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Photo Essay: A Birthday Abroad (Part Two)

 

Birthdays can evoke a wide variety of emotions, which are seldom of neutral nature. Some adore celebrating the beginning of new age and the joys that will go along with it. Whereas others may passionately try to hide/forget the fact that they are another year older. Some enjoy big celebrations with many friends and [...]

Photo Essay: A Birthday Abroad (Part One)

All of my new friends (French, American, and Chinese) gathered around the table.

Birthdays can evoke a wide variety of emotions, which are seldom of neutral nature. Some adore celebrating the beginning of new age and the joys that will go along with it. Whereas others may passionately try to hide/forget the [...]

Photo Essay: The Winter Season in the French Alps (Part Two)

In the midst of winter in the Alps, people carrying skis or snowboards are omnipresent–in the trams, in the middle of campus, and in the center of town. Everyone seems to answer the call of the mountains, from as young as three to the respectable age of 70. Mountain sports are imbedded in [...]

Photo Essay: The Winter Season in the French Alps (Part One)

In the midst of winter in the Alps, people carrying skis or snowboards are omnipresent–in the trams, in the middle of campus, and in the center of town. Everyone seems to answer the call of the mountains, from as young as three to the respectable age of 70. Mountain sports are imbedded in the culture [...]

Photo Essay: Winter Break in Morocco (Part Two)

“I was on a quest, but I did not know exactly for what I was searching. Europe is a beautiful and immense land, but the ancient, impressive monuments and stone buildings can seem unwelcoming in the dead cold of winter. Looking at my options for the winter break, I began to understand [...]

Photo Essay: Winter Break in Morocco (Part One)

“I was on a quest, but I did not know exactly for what I was searching. Europe is a beautiful and immense land, but the ancient, impressive monuments and stone buildings can seem unwelcoming in the dead cold of winter. Looking at my options for the winter break, I began to understand [...]

Zen and the Art of Language Acquisition

Learning another language isn’t easy. You need to know the vocabulary and the syntax. Once you have dialed those down, you have to know the essential idiomatic expressions. With these skills, you can read texts and answer prompted questions on a written evaluation. However, knowing is just one side of language acquisition (the recognition side). [...]

Photo Essay: My life in Grenoble

The French Alps, with Mont Blanc in the background

The cows graze to the sounds of their bells

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Trail Post

This post was contributed by Jacob, an Aspire by API student who is currently taking part in a gap year program in Grenoble, France. He will be updating [...]

I Have Gone to the Mountains (Part Two)

Alpine Magic

The last time you heard from me, I was hiking for the first time with the club alpin francais at the Vercors National Park. That day, we covered 17 kilometers (10.5 miles), watched wild boars rummage in the forest, took pictures of goats cavorting on steep cliffs, and chatted away the hours [...]

I Have Gone to the Mountains (Part One)

Le Parc du Vercours

It’s 5:45 in the morning on a Saturday, the sun will not rise until 7:30, and the temperature is at a balmy 36 degrees Fahrenheit. At this time, I am eating breakfast. My host mother, who is always up by 5 o’clock, is preparing a picnic for the day for [...]