shushes we got from Gabe every night, those looks from Jessica where you know your either in trouble or she just doesn't know what to say all she can do is look because you have put her in a state of shock by saying or doing something, those inspiring speeches from Dr. Mac, the professors who over time become like family, and so many more. You may get to see the coliseum, the statue of David, the Eiffel Tower, and much more and although you will always know that you saw these things the memories you will treasure most are some of the ones I have listed above. Know that when you make the decision to come to The Abbey you make the decision to remember it and all that happened while you were there forever. This site shows the testimony of other students who have studied at The Abbey. (http://www.eurabbey.com/test.htm)

The Ghost Walk: A New Tradition

This year for the first time in the history of the Abbey Program we organized an event at the Abbey for the people of Pontlevoy along with students' host families. The "Ghost Walk" started out as this small little event that, by the end of it, evolved to this mass artistic and contemporary event. It was first thought up by two students from New Orleans who, after hearing about the 11th century bones that were found under the road right outside the gates of the Abbey, thought it would be fun to make an event where people could tell ghost stories like they do in New Orleans. This idea then evolved by the professor in charge, Dr. Ariel Beaujot, into a ghost walk that would have six or seven stops where people would be told a different story about something ghostly and/or mysterious. Then, the local artist Pamela (http://www.pamelamoulton.com/) joined in and created props and costumes for the walk completely out of recycled materials. It was really neat because each student would go to Pamela's studio and help create their costume. By this point the Ghost Walk was something none of us, especially Dr. Beaujot, thought it would amount to. This fun little project that seemed so harmless in the beginning turned out to be huge piece of work that took a lot more time than originally expected. However, even with all of that we were all still VERY excited about the Ghost Walk. Not only to finally do it but to see how many people would actually show up. We had invited the whole town but were not sure how many would actually come out to see some event put on by a bunch of American college students. Despite any worries we may have had we continued to try our best to make the Ghost Walk an awesome event. Because no other Abbey class had ever done this before, the reputation of The Abbey Program rested its success. Well the eve of the Ghost Walk came, the costumes and props were made (thanks completely to Pamela and Ellen), all types of plastic was hanging from all of the trees in the back lawn, and all of the Abbey students were down in the Salon,it was time for the dress rehearsal. I'll be honest and say the first run through was a COMPLETE disaster. I even had a momentary thought that the Ghost Walk was going to be a disaster and we would forever be remembered as the Abbey class that bombed. However, just when we all thought it was going to be the end of it we got some inspiring words from Dr. Beaujot, Pamela, and Jessica and it made us realize that the sole purpose of the Ghost Walk was to have fun! We did another run-through and although it didn't go perfect we had so much fun doing it. So the day came for the Ghost Walk. The host families arrived early for a potluck and we decided that since they were our family in France, they should get involved. So we started making them head pieces out of the left over materials we had. The time came and of course we were running late, but no worries...the French are always late so it worked out. We had over 170 people attend the walk. They ranged from babies to senior citizens. All of the people we know from around town attended such as the lady at the Utile and her family, the lady at the bakery and her family, and even the major of Pontlevoy. It was clear that the event had clearly sparked some interest around town. After the walk was over I went up and asked my host mom what she thought about it and all she said was, "Super Bien!!!!" We had done what we set out to do. We created an event that was not only fun for us to do, but fun for the people of Pontlevoy to attend. However, now that we have created this event and made it a success, now it depends on the future Abbey students to keep it going and continue to make it a exciting event for everyone. Now I am not saying you should take the exact idea we had and do the same Ghost Walk because if that was the case the people who attended this year would have no reason to come back because they would have already seen it. What this means is that from now on it is the responsibility of each Abbey class to come up with some type of event that all students can participate in, and that the people of Pontlevoy and host families can attend. So to ALL future Abbey students, don't let all the work we did this year go to waist and don't let the be the first and last community event the the Abbey students put on. Although is it a lot of work it is completely worth it. So good luck and I can't wait to hear what interesting ideas the future Abbey classes think up and hearing/seeing how the events play out. Good Luck!

Advantages for Staying in Pontlevoy!!

When I was planning out how much money I would need to bring with me to France, I the Idea in my mind that I was going to travel every weekend! I had the mindset of, I am in Europe so I am going to take advantage of it and travel a lot. At the end of this experience I have only traveled one weekend away from Pontlevoy and that was to Pisa. If you are on a budget and unable to travel every weekend do not stress out. Because I have stayed in town most weekends I have been able to experience things that maybe not necassarily every student has. Staying in town gives you an opportunity to really get to know some of the locals in town. Every weekend there has been some sort of party or event that the locals have asked some of us to be apart of. In addition, there are many day trips that the Abbey has designed for you to experience whats close to where we are staying. We have been to Mushroom caves, Chateaus, Tour, Blois, boat trips, etc. Also, if you plan staying in Pontlevoy it would be a good idea get a host family. This is yet another way that you can experience more of French culture by getting to know the people. I was worried about getting a host family because I thought it would take time away from things I wanted to do. This is not true. Your host families know that you are here to experience France and that everyone has specific things that they want to do before they leave. They will not pressure you into doing something you do not want to do, and do not feel obligated to spend every moment with them. Its nice to have a host family one because they cook really good food for you, and second they sometimes will take you on small trips on the weekend! I have really enjoyed staying in Pontelvoy during my stay in France. I have made a lot of new friends because of it, so I recomend that you do the same!