Lost and Found

12/8/09 11:18 AM

My last two weeks here in Angers will be keeping me very busy so I’m going to have to keep this post very short. I have three papers to write and three tests to take, and their all either due or taking place at around the same time. It seems that all the work has been piled on at the end. But you’ll hear no complaints from me. I’ve pretty much been on vacation for the last three months (not trying to slight anyone, I’m just saying) and I guess it’s about time I got to work. Though I have much work to do, I’m still going to try and enjoy the precious time I have left.   One thing before I let you go. It seems to always happen to me but I certainly feel that every time I get settled into doing something, whatever...

Thanksgiving in Angers

12/1/09 6:17 PM

Sadly, my time in Angers is coming to an end. I know that I've said this before in other posts, but now that Thanksgiving is officially over, I can really see the end. In saying that, my Thanksgiving holiday was absolutely wonderful.   When I first decided to study abroad for the fall semester, I immediately blocked out Thanksgiving in my head, not at all expecting to celebrate the holiday for numerous reasons, including the fact that I'm in a country that doesn't celebrate the famous American holiday.   However, I was pleasantly surprised by my Thanksgiving holiday. All of the students in the St. Ed's program gathered together, with Professors William Nichols and Catherine McDermott, at a wonderfully beautiful chateaux. The chateaux...

I returned from London...

11/23/09 4:27 PM

 Yesterday I returned from London. In short, it was without a doubt one of the best vacations of my life. As I said in my last blog, my mom met me in Paris, and from there we took our short flight to London and arrived around 6 :30 pm. After arriving at London Luton airport we had to take a bus to one of the tube stations, where we then toom the tube to our hôtel. One of my minor complaints about arriving in London was that most of the main airports  are outside of the city. This can be a bit frustrating simply because it can be time consuming just getting from the airport to wherever you are staying. However, to combat this minor inconvenience, the all of the airports provide transportation to and from the city. On Saturday, our tour of some of London’s...

Lost and Found: A blog by Brent Johnson

11/17/09 10:23 AM

It is rare that I’m ever at a loss for words. It takes an extremely special and unique experience to leave me speechless. Yet, this is what I felt when I, along with the other St. Edward’s students, visited Normandy, France on October 17 and 18.   It was here in Normandy that the tide of World War II turned in favor of the Allied powers, more specifically, during the D-Day invasions of the five Normandy beaches, Juno, Gold, Omaha, Sword and Utah. For Americans, we are probably most familiar with Omaha, as this was the beach where most of the American troops landed. This was made vividly clear in Steven Spielberg’s brilliant masterpiece, Saving Private Ryan. For those who have seen the movie, you are familiar with the opening 40...

A word on style

11/10/09 9:34 PM

 In one of my past blogs, I briefly mentioned how stylish the French are. This particularly came more into focus for me recently, as I was on one of my daily strolls around town.    I can honestly say that I don't think I've ever seen more style and beauty, on a consistent basis, from a group of people, young, old and everything in between. Maybe it's because they seem to truly care about how they look every single day (not to say that Americans don't but go with me here).    Maybe it's because they wear clothes that fit, rather it be their sleek, black pea-coats, normally accentuated with a scarf, slim fitting suits or beautiful blouses and skirts.    Or maybe it's just that I am caught in the nostalgic trance of being in France. Though it is...