Category: Life in Europe

The People We Meet On The Train

Written by Swati

March 2nd 2023

The people we meet on the train are Fate’s hands knitting the cloth of our lives right before our eyes. On the way to Venice, a massage therapist from Thailand settled in Albania, hoping to move to Switzerland to join the rest of his family. A couple on vacation from

Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, on a romantic getaway from the cityscape. Fathers wrangle rows of children together, mothers patiently gather tickets and baggage for disembarkment.  The people I meet on the train will be scored on my heart forever. 

On the way to Florence, I could feel Fate’s hand pushing me forward into my life. After a gentle morning in Burano, a fishing village off of Venice with rows of colorful houses and small pieces of handmade lace, I took some extra time to write by the water. I decide that Venice must be God’s favorite place on Earth. Manmade creations meant to mimic greatness I’d assume he respects the attempt, and allows it to prosper. It wasn’t a place where I necessarily found happiness, but where I found that happiness could be found. And with that I took a ferry back to Venice, with more than enough time to make it to my train. Or so I thought. 

How quickly an hour disappears. Delays in turn to new ferry lines, turn into frantic scrambling down Venetian streets, canvas bag in hand, hair whipping through the wind. By the time I made it back to my hotel to pick up my bag, I had 25 minutes to make the 22 minute journey to the Venezia Santa Lucia train station. I had all but given up, but something about traveling abroad alone has instilled more fight in me. If I am to miss a train, I must first attempt to make it. A big problem I had growing up was giving up too early. As it goes with young children who are identified as talented early on, I always wanted to be a natural. I wanted to be good at everything. I wanted assurance that all attempts are rewarded. But the world doesn’t work that way. And it’s alright. Sometimes Fate reaches out a hand. And that’s all we need. 

After clattering my way to the train station, a glass bottle toppled out of one of my bags splattering all over the stoned road. I couldn’t tell you why, but once I decided I’d be spending more than 2 days at Lake Como, I fell into the domesticity of it all, and ran to the nearby Lidl to purchase supplies for a lakeside picnic. The unfortunate thing about going grocery shopping with me is that I’ll always shop as my Indian mother taught me to, looking for deals and purchasing a mix of fruits and snacks. But this meant that I ended up with 2 full bags of groceries that I then needed to take to Venice, and later Florence, with me. I’d managed to pack a backpack crammed full of clothes for 10 days in Italy, but the rest were plastic bags from grocery stores knotted haphazardly around my fingers. I ran to the terminal a mere 3 minutes prior to departure, only to find that my seat was in the last car of the train. In the midst of the chaos, I make the split decision to settle into the second car, and cross my fingers that no one else has reserved the seat that I just claimed. Across from me, I snuggle my backpack, two bags of groceries, and my tote bag. Sigh of relief. I’ve done it. I’m on the train and I will be in Florence in 2 hours. Enter Fate.

Stopping at a nearby station, Padova if I recall correctly, a dozen new passengers enter the train. A woman walks over to the couple next to me, explaining that she had reserved one of their seats, starting a bit of a stir that had me wondering if it was my mistake that would finally be revealed. But Fate would have it otherwise. A man enters as well, gesturing that he has reserved the seat that held my belongings. Eyes widening, I apologize profusely, knocking over my water bottle full of San Benedetto Allegro, a sparkling citrus fruit juice. Lovely. While I’m gathering my bearings, the couple and a nearby train hostess discuss, asking the woman with the original seat reservation if she would be okay taking a different seat nearby, as the train car was close to empty. With an agreement from all four of us in the vicinity, she heads over to a different seat and the man sits across from me, apologizing as well. I detect an English accent and a lack of the normal European distaste towards my clumsy nature. I take the plunge, asking if he was English which led to the most engaging conversation I’ve had in months.

I find that he’s John Armstrong, a Glasgow native and Oxford-educated philosopher, professor, author, and art collector. It’s difficult to read strangers, and with all the stranger danger training I received beginning at age 5, I’ve favored safety in traveling alone. But life in Italy, and maybe in overarching Europe, has an emphasis on most strangers minding their own business, often not starting conversation unless approached first. It gives me a greater feeling of control and ability to walk myself out of unsavory situations or break if conversation tapers off. In fact, the way a conversation begins is quite interesting. It feels too technical to ever engineer perfectly, which is why I’ll always believe Fate led me to that train, that train car, that seat, and that conversation. 

John Armstrong has enough stories to last lifetimes, but I find that much of the work that he’s done and continues to do in literature are along the lines of the realizations I’ve had along my European adventure thus far: small joys and finding beauty in the little things, more specifically why we are pulled to beautiful things like the stroke of a brush in a painting, or a curve of a hand in a sculpture. I’m amazed to have found a writer, but also such a mind, passing through at the same time as I did.  I’ve never quite been able to look Fate in the eye the way I did that Thursday afternoon.

If by chance you’re reading this now, Mr. John Armstrong, I hope you find that opening line you’re looking for to start your newest book. 

The people we meet on the train won’t fix us. But they will teach us, lead us, and guide us into understanding that we are fixing ourselves.

C’est pas drôle! Well… Maybe a Little Bit

Written by Swati

January 23, 2023

With just a little over two weeks of living in France under my belt, I like to think I’m adjusting quite nicely to the new landscape. Waterways are plentiful, I’m encountering much fewer unfriendly French people than expected, and I’m picking up the language quite quickly, if I do say so myself. But, as we all know, with any new change comes its learning curves. Enter Cora. Supermarket extraordinaire, reminiscent of a super Target meets a Walmart, maybe throw in a Kroger for good measure. If there was one thing I wish I’d heard about Cora before I got to GTE, it’s how absolutely overwhelmed I would be as soon as I stepped foot in the store. I like to think of myself as a decently resourceful person. Prior to my first official visit and tour of the store, I made a grocery list and checked out their online selection to prepare me. Little did I know, nothing could prepare me for that experience. 

After more than 2 hours in the store that first go-around, I was frazzled, confused, and couldn’t understand any of the answers I was getting to the poorly phrased French questions I was asking. The exchanges would go a little something like, “Perdon, j’ai une question, où est fromage.. Uh le mozzarella (Where is the mozzarella cheese)” or “Perdon, j’ai besoin du lait (milk)” to which I would get rapid fast answers in French and I’d respond with a weak “merci” and a crinkle of the eyebrows, before deciding to wander the store in hopes of stumbling upon what I was looking for on my own.

I quickly realized I couldn’t go on like this and began tracking down other students as resources. There’s something noticeable about the GT students in the store. It’s hard to pin down what it is exactly, maybe a combination of general confusion and lack of awareness. Maybe also the fact that we huddle together and walk a bit more clumsily, running into the everyday French person on their daily grocery shop and standing confusedly in the middle of the aisles. I’d find familiar faces and ask where to find the oil with a frantic look in my eyes and would be met with an answer and an equally frantic question asking about rice. The first few trips to Cora were less than exciting, especially considering the time crunch. GTE has a shuttle to take us straight back to our dorms at 7:30pm on Monday evenings, but with a class ending at 6:15 and a 20 minute walk there, it’s my weekly dose of distress. 

I will tell you that I hold near and dear to my heart the one and only success, in which I asked a sales associate timidly, “Perdon, où est le ruban adhesive (tape)?” And expected to not understand what she’d say back to me. She gave me a once-over, saw the confusion in my eyes and responded slowly in French, “Le petit ou le grande?” “Le petit,” I responded, adding a small gesture with my hands. After all, I wouldn’t need a roll of duct tape to tape some receipts and ticket stubs into my journal. She nodded with a gentle smile and responded with the first French words I had made sense of in days. The tape was in the paper aisle! Two aisles over! I could hear the heavens calling out to me, I’d make it in this country after all. Alas, the walk of victory back to my friends after that experience was short lived as I later realized I had mistakenly picked up sweet and sour sauce after being too overwhelmed to read the labels in the pasta sauce aisle.  Spinach and cheese ravioli coated in aigre douce was a sour ending to a sweet experience. More on that failure later. First, let us revel in the glory of success.

Mid-Semester Reflection

Written by Lillian

October 11, 2022

Seven weeks have come and gone in a flash. It feels like just yesterday I was trying to learn how to read the train boards in the Metz train station and attempting to locate the GTL shuttle. While many of my friends have studied at GTL before and I’d heard plenty about their experiences, several things have still surprised me during my time here thus far: how early one must rise to reach the train station on time, how heavy a full backpack can weigh on your back, and the rapid five-minute transfers between trains in a flurry with the dozens of others. Balancing classwork and travel has also been more difficult than I anticipated: I feel like I ask myself every week, “Will this be the week I don’t finish my system dynamics homework an hour before the due date?”

In addition to classwork, traveling comes with its own set of growing pains. It gets easier as you learn what to pack, when to leave, what to do, but you also learn more about how naïve you are. Safe travel is important at GTL, and my friends and I have had our share of close scrapes. Throughout the semester, I’ve set more boundaries for myself to avoid these situations. But with new boundaries comes the inevitable fear of missing out. “Should I leave a day early and spend the night in a train station so I can get four more hours in Switzerland? Is it worth it to spend an extra $400 to book plane tickets to Greece?”

Sometimes at GTL, it can feel like other students are experiencing so much more than you and traveling to more countries. For example, one place I knew I wanted to visit before coming to Europe was Switzerland. However, the weekend I visited was wet and rainy, and all other weekends since have been plagued with torrential downpours. I wish I could have traveled earlier and bypassed the rain and while I know hindsight is 20/20, I still sometimes find myself jealous of others who experienced better weather.

To overcome this fear, I remind myself of something that I heard during a talk at a conference: think of everyone like Venn Diagrams. You always want to assume that your circle is within another person’s circle, but in reality, we are intersecting circles. While they may have gone to Denmark, or Great Britain, or even Switzerland and you have not, you have been to Austria, Italy, and Ireland! It always feels like you are the one missing out, but in reality, there are so many experiences that are uniquely yours and yours alone, and I personally would not want to trade my memories of GTL with anyone else’s.

I have been able to travel to so many different countries and experience new surroundings and cultures, and I’ve met so many interesting people. On a train in Germany, the girl sitting next to me was visiting her Aunt in Frankfurt and showed me pictures of her Spanish home. In Amsterdam, I met an American who has been working virtually from abroad since 2020; he’s changed his location every two weeks while staying in hostels all around Europe. In Switzerland, I ran through the train station with a hundred others attempting to catch a train in a four minute transfer. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as I ran amid the chaos, everyone’s bags flapping behind them. In the lounge of a hostel, my group successfully got over a dozen Europeans to dance the Cotton Eye Joe at midnight; we taught them the steps as we bounced to the song. It’s these situations that make every tight transfer, every midnight homework session, and every early morning train jaunt worth it. I love walking into the student lounge and seeing my friends huddled around a table, ready to go over this week’s homework in preparation for this week’s travels. We are all in this crazy situation together, and we all have each other’s backs no matter what happens or where we have visited— GTL’s community is unmatched!

How to Deal with Getting Sick at GTL

Written by Lillian

Friday, September 16th 2022

One of the worst things that can happen to you while Georgia Tech Lorraine is get sick. The stress of Georgia Tech classes and traveling every weekend paired with France’s colder temperatures approaching easily leads to sickness. This past weekend, I traveled to the German and Austrian Alps, and the weather was not cooperating at all. The entire weekend brought icy rain and bone chilling wind— something I was not prepared for. The single rain jacket I brought with me was definitely not enough. 

An Austrian Apfelstrudel from a Hutte: small hotels and restaurants located on the top of mountains. The only way to access it is to hike to it. It was super delicious, too bad the journey got me sick…

I got back to Metz with the sniffles, which slowly turned into a sneeze and a cough, which then turned into fever over the course of the week. The first thing I did was conduct a rapid test for COVID, and thankfully I was negative. However, since my room offers no temperature control and the only air circulation is provided by a single window being opened and closed, it was very hard to heal from a simple cold. If you got caught up in the same situation that I did, here are some recommendations to avoid becoming sick and how to get better:

Pharmacies: In France, you cannot purchase drugs at the supermarket. Instead, you have to go to devoted stores called Pharmacies to purchase these items. You can always recognize them via their green crosses. There is one in CORA, and the attendees are super nice and will have a high chance of speaking English! They have everything from ibuprofen and cough medicine to specialized cushioned shoes.

Pharmacie in CORA. Pharmacies always have the distinctive green cross, found all over Europe.

GTL Nurse: GTL has a nurse that visits the campus once a week for free consultation for all students. If you are unsure of the prescription that you would need at the pharmacies, make sure to talk to the nurse beforehand!

Masks: The only good thing to come out of COVID is that wearing face masks is more normalized. Help protect your fellow students by wearing face masks whenever you leave your room to go to the pharmacy.

Setting boundaries: One way to prevent getting sick is to set boundaries when traveling. Instead of leaving after class on Thursday and getting back to campus Monday morning before all of your classes start, give yourself time to recover before and after traveling. A lot of students will push themselves to maximize the amount of time traveling, but remember that train sleep is not the best type of sleep. The bumps and interesting temperature ranges trains can have make it very hard to sleep peacefully. By extension, overnight trains are not always the best solution especially if there are shorter ones during the day. Always give yourself at least 8 hours to sleep every day that is not on a train, and it will make you feel much better.

What to Expect During Your First Week at GTL

September 12, 2022

Written by Lillian

1. GTL shuttle

When you first arrive in Paris, at the Charles De Gaulle Airport, your first task is to locate the GTL shuttle. I highly recommend getting into contact with other GTL students prior to entering Paris in order to make this experience better, since finding the shuttle is very chaotic and hard to locate in the midst of being in a foreign country and finding your luggage. Thankfully, I was able to text other students in a GTL group chat to ask for more specific directions to the shuttle.

That afternoon and night offers students time to unpack their things and unwind from the day of traveling. Free pizza will be offered during a dorm building party for dinner. Some students will also take this time to shop for food and personal belongings. I would hold off on making large purchases during this time because students will get the opportunity to pick large items like trash cans and fans for free on Monday, when old GTL students dorm supplies are available to new GTL students. 

2. CORA tour

The next morning, students have the option of signing up for a tour of CORA: the local supermarket, which is more like a superstore in Metz. During this tour, you will learn where everything is located, and some helpful hints to make your shopping experience better. For example, in order to use a shopping cart, you need to insert a coin into the cart to unlock it. You will get that coin back when you return the cart. You also need to plastic wrap all large backpacks (purses and handbags excluded) when you enter the store to prevent theft. CORA, like many other French grocery stores, has a large bakery and cheese section.

3. Downtown Metz Tour

That afternoon, we headed into downtown Metz on a GTL supplied bus. We got an audio tour of the city while riding a small train-like shuttle. Once that was over, the student assistants freed us to explore the town ourselves. During this time, I went with a group of students to get cellular data plans at Free Mobile. One student spoke French so we were able to rely on him to make sure we got the plans we needed.

View of Downtown Metz. Imagine living in one of those apartments that look out onto the waterfront!

4. Orientation

Monday morning brings orientation! While there are no classes on Monday, students are required to attend orientation early that morning where we learn about building safety precautions, research abroad, and general GTL programs. Since there are no classes on Monday, this first week will have classes on Friday, so your first week’s travel plans will be impacted.

5. Campus Tour

On the Monday of your first week of classes, you will be given a tour of the GTL building as well as safety information about the building. Your class will be split into different tour groups to walk through the building at different times. While waiting for your group to start, you can rent a bike with Velomet for €15 who will visit GTL during that time. In order to rent a bike, you must bring a €200 deposit that you will receive when you turn your bike back in. Velomet only accepts cash deposits, so if you are in need of a bike, make sure to bring it to your orientation on Monday. GTL will also invite a local food truck that you can purchase lunch from.

6. Garage Sale

In the middle of your tour, you will have access to the Garage Sale, a room full of free items to grab from previous GTL students. Items include fans, brooms and mops, clothes bins and drying racks, trash cans, hangers, etc. Students have limited time and limited number of items that they can select during the garage sale in order to make it fair to all students; however, students in earlier tour groups will receive an advantage since they will choose their items first. Even though I was in the last group to choose items, I still was able to pick up a fan, cutting board, trash can, and clothes bin, so do not worry if you are in the same situation.

I was one of the last students that was able to go to the garage sale, and this is how much was still remaining

7. Grad Orientation

If you are a Masters or PHD student, you are required to attend a major specific orientation detailing your program at GTL. During this time, you learn about research and courses for your degree, and you can ask more grad school specific questions.

8. Dorm Tours

Students will also receive a tour of their dorm building after the tour of campus and learn about laundry facilities and trash separation. The washing machines in my building, Lafayette, include their own detergent. Fabric softeners and other scented products are not included. 

9. Leonardo Program

During orientation, you will learn about the Leonardo Program: a program headed by French teacher Sonia Seravan to explore the arts. This program has events that are free for students such as drawing classes with a local artist and speed dating events to meet your fellow Georgia Tech travelers. 

Finally!

Monday, September 5th, 2022

Written by Lillian

My initial trip to France was a whirlwind, and I was not sure that I was going to arrive on time and with all my things. I spent the summer interning in Seattle, Washington, but the day after my internship ended, I was on a plane headed to Newfoundland, Canada. I spent two weeks biking across the island with Georgia Tech’s Outdoor Recreation program. From there, I flew to Washington, D.C. where I met my dad who was waiting patiently with my luggage which I had prepacked and shipped from Seattle. I flew to Paris immediately, without even saying goodbye to my family. Afterwards, I dealt with TSA, customs, jetlag, and locating the GTL Shuttle. As I sat down in the Shuttle with all my belongings, I was relieved that all my travel plans were executed successfully, although it tiring to go through. Then, it started to dawn on me: I was finally in France!  

The past three years have been building to this one moment. During my first year at Georgia Tech, I applied and was accepted to GTL for the summer. Unfortunately, it was canceled due to COVID-19. The next year, I planned to study abroad once more during the Fall semester, but I received a last-minute internship which I decided to take instead. Well, you know what they say: third time’s the charm! And for me, it was! After all the planning and purchasing of the Eurail passes and plane tickets, I started to get exhausted from stressing over all the disjunct pieces in my travel plans, wondering if it would all work out perfectly. I completely forgot to look around and just be thankful that I was here. Once I took that step back, I was full of pure happiness. While I know that busy travel days and exhausting weekdays await me, I am so excited to get out of my comfort zone and experience all that Europe has to offer me!

View outside my plane arriving into France. Even the farmlands are laid out differently. In the US, it’s a grid system, but here is more anarchy. 

After a four-hour bus ride, the shuttle dropped us off at my Lafayette dorm room: a small room without air-conditioning located on the first floor. A pizza party was thrown for all the GTL students, and a couple of my newfound friends went out for €0.50 coffee from a vending machine and ice cream. My lack of French hit me as I stepped up to the dessert bar cashier. “Je voudrais une… chocolate ice cream… s’il vous plaît?” I attempted – butchering the words. Thankfully, the cashier understood my attempt and helped me with my pronunciation. Even though I was initially unsuccessful, I was over my fear of speaking French, and I look forward to the opportunity to redeem myself in the future. 

A well-earned ice cream 

In just this first week, I have been able to explore the cities of Metz and Luxembourg. On first impression, what struck out to me was the many cultural differences that I did not expect. I figured that Europe was more fashionable than the United States (hello– Paris fashion week), but I did not expect it in the airport and grocery stores. For Europeans, pants and red-tinted sunglasses are more favorable when compared to jeans, shorts, and black tinted sunglasses, in the U.S.. Other oddities which struck me as well: groceries and restaurants are much cheaper here than in the states; however, items such as batteries and gas are more expensive. The public bathroom (or WC) is not free, usually costing around 0,50 €- 1€. I was astounded when I was charged 4,50€ for a bottle of water at a restaurant in Luxembourg. It was more expensive than soft drinks and alcohol. When entering a grocery store, you must bag your backpacks in plastic to prevent theft of items. You also must scan self-checkout receipts to exit!  While the differences are small, they add up.  

Me in Paris at the Pont Neuf Bridge and my stylish gummy bear earrings. If this didn’t fit in with French couture, I don’t know what would.

Overall, France and Luxembourg have been amazing to explore these first few weeks. However, I am so excited to continue traveling and see as many sights as I can. I think the activity that I am most excited for is hiking along the ridge lines of the Alps in Switzerland. I cannot wait to continue to travel in weeks to come, so I can learn more about European culture outside of France! 

How Am I Doing at GTL? (Mental Health)

Wednesday, April 20, 2022 | Written by Claire

At Georgia Tech, it is no surprise that mental health is a big topic among students facing stressful situations at university. Just like any other college, students are often met with heavy workloads, difficult courses, and little social time outside of classes. At GTL, it is a different type of challenge.

As a GTL student myself, I’ve had a smooth run the first few months of living in France. Besides the lack of usual Asian food that I eat, life has been good. My classes were going well; I was managing my workload while traveling extensively; I was having a lot of fun as a happy and healthy student. It wasn’t until late March when I began experiencing some health hiccups here and there. I had and am still going through a bad eczema flare up on my face after being prescribed a steroid cream for a previous rash by a French doctor. After using it, the rash spread across my face and currently, I’m still doing everything I can to keep it at bay. Then, after it had healed for a day, I got COVID. From there I was stuck in isolation for a week and the rash came back full force and still hasn’t subsided. This period has been very difficult for me. I had to skip out on so many social events just to stay stuck in my small dorm room. Right when I thought I was healed and ready to go for my long weekend vacation in Italy, I had to stay in COVID isolation for a week. It was truly very frustrating to deal with day after day and today almost marks one month of this struggle. Slowly but steadily, I am beginning my recovery.

GTL, however, has been excellent in reciprocating my needs. For all prospective students, the GTL urgent phone line is staffed 24/7 by GTL staff members who care about your health and wellbeing. They are willing to talk to you about your wants and needs whenever it is. I’ve heard about students calling for emergencies or even slight inconveniences, but for me GTL Urgent staff have been angels. When I had COVID, one of the staff members even drove me to the hospital personally so I could get treatment for my flare ups. They spent hours upon hours waiting with me at the hospital despite the massive line of patients. They even helped translate what I needed to say to the doctor in French and helped me get my prescription medicine during rush hour. With Easter right around the corner, many places were going to be closed for the long weekend, and they made sure I was able to get my treatment before that time. Other than that, during isolation, they also arranged a food delivery service that would drop fresh groceries from Cora right at my door.

Other than the GTL Urgent phone, GTL is also staffed with a school nurse, admins around the clock and professors who prioritize your health and needs. Thus, I am happy to say that no student will ever be alone if they are in need and are at GTL. They can arrange emergency services whether you are in Metz or abroad, and I am so thankful for that. 

Free Mobile (Not so Free but Decent) 

Monday, March 21, 2022 | Written by Claire

Free Mobile is going to be your best bet for a reliable phone plan during your time at GTL. If you’re debating on using your current international data and call plan, you may want to reconsider after hearing about what Free Mobile has to offer. 

There are several things you should keep in mind when choosing your phone plan. You will be traveling across the EU during your time at GTL, especially with your Eurail Pass. 

Free mobile has been heavily reliant and can make calls for a few cents during emergencies. They offer fast and reliable data from local telecom towers. Free Mobile has reasonable rates for 50 GB in France and 10 GB abroad per month, which is more than plenty. They will charge you only €11 each month after the first payment of €21 for the plan and the sim card when you first purchase from the store. Free covers all countries within the EU, but if you’re going to Switzerland, watch out! You’ll be charged 1 CHF per MB of data used so make sure you turn roaming off when you’re crossing through the area. I was charged a hefty €50 surcharge for accidently using data in Switzerland, but usually you’ll get a warning text every time you enter a different country. Here are some of their current deals:
Depending on the package you get, you are able use up to 35 day’s worth of international calls , which include US landlines. This was super useful for when we had to call hostel owners abroad in order to check in or other uses for emergencies. Additionally, having the international component makes it much easier to receive international texts and other confirmation codes you might need to apply for Passenger Locator Forms in you’re flying into different countries or sometimes even getting the verification code for renting scooters and bikes. It can also be a hotspot for your computer if you need to get assignments done on the train or for others to leech off of if needed. 

Buying a Free Mobile sim card is easy. There is a store right next to the CDG airport in the local mall where you can register for a new French number at a kiosk. After getting a new number, you can start using your French sim card immediately. The only downside is that the kiosk is entirely in French but here’s a thorough walk through on how to use the kiosk. 

https://tabiparislax.com/en/freemobile-2/ 

Now, when you first arrive in Paris, you might be tempted to buy from the sim card vendors within the actual airport. DO NOT! Those rates are ridiculously inflated for just a few GB of data. Some of these vendors may be Orange, SFR, or Bouygues, but comparatively, Free Mobile has the best rates for data you are getting and its extensive coverage outside of France as well. 

Overall, Free mobile has been a lifesaver on many of my trips, and I highly recommend that you get a French sim card. The only thing is, remember to cancel your subscription before you leave!

GTL Newcomer’s Guide: Food Review

Tuesday, March 15, 2022 | Written by Claire

As a new student at GTL, you may wonder where the best places to get food around campus are. Without an official meal plan, it sometimes can get monotonous eating pizza or Carbonara pasta from Crous everyday, and cooking for yourself is also no easy task. Metz has a few notable and reasonable places to help you get adjusted to life in France. Here are my favorites. 

Cora: 10/10

This is the biggest market in Metz and its definitely one you can’t miss. Basically a Walmart and Target combined into a Costco sized warehouse, Cora is the place to find anything you ever need. There are huge selections of housewares, clothing, pastries, meats, and drinks of all sorts. While prices are not much cheaper than those back in Atlanta, it depends on the meats, fruits, and veggies you end up buying. Tropical fruits, such as strawberries, grapes, and mangos are very expensive, almost 1.5 the price than we usually see at home. Meat cuts include parts from all parts of cows, pigs, and chicken, but the one thing you want to keep in mind when selecting cheaper meat is the date of consumption. Many times, the meats must be eaten within the next 1-3 days, so if you’re traveling on the weekend, it’s best to buy the groceries after you return. Overall, Cora scores a 10/10 on the scale. It has almost everything I ever needed and while it’s a 30-minute walk from Lafayette, with the metro pass, you can get there in a matter of minutes. 

Auchan 8/10 

Auchan is a smaller chain supermarket that is closer to Lafayette than Cora. It sells mostly the same things and brands, but overall, Auchan has higher quality pastries and good budget food items. While the veggies selection is not as diverse, it specializes in lot of bio or organic produce that are slightly cheaper than the ones at Cora. From my experience, it is best to go to Auchan earlier in the day when things have been stocked up and when the bakeries just restock on their fresh breads. It scores brownie points for its convenient location and accessibility to Lafayette. Finally, most French groceries stores are highly plastic conscious, so you’ll have to bring your own bags! 

Pauls 7/10

For new French pastry connoisseurs, Paul’s is the perfect place to start exploring. Located just 5 minutes away from GTL, Paul’s has a huge collection of coffees, breads, tarts, and ready-made food just for your convenience. For my first time at Paul’s, I tried their pain au chocolat, a classic French delicacy with chocolate folded into crispy, buttery goodness. Their tarts are amazing with fresh berries and a glaze that isn’t too sweet but also not too sour. Their freshly made baguettes in the morning are perfect for cheese and jam. Overall, the prices are comparable to those in Cora, so you might as well try out what they have and expand your horizons. There are also many tables set up inside for you to get your work done, in an ambient, cozy environment with your favorite pastries. While taste is good, the waiter experience was slightly awkward when we first visited there. If you do not know French, you might want to touch up on some of your basic French phrases before heading over. 

Mamma Mia Pizza 9/10

Funny enough, Mamma Mia Pizza was my first meal I had in Metz when I arrived. It is located right next to Paul’s and it has a massive selection of specialty pizzas and pastas for a reasonable price. The maxi size is enough for two and they are often loaded with toppings. My recommendation would be the Pizzaiolo, which comes with ham, peppers, mushroom, and chorizo. It is the best bang for your buck and it quite filling as a pizza itself. Mamma Mia specializes in thin crust pizzas, which are a nice crunchy and light comparison to the traditional American pizzas. It is also open all 7 days a week, which comes in clutch when stores are closed on Sundays. 

Mid-Semester Reflection

Friday, March 4, 2022 | Written by Claire

After two months of living in France and studying at GTL, I’ve developed many new perceptions on how I’ve spent my time here. From being a student Monday through Wednesday and a full-time traveler throughout the weekend, it is difficult to imagine life as it was back when I was simply studying at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The rigorous and mundane routine of wake, eat, work, eat, sleep has swamped my college experience since 2019, and many times I’ve always wondered if stressing and working nonstop was the peak of life. And it definitely isn’t.

At GTL, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to take time to travel across Europe, a place I never really considered to traverse before. I am grateful to have the time, energy, and resources to travel the way I have been and if I could have told my younger self one thing, it would be to embrace exploration in Europe. From large cities such as Paris, Berlin, and Madrid to small towns like Hallstatt and Como, I’ve seen a range of European lifestyles and utilized a handful of different languages just to get around. Every town is different, and the people have such different qualities region by region. It is mind boggling to see the development of cultural differentiation throughout history and how minute social cues or local habits change ever so slightly.  The thing that amazes me the most is the ease that comes with traveling within the EU. Hop on a train, and voila, you’re in a completely different world. The places I see, the dishes I eat, the people I hear- these are all the things I will cherish for a lifetime. Being able to hop across a border, whether it’s on foot or on train, is something I can only say I’ve had the chance to do thanks to GTL. 

However, while spending hours upon hours on trains, I find myself more and more exhausted every weekend. The further I go, the more stress I must bear trying to catch trains and praying connections don’t get cancelled. Many times, when I’m tired and cold to the bone sitting in the freezing Frankfurt train station I have unsettling emotions about why I’m stuck in that situation. On several weekends, I have been traveling just because it seemed like a waste of time not to. I travel sometimes because I feel obligated to take advantage of my Eurail pass and see random new things along the way. Many times, weekend plans are formed on the whim and many places I have went, I don’t have any real desire or excitement to go to. While it’s the dream traveling with my friends and experiencing all the weird things that comes with being in random places at 2 AM, I can get easily irritated by the noise and the chaos around me.

When I get into this state of mind, I always remind myself that health comes first. Tiring myself out just to get places I don’t really want to go to does no good. I think back to those moments at GT in Atlanta when I’ve just taken random walks at night just to go stare at the stars, longing to be elsewhere, yearning for a release of all my academic stress. Yet here I am. When I call my friends back at home, they always ask me about my travels and the new places I’ve seen on my trips. They’re envious of the lifestyle I’m living right now even as a student. Same with my parents. I often think of things I get to share with them every weekend, or perhaps a small souvenir special to the place just to bring back a small piece of my experience for them to try. I make vlogs and edit photos to remind myself of all the beautiful things I’ve seen on my trips so far, and the best part is that I get to share it with those I love back at home. So even when traveler’s weariness starts to hit, I know I should never take this semester for granted. It’s by far the most exciting, chaotic, stressful, and tiring period of my life, but all for the best reason. And I wouldn’t want to imagine my GTL experience in any other way.