Junior Honors student Rita Forbes has spent the summer in France and will attend the University of Ansbach in Germany this semester. She's got plenty to say about what it means to experience Europe firsthand:
An empty cup of espresso sits in front of me. Outside, a couple of tourists haul their heavy wheeled luggage across the street, running, either to catch their train or to avoid traffice. In the nearly-empty cafe, oldies play on the radio... and it hits me with a jolt. I am here. In France. After all the impatient waiting and preparation, I am here. And the time is slipping away so quickly.Read Rita's blog here.
These moments of realization flash upon me every once in a while, engulfing me in a sense of disbelief at reality. How can this be? How can I find myself calmly sitting in a cafe in France? Exactly how did I come to be dancing with a couple of French teenagers on Bastille Day, on a crowded stage filled with strobe lights and smoke? What am I doing, swimming in a lake and being eyed by middle-aged Frenchmen? Is the mayor of this tiny country town really kissing me and pouring me a glass of wine? Can this really be me, skipping through the Jardin des Tuileries in front of the Louvre?
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