Category: Tips, Tricks, & Advice

Budgeting, lodging, planning, public transport, dorm life + more! Anything and everything our students have given advice on while studying at GTE.

A Journey to the South

Written by: Charles Stallworth

A little bit of a fun fact about GTE: your weekends will vary in length throughout the semester! While the usual weekend lasts three days, you’ll also have a couple of four-day and two-day weekends sprinkled into your schedule. Naturally, where and for how long you travel to a destination is heavily dependent on the length of the weekend, and being aware of this information beforehand is very important to planning your trips successfully. If you can’t already tell, I’m speaking with the benefit of, at this point, over a month of hindsight. Here’s a tip: If at all possible, plan your trips, at least in some part, before you arrive in Metz. Trust me, it will save you a lot of time and future headaches. On a completely unrelated note, let’s talk about my recent and entirely spontaneous solo trip last weekend.

An Idea Becomes Reality

Toulouse, France, plays host to a number of Airbus’s final assembly lines for many of their aircraft, including the A320, A330, and A350, as well as their corporate headquarters. As an aerospace engineering student, the city was naturally on my shortlist of places to visit while in Europe, but due to a number of extenuating circumstances, my odds of making this a reality dwindled as the trip became more complicated. First of all, Toulouse is quite far from Metz, with the shortest trains taking around 8 hours. Second of all, it just isn’t a city where there is enough to do to justify it being the sole objective of a 3-day weekend. Finally, and most crucially, the Airbus experience in Toulouse is quite popular, with it being fairly difficult to acquire last-minute tickets. 

But last weekend, the stars aligned. A canceled class. A short weekend. A night train that could double as both my lodging and transportation. And the kicker? The only ticket left for the Airbus experience over the next two weeks was at 3 pm, on that Saturday, in English. I didn’t have any excuses left not to make this happen, so I booked the tickets on Thursday evening and headed for Paris the following afternoon. 

To get to Toulouse, I had to change trains in Paris; however, due to my canceled class, I had around 7 hours to kill in the city. I made the most of this time by visiting the Louvre. 

The Louvre? The Labyrinth.

The Louvre might just be the most absurd place I’ve ever been to. The museum is absolutely massive: I’d argue that if you wanted to walk through every inch of the place without looking at a single work of art, you’d probably be in there for a good hour at the minimum. It almost feels like a labyrinth, with its sheer size and scale becoming more apparent the further you venture into it. With that being said, even with all of that space, it still felt quite crowded in the museum; I’d guess that it could hold the population of a mid-sized football stadium during any given visit.

(The Mona Lisa, a lot smaller than you’d probably expect it to be)

(A mosaic from within the Islamic Art Exhibit at the Louvre)

(An exploded view of a pot, from within the Chinese Art exhibit at the Louvre.)

At first glance, you may assume that I view these absurdities negatively, but it’s actually quite the opposite, as it just added to the majesty of the experience. There’s just something surreal about walking around a beautiful palace, surrounded by 35,000 of the finest artistic pieces in human history, while in a crowd of thousands of strangers speaking dozens of languages. If that’s not what the international experience is all about, I don’t know what is. 

Anyways, here are 3 tips I picked up while visiting the Louvre. 

  1. Order your tickets ahead of time. Despite its size, the Louvre does in fact have a maximum occupancy, and on busy days, museum officials will turn away people seeking walk-up tickets. Prevent this from happening by buying a ticket ahead of time on their official website. 
  2. Get there early. Although it is very difficult to see the entirety of the Louvre in one day, you can still see a good amount of it if you get the earliest ticket slot possible. Getting there early will also give you plenty of time to take as many breaks as needed in the museum, integral to having a good experience. 

Enter through the Carrousel du Louvre. There are two ways to get into the Louvre: the pyramid in the courtyard, and the Carrousel du Louvre, a nearby shopping mall that connects to the space under the pyramid. The Carrousel just makes things a whole lot easier, as the lines are significantly shorter, and you also get to be inside, not exposed to the surprisingly hot Paris sun.

After leaving the Louvre, I spent a lot of time roaming the streets of Paris. I’ve found that wandering around without a specific goal in mind really allows you to get a feel for the different neighborhoods in a city, giving a more relaxed and authentic view of what the city is actually like. Plus, it is so rewarding to find a hidden gem, whether it be a restaurant or some other type of shop, by yourself, and not because of some internet recommendation. 

Getting There: A Night Train Experience

Eventually, it was time for me to head to the station and board the train to Toulouse. This was the part of the journey that I was admittedly pretty concerned about. This train was set to leave Paris at 10 pm and arrive in Toulouse at 7 am. I am no stranger to sleeping upright, but doing it two nights in a row was a bit daunting. Also, since I was traveling alone on a train that required seat reservations, I had no idea, nor could I control where I was sitting, or who I was sitting next to. I am pretty tall (around 6 ‘3), so a bad draw in either seating location or seatmates could doom me to a pretty uncomfortable night. While this wasn’t something that would make or break my trip, I was still pretty cognizant of it while I was on my way to the station. So, you can imagine my sheer joy when I got to the car and saw nothing but bunks.

(A Sleeper Car on the Intercities Night Trains.)

The bunk wasn’t overtly impressive, consisting only of a couch-like twin mattress, a thin sleeping bag, and a small pillow, but for what I expected, I was more than pleased with this. I slept soundly throughout both train rides. 

Time for Toulouse: Planes and Processes

When I arrived in Toulouse, I headed straight for the Musée Aeroscopia for my tour of the Airbus factory. The tour made the entire journey there more than worth it. Walking through the factory and hearing all of the detailed explanations of the Airbus assembly processes was a really insightful experience. The only downside of the tour was that we weren’t allowed to take any pictures inside the factory itself, which was a bit of a bummer, but understandable. 

On a more positive note, we did get to see 3 of the 6 active Airbus Belugas at the factory; we even got to watch one come in to land. That plane is something remarkable, so goofy-looking yet so grand; the experience made my day. The museum itself was also packed with a lot of cool things to see, from Concorde to a plane from every generation of Airbus aircraft. Eventually, my time at Aeroscopia came and went, and after spending the rest of my afternoon galavanting around Toulouse, I found my way back to the station, back to Paris, and back to Metz. 

(One of the Airbus Belugas, taken from inside the tour bus)

(Concorde)

(Airbus A340-600)

And thus concluded my solo trip. Was this an amazing experience that I’m still excited about, even now? Yes, of course. Am I excited to do another solo trip? Well, let’s just say that I’m putting a pause on that idea for the foreseeable future.

Forgotten Metz: The Value in the Local City

Written by: Ashlyn Willis

I, along with many other students in this program, was initially enthralled with this program for all it offers on the international scheme. Travelling across Europe every weekend for the entire summer? Say no more! Like clockwork, we scrambled around booking trains, sketching itineraries, and drafting packing lists every week, all in the pursuit of new cities, new experiences, and more. Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, the list goes on. However, between the excitement of these outbound journeys and the exhaustion of returning late Sunday nights, these past few weeks, I began to realize I had begun overlooking the city we were actually living in. 

Not long ago, if you had asked me to point Metz, France, out on a map, I wouldn’t have even known where to look in the country. And yet, it has slowly become a quiet place of significance in this movement-filled summer. Particularly in the last week, as I spent much time downtown, I found myself wandering down the cobblestone streets and admiring the softness of the town. It has a gentler rhythm, with less broadcasted stories than larger, more tourist-drawing cities, but the history here is anything but quiet. From its Roman ruins to its huge cathedral, Metz itself is rich with history. Even for its beauty alone, Metz to me seems like something from a fairytale or storybook. The Moselle River, the main river running in its center, is always so magical to me with how lily pads float on the edge of the water, washing up against the stones of the pathways lining its bank. It is a nice calm, especially walking down alongside it on the lower levels with a tree-lined park by the marina.

Images at sunset of the Metz marina on the Moselle River and the Temple Neuf.

One of my favorite discoveries has been the small corner near the Temple Neuf, the castle-looking building where the river splits and creates a little island park. You can sit under a tree or on the benches and watch boats drift by or people walk along the streets, with the sound of the many tree leaves rustling or the church bells in the distance. Just uphill from the river lies the cathedral, so mentioned, one of the biggest draws I have found myself to in Metz. The way its towering height appears out of nowhere never ceases to amaze me. One of my favorite things about it is the color scheme; the sandy gold stone matches the colors of the town, so despite its intricate Gothic engravings, it still blends in seamlessly.  

Metz has reminded me that exploration and travel aren’t always about how many miles have been travelled or how many cities have been visited; sometimes it’s about looking a little harder into what’s right in front of you. Don’t get me wrong; I still catch plenty of trains on the weekends (having travelled 2 days, 22 hours, and 52 minutes worth of time so far according to my Eurorail app) and I love the thrill of stepping into a new place, but I have definitely come to realize Metz is so much more than a place to sleep and attend classes. Whether it’s wandering around at dusk with gelato from Amorino’s, reading the stories about the dragon Graoully, or catching the MB bus from Francois Arago to visit the train station for a field trip, Metz has grown on me immensely for all it has to offer!

The Graoully dragon, hung up in the street or “village” of Taison.

History and Humanities: The Promises They Offer

Written by: Ashlyn Willis

Walking into the first day of classes was rough; it was a quick and immediate turnaround from the nine hour flight and four hour bus ride from Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta to Frankfurt, Germany, and finally to Metz, France. Furthermore, there was no masking the fact that it was indeed at its core, school. However, soon after the first week of classes I was quick to count my blessings. I have made several friends enrolled in classes like computer science, math, and more, and although I am a science major as well, I am using this summer as an opportunity to complete my free-elective credits. I therefore strategically designed what I deem to be a spectacular schedule:

Monday and Wednesday

10:25 am – 12:20 pm: History, Science, and Technology

Tuesday and Thursday

10:25 am – 12:20 pm: Creative Writing

1:30 pm – 3:25 pm: Documentary Film

(On Tuesdays, the occasional 6 pm – 8 pm GTE 2000 lecture as well)

I was able to choose classes I was passionate about, rather than ones I directly needed for my major of environmental science. Because of this, I have been able to take what feels like a much-needed breath of fresh air after my first year academic experience completing core classes at Georgia Tech. I am incredibly passionate about history and the arts, and given that I am a person who is motivated for schoolwork when I am interested about the subject, I was incredibly grateful to be able to take these classes. Furthermore, I was unaware of the fact that many of my GTE classes would overlap in content. In GTE 2000 and field trips to the local Metz museum with Creative Writing, we discussed ancient Roman architecture and its impact on the region.

Images of Roman baths and carvings in the Museum of La Cour d’Or based here in Metz, France.

In History, Science, and Technology, and another outing with Creative Writing to the Gare de Metz, we discussed architecture choices and Gothic builds. In Documentary Film, we covered how to conduct a good interview, of which I will be doing with peers for this very task as a GTE blogger! (Another shout-out to Creative Writing, as the overarching focus of the class for this summer is travel writing…convenient with helping me to better my skills in writing blogs!) Not to mention, these classes have helped me appreciate my travels even more. Up to this point, I have utilized my weekends to visit Luxembourg, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Vienna, Budapest, and Bratislava; all places with diverse and rich histories. Given the subjects of my classes, I have been able to notice certain things with different cities that I may not have fully understood before. For example, in my GTE 2000 class, we learned how the use of flying buttresses in Gothic architecture helped to raise ceilings so much higher than before, lending way for the massive cathedrals found all across Europe. In visiting Vienna, I was able to see a magnificent example of this with St. Stephen’s Cathedral; a towering build with the most intricate designs I had ever seen. In my History class as well, we have an individual project for our case studies to present to the class, and I chose to discuss building Gothic architecture, a topic which I now feel quite knowledgeable in due to these classes.

Images from inside and outside St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna, Austria, showcasing its towering ceilings and spires.

The experience of being able to travel to learn more about our topics has been incredibly beneficial to deepening my appreciation for both my classes as well as for weekend trips. I have also found myself doing research on different places in an attempt to learn more about what I will be seeing. For instance, it was interesting to note how both the city of Luxembourg and Bratislava were somewhat built into cliffs as fortifications. Both were cities that I had not known too much about before visiting, and in reading about them, I was able to gain a better appreciation and understanding for their impressive construction. Taking these humanities classes has helped me to realize there should never be a lack of underappreciation of all that they have to offer; you’ll never know how the things you gain from them could help you appreciate more of the world we live in and all the unique perspectives there are!

Views from Bratislava, Slovakia and Luxembourg City, Luxembourg showcasing their fortress-like build.

Culture Shock

Written by: Charles Stallworth

One thing that has always excited me about GTE was the degree of culture shock that I’d get to experience. I guess culture shock has been intriguing to me from a young age; when I was around 8 years old, I remember I found it so fascinating that people in New Jersey didn’t pump their own gas. In hindsight, this was quite a minor example of culture shock, as after visiting 8 countries over the span of 3 weeks, I have become increasingly aware of the obvious fact that New Jersey is much more similar to Atlanta than any country in Europe will ever be. So, let’s go over just a few of my findings from these past couple of weeks. 

My First European Transaction: The Bathroom

To start, on our bus ride from the Frankfurt Airport to Metz, we stopped by a gas station about an hour in. As some 25 of us descended upon the humble shop, with the hopes of using the bathroom, we were all met with a puzzling scene: a gate, a kiosk, and a sign in German. While most of us couldn’t comprehend the complete sign, the largest part of it was perfectly clear:  “1 €”. Some made a quiet protest, leaving the scene in a huff, but for the majority, the decision had already been made. With a collective groan, we begrudgingly readied our debit cards. 

Bathrooms in a lot of chain quick service establishments all over Europe, whether they be gas stations, convenience stores, or fast food restaurants, often come with some sort of small fee:  usually anywhere between .50 and 2 euros. Now granted, some of these places will give you some voucher of equal value to use in-store, but a lot of them just treat the bathroom as its own independent purchase. I would be lying to pretend like this isn’t an objectively good business practice, but just let’s keep it a good European business practice, you know? If this were implemented at my local QuikTrip, it would probably ruin my entire week. 

A Demonstration of German Efficiency: 

While gazing out the window about two hours into our trip to Metz, I saw a car on fire in the middle of the opposite side of the highway. While the accident itself was shocking enough, the most fascinating part of this situation was the traffic behind it. On this two-lane highway, cars had crowded onto the left and right shoulders, creating a straight shot for emergency personnel to arrive at the accident. A majority of people even switched off their engines, saving gas and helping the environment. The best part? There was no police to direct people to do this, no, they just did it by themselves. While this is a law in Germany, it’s just really impressive that it was actually followed without being enforced. Apparently, as shown in the diagram below, this is a common practice for highways of any size. 

Now this is something that I wouldn’t mind becoming a mainstay in the US, as it would easily make driving on the interstate at least 20% more bearable, although it wouldn’t actually ever happen. 

The First Carrefour Experience: 

Carrefour is basically a French Walmart that is about a 25-minute walk from the Pythagore dorms. My first experience in French Walmart came with an avalanche of a lot of minor shocks that’ll go over really quickly. 

First off, Carrefour might just be one of the most overstimulating places I have ever been to, which is saying something as I am already keenly aware how stores like Walmart work; the only key difference here is that everything is in French. Turns out, being surrounded by labels and signage in a language that you don’t understand makes things incredibly challenging, turning something simple, like finding milk or eggs, into some sort of arduous scavenger hunt. Every time I walk into Carrefour, I just become more and more grateful for the ability to read. 

Secondly, things that you would expect to be refrigerated, like milk and eggs, aren’t. This is apparently because there are different farming standards in the EU, allowing milk, eggs, and a host of other things to be shelf-stable without refrigeration. While this makes sense, it is quite jarring to pick up a bottle of warm milk and have it be totally fine. 

Lastly, let’s talk about the checkout process. The cashiers are always sitting down (seriously, why isn’t this a thing in America?), and you are expected to bag your own groceries in your own bags. For the latter, while this isn’t that shocking, not realizing this on your first trip can be quite humbling, as you now lug your milk, eggs, and mattress topper on that 25-minute walk that you swore was shorter on the way there. 

I’ll end with this: the most surprising piece of culture shock that I’ve experienced so far is just how easily everyone can tell that you are American. In just three weeks, I have been identified as American many times, often before I even open my mouth. I always ask: “How did you know?” and I get a myriad of answers, from how I stand, to the fact that I wore gym shorts one time, or just some other miscellaneous mannerism. This serves as a pretty cool reminder that I really am a fish out of water over here, and that every day brings something new and exciting to explore.

Arrival and the First Days: Welcome To Europe!

Written by: Alex Stallworth

It was finally time to depart. I zipped up my bookbag, hugged my grandmother goodbye, tossed my suitcase into the back of my mother’s SUV, and rode along to the airport for the start of my summer-long adventure. On the nearly 30-minute drive, I found some time to reflect. I was first mildly annoyed and apprehensive about jumping back into school so soon. GTE kicked off just 10 days after the spring semester came to a close and considering that the spring was definitely the most difficult semester of my academic career so far, I was rightfully a bit concerned about getting back into the swing of things so soon.

I then thought back to those 10 days. I had used that time to meet up with as many of my friends as reasonably possible: both from Tech and high school. This was the first time in my life that I wouldn’t be within driving distance from these people who meant so much to me, so I wanted to make every moment count. Sure, spending a little more than a week buzzing around the chaotic battlefields that we in Atlanta call “roads” was hectic, not to mention the damage that these excursions did to my wallet, but even so, I didn’t regret a single second of any of it.

Finally, I allowed myself to really take in the moment, basking in the radiant light of optimism before the upcoming journey. This would be my first time outside of the Americas and considering that I would get to live in Europe for 80 days, I was… excited. That’s the emotion to describe it all. Sure, there was a tinge of fear, apprehension, and worry, but at the heart of it all, I was excited. We arrived at the airport.

From Atlanta to Metz: The Travel Day

After I unloaded my belongings at Hartsfield-Jackson, I glanced at the time. It was around 3 pm EST. 18 hours, and the longest single travel day of my life (so far!) later, I would lug my last suitcase over the threshold at the Pythagore dorm. Let’s talk about how we got there.

Based on how that prior statement is phrased, you might expect some epic tale with all of the dramatic airport cliches, whether it be long security lines, a slightly overweight bag requiring frantic repacking in front of the check-in kiosk, or a mad dash through a terminal to just narrowly avoid missing a flight. As a frequent traveler, I’ve lived through all of these many times, but on that fateful day, I luckily had no such story. My bag was underweight by a good 5 pounds, it only took 10 minutes to get through security, and because I arrived some 3 hours before my flight, I was instead able to take a leisurely stroll through the terminal.

In all seriousness, the art of having simple travel days just comes down to preparation. While any sort of travel has a natural degree of unpredictability to it, there are a lot of measures you can take to give yourself more control, such as arriving at least 3 hours before your flight, investing in quick security clearances such as TSA pre-check and Clear, and weighing your own bags, even with something as rudimentary as stepping on a scale while carrying your suitcase.

Travel advice tangents aside, when I arrived at the gate, I was met with a metaphorical sea of white and gold. This was to be expected, as this was a direct flight from Atlanta to Frankfurt, however, the sheer number of students was kind of baffling to see in real time, as conservatively, at least 60% of this plane was comprised of Tech students. While this was comforting to see, my friends and I had a laugh at how strange it would’ve been to be a normal adult on this flight invaded by college kids. From there, the flight and subsequent shuttle ride were largely uneventful, aside from some pretty cool sightseeing in the West German countryside.

The First Days:

The next 24 hours were a blur, between orientation, my first classes, and lots and lots of sleep. My first day actually exploring Metz was Tuesday. I met up with a couple of friends and caught the MB bus to downtown Metz. The MB is one of the many cogs in Metz’s surprisingly intricate bus system, which makes MARTA look like some cruel joke. Sadly, this will become a trend.

Downtown Metz was the first of many picture-esque European cities that we would get the opportunity to explore during our time at GTE. While all of these cities are quite unique, I’ve come to learn that all of them share one common thread: they are all beautiful in the evening.

After doing some sightseeing near the Moselle river, we headed to Pasta Mery for my first proper sit-down meal in Europe. Pasta Mery is a family-owned Italian restaurant with the vibe of dining at someone’s house rather than at a typical retail establishment. I ordered the Chef’s pasta, which was fairly priced, tasted great, and came in a large enough portion for me to have a great deal of leftovers.

Now, while the food at Pasta Mery was good, what really stood out to us was the hospitality. The owner came to our table and regaled us with a story about all of the Georgia Tech students who have been coming to his restaurant over the years. This got a laugh out of our group, as we were a little surprised that it was so blatantly obvious that we were tourists. This would also become a trend. Finally, after the owner’s story, he then gave us a couple of things on the house, a token of gratitude on our way out. In all, despite only coming to Pasta Mery for a meal, we left with a wonderfully warm welcome to the city of Metz.

Art, Antiquity, and Science Across the Sea

Written by: Ashlyn Willis

Hello, and welcome to a new chapter in my experiences with the fields that I love so much! As an environmental science major with a passion for the visual arts, I’m incredibly excited to be traveling on a journey to Georgia Tech Europe, in Metz, France. This blog will be an exploration of the beautiful intersection between art, nature, history, and sustainability, all of which have shaped my perspective on so many things. I want to share with you how these passions of mine blend together, especially during my time in Metz and across Europe.

For as long as I can remember, nature has been my greatest inspiration. From intricate designs in the petals of a flower to the rhythmic flow of a river, the natural world has always sparked my creativity. I’ve often used art to capture all the beauty I see in it. But my connection to the earth doesn’t stop at its visual beauty; I’m equally interested and inspired by the science that makes it all work—how ecosystems thrive, how animals adapt, and how we, as humans, must take responsibility for preserving these things for future generations with sustainability and conservation.

These photos are just a few of a vast collection I have of ones I have taken that truly represent for me how much nature and the natural world mean to me, for all its beauty.

Beyond nature, I also have a deep love and interest for history and culture. Europe is a pinnacle area of historical significance, where every city, every building, and every street has centuries of stories tied to them. When I got the opportunity several years ago to travel to London and Edinburgh, I was struck first most by the rich histories of these cities, from the ancient walls of Edinburgh Castle and Old Town to the iconic landmarks of London, such as the Tower. The way history and culture inform the present is something that I find inspiring, especially in the context of sustainability. How do past societies interact with their environments, and what lessons can we learn from their successes or mistakes? These are the kinds of questions I plan to explore throughout my journey.

Metz, where I’ll be studying, is a city also steeped in rich history, from its medieval architecture to its modern-day culture. The opportunity to live here, while traveling around Europe, gives me a unique chance to learn not just about sustainability in Europe and the European Union, but about how different cultures view the natural world. I’m excited to see how art, culture and history, and environmental science can come together. I hope to explore how European cities have balanced modern development with environmental preservation, and how art has played a role in this dialogue.

“Spiral” collage piece inspired by my love for historical science and art, drawn from the Victoria and Albert art museum and the Museum of Natural History in London, UK.

Printmaking piece from a photo taken by me in Oxford, UK

“Chaoskampf”, a piece painted by me inspired by the commonality of mythological themes found in different cultures.

In this blog, I’ll be sharing my experiences as I navigate these fields. I’ll take you along on my travels to places throughout France and beyond, showing how each destination has helped my understanding of these subjects, as well as my day-to-day life, of what I am experiencing! I plan to use this blog as a platform to explore how these seemingly separate interests can be intertwined, as well as tracking all the unique things I experience and find there. Thank you for joining me on this journey to Georgia Tech Europe! I can’t wait to share how art, science, history, and culture will continue to inspire my growth as I get to explore Europe, and bring the lessons I learn to help my future goals!

I’ll Return Soon

Written by: Katherine Sanders

At 3 pm, my phone buzzes every five minutes, notifying me of my friends’ locations. Life360 lets me know that they’re leaving “home,” some arriving at “culc” while others go to different buildings for lectures and GTXR meetings. Although the knowledge of their locations doesn’t give me any benefit right now, the notifications remind me of campus life. I’ve missed it a lot. 

In a couple of days, I will fly to Montana. I leave my apartment at 1 am, fly to Dallas at 2 pm, make my connection to Billings at 7 pm, and hug my parents before going to bed at 10 pm. I will return for six days before leaving for Florida on May 9th. 

The flight from home to Paris was daunting, but the journey back and quick turnaround are nothing compared to the travel I’ve experienced this semester. It has taught me perseverance and strength. Maddie and I stayed up for 36 hours straight to save money on accommodation in Barcelona. This 24-hour travel day will feel like nothing.

The past four months have felt like years. Our “EUROPE” shared album holds pictures from the cities I loved. I often think about how I’ll visit them in the future. In Prague, I’ll go inside the castle. In London, I’ll take my time to look around the museums. I’ll go to Paris in the spring rather than the winter. I think about who I’ll go with–children? Parents? New friends? Old friends? I look at the nice hotels in convenient locations. When I’m older, my family and I will stay there. 

I look back on this semester and am proud of my choice to study abroad, but wish I did many things differently. Here’s how you can do better than me (and please, do better than me): 

Don’t overpack 

I packed two suitcases full of heavy winter clothes. They are near the 50lb limit, and as I look at my overflowing drawers, I wish I had left more room. Traveling each weekend requires you to pack light anyway, so there’s no need to bring tons of shoes or jeans (you will rewear them whether you want to or not!) 

Clean your room 

I’m not the cleanest person, but my room at GTE is the dirtiest I’ve ever let my room get. Every time I arrived back from a weekend of travel, I carelessly unpacked my items, knowing they would just be packed up again soon. As dishes piled and trash filled, I started telling myself, “I’m leaving again anyway.” My room never felt like my room. I dreaded returning to it. My bed was never made, and my desk was never clear, but I didn’t have the energy to fix it. 

Explore Metz 

The streets of Metz are picturesque. When the weather got warmer, we sat by the Temple Neuf for the entire afternoon and talked. The view across the river was beautiful, and listening to locals talk was calming.

Start your work early 

I started all of my homework two or three days before it was due, and it overwhelmed my short weeks. If I had made it a habit to finish my work as soon as it was assigned, I would have felt more inclined to clean my room or explore Metz! 

Truthfully, I don’t know how you wouldn’t make these mistakes. Maybe you’ll start your homework early, but let it catch up to you. Maybe you DO need 50 lbs of clothes. Maybe one trip into Metz was enough. I made all of these mistakes, but it didn’t make this semester less rewarding. 

I learned how to navigate Eurail. I learned Assembly, C, and numpy functions. I learned how to stay calm when I miss a flight. I learned how to triple integrate! I’ve been on tens of trains, fourteen countries, and consumed ten pounds of Persian food (most of which is fessenjān).


If you read my blogs to prepare for your semester abroad, stress just enough. Plan your trips. Book things in advance. Clean your room. Cook real food sometimes. But don’t worry about executing everything perfectly. It’s okay to miss home, and it’s okay to adapt to new routines, because you live in a new country now, and not everything can be the same. 

If you read my blogs to gather insight into what your children/siblings/friends do while they’re gone, I bet they’re having a lot of fun, but I bet they’re missing you. 

If you read my blogs to keep up with my adventures: I’ve had the best time containing these memories into short pieces for you to see. Every weekend trip, every stupid mistake and every six hour layover was worth it knowing someone might laugh about it.

In four months, I will check Life360 to know if Zach is coming back to our apartment for dinner. We will make Persian food–fessenjān, tahdig, geymeh and shirazi salad–and we will gather around our dinner table to catch up. My phone will ping with notifications of our friends arriving. They will tell us about their 2025 and we will tell them as much as we can remember about ours.

Old Friends

Written by: Katherine Sanders

We walked to brunch in Alicante at 10 am. The streets were starting to fill with people again, awakening late after a night of dinner and dancing. Turning down a side street with garage doors and trash cans, I saw someone who sort of looked like me. It was the girl whose name some people accidentally called me in middle school. It was my chem lab partner from high school. 

I stopped and said her name. “Katherine,” I said.

“From high school?” she replied.

She’s studying abroad in Alicante this semester. She was walking back to her apartment, where her mom waited for her. 

The rest of the day, I repeated to myself, “I saw someone from high school.” 

My high school held about 1,800 students with almost 400 in my grade all four years. I cannot fathom the chance of seeing someone from high school in a somewhat obscure Spanish city, let alone someone I was friends with and felt comfortable talking to.

Maddie’s best friend from high school, Maeve, studies in Dublin. We visited her during St. Patrick’s Day where she was kind enough to let us stay in her flat. Our visit was spent hanging out with her and her friends rather than site-seeing–a greatly needed break. 

Maddie always told me that Maeve to her was like me to Maddie. Maeve to Maddie was like Maddie to me. I could see it that weekend. We all sat at their dinner table, talking about Maeve’s friends in the flat. “Maya is my Katherine,” Maeve said as she described her relationship to one of her flatmates. That made it easier to understand their relationship. Maeve to Maya is Maddie to me… Maya to Maeve is me to Maddie… 

“My friend Meredith is in Boston right now… I’ll probably visit her in the fall this year…” 

“Meredith is your Maeve.” Everyone nodded in understanding.

My friend from high school studied abroad in Barcelona the entire school year and will return to Montana in two days. He helped me pick out my first-day-of-high-school outfit and sat next to me in AP World History. We took French 1 together, but he majors in Spanish and I saw him in Barcelona this past weekend. 

Saturday night, I directed Maddie and I toward the location he sent me. I looked up and on the balcony, he waved while looking down. “Come in the door with all the colorful paint on it.” 

For two and a half hours, we sat and talked about our college lives. Although he has spent so much time away from home, he still carries conversations effortlessly. He tells stories with great impressions and large gestures, making me laugh since we were fourteen. 

During the fall semester, I woke up every morning forgetting that I was in Georgia. The white light from the sun looked like the light reflecting off of snow. Nostalgia took over my life as every scene looked like something I had seen before when I was 17. My brain didn’t let me be 19. This spring, I was reminded of my past with a completely new backdrop, and my case of nostalgia is cured.

What’s in My Bag?

Written by: Katherine Sanders

With over 100 hours spent on trains and 10 hours on budget airlines, I’ve almost mastered the art of packing light. I never was a light packer–I arrived in Metz with two near-fifty pound suitcases even after sacrificing clothes I “needed to bring.” Fortunately, I have learned from these past 12 weeks: here are my best packing trips for weekends abroad.  

At the beginning of the semester, you’ll use your Eurail pass for every trip. Trains don’t check bags, which leaves it up to you to decide how much to bring. 

Traveling by Train

Backpack 

Your usual school backpack or special travel backpack is perfect for the trains. Mine usually comfortably fits all of my clothes, makeup, and electronics. I can fit a two-day trip into just my backpack. 

Tote Bag

If you ever end up at the Metz mall, go to Primark and ask for a big bag. Primark sells VERY large, cloth tote bags that are perfect for traveling. The bottom of the bag isn’t square like a usual reusable grocery bag, making it easier to fit under the train seats. For three or four-day trips, the addition of a tote bag makes lugging everything around slightly less painful. My backpack holds my clothes and (maybe) my computer. I usually put it on the shelf above the seats to save space while I keep my tote at my feet. In my tote, I put an extra pair of shoes, my makeup bags, headphones, my hair brush, and toiletries. This way, if I need to do my makeup, brush my hair, or listen to music, I can grab them easily. 

Clothes to Bring 

In the Spring semester, all European travel destinations will experience low temperatures and moderate winds. Packing light is sacrificed for staying warm. 

For bottoms, jeans are the best choice. Jeans are meant to be worn multiple times without washing. Denim is very durable and doesn’t produce odor quickly. Jeans are quite bulky, so I suggest bringing only one or two pairs for less back pain. 

Maddie and I come from Montana and Vermont, two states that experience startling low temperatures. We often made fun of our friends for bundling up when Atlanta hit 50°F. However, the cold of humid cities along with the length of time spent walking outside forced me to start layering. I wear leggings or fleece-lined tights under jeans or pants to stay warm. 

Traveling by Plane

RyanAir Constraints

RyanAir is the airline GTE students use most when traveling long distances. RyanAir has a strict bag policy: you are only allowed one small personal item for free. That personal item must fit into their size limit (40 x 20 x 25cm). The usual travel backpack is larger than this, especially when filled. 

I asked Baran for her small tote bag for my first RyanAir flight. I didn’t want to risk paying for a checked bag. After getting past security, I wanted to see if my small bag was too big. RyanAir has these metal containers that demonstrate how small a personal item should be (it’s too small). The small tote was just right, but due to my backpack’s bulky pockets, putting the tote inside of it made it too big. I wore my backpack under my jacket in fear that the ticketers would stop me. However, passing through and boarding the plane, I realized that they didn’t seem to care. When boarding budget airlines now, I make sure my backpack LOOKS small enough. They have never stopped me, my friends, or anyone I’ve noticed with a much-too-large bag. 

Clothes can add up quickly, so stay conservative when packing for plane rides. I always wear a pair of jeans for the weekend on the plane to free up space in my bag. If you are planning on bringing a bulky top or sweater, wear it on the plane. 

Frequently Forgotten/Surprisingly Useful Items to Bring 

  • Travel sized toothpaste
    • It’s easy to forget about liquid limits on planes. If you have to throw away your large toothpaste at the airport, expect a busy day running to Carrefour on Monday. 
  • Chapstick 
  • Passport
    • Even when you’re traveling inside the EU by train, police may enter trains and check every passenger’s passport. This is very common in Germany! 
  • Physical Euros (maybe even CZK) 
    • Some stores don’t accept card payments under €5. 
    • If you ever travel to the Czech Republic, it is common to see stores only accept cash. 
  • Portable Charger

My Sickness to You, Your Health to Me

Written by: Katherine Sanders

March 20th was the first day of Spring and Nowruz, the Persian New Year. While we made Dubai Chocolate in the lounge, Baran explained the initial tradition of jumping over a bonfire. There isn’t any bonfire around GTE, so we lit a candle in the parking lot later that day. As one runs over the fire, they say in Farsi, “My yellowness to you, your redness to me.” Maddie and I said, “My sickness to you, your health to me,” as we jumped over the flame. 

The next morning, Baran invited us to her room at 10am. A few items lay on her desk in a beautiful arrangement. They all represented different values one would like to uphold in the new year. In Farsi, they all start with the letter S: 

Sabzeh (sprouts): Rebirth

Samanu (wheat germ pudding): Power

Senjed (oleaster): Love

Serkeh (vinegar): Patience

Seeb (garlic): Health 

Somagh (sumac): Sunrise 

Baran laid out a white scarf and gold dress as the tablecloth. She popped out a small mirror from an eyeshadow palette and decorated it with white eyeliner. It sat on a white box wrapped in a white tube top. The mirror was held up with the makeup palette and accompanied by a gold claw clip in the shape of a flower. She filled one of the glasses that came in her cupboard with vinegar. 

A young hyacinth was on her desk. She bought it from the flower shop five minutes from our dorms. The hyacinth came in a small pink bucket, fitting the established color scheme well. The wheat paste was in a small metal container. It’s thick, grainy and slightly sweet. 

A bouquet of flowers Baran bought from the week before had dried just enough to decorate the display. A dried flower floated in the vinegar, two balanced with the garlic cloves, three sitting in the sumac. The flowers she bought at Carrefour the night before were placed in an empty Coke bottle and a fake tulip she bought in Amsterdam was in another old glass. 

After her differential equations quiz, Baran bought eclairs and tartes from Paul. She arranged them on a tiered platter made with two plates and a glass cup. 

We sat in front of the display with the window open, ate the pastries, and drank tea. The brightest sunlight I’ve seen in Metz shined into the room.