It is a sad truth of language acquisition – or at least language acquisition as I have been experiencing it for the past three months – that instead of mastering [...]

Social awkwardness is part of the human condition. Some of us are more prone to it than others, to be sure, but no one escapes the menace entirely. I like [...]

When I first moved to Paris, I had fantasies that my French would magically become flawless, that I would never get lost, that I would somehow be able to afford [...]

It has occurred to me that despite having written six blogs about Paris, I have not expressed any of the things I actually like about being here.  So despite the [...]

This week, I was lucky enough to experience French culture at its finest. Unfortunately, the culture I was experiencing was France’s love of bureaucracy and unnecessary paperwork. Everyone who moves [...]

I have been in Paris for six weeks now, and overall it has been a truly lovely experience. This city never ceases to surprise me, and about ninety percent of [...]

I still remember the day I learned about homophones. I was in third grade and it was spelling test day. I was in the yellow spelling group, somewhere in the [...]

In my limited experience, Americans’ opinions of France and the French tend to fall into two categories. Either France and French culture are regarded as golden beacons of civilization, to [...]

I wasn’t overly concerned about the language barrier when I first arrived in Paris. I was fluent in French at the age of three (a fluency which I later deliberately [...]

A week ago, I began a slow trek from the Midwestern suburb I call home to the Parisian dorm room I will call home for the next semester. Five planes, [...]

“Most glorious night! Thou wert not sent for slumber!” -Lord Byron Now that I have been in London for almost three weeks I am starting to realize I may never [...]

Greetings from London, Quad readers! On this weekly blog I’ll be detailing my adventures in London where I am completing a six-week CGS study abroad program.  I have already been [...]