When I was working on my first semester schedule, one of the hardest decisions I had to make was whether to take one Spanish class and be done with the requirement, or to try something completely different: Japanese or German.

Eventually, for no good reason other than great chocolate and awesome soccer teams, I settled for German. Little did I know then that German is considered to be one of the most challenging languages to learn. The class met five times per week, which meant that at least one hour of my time was going to be dedicated to German homework every day. I think that possibly the most difficult part of it all was that nothing but German was spoken during class time. Now, let me explain something: I walked into this class knowing absolutely no German, and the teacher expected me to communicate with him in German every day. Clearly this whole language adventure thing was not going to work out.

Those first few weeks were somewhat miserable because although it is not necessarily difficult to do the homework, it was really hard for me to let go of my beloved English. I did not feel like embarrassing myself in front of my classmates and teacher by mispronouncing words or using them incorrectly. However, at some point I realized that it was an elementary level course, meaning that everyone there was just as clueless as I was, and that we were all learning together.

The class quickly became one of the greatest courses I took that semester. I looked forward to it every day, and with each passing hour, I could see myself and my peers becoming better at communicating in German. Yes, it was undoubtedly still difficult because of all the different grammatical rules that the language has, but it was no longer fearsome: my friends were very helpful, and the teacher was incredibly friendly and understanding.

I realized that I really liked German and that I wanted to continue studying the language even after my required three semesters. As such, I seized the opportunity to live in Cornell’s Language House.

Next year, I will be living in this wonderful dorm that allows me to practice German with other students that are as interested in the language and culture as myself. Even better, we will be guided by a native speaker who is there to help us practice speaking, and to help us arrange events to present to the other residents of the Language House who are learning either Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, French or Arabic.

I am not going to lie, being in German class as a first semester freshman was incredibly intimidating those first few weeks. Eventually, though, these feelings dissipated as I became more comfortable with the language and decided to pursue it further, even outside the classroom.

When that day comes, I am reminded of why I chose to come to Cornell in the first place. That first step outside- bundled in your winter coat, when you realize its 75 degrees- is unreal. Spirits thaw, as do the snow constructions on the quad (you’d be surprised what our architects can do with that medium). Suddenly everybody is outside- sunbathing, throwing frisbees, or just hanging out. Small classes move outside and talk on the quad. Pickup sports games on North Campus start up again (a Sunday afternoon football tournament really can’t be beat). Suddenly that problem set due on Friday isn’t a big deal at all- it could probably wait a few more hours. After all, there are burgers on the grill.

Perhaps the deciding factor in my coming to Cornell was the campus’ natural beauty, which is only accentuated by good weather. Whenever it’s warm out, I go running in the Cornell Plantations, an area of trails and gardens on the eastern edge of campus. If you like running, it doesn’t get much better. Equally satisfying is a hike down the gorge trails. As the snow melts, the waterfalls start gushing- it’s pretty impressive. There’s also kayaking on Beebe Lake, sailing on Cayuga Lake, climbing in the area- anything
you can think of, really. And it all takes place in a beautiful natural setting. That’s what I call a study break.

Social events pick up in the spring too. A lot of groups go on wine tours around Cayuga and Seneca Lakes. Barbeques are frequent (as they should be). And of course, the madness of Slope Day draws ever nearer. So yes, there are some dark days in the winter. But the warm ones definitely make up for it. When the sun’s shining, there are few places I’d rather be.

We also had a performance at the Jefferson Memorial as part of the annual D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival. It was a gorgeous, sunny day with the cherry trees blooming, and tourists visiting the memorial gathered around to hear us play. We played a few “Cornell Songs,” and I was surprised to discover how many Cornellians just happened to be at the Jefferson Memorial that morning. They came to the front of the crowd, and started cheering and singing along!

We had another chance to meet some alumni after our concert for the Cornell Club of Washington D.C. They were so happy to meet all of us, and many shared their experiences of Cornell, including tips as to how to steal dining hall trays for sliding down the slope. (Unfortunately the dining halls no longer have trays.) The D.C. Cornell Club is incredibly active, and organized our visits to the schools and our concert venues. One of their members, Bob Day, accompanied us on all of our bus rides from venue to venue, and personally gave us a tour of the city. We played his favorite Sousa march, “Washington Post,” and during our concert, our director, Cynthia Johnston Turner, let him conduct the piece. He told the audience that when he was a boy, he had delivered the Washington Post!

Typically, when I think of Cornell, I think of the beautiful campus, my exciting classes, and my wonderful friends, but I realized that to go to Cornell is more than just four years of an awesome education—it is a lifetime membership in a network of proud Cornellians!

My program sets up our housing, and we have the choice between an international students dorm, apartments and host families (by far the most popular choice).  I live with a French family that consists of a host dad and his 14 year-old daughter, which has been a great experience so far! In addition to getting home-cooked dinners three nights a week and breakfast everyday, I am able to practice my French frequently and have learned a lot about French culture and life in Paris. 

On the subject of life in Paris, it is certainly never boring! There seems to be a never-ending list of museums, monuments, parks and different areas of Paris to explore.  Through my program, I have also participated in a variety of activities in Paris, such as a macaroon workshop at a local bakery and a French cooking lesson! I am enrolled in a class in my program that focuses on theater and performance in Paris, so I have seen a variety of performances ranging from an opera at Versailles to a hip-hop rendition of Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring.

While I could certainly spend my semester just in Paris and never be bored, I’d definitely regret not taking advantage of how convenient and relatively inexpensive travel is here.  Even within France, there’s so much to see! My program took us to the Burgundy region for the weekend in the countryside, and I’ve  been on day trips to Nancy (capital of the Lorraine region) and Chartres (a town about an hour from Paris known for its cathedral).  I spent a weekend in Amsterdam with some friends, and I also went to Luxembourg to visit my cousin who lives there (it’s such a tiny country that we even went to Germany for a few hours during my visit!).  For my spring break, I will spend the first week in the South of France and for the second week I jet off to Austria to visit Salzburg and Vienna!

In the next few weeks, I’ll be busy with the end of classes, spring break, finals and exploring Paris as much as I can before I leave! Au revoir!

However, during Orientation Week at Cornell, I attended ClubFest and saw rows upon rows of organizations in every field imaginable. People were all over yelling about this and that, readily throwing quarter cards in my face (quarter cards are print advertisements the size of a quarter sheet of paper and Cornellians’ favorite way of marketing). Kendo club had people out and about hitting each other with wooden sticks. I was definitely overwhelmed.

The aftermath- It seemed that almost a quarter of the booths interested me so I took their information and I signed up for numerous list-servs. I came home and dumped all the sheets of information on my desk. Already within days I was getting spammed with club emails inviting me to their first general body meetings.

My approach- I decided to go to as many as possible of these general body meetings. I really wanted to get to know what these organizations were about. Every meeting started the same: a powerpoint briefly introducing the club and e-board (executive board) members. All in all, I must have had membership to over 10 clubs in the first several weeks.

Slowly but surely, I began to cut down the clubs I wanted to join. Some clubs seemed rather mundane and did very little to incorporate members in activities other than fundraising. I wanted to do something more personal and real.

After several eliminations, I continued to be a member of the Cornell Elderly Partnership (CEP). It is an organization that visits local long-term care facilities in the Ithaca area and volunteers with older adults. I had no experience with the elderly, but I gave the club a chance. After my first visit, I met the nicest lady there and loved the club. From there on out, I went every week.

CEP has become a focal point within my career here at Cornell. It has influenced me to minor in Gerontology and study Sociology. Taking part in this small club here at Cornell has changed my life path and interests in ways that I would have never guessed. This goes to show how one’s life here at Cornell and beyond can easily be changed by what you choose for your extracurriculars. Cornell allows for its students to really explore and find what their real interests are. I’m glad for this experience and what it has brought to my life.

Also, the breaks aren’t bad either - two breaks for six weeks each! Still, I´m very excited to return in April and tell you guys more about it. Cheers!  

The theme of my study abroad seems to be “learn in and out of the classroom.” My classwork includes courses such as Marketing Placement in China, Supply Chain Management, a SIX credit Chinese class, and are then put into use at my internship. I am currently working as a procurement engineer for an American company that deals with the design, manufacture, and sale of equipment and components used in oil and gas drilling and production. On the first day of my internship I was already using my Chapter 1 business vocabulary to introduce myself to the office as the new intern. My Chinese then quickly progressed as I was drafting letters and making phone calls to potential suppliers. On top of being able to say “intern” and “front desk,” I can now also say, “rotary table,” “inquiry,” “equipment,” and “yes, please transfer me to someone who can speak English.”

And while I truly enjoy every aspect of my journey thus far, my favorite part of the study abroad experience is having the ability to travel. I have wandered the streets of Shanghai (literally wandered because I oft got lost), will be flying to Xi An (where the terracotta warriors are located) next weekend, will be taking the high speed train to Beijing (the political capital of China) next month, and will be celebrating Spring Break in Hong Kong. I can’t wait to meet the different people, see the different landscapes, eat the different foods, and compare the air qualities of these cities!

So here’s the main point of my entry: Cornellians (especially those in the College of Arts and Sciences!) are smart, adventurous, and resourceful. We learn wherever we go and are trained in such a way that prepares us for tasks in many countries and many fields. You’re going to want to join us.

There is a noticeable difference between the French and America emphasis on independent work.  In France, most professors give you a long list of books that relate to the class.  While they strongly suggest that students read certain books, there is no weekly reading assignment like at Cornell and it is ultimately up to the students to pick and choose.

Many classes here require students to give oral presentations, and they are very strict about the format of these presentations (as well as the format of written assignments).  Since French students have been using these formats for several years, adhering to the specific format of presentation isn’t too hard for them, but it is somewhat difficult if one isn’t brought up using the style. Luckily my program offers a short course in methodology so that we have some reinforcement in learning the French way of structuring presentations and papers.

When I was choosing classes, I had to consider many factors that usually don’t influence my course choice at Cornell.  I had to make sure I could understand the professor and that he or she didn’t speak too fast or mumble a lot.  I had to rule out one of the history classes I attended because there was a strong emphasis on memorizing dates of important events.  It’s a lot harder for me to understand years in French, so I wasn’t sure if I’d be to succeed in this class.  I also tried to avoid Friday classes because my program offers a lot of fun excursions and programs on Fridays! This wasn’t too hard to do though, because most French classes only meet once a week for a few hours at a time.

I was able to find four interesting classes with good professors, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the semester, in addition to, of course, exploring all that Paris has to offer!