Category: Why GTE?

Find out why students are choosing to go to Georgia Tech-Europe!

Closing Words

Written by Valerie Rosas

As I reflect on my semester abroad from the comfort of my own home, I think back to where I started. Everything has a beginning, and, as you know, mine began with a postcard. I hope to have inspired someone just as much, if not more, than that postcard inspired me. If a spark was not created through my words, then it may have been through my photographs.  

It has been an honor to be this semester’s Georgia Tech-Europe blogger. I was gifted with the ability to influence a diverse community, whether it be a second-year mechanical engineering major or a young girl in high school eagerly hoping and dreaming to be able to call herself a Yellow Jacket one day. It has truly been a privilege to be in this position and share my story on this platform. Even though my “story” in question only consists of the last four months of my life, it encompasses so much more than that. Under the surface, you can hear the voice of a grandfather telling his granddaughter that she has now seen and done more than any other member of their family or watch the tears roll down an immigrant mother’s face as she reassures her sacrifice was not done in vain. A low-income, first-generation Latina made it to France and back. This blog is her testimony. 

Since I have been back home, so many people have asked me how my experience was. I find myself struggling to find an answer every time. How does one answer such a grand question with a simple response about a four-month-long roller coaster of an experience? The answer is you can’t. I always end up going on a tangent whether I choose to focus on what my greatest takeaway was or what my favorite city was. However, the best way for me to properly portray how I feel about the experience is through the depiction of light.  

Light has many symbolic meanings dating back to ancient times. It has been thought to symbolize life, understanding, intelligence, etc. “Light is one of the oldest and most meaningful symbols, found in cultures and religions worldwide…… in Hinduism, light has a special significance, especially during Diwali or the ‘Festival of Lights’ when the triumph of light over darkness is celebrated,” according to The National Gallery in London. On the other hand, darkness is thought to symbolize things like emptiness, ignorance, sorrow, and death. As my time at Georgia Tech-Europe went along, it was like the brightness scale on my life went up. I saw things more clearly, in technicolor, and brighter. The personal growth I experienced in my life is being portrayed by light. The symbolic representation of the gradual increase in light and color slowly reveals how I have developed as an individual. 

I can’t stress enough how rich in value this experience was. I discovered what truly makes me happy, what I cherish the most as a constant in my life. Similarly, I noticed what I took for granted and the size of the void it would create. I learned how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Living abroad forced me to be more independent than I had ever been before, but it also taught me the importance of balance. Living alone showed me how to be self-sufficient and care for myself and my needs without being able to rely on others like my parents. On the contrary, being in that kind of vulnerable state requires that you also recognize when it’s time to seek help. Whether it was through highs or lows, we were rewarded with many fruitful lessons. There is merit in overcoming setbacks such as the fortification of resilience and strength. It took me what felt like an eternity to get acclimated to my new lifestyle abroad. Everyone around me looked so happy to be there when inside I felt like I couldn’t adjust to it. However, this showed me the value of intrinsic motivation and the power of a positive mentality that led me to believe I could face the unknown with a newfound confidence. Sometimes in life, the most intimidating opportunities can be the most rewarding and a leap of faith could take you there. 

Knowledge is Forever 

Written by Valerie

In my blogs, I have gone on and on about how this experience has turned me into a new person in the few months I have been at GTE. Even though I have talked about it plenty in the past, I could still keep sharing about it. However, this blog is provided on behalf of an exceptional educational institution for the brilliant minds that attend it. So, I would like to address a variety of applications a study abroad experience could have for your future. 

Perhaps the most obvious one would be that it could go on your resume. The Georgia Tech Career website has a detailed resume writing guide that I relied on heavily when making my first resume. Recently as I geared up for this season of applying for internships for the upcoming summer, I noticed their template had an optional location for any study abroad experience. Additionally, during the resume-building unit in my GT 1000 class freshman year, two of our team leaders explained the benefits of having that information on a resume through their own personal experiences. Their international study programs also created endless conversation topics between them and their interviewers. Overall, it puts some amazing attributes on display. 

In an internship or job as well as in daily life, you will be able to apply an enhanced set of skills. A broadened perspective and diverse cultural understanding will resonate when you are placed in a situation where you have to collaborate with any group of people. Whether it is in a classroom, in an office, or even in a grocery store, fostering respect and understanding with the people you are working alongside allows for successful synergy. Taking this concept a step further, I highly recommend everyone take part in the ICEBERG Intercultural Learning Series hosted by the Office of International Education. I participated in it during the fall of my freshman year, and I loved it! Not even knowing it at the time, I enhanced my mindset for the international experience I would soon embark on at GTE. As stated on the Georgia Tech website, “this program addresses various topics, including improving communication abilities, developing intercultural skills, and navigating cultural differences.” For the cherry on top, once you pass the program, you earn a blockchain credential that you can display on your LinkedIn profile! 

Lastly, the problem-solving and adaptability skills you will have fortified by the time you return from GTE will prepare you to confidently tackle any challenges you may face in your life. Like many wise people before me have said, material things can come and go, but your knowledge will stay with you forever. 

The Power of Fear

Written by Valerie

Time and time again I have talked about different fears in my blogs. My own fear of flying is a prevalent one but also one you might expect from a student studying abroad for the first time. In fact, I’ve found that by simply making the decision to study abroad, a lot of fears are brought to light. 

One of the heaviest concerns may be the financial responsibility associated with a semester abroad. Will you be able to afford it? Will you get a scholarship in time, if at all? What kind of savings will you come back to when it’s all said and done? All of these are valid concerns that are very real to students. We are adults now, and even though many students can still rely on some support from their parents, we are ultimately responsible and carry the burden of the cost. 

Another fear many students experience but don’t mention as often is the fear of missing out. You have a solid friend group on campus with whom you participate in all of those wonderful Tech traditions. There is a vast support system consisting of your best friends, advisors, counselors, and mentors that you are used to having close by. They are going to continue their life while you are away. Then what? Will they forget you? Or what if you come back and things aren’t the same anymore? You will inevitably change on your journey abroad but likely not in the ways you may expect. Personally, I feel like I’ve had such a vast amount of personal growth within such a short period of time already. Despite having many highs and plenty of lows, there was always a lesson to be learned. 

While I know fear has a negative connotation, I believe it can also be acknowledged for its positive attributes. Fear can protect you from unwanted situations. A gut feeling may cause you to avoid a potentially harmful situation. Another positive attribute of fear is that once you overcome it, it’s one of the most satisfying feelings you can experience. You are proud of what you have accomplished. You have now opened a door full of new opportunities.  

Valerie – Blog 1

Written by Valerie Rosas – Fall 2023 blogger

Everyone knows when they want something, whether we choose to accept it within ourselves or to others is a different story. I have known for a long time that I wanted to study abroad when I got to college. Approximately six years ago, a close family friend studied abroad in Japan and then in Italy a little while later. Even though the friend is over ten years older than me, she has always treated me like an equal and has been a role model for me my whole life. Her experience abroad sparked my interest the second I received my first postcard from her sent from Venice. Fast forward to the strenuous times of college applications when we had SAT prep, campus visits lined up, and university-hosted events to attend, I remember when I first heard of, what was at the time, the Georgia Tech Lorraine program. That moment was when I knew that program was going to be the one that got me to study abroad. 

Once that was decided, then came the hard part. The logistics surrounding the decision were a hassle, to say the least. I needed to decide what the best time for me to go was with respect to my academics and career goals. Also, who was I going to go with? Most importantly, how am I going to fund this semester? These were my main worries. My thought process for picking the fall semester of my sophomore year was the following: the first two years of college would be reserved for the more fun activities like studying abroad, joining non-academic clubs and organizations, cultivating friendships, and exploring what campus has to offer while the last two years will be geared more toward reserving the summers for internships, gaining leadership positions on and off campus, and acquiring useful skills like certifications or languages. I also wanted to see Europe in the summer, fall, and beginning of winter to get a little taste of what every season looks like. Secondly on the list of worries was who my companion on this trip was going to be. I was not, nor do I think I will ever be ready to be a non-French speaking woman alone in Europe. That being said, I applaud and encourage everyone who decides to study abroad without depending on anyone else because I think everyone should pursue their dreams without having anyone or anything holding them back. It is a matter of knowing yourself and what is best for you. There are so many people in the program that you may not have come in knowing anyone, but you will definitely leave knowing plenty of people. Lastly, the financial commitment that is associated with studying abroad is a concern that hangs over all of our heads. Administrators, teachers, and others around me told me not to worry too much about it. Scholarships and financial aid can take care of it they said but that doesn’t take away the responsibilities we as students have on our shoulders. Scholarships have to be earned and what about spending money to sustain ourselves here for the duration of an entire semester? What about bills? Or helping support our families? None of that simply stops because we are not in the country. This may not be everyone’s situation but if you are a low-income or first-generation student then it is likely this will apply to you. It did for me which is why I want others to be understood and feel related to when voicing their concern about the stress that a financial burden like this can cause. 

Nevertheless, I am here. I didn’t let the stress consume me or detain me from my dream. “Where there is a will, there is a way,” could never be more true than in this situation. There will always be obstacles or reasons in your life that will make you feel like it isn’t the right time to do something like this for yourself. The problem is that it will never be the right time because nothing is perfect. This is the time to exercise those problem-solving skills and find a way to make it happen. Now having been at Georgia Tech Europe for a little over two weeks, I can tell you that there are still problems, but they are simply different ones. The trick is to not let that overcome the beauty, excitement, and happiness in all the situations you end up in. I encourage you to follow me on my journey throughout my semester at Georgia Tech Europe so you can make the decision for yourself if this is the right fit for you.

The Dream Ends, The Grand Adventure Continues

Written by Swati

Que fait la nuit quand il fait jour?

(What does the night do when it becomes day?)

I’d give you the fast facts, I’d give you the recap, I’d tell you my biggest piece of advice but the only thing I want anyone to know is: trust yourself. Trust that you’ll learn when the time comes, that you’ll brace for impact when adventure arrives, that you’ll open your heart when love knocks. Trust and launch yourself at the world, there will always be open arms to catch you if you fall, lest your wings falter before they take flight. 

In 122 days, there’s not a single moment I’d forget, lesson I’d unlearn, person I’d unmeet, or adventure I’d unlive. Every moment is necessary and every experience is a teacher. You know I’m not often one left with a lack of words. There’s so many things I haven’t left unsaid, but I’d just like to leave you all with a few of the thoughts I had in my finals hours in France.

We are all collections of love lost and found again. We are mosaics, pieces of stained glass collected over centuries, reflecting the light that shines down on us. We are molten over decades, cooled in minutes, hardened in a second. So we beat on, boats against the current, always lost and found again. 

I hope you always believe in the greatness of small things, and that once you’ve found your flavor of happiness, you never lose it, you never forget it, and most importantly, you never let anyone take it from you, or convince you it wasn’t sweet in the first place. Misery loves company, but so does joy. 

I hope you book every flight on RyanAir under 20 euros that you can get your hands on and show up in different countries bleary eyed and so alive. You’ll never get these moments back, not the same exact way at least. Develop new skills, hobbies, and talents and find ways to use them everywhere. I spoke Korean in Scotland (and Paris, Metz, London, Italy, and Switzerland), Tamil in Switzerland, Italy, and London, Spanish in London, French in Wales, and Turkish in Belgium. Muster up the courage to do every single thing that you were scared of, even if it’s just asking a question in another language, having a tough conversation, or turning around to find two new friends in line at a concert. And I hope you soak up every part of it: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

To every other student who spent the past semester at Georgia Tech Europe: We’re linked. We’re bonded. In one way or another our souls are bound by Cora shuttles, panicked eyes, and scrambling to catch trains by sunrise. 

If there’s anything I want to leave you with: travel. Travel. Travel. Travel. Always travel. Travel and read. Travel and write. Travel and unabashedly stare at strangers and make up stories about their lives and when you’re finally brave enough, ask them directly. Travel so far and so wide that you have to convince yourself that the places, the people, and the beauty is all real. Travel and see pieces of yourself in every person you meet. 

You are going to mess up so many things and you will love them all differently in the same way. You will watch so many sunrises, sunsets, and first dates in the most romantic places in the world and love yourself more just for existing because of it. You will have so many sleepy train rides and take flights to corners of countries you’ve read about in books. You will have enough stories to last you lifetimes, pictures to fill up countless scrapbooks, and memories to fill up dozens of journals. You will swipe away tears at dusk on the final day when your friends board the first shuttle back to Charles De Gaulle Airport at one in the morning because you know you will never be the same again. Because moments don’t last, memories fade, and people change, for better or for worse. No words will ever describe the jumble of emotions and complications that being on your own truly is but at least they understand. These people have brought the world out of you and into you at the same time, they’ve been shoulders to cry on and hands to grasp onto. And they’ve always reminded you that you are so much more than you could have ever thought you would be. Welcome to the rest of your life. These are your roaring 20s. And they’re so glad you stayed alive.

A Love Letter to Metz

Written by Swati

April 21st, 2023

I’m sitting in Fox Coffee, the buzz of a pianist tapping away keys in the background, business men in meetings, friends catching up over coffee, and babies crying meld together, creating a harmony of chaos. Life is about finding peace in the turmoil, focus in the wreckage. Periodically taking a sip of my chai latte and glancing up at a man swiping on an iPad in John Lennon-esque glasses and another shuffling a handful of sketches in the corner, I feel the tension release from my shoulders as my vision clears. This must be the French joie de vivre. I finally feel it. I felt it so quickly in every other country, in every other city but I fought a battle with Metz during my first few months here. It’s a bit bittersweet to reach this conclusion so close to the end, but somewhere along the trek through muddy pathways and tapping excess rainwater out of my shoes, I fell for Metz in my own way. 

Metz kicked me when I was down, trickled rainwater into my teary eyes, then baked me chocolate eclairs, poured me a hot cup of tea and ran a hand through my hair, pressing a menu-etudiant in my hands when I had long forgotten about eating. Metz is a mother, taking my rage with a gentle hand, welcoming me back with warm, albeit misty and rainy, arms.  

Metz is taking off the mask, letting the facade go for a moment, wandering through a book festival and finding authors from different corners of the continent gathered in one place. Metz is knotted eyebrows and narrowed eyes bumbling through French conversations, picking out a few intelligible words and gesturing wildly in grocery stores. Metz is kind strangers with understanding eyes, encouraging smiles. It’s wondering who’s lying in intense games of One Night, suspecting new friends and questioning trust, observing strategy in a fierce game of Go. It’s slathering Nutella and strawberries into homemade crepes. 

In its own way Metz is both comfortable and suffocating, beautiful and boring, a calm pool of water next to the tumultuous sea. She is a baseline, a sanctuary, a suburban hideaway tucked away in the middle of madness. She is the last date before a breakup, wondering if the spark is still there. Whispered conversations over coffee, staring emptily at the ground, irreconcilable differences. Freedom from the chains of love or imprisonment in your solitude? Pick your poison. 

Metz is closing your eyes in the rare moments of sunlight, drinking up the precious, fleeting warmth. Metz smiles sadly as you grit your teeth, scribbling out half-hearted notes in class while staring out the window, always in wait for what’s next. She is a curious fusion of exhausted parents and spirited youth. Leather jackets and black puffer jackets populate the buses, dogs scamper next to their owners, teenagers dot the sidewalk, gasps blended with “c’est pas vrai!” and “mais non!” color their heartful conversations. 

Metz is now a piece of home, a shard of my heart, a worn couch cushion, every layer in a croissant. She is a complicated blend of chai, all of the emotions seeping together, each finding their own place in the mix.

Monthly Musings #3: Make the Week(end)s Go Slower

Written by Swati

April 4th 2023

3 months, 9 countries, a lifetime of memories. Enough titles from bookstores to last me the next few years. Can we believe how quickly the semester has gone by? I’m trying to grasp on to the ends of every moment, but find them slipping through my fingers. This semester feels like sand on the weekends, shattered glass during the weeks. It’s difficult to recuperate from travel and the unwelcoming arms of classes on Mondays wrap around us like steel arms. The seconds pass like ice melts in the winter, my fingers creak over laptop keys. 

This month was growing pains. This month was hitting the wall, running my fingers over concrete, slipping over lakeside rocks, pulling myself out of knee-deep water with a laugh. Sometimes the world laughs at you, sometimes you laugh at yourself alongside it. I’ve learned it’s best not to take yourself too seriously in moments of distress. Somehow we find a way.  Somehow we will find a way. This month was train rides, observing strangers from toe to head, blinking away stray tears. This month was girls’ night in tiny kitchenettes, tender chicken cutlets over sauteed broccoli, giggling to the Mamma Mia soundtrack. This month was tears of affection, tears of exhaustion, tears of confusion, tears of uncontrollable joy. This month was fighting with the world, finding out that it won’t always fight back. This month was throwing my arms around strangers turned to sisters, chasing after stars at dusk. 

In Portugal I learned to admire. Literary landmarks, detailed porcelain tiles, the sun’s gentle caress. Life is sweet where the weather is nice. Or where people make the weather feel nice. And maybe that’s the secret to it all. In Belgium, I learned of the sweetness of simplicity. Chocolate shops, bookstores, and walks along canals. In Ireland I learned to love big. Throw my arms around the world and feel what it’s like to have it wrap me in its warmth and chaos. I learned to ask small questions, await big answers. I learned to do the things I thought I would hate just to give it a chance, sometimes hectic pays off. And in Switzerland I learned to never control my awe of things big and small. The relief of reunion, a newly bloomed spring tree, a groomed dog’s soft coat, a father gently guiding his toddler by the Swiss riverside, a necklace for my best friend. Ducks swimming forward, looking you right in the eye, telling you a secret. This month I learned to skip through empty streets and spin around my room at midnight. Falling is another way to learn how to fly. I learned how to lean on the people around me and found comfort in the similarity of our experiences. I took off the rose colored glasses and realized the petals were beneath my feet the whole time. Everything comes back, but youth never does, not in quite the same form at least. If I could do anything, I’d stop time. I’d freeze it now, as I write this and look back on memorabilia that already means the world to me. I’d freeze it every second of this semester. I’d make these past few months everlasting. But the fact that they are fleeting makes them all the more precious. 

Ice Skating, Crepes, and Ping Pong, Oh My! Some of the Amazing Events Thrown by the BDE 

Written by Lilian

November 28, 2022

The BDE, or Bureau des Étudiants, is the student government at GTL who is responsible for organizing social events to get more students connected to French culture and bridge the gap between the American and international students. Throughout the Fall semester, the BDE hosted ten different events for students including tickets to the Moselle Open, an Eight-Ball Billiards Tournament, a Halloween Ice Skating Party, and a Swing Dance Night! The BDE is composed of five students who are elected at the start of the semester: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Sports Coordinator. 

The Pool Tournament: teams of two competed bracket style during the competition. Unfortunately, most teams got out because they scratched the cue ball… 

Serving as the President this semester, First Year Biomedical Engineer Noah Pastula’s favorite event was the “Trivia Night and Crepes” event because he “always likes a little bit of friendly competition”. Teams of five competed against each other to correctly answer the most questions in categories such as “Marvel Movies”, “Geography”, and “Math”. The final question involved naming all the bus stops on Line A of the Le Met bus route. At the same time, other members of the BDE cooked homemade crepes filled with Nutella, brown sugar, and bananas. The Trivia Night was also my favorite event because my team of five won the entire competition! We beat over 10 other teams for the title!

Shoutout to the BDE for cooking over 50 crepes for Trivia participants. It took them three hours to make custom crepes for everyone. 

Staying in the spirit of competition, another very popular event was the “Ping Pong Tournament” hosted in the middle of October. This semester, first year Civil Engineer Zachary Harrison serves as the Sports Coordinator on the BDE. As the Sports Coordinator, he is responsible for organizing any team-building events and physical activities. For example, every week, Zach hosts a soccer or ultimate frisbee game on a local sports field for any GTE student to join. In his role, he also helped plan both this Ping Pong Tournament and the Billiards Tournament. According to First Year Mechanical Engineer Sofia Mujica, the Ping Pong Tournament was her favorite event because “everyone was on the edge of their seat for every little point and there was so much camaraderie between all the students regardless of year!” The event was held bracket style with everyone competing solo. Even though the event lasted over three hours—it was originally predicted to last one hour—most students stayed the entire event to cheer on the final two.  

The final two competing in the Ping Pong Tournament. 

Just this past week, the BDE hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner and Talent Show for all the students. Three students showed off their talents on the guitar and piano while students munched on a catered meal of turkey and potatoes. It was an opportunity for international students to learn a bit about American culture and give homesick American students a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving before heading back to the States in mid-December.  

Overall, the BDE has planned a ton of diverse events that have sparked the interest of all students at GTE. They have given the student body a chance to mingle as well as blow off steam from stressful classes and hectic traveling schedules. Personally, I have had an amazing time watching, participating, and winning the events! Merci BDE! 

The Leonardo Program 

Written by Lillian

October 13, 2022

Studying abroad in Europe, we find ourselves in the center of so many important arts. GTL’s own backyard is home to Metz which is rich in history. A quick train ride away houses all of Europe’s art museums, public sculptures, art performances, and architecture. However, these opportunities are often overlooked by the students at GTL. To remedy this problem, the Leonardo Program was created. The goal of the Leonardo Program is simple: to interest hyper-focused engineering students in the arts. Professor Sonia Serafin, a French teacher at GTL, tackles this goal by shocking students with the beauty of the arts and the positive influences they can have on science and engineering. Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci – one of the best examples of innovators blending art with STEM, Professor Serafin aims to interest students in the arts by organizing various events focused on art and history for them. 

For example, a mere 20-minute walk from campus resides the Centre Pompidou Metz: a free-for-students museum of modern and contemporary art showcasing both temporary and permanent art installations. One of the exhibitions features Eva Aeppli, a Swiss painter and sculptor who focuses on human expression. Walking through her exhibit as part of the Leonardo Program was a unique experience. It included large crowds of hooded figures with fingers reaching out to touch those who passed by, sculpted pairs of scissors dangling from the ceiling, and a pin-drop silence which was cut by an eerie screech coming from a wooden wheel which raised and lowered a couch of mannequins from the ground. Eva’s art was profound and discomforting, which I believe was the desired effect. Starting on November 5th, a new art installation focusing on art in science fiction will open; I will be sure to visit given how much I enjoy the current exhibits. 

The unsettling exhibit of Eva Aeppli 

Another Leonardo Program event introduced us to the auditory arts: we were given reduced price tickets to see Madame Butterfly at the Metz Opera House. Madame Butterfly is an Italian Opera about unrequited love between a geisha and an American soldier in 20th century Japan. Throughout the three acts, we listened to the amazing soprano, Francesca Tiburzi, and tenor, Thomas Bettinger, belt out beautiful, narrative songs. I was amazed by their ability to sing for nearly three hours straight with minimal breaks. 

Image courtesy of www.republicain-lorrain.fr 

To cultivate our own art, a local artist is invited to the GTL campus once every week by the Leonardo Program to teach an art class focusing on sketching and drawing for all students. Additionally, the campus is home to a piano practice space for students to play in private. Communal events, such as a chess tournament, are planned to cultivate camaraderie between the FYSA, undergraduate, and graduate students.

A local Metz resident and chess teacher played the top 10 students from the chess tournament at the same time and won all 10 games.

Professor Serafin says one of her favorite things about this program is listening to the impact the arts had on each student. She loves hearing about a student’s first time at the Opera or about a student’s interaction with art over a weekend trip. She believes when students at GTL get in touch with their artistic side, they can allow creativity to influence their engineering side as well. When you mix STEM and art together, a broader variety of solutions to problems in both fields emerge. Professor Serafin says it best: “art touches you; I profoundly believe that life is richer with art”. 

Meeting the Mayor of Metz

Written by Lillian

September 28, 2022

On Wednesday, the students of GTL were invited to meet the Mayor of Metz with the other technology schools in Metz at the Metz football stadium. We all piled into a bus to take us to the football stadium across town. There was so much traffic within Metz we had to take the highway around the town. Once we got back into Metz, it was bumper to bumper traffic, and I don’t think that our long Coach bus helped traffic that much. It was quite interesting to see Metz from that high since I was so used to gliding through the city on foot or using the carefully planned bus routes to go around town. I would never have expected that Metz would have gridlocked traffic during rush hour!  

When we got to the football stadium, we were greeted by the other technology schools across Metz. One of the first things that I noticed was that Georgia Tech Lorraine was much more diverse in terms of gender distribution when compared to the other technology universities which are much more male dominated. We were also greeted by the Metz mascot: Graoully. According to legends, Graoully was a dragon that frightened children in the Moselle region who was defeated by Saint Chément, the first bishop of the city of Metz.  

After watching a Metz city hype video, the Mayor of Metz, François Grosdidier, gave a speech to all of the technology students to thank us for helping make Metz a more technology driven city. The mayor and other presenters all spoke in French, so I wasn’t unable to understand most of it until we were helped by some of the teachers and French students there. He went on to discuss some of the accomplishments the city has had. He also told us that because the 2024 Olympics will be held in Paris, Metz has been chosen to host the volleyball teams’ training for the games!

After all the speeches, the catering staff brought out all tons of French Hors d’oeuvres. There were long slices of cured meats, giant blocks of hard and soft cheeses, mango dipping sauce and figs, and a potato-cheese salad. They also had hot dogs with a cheese sauce topped to the eater’s desire with pickles, ketchup, mayonnaise, and pickled and fried onions. And of course, there had to be rolls and rolls of French bread. For dessert, there were frosted donuts and cranberry pound cake. All of the food was so decadent, and I wanted to try it all… I didn’t even realize you could have an entire meal of just little plates! For drinks, they had bottles of Lorraine Cola (a cola made by a local manufacturer with all its ingredients sourced from the Lorraine region) and apple juice. Luckily, GTL provided another shuttle back to the dorms after we all came out with food comas.  

It was really cool to see all the other engineering students from Metz gathered in one place, and compare and contrast our schools with theirs. This was a really unique experience, and the food really sent it to the next level!