Fox School of Business at Temple University

I'm taking a moment to brag about the amazing weather these past couple of weeks. The sun is out and I couldn't be happier. Studying abroad in the Spring is definitely an investment the first few months. You come in the dead of winter excited to start exploring, but all these new and fun experiences are a bit aggravated by the harsh weather. It's hard to make it to 8am classes when it's still pitch black out, and going out at night can be a pain with the bitter walk home to look forward to. The good part is, it only gets better and better. I'm seeing a whole new Paris from a couple months back - not everyone looks the same in a dark jacket, more cafes are spilling out onto sidewalks, the parks are dotted with picnic blankets, and the flowers are blooming beautifully. I'm discovering a lot more cool shops, monuments, and cafes now that I don't rush past to make it home and out of the cold. The sun makes colors stand out more as well, so I've noticed that Paris has a lot more grass than I gave it credit for. One of my favorite days here so far was a sunny Saturday a couple weeks ago. I joined a bunch of friends at a non-touristy park for a French-style picnic. The park was at the end of a metro line, with huge grassy hills and playgrounds - quite different from the manicured gardens all over Paris. We enjoyed baguettes with cheeses and spreads, fruit, and wine all afternoon and evening. Unfortunately, it's still Paris and there are many rainy days to come, but at least everything is just a bit more colorful :)

Posted by Jess Do at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trying new food has been one of the best aspects of studying abroad. It's also been the worst for my budget - I can't walk five steps without a pastry shop, restaurant, bakery, or cafe luring me in. Of course you have to eat pizza in Italy and crepes in France, but here is a list, in no order, of not-so-obvious foods to try while in Europe:

Beef Tartare in France. It's raw meat, chopped or ground, mixed with onions and capers, and marinated and seasoned. At a restaurant on one of my first nights in Paris, I noticed the table next to me house four plates of beef tartare with a raw egg cracked over it. I'm pretty good about trying anything, but this was pretty crazy to me! I'm always too curious, however, so a couple weeks ago I ordered steak tartare. I managed three bites before pushing the plate away, but hey, I can say I tried it.

Lemon-flavored anything in Amalfi, Italy. It's a coastal town with lemon trees EVERYWHERE! During my visit over spring break, I tried lemon chocolate, limoncello (lemon liquor), lemon yogurt, lemon ice, pretty much everything but a lemon itself.

Boxty from Ireland. It's a potato pancake, and depending on where you get it, it's served with all sorts of fillings (meats, cheeses, gravy, vegetables, seafood...) I had no idea this was such a traditional Irish dish, but at the Dublin restaurant I went to everyone ordered a plate!

Steak in Florence. Supposedly they're known for their meat? I ordered a filet mignon at a restaurant/wine bar and it was one of the best steaks I've ever had. No sides, no dipping sauces, just a delicious steak in itself.

Nutella on ANYTHING. You would think it was its own food group here. We have Nutella in the states, but for some reason my obsession didn't start until I came to Europe. Nutella crepes, bananas and Nutella, Nutella croissants, Nutella gelati, Nutella on waffles, Nutella subs, Nutella dessert sushi (not kidding!), Nutella straight out of the jar - the list goes on and on.

Posted by Jess Do at 4:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)