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.

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. 

POV: You’re Shopping at Carrefour

Written by Katherine Sanders

A ten minute walk from the dorms is Carrefour. Carrefour is sort of a French super-Target. It sells appliances, clothing, food and more. I got an umbrella at Carrefour. Maddie got a curling iron at Carrefour. Baran got a trash can at a Carrefour. 

In my head, Carrefour is split into five sections: appliances, clothes, toiletries, food and drink. The west side of Carrefour is appliances. There are large appliances: vacuum cleaners and fridges; medium appliances: hair dryers and toasters; and small appliances: headphones and chargers. There is a small section south of the appliances that has cleaning items and a random sale section.

Moving southeast of the appliances is a lot of bread. More than three aisles full of bread. East of that is a lot of croissants. Three stands filled with big, cheap croissants. 

East of the appliances is makeup and toiletries. They’re not organized like in the US, but I can’t say it’s illogical. Toilet paper (half of which is pink) and paper towels are in two different aisles. All of the men’s deodorant is next to each other near the face wash, but the women’s deodorant is in a different aisle. Some chocolate bars are also in this section… next to the makeup? But there’s another section with more chocolate across the store. 

The center of Carrefour is the produce section. Berries are not refrigerated and there is no sign of kale. If you want to buy fruit, let’s say a bunch of bananas (some are displayed on a giant fake tree like you’re picking them yourself), you must weigh them, put them in a bag and stick the printed barcode on it. If you don’t do this, the cashier will be VERY upset. Nearby are packaged nuts, a self-serve station of olives, and cheese. A lot of cheese. The cheese section is half the size of the produce section. You must purchase your cheese in grams.

Northeast is the actual butcher. There are lots of options for different cuts of meat and different types of meat. Sausages, ham, prosciutto, etc. You can buy meat by the pound or prepackaged, and some is pre cooked. 

In the international aisle, there is a small section for the US. They sell hamburger sauce, barbecue sauce, hot dog buns and pancake mix. Not too accurate. East of that is typical cooking materials: flour, sugar, oil and spices. Beans and other canned items are found here as well.

The prepackaged food section introduces a new concept: the nutriscore. A nutriscore is displayed on almost every packaged food item but applies to all food items sold. It rates the item on a scale from A to E and I still don’t understand how it’s determined. Apparently, it’s a point system based on nutrients that are limited and encouraged. Saturated fats, calories, sugar and sodium are limited; fiber, protein, fruit, vegetables, pulsed flour, nuts and olive oil are encouraged. While we can live without saturated fats and sugar, we can’t live without calories. While fiber and protein are important for satiety, nuts are definitely not essential.

Some Lay’s potato chips are a nutri-score C. I’ve seen some get a B. The tub of plain greek yogurt I got was a C. Most cheeses are a D or E. Coke Zero is a B. With no further explanation, I’ll say I don’t love this system. 

Walking back towards the center of the store, you reach the milk aisle. None of the milk is refrigerated. Other than plant based milks, there is no clear indication what type of milk a carton is. The milk isn’t in cartons, though. It’s in opaque plastic bottles, and it all looks exactly the same. The eggs aren’t refrigerated either. These aisles are pretty bare.

North of these aisles are energy drinks, snacks, cereal, and so much more chocolate. 

Checking out, you are behind the happiest French person ever. They banter with the cashier. You only pick up “c’est bon!” from their conversation. Is the cashier going to try to banter with me only to realize I can only understand “ticket” and “par carte”? Each time, somehow, the cashier seems to know you’re American. They only ask a couple of questions and usually rely on hand motions and clear, simple French words. There is never any attempt to small-talk. At Trader Joe’s, they ask you where you’re from and why you’re getting the purple sweet potato instead of the regular sweet potato. The cashier at Carrefour doesn’t ask ça va.

A Snapshot of a Short Week 

Written by Katherine Sanders

My first and smallest class, Multivariable Calculus, starts at 8:30 am. While I consider myself punctual, I was twenty minutes late today. I woke up well rested, but freaked out as I noticed how light it was outside. I ran around my room to get ready ten minutes before my class started. This class has six people in it, and although oddly small, all GTE classes are small. With classes like this, there’s no room for tardiness, absence or confusion.  

It takes about ten minutes to get from the Lafayette dorms to the GTE building. I take the rocky, muddy route as a shortcut. I scan my International Student card at the gate and the front door before walking up two stories to the second floor. The classes at GTE are labeled by color, and my calculus class is in the yellow room. The tables have yellow legs. The chairs are yellow. The door is yellow and was open for my late arrival.  

Still feeling a lingering embarassment, I needed something to warm me up. Maddie and I headed to the lounge to get coffee after class. On average, I probably consume 200-500mg of caffeine a day. Sometimes I have a Monster in the morning with a cup of coffee, or I’ll have two to three cups of coffee (only two from the provided canister, I swear.)  

My next class was a lab for CS 2110: Computer Organization and Programming. I brace myself for this hour. Due to the small enrollment, twelve people, and the hands-on nature of the lab, students are chosen to complete problems at random. I can’t say I know my classmates well enough to feel comfortable making a stupid mistake in front of them. This pressures me to understand the content thoroughly enough to avoid embarrassment. 2110 is a notoriously difficult class with the content spanning a wide range of subjects. When a new topic is introduced, our class has to grasp on quickly in order to answer questions correctly.  

This is my first time experiencing cold calling. I’m not used to my professors and TAs knowing who I am, let alone caring that I understand the content. My punishment for skipping lectures or not thoroughly understanding content was always seen in my grades, never through word of mouth. My concern isn’t just on my final letter grade anymore, but on how I’m viewed in the eyes of my professors. Due to this, I have performed better in my classes this semester compared to others, but I’m definitely more tense in each one.  

The lounge fades in between hectic and dead silent. Maddie and I arrived when it was hectic. We sat, working on our homework, hearing excerpts of conversations about Frankfurt, Prague and Chamonix. Usually, it’s a mix of stories from the past weekend or the prospects of the coming one. I admittedly eavesdrop and compare our trips with theirs. We also missed our train this past weekend. I grow anxious when the topic of the coming weekend is discussed. I hate how short our weeks in Metz are. They come and go too quickly.  

As soon as Baran returns to the lounge, we head to Crous Cafeteria. The seating dynamic is too emotional: a small room of tables and chairs with big groups of high schoolers. After getting our food, we head into the seating area with the French high schoolers. It’s a search to find empty spaces that will fit three or more of us. Sometimes, enjoyable conversation flows endlessly. Some weave through conversation but never hold on. Most of the time this happens on Monday, a time to debrief everyone’s weekends. As the week goes on, conversation grows more deliberative and prepatory between the three of us. We must choose a train, hostel, day plan, etc. for the coming and following weekend.  

Back at the lounge, Maddie and I worked on our CS 2110 homework. Most everyone at GTE takes four classes, and almost all of those classes either have homework due on Tuesday or Wednesday night. I try to start my homework before we leave for the weekend, but end up truly starting on Monday morning. My weeks are filled with homework because of this, but compared to the six other options, Wednesday is the best due date.  

After our 3:30 pm Statistics class, Maddie and I headed back to our dorms to clean, eat dinner and finish up homework. This time is sometimes used for grocery runs or laundry, but rarely is there time for a trip into Metz. I hope one week I can finish up my chores early in the week so I can explore Metz again.  

I worked on my statistics homework before starting one of my odd dorm workouts. Before I arrived in Metz, I weight trained eight to twelve hours a week. I worked with heavy weights and was building muscle rapidly. Now, a gym membership at BasicFit here seems useless to me. I would only use it four times a week at most, and the time spent getting there, working out and coming back would take up too much of my time. That leaves me with resistance bands, a chair and my backpack in my room. I often reminisce on my old routine. I miss going to a commercial gym and working out on machines, but the change hasn’t burdened me. It’s only temporary.  

These days tend to fizzle out. Maddie, Baran and I hung out for a little before heading to bed. I tried to go to bed early in order to wake up for class tomorrow. As I laid in bed working on homework, Zach started a FaceTime call on our groupchat with Maddie. We joined the call in our pitch-black rooms. In Atlanta, it was 6 pm and the sky was blue. Zach walked back from the gym and described his past week–a Grammy’s watching party, spending hours at the CRC and times with his friends.  

“Sorry, I forgot how late it was like, 11 pm there. I’ll call you guys tomorrow,” he says.  

Amsterdam is for Les Femmes and the Food! 

Written by Katherine Sanders

Baran and I walked back from lunch at Crous Cafeteria discussing how little we knew about Dutch culture. One search led us to a main list of items: stroopwafels, frites and clogs. Perfect. We will eat stroopwafels and frites, and I will buy a pair of clogs.

Our six hour train to Amsterdam landed us in the Amsterdam Zuid station. A metro took us straight to an outdoor mall. We passed thrift stores, a KFC and TK Maxx before reaching our hostel, or hostelle. “Hostelle” is what you would guess it is—a female only hostel. 

Hostelle didn’t shy away from its feminine nature. The lobby is decorated in pink and orange with bouquets of flowers on tables and an amalgamation of art work. The kitchen is tiled with colorful, floral porcelain. Walking past the lobby to the stairs, six makeup mirrors line the walls on pink tables with pink chairs. Up the stairs and around the corner, we opened the door to our eleven-person room. The beds and curtains were hot pink, and below each bunk were hot pink lockers where we stored our bags before heading out to the city.

We enjoyed the streets of Amsterdam as we made our way to the Van Gogh museum. The museum is in a canal-side park and looks like a small, glass box. Entering, we headed down below the ground before traveling up three floors of exhibits. I, like many others, was interested in seeing Sunflowers. The office in my grandparents’ Wyoming house had a copy of the painting. I wasn’t particularly amused by the one in Amsterdam because I had firmly believed the copy at my grandparents’ house was the original for so long. There were plenty of other paintings to amuse me, though. The museum displayed many other pieces from artists that inspired Van Gogh or at least had some sort of connection to the artist. 

I enjoyed the depictions of Montmartre, other floral works, and a wall dedicated to paintings of worn out shoes. Van Gogh bought shoes from flea markets, destroyed them in the mud, and painted them. The museum had ways of drawing the audience into the exhibits. For the shoes, a pair of real, worn-out vans were on display. The wall reads, “How about your shoes? What kind of experiences have they had?”

The Dutch food tour started the next day at Firma Stroop for stroopwafels. I personally call stroopwafels “caramel cookie waffles.” I don’t really know where this came from, but I had never heard them called “stroopwafels” before this trip. Firma Stroop makes pancake size caramel cookie waffles, dips half of them in chocolate, and tops them with two toppings of your choice. Maddie and Baran both chose raspberries while I chose caramel and hazelnuts. Nothing can really go wrong with a caramel cookie waffle.

As we wandered the streets of Amsterdam, I kept my eye out for a pair of wooden clogs. Maddie, on the other hand, was determined to get a black tube top. If you know Maddie, you know how she feels about her black tube top. Maddie has the perfect black tube top, a staple that I also love to steal. Unfortunately, the item never made its way into her suitcase which meant she had to find a replacement as soon as possible.

We entered into &OtherStories with Maddie going straight for a promising rack while Baran and I eyed the shoe sale. A pair with an oddly clog-like toe caught our eye. We noticed that there were a lot of these peculiar flats on sale, and since I was craving a clog, this was the closest I could get to wearable. The first pairs of “clogs” were a little too pricey and fuzzy for me. As Baran and I returned to the front of the store, we found Maddie with no black tube top in hand. 

H&M had one pair of flats with a clog-adjacent toe. They were black satin with a gold buckle. I told Baran if they were under 15€, I would get them. She flipped over the price tag and smiled. 13€. Aesthetically, I could do better. We arrived at the front of the store to find Maddie empty handed. 

In Zara, Baran and I kneeled down by the racks to find an enjoyable clog that fit (enough.) A deep burgundy clog caught my eye. It was adorned with a double grommet silver buckle. I put them on and was generally satisfied with the fit. We made it to checkout, but once again, Maddie, with a straight-mouthed smile, stood holding no black tube top. 

Our tiring search took up a lot of our energy. We went to Fabel Friet for their iconic fries to recover. The line was fast moving and the fries were very affordable. They come with a choice of cheese and a choice of sauce. Maddie and Baran chose parmesan and truffle mayo. I got cheddar, so we could all try both options, and curry ketchup. I knew that I would taste and probably finish Maddie and/or Baran’s fries at some point, so I wanted to give myself as much variety as I could.

Ending the night on a canal cruise was a great way to wrap up our day. Houseboats float on the sides of the canal, and as we floated down, families ate dinner and watched TV inside. We gawked at the beautiful buildings and the people in the windows. We talked about which one we’d live in. We watched as two boys sat talking on the window sill of a tall building. There were a few software company buildings here. We could make it work for a couple years. 

I wore my clogs on the Wednesday after our weekend trip. They were slightly uncomfortable, but as a frequent wear-er of Dr. Martens, I could deal with the pain. I showed off my clogs to everyone I could. No, they’re not wooden. Yes, I did buy them in Amsterdam. No, they only hurt a little. 

I returned to my room that night, took off my gorgeous clogs to reveal my sock half drenched in blood. All day, my toenail had been rubbing so much on my other toe due to my flats’ pointy tip that it bled… a lot. A nauseating amount. I was filled with stroopwafel and frites and things close enough to clogs were on my feet. Amsterdam, my favorite city so far, was a success.


Anticipating and Adjusting to Life in Metz

Written by Katherine Sanders

Two of my friends returned to Atlanta for the fall semester with stories from their time abroad. Both had gone to France for a summer semester, Zach in Metz and Lilly in Lyon. I loved hearing about their travels. From Charli XCX DJ sets to sunbathing in the south of France, the stories excited me. By the time I returned to Atlanta in August, my friends knew I was leaving for Metz that Spring. Some had advice for living in Europe while others had recommendations for travel. 

My friends Maddie and Baran both expressed interest in going to Georgia Tech-Europe in the spring of their sophomore year, so we all planned to go together. Baran was adamant we plan every weekend ahead of time. We created a Google Doc with a list of every weekend. Slowly, we assigned each weekend a travel destination. 

If someone asked where I would go in Europe, I pulled up our Google Doc on my phone and flipped it around. Initially, they would gawk, warning me that I would become exhausted. I understand the concern. However, I usually responded with “Probably, but we can figure that out when we get to that point.” 

These conversations came with advice I found entertaining and useful. 

“Germans think Americans are really funny, even if you aren’t trying to be.” 

“Sightseeing in Spain is beautiful until your phone gets stolen.” 

“Ask for a pitcher of water rather than a glass of water in France.” 

These conversations also brought some critiques from what weather would look like, or how long it would take to get to our travel destinations. At some point I wanted to ask, “why can’t you let me suffer on my own?” It was hard to keep all of the conflicting warnings straight, so I opted to make my own mistakes. I wanted most of my journey to come from my own accord, or at least from a place so deep down I can’t see who shaped it.

For so long, I avoided talking about studying abroad to stay present in my first semester, but when I landed in Montana, I couldn’t keep my mind off of France. As I made my lunch, I thought about the foods I would eat. As I went to the gym, I thought about how I would continue weight training. What skin care items would local stores provide? Could I find my favorite snacks? Despite my worries, I was interested in arriving so I could discover the answers to my questions. 

The first two weeks in Metz were exciting and exploratory. Students are given a studio apartment to live in with a personal bathroom and kitchenette*. The kitchenette provides a stove and microwave with an assortment of cooking pans and utensils. The interiors of the apartment buildings are completely monochrome: lime green, red, orange, and yellow. It’s eerily similar to Squid Game.

The GTE building is the size of a small high school, and the environment is similar to one. I usually see the same groups of people in my classes and in the cafeteria. Breakfast and coffee are provided in the lounge every morning. The lounge is where you can find students studying, playing pool, or practicing piano. Lunch is also provided by the school but is through the neighboring high school. Just like high school, you grab a tray and slide down, receiving a plate and side to go sit with the high schoolers in their own cafeteria. The process brings a special case of nostalgia. 

Although I am grateful for the opportunity to travel and live in the center of Europe, I can’t say I don’t miss home. Finding reasoning is useless when all the “bad” comes with infinite good, so I’ll say I’ve come down with a case of homesickness. I try to find hints of familiarity in Metz every day. Maybe the cold nips in the same way it did when I walked around campus late at night. I took a walk late last night around Lac Symphonie, and I can’t say it feels like North Avenue. Soon, this new norm will settle into place, and these cold foggy mornings will feel more friendly.

*Dorm situations vary between Fall/Spring and Summer semesters at GTE