Bonjour!

As we begin the end of GCIP Paris 2014, we are beginning to look back on our past two weeks in Paris.

Annabel is working at NLB Conseil, an executive search and talent management company. This internship roughly involves translating documents from French to English for the company's website, organizing and stapling, and researching and documenting recruits into NLB's data-base. I had to overcome many struggles not only involving the language barrier, but also typing on a french key-board. All my colleagues in the office have been extremely welcoming and patient with all my questions. I am learning a lot already from being in a working environment and hope to continue learning more as I conclude my remaining days at NLB Conseil.

Emma is working at Fromageries Bel, a company that manages many different cheese brands across the globe. They are most well known in the United States for their brand Babybel. I've had an amazing time working at Bel! I was incredibly nervous my first day, as I am the first St. George's student to ever work there, but from the moment I entered the office, everyone was so kind. They all seemed so genuinely excited to see and welcome me. From the first day, I found myself doing various tasks for the Human Resources department. They first introduced me to the company; I found out a lot about their international brands. From just one week there, I already know so much about production, marketing, finances, and human resources at Bel. The head of Talent Management, Laurence Hollobon, has been especially welcoming. On the first day, she called me from London to tell me how excited she was to have me at Bel. Bel has never had an international intern before, so it was exciting for them to have me! Essentially, I've been helping Bel France connect with English-speaking Bel. Through translations of emails, powerpoints, packets, and press releases, I've helped make Bel a more international company. It's been an amazing experience getting to know everyone in the office and learning all about Bel!

We think we can say on behalf of the whole group, one of the best parts of this past week has been the spring sales. Everything, across the city, gets marked down up to 70% off. Everyone scored some deals at boutiques and larger stores like Au Printemps and Le Bon Marché. We experienced our first rain this weekend, but we stayed inside the stores, mostly.

Saturday morning, we saw Mr. Westermann and Ms. Keller for brunch. They are on a European tour through Turkey, Romania, France, and the UK. It was so nice seeing them and speaking some English!

One of the most amusing parts of our stay in Paris has been our stay with our host family. Joining a family of four boys almost guarantees excitement, especially during the World Cup. Our favorite is 11 year old Timothe, who is our go to for conversation. The two older boys have been busy with exams and graduation, so we haven't seen too much of them. Pierre, the 14 year old, has been away on a school trip for the past week. We have been adjusting to one toilet for 8 people and minimal WeeFee, but every night we end up laughing about our mishaps. Day by day, we become more confident walking down Rue Brunel, the side street we take walking home.

We've also learned a lot about living in Paris.
1. PDA is very acceptable. Especially on escalators.
2. Razor scooters are acceptable at any age. (think: middle aged).
3. Secondhand smoke is unavoidable.
4. Breakfast does not include more than a starch and a coffee. No eggs, no bacon.
5. If France wins a match in the World Cup, you can guarantee no sleep.
6. Always order dessert.
7. You will not ever get a huge glass of water. Nor will it be cold.
8. Bedtime for 4 year olds is about midnight.

Bon soir!

Emma and Annabel

One week down, one to go!

I'm currently one week into my internship at the Curie Institute and I have already gotten to experience a true research lab setting. The lab I work in is led by Dr. Silvia Fre and is studying Notch signaling in stem cells as a method to research the cause of cancerous development in cells. Each of the six members of the lab have their own experiments and also collaborate on approaches to prove hypotheses involving notch signaling. The majority of the concepts and techniques utilized in the lab are far too complicated for my understanding (one year of biology freshman year). However, everyone in the lab could not be more helpful in breaking everything down into more simple terms and helping me to understand the experiments I am observing and assisting on. Already I have observed experiments and dissections involving the intestine, mammary gland, and prostate of mice. The most exciting and nerve racking part of this week was helping Dr. Fre with the DNA extraction and genotyping of mice samples to decide which mice have the desired mutant genes for experiments. Although I made a pipetting error on the first day that set us back, Dr. Fre took the time to go through every step with me the next day to correct the mistake and finally get the results we needed. I am excited to see what is in store for next week!

My final PCR genotyping strip! (2nd time was the charm)

Bobbi's Chocolates

Whether it’s making copies, getting coffee, or my task of sticking addresses on envelopes to be sent out, Interns are notorious for doing the monotonous little jobs that someone has to do. Nevertheless, at Tg Communications, even the most repetitive tasks have proved interesting. The work environment itself is constantly bubbling with energy as the phones do not cease from ringing, packages are constantly being delivered and someone is always walking in heels down the small hallway connecting each office. In the middle of all of this business-chic chaos is my desk (literally in the middle, there are five desks around mine aka very intimidating). This morning I attended a breakfast at the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen, the Shangri-la. The breakfast was hosted by Tg Communications for journalists to sample Nuxe products. There were also presentations by the Nuxe directors. Later this afternoon, Hannah gave me Bobbi Brown advertisements to translate as well as an interview with Bobbi. Although I had to look up a few words such as age spots, eye shadow, etc. the translations proved to be familiar for the most part. It was also interesting to notice Tg Communication's touch on each advertisement. For example, I translated a few ads with the theme of "Bobbi's Chocolates", and an idea that Tg communications actually influenced as a campaign for Bobbi Brown products to be compared to and packaged as chocolates. TG chooses the sayings, which quotes, and what colors to make the products look the most chic in store presentations, and with specific advertising messages. Assigning addresses to envelopes for 300 of Nuxe’s most valuable costumers was also a task of mine. Nuxe products were being sent to Katya Pellegrino, Joanna Coles (the editor in chief of Cosmopolitan), Sophie Lacoste, Editor in Chief of the Figaro, and many many more people that I recognized. Representing Tg Communications, each address had to be stuck on each envelope in the utmost perfect condition, and doing so reminded me of what we are all representing. TG was representing Nuxe, Bobbi Brown, L’Oréal, OPI, Estée Lauder and a few other high end labels that I would love to get samples of. Therefore everytime someone got an envelope from Tg they would associate that work with all of those labels. Such representation brought me to recall our lunch with Former United States Ambassador Howard Leach, and how he stressed the importance of representing the US even as a stagiare or intern. Although my tried-to-be-perfect placement of address labels on each envelope will go  most likely go unnoticed, thoughts of positively representing the US remind me to continue to listen even as many of the girls speak a million miles per hour. 

Chloe

Post-First Day De-briefing

We gathered as a group after the first day for a quick de-briefing before everyone went home for dinner.  Everyone remarked at how nice their "colleagues" are and overall, it was an excellent day for all.  They'll post more specifics about their experiences, but there was talk of zebra fish, tumored mice, an urgent translation for the CEO of Fromagerie Bel and more ...

  Chloe, Annabel, Piers and Emma :  can you spot one of the iconic monuments of Paris in this photo?

Annika, Laura and Caroline plus another favorite Parisian landmark in the distance.

Working with Nemo...

After completing two whole days at the Curie Institute dealing with zebrafish, neuronal circuit developed, and a lots of other scientific practices, I think I can be treated as a flourishing scientist. Just joking, for in reality,  I am far from understanding to the full extent of what is being studied and learned. Luckily, the men and women I work with despite their various backgrounds (French, Italian, German) are very good at speaking English and teaching me what they are working on at a more basic level. Our studies at the Curie focus mainly on using the zebrafish as a model to study because despite its looks, it is quite similar and useful for understanding how the proteins affect development in the brain. In short, I have been enjoying my time at the Curie very much especially after having been able to work with fish that are such fun creatures, microscopes that use high intensity lasers to show on a computer specific layers of the fish without having to kill the fish, going to seminars about scientific discoveries that are far too advanced for me to even comprehend, and so much more. I am very happy to be working at the Curie Institute for the next two weeks and I look forward to learning much more about neuronal circuit development. As for tomorrow, we are planning on genotyping some fish through certain methods such as polymerase chain reactions as well as with the help of high tech machines. Ciao for now…

              Piers

First two days of work!!

I had my first two days of work today and yesterday, and it went well! It is pretty challenging to completely understand the tasks I must do because it is ALL in french. However, it is getting easier to understand and I am getting more comfortable with speaking. Yesterday I helped the manager of the hotel with her work including money transactions and helped the receptionist with verifying documents.  Today I helped out with the rooms and making sure they are ready for the guests to come. I had to buy chocolates and flowers for a special guest and make a heart of rose petals on the bed. I also had to translate informative papers for the guests about the hotel, the breakfast it offers, and the surrounding neighborhood. Everyone I work with is very welcoming and patient with my french. I am excited to see what the next week of work brings!

-Annika Hedlund

Week 1 - Acclimation accomplished!

As our first week comes to a close, all the students are well acclimated to the city, have been tuning up their French skills and are ready to start at their respective internships tomorrow morning!  The French is flowing and new vocabulary is added each day (i.e., échafaudage) as they make new discoveries and interact with their host families and all the French people they encounter as they go about their days.  The students have all remarked at one time or another that they have a good sense of the city and how to navigate the métro, and that they are feeling more "at home."  We have walked til all our feet hurt (a sign that we are taking full advantage of the city!)  and they now have a sense of the lay of the city and the different quartiers.  

Yesterday we had a late rendez-vous.  The students all met up and had omelettes for brunch and then some went shopping while others went to the Musée d'Orsay.  We met up to go to an exhibit on 1900 Paris at the Petit Palais, but the line was too long so we decided to return to that another day and executed Plan B.  We walked across the Pont Alexandre III - a magnificent bridge that is stunning with its gold-leaf sculptures on each of the four corners of the bridge.  From there we took the bus to St. Germain des Près, walked through the Marché St. Germain and then through the Jardin du Luxembourg.  As a reward for all the walking, we tested macarons from Dallayou -- they did not disappoint !  

Last night was the annual Fête de la Musique - a celebration of music all across France.  Music is everywhere and it ranges from seasoned musicians in some very well-staged venues to anyone who wants to set up on the street and start playing.  Chloe, Annika and Piers' host father was taking his piano down to the street to play and sing himself!  Unfortunately we were in another part of the city for dinner and the Seine River cruise and couldn't see him.  It was a fun night as we strolled through the Latin Quarter to the Marais.  We had dinner at a GCIP favorite restaurant - Chez Hanna on the famous rue des Rosiers - a Middle Eastern Restaurant that serves excellent fallafels, hummous, etc.  From there we strolled back along the Seine, crossing bridges and hearing every type of music from traditional French songs to Jazz to drums to techno.  After our picturesque cruise along the Seine, we walked into the heart of St. Germain des Près where everyone enjoyed an Amorino ice cream.  We were on the rue de Buci where there were throngs of people and the atmosphere was festive!  A huge techno dance party was in the street, so I held bags, got myself a tea and sat and enjoyed as the group joined in and danced for a while before we all headed home, fully satisfied and a bit exhausted, from another wonderful day in Paris!  

It's another glorious day in Paris!  We have a rendez-vous at métro La Muette and will go to the Musée Marmottan, a small museum in the 16th arrondissement that has one the most impressive collections of Impressionistic and Post-Impressionistic works.  In fact, it houses the largest collection of Monet's works in the world.  Post-visit I'm sure there will be some pâtisseries involved so that we can discuss what's ahead as the students transition into "work mode" tomorrow.

Le Pont Neuf

Ready for the Cruise on the Seine !

Versailles

Today we met at the Charles De Gaulle métro stop on the Champs-Élysées to start our "petit" voyage to Versailles. As we continued on the métro we encountered an issue due to a recent strike and had to get off of our train before departing. Madame deHorsey reacted quickly and formed a new plan to reach our destination. We walked to the edge of the city and took a cab to Versailles. Once we arrived, we first explored the vast and beautiful gardens surrounding the Château. We stopped for a quick lunch at La Flottille café before renting bicycles. We rode through the gardens and took in the magnificent views. After completing a full tour of the gardens around the Grand Canal on our bikes, we visited the Petit Trianon, a private residence used as a getaway from the chaos of the Château. A short walk brought us to the estate of Marie Antoinette which was very picturesque and showed her appreciation for nature. After returning our bikes, we stopped for a much deserved ice cream break before heading over the main Château. We started with a brief history of the palace and then proceeded to the king and queen's quarters and the Hall of Mirrors (where the treaty of Versailles was signed). After a long day we headed back to the city, returning to our host families for a parisian dinner and rest for another day of adventure à Paris!

The GCIP-Paris Group with Ambassador and Mrs. Leach

Left to Right :  Mrs. Gretchen Leach, Caroline Kam, Emma Thompson, Piers Guthrie, Annabel Grunebaum, Annika Hedlund, Chloe Farrick, Laura Edson, Ambassador Howard Leach with Cooper

Le Marais, Place des Vosges et Victor Hugo

Bonsoir!
We just finished dinner around 9:30pm. Seemingly late for Americans, it is very typical for a Parisian, which we are all slowly becoming.

We spent Day 2 in the 4th arrondissement, walking around, stopping for "Weefee" (know as Wifi in America) and coffee at the Hugo Cafe, and visiting Victor Hugo's apartment. For lunch, we went to a creperie, where we spent hours eating both savory and sweet crepes. After that meal, we were all well on our way to our "French Fifteen". Luckily, we burned some off with much walking to see Ile de St. Louis and the Curie Institute (where Piers, Caroline, and Laura are working).

 

Le Jardin in the center of Place des Vosges (across from Hugo's aparment)

 

Crêpes!

 

Left: "The Thinker" in the garden at the Musée Rodin, Right: Macaroons from our picnic lunch

 

Cheese, baguette, and veggies for our picnic lunch

 

Arc de Triomphe

After a satisfying sleep in, we all met at the Arc de Triomphe...or at least most of us. We had a dramatic search for Piers, who missed the memo on the rendezvous point.  We climbed the Arc de Triomphe and then went to a grocery store to buy a picnic lunch. Following lunch, we visited the Musée Rodin and its spectacular gardens.

At 5:00pm, we went to visit the former Ambassador to France from the United States (2000-2004), who is the grandfather of a St. George's student. We all had a great time seeing their beautiful apartment and hearing about his and his wife's work. We also talked about some French oddities that we had all discovered. We finished with a visit to the Eiffel Tower and a dinner together on the Champs Elysée, where we strictly spoke French (No Franglish allowed!).

While we still are obviously tourists (we take hundreds of photos everywhere and check our maps often), we're starting to feel like members of the city. The metro is starting to make sense and our feet are getting used to 10 miles and hundreds of stairs a day. Hopefully, by our next blog post, we can talk about Paris as our home.

Bonne nuit!

Emma et Annabel

Bonjour de Paris !

Bonjour tout le monde!!!

Today was our first day in Paris, and a very busy one at that. Meeting at Notre Dame this morning, we began exploring the beautiful city. After admiring the gargoyles as well as the stained glass of the cathedral, we took a few secret photos and headed out to Montmartre which was an enormous white chapel. Montmartre was encased with three times the amount of stairs as the St. Georges Chapel's roof, however the view was definitely worth it. On top of Montmartre, we could see the entire city, including our very first glance to the Eiffel Tower so close, and yet so far away. On the way up the stairs we caught sight of many different kinds of interesting people, including a man playing "let it be" on the harpsichord. Once on top of Montmartre, the city of love lived up to its name. Written all across the walls were romanticized pleas of love-struck Parisians…needless to say we added our own names amongst the fray. After exploring the chapel and its surroundings we headed out to find some lunch. Entranced by the many artists struggling to bargain for their paintings, we ended up finding an excellent steak-frites restaurant, home to perfectly classic french cuisine. Starbucks, shopping, and a stop for la glace all ended our first day of exploration. So far, we are adoring the city, our host family and the opportunities that lay ahead.

Bonsoir
Annika, Chloe & Piers