Aloha everyone!
Please check out my new blog www.kanaleiasadventures.com that has all of my old blog posts and more!
In case you're wondering, I decided to switch blogging platforms because I liked the easy-to-use design aspects on my new blogging platform, Wix. I also find it easier to post and organize my pictures, which is the majority of my blog.
Here's a preview!
Kana Leia's Adventures
"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things" ~ Henry Miller | @kanileilei | #kanaleiasadventures
Monday, November 9, 2015
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Settling in | Life in Rennes & Cesson-Sévigné
I haven't posted much about my daily life in Rennes mainly because it hasn't been as action-packed and adventurous as my two months in Taiwan. The main reason for that is because everything here in France is so expensive, especially when compared to Taiwan. I have been using my downtime to plan my trips to Cairo, Milan, and Amsterdam and begin researching and applying for internships for my graduating semester.
Host Family Living
In the past three months I have lived with three different host families, one in Taiwan and two in France. Every family has been incredibly nice and helpful and I am really grateful for the experiences!
When I arrived in Rennes, I had to scramble to find accommodations after I decided that the dorm I originally planned on living in was far from suitable (for me). Luckily, I was referred to my current host family, the Alexandres, who live in a cute French house in Cesson-Sévigné. I have my own room (picture below), shared bathroom, and breakfast included in rent. Additionally, I have the option of eating lunch and/or dinner that my host family prepares for a meager 3 euros.
When I made arrangements with my first host family, they already had someone staying with them for three weeks in September so they arranged for me to stay with their friends during that time. My second host family also live in Cesson-Sévigné in a beautiful home with a large backyard and even a swimming pool! I also had my own room, a shared bathroom, and all meals included which was a real treat.
Living with both host families in Cesson-Sévigné has given me opportunities that I wouldn't have otherwise had if I lived in the dorms. I've learned how to cook some French dishes (galettes, crêpes, macaroons, ratatouille, and cannelés bordelais), tried a Kudulini yoga class, sunbathed and swam in a private swimming pool, and attended a supplementary English class for toddlers taught by my host mom.
Kudalini Yoga with my first host mom, Christèle |
My room in my first host family's house |
Second host family |
My room in my second host family's house |
Crêperie La Saint Georges à Rennes |
Baked Quiche Lorraine with my second host mom, Lolly |
Sunbathing in the backyard of my second host family |
Horse selfies at the barn (second host family's daughter rides horses) |
Making macaroons |
Cannelés Bordelais |
Classes at ESC
The course schedule at ESC is very different from the traditional American school system. First of all, you can choose which courses you register for but you have no choice in the "group" you're placed in that determines the times and dates of your classes.
Each course syllabus is divided into sessions and each session lasts 1.5 hours. Some classes may be scheduled so that you have four sessions at a time so you could have one class for 6 hours. It may seem long but every class has a coffee/smoke break in the middle.
The nice thing about this system is that depending on how many courses you're in, you could only have to go to campus a couple of times a week. Another important thing to note is that your class schedule will most likely change every other week, if not every week. Below is an example of one of two weeks of my schedule.
So far, my classes are all pretty easy. I have a group presentation in every class that accounts for anywhere from 20-40% of my grade, 60% is from the only and final exam (not a fan of that!), and the remainder coming from attendance and sometimes in-class work. Other than the presentations, I don't have any homework except for readings for one class. Compared to my school schedule in Hawaii, this is a piece of cake!
Note: I'm not enrolled in any finance, accounting, or French language/culture courses but I've heard that those do have homework and are pretty difficult.
Nightlife in Rennes
The only downside to living with a host family in Cesson-Sévigné, a neighboring town of Rennes, is being so far away from campus and most of the students. From my first host family's house it took me anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes to get to campus whereas it took about 45 to 60 minutes from my second host family's house. Additionally, the buses don't run as frequently at night and stop running around 12:30am most nights. This makes it difficult for me to enjoy the nightlife with my friends because I have to leave very early to make sure I catch the last bus.
Luckily, this past weekend a friend of mine invited me to stay at her flat one night so we could go to a "Color Date" party at a nightclub in Rennes called Le Pyms. We had a great time dancing with people from all over the world to a variety of music. We had so much fun that we only had to wait 30 minutes for the metro to start running again... at 5:30am.
Although my social calendar isn't nearly as exciting as it is in Hawaii, having more time alone means making time for more healthy activities such as yoga and cooking at home and it also means saving more money for other, better activities like visiting other countries!
New friends from Colombia and Haiti |
Inside Le Pyms |
Red = In a relationship |
A Glimpse of Rennes and Cesson-Sévigné
Labels:
cesson-sevigne,
école supérieure de commerce,
esc,
france,
french cuisine,
host family,
international student,
johnson scholarship,
manoa international exchange,
mix,
rennes,
study abroad
Location:
Cesson-Sévigné, France
Friday, September 25, 2015
Staying Connected While Abroad
Source: http://www.curhatin.ga/gallery/stay-connected.html |
Tip 1: Get a new SIM card
Free Mobile is, in my opinion, the best phone company to use for anyone moving to France for a study abroad or exchange.
- 19.99€ per month
- 10€ (one time fee) for nano SIM card (iPhones and most smartphones)
- 20G of data -- yes 20! That's pretty much unlimited
- 4G or 3G internet
- Unlimited calls/SMS/MMS in France
- Unlimited calls to the United States, Canada, China, DOM and 100 other fixed destinations
- This is what the website says (translated from French) but just to be safe, I prefer to make calls to the U.S. via Facebook Messenger
- Unlimited FreeWifi (the phone company's wifi)
- No commitment meaning you can cancel your service anytime
Note: Because the plan is so cheap, the service isn't always the greatest. It's kind of like comparing Sprint (in the U.S. where their service isn't very strong or reliable) to Verizon. Depending on your signal strength, you may experience slower speeds especially when streaming data, using social media, or using Google Maps. Despite this, I still am happy with the Free Mobile plan overall.
Tip 2: Facebook Messenger
This is my main form of communication with friends and family back home in the United States. I have the FB Messenger app installed on my phone and configured so I get message notifications just like SMS texting. I also use it to video chat whenever I have a decent wifi signal (you can use data but it tends to be slower and poorer quality). You can also use this feature from your computer as long as you're using Google Chrome or Firefox (Safari doesn't work). Finally, you can place calls just like you would normally. The phone icon is right next to the video chat icon in the app.
Video chat date with my boyfriend |
Tip 3: Snapchat
So why did I include this app as a tip for staying connected? It's a great way to capture glimpses of your daily life abroad without blowing up your other social media feeds. I'm too lazy to take take tons of pictures using my normal camera then go through and delete the ones I don't want. With Snapchat, I take pictures, send them to people I want or post them to My Story, and save the ones I want to post on my other social media accounts.
Tip 4: Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Netflix bingers rejoice! If you happen to be traveling to a country where Netflix isn't available (oh no!), look into getting a VPN. If you're a university student, google your school name and "VPN" (i.e. University of Hawaii at Manoa VPN) to see if your school offers a free or discounted VPN. My school does, so I was able to follow the instructions and set up the VPN on my laptop. Now whenever I need to access a website that's only available or is configured to the United States, such as Netflix or Pandora, I connect to the VPN before I type in the URL. A VPN is also useful when you want to search for websites in English because since you're connecting to a server in the United States, it will automatically bring up results just like if you were actually physically in the United States.
Tip 5: WhatsApp
Labels:
esc,
france,
international student,
rennes,
stay connected,
study abroad
Location:
Cesson-Sévigné, France
Monday, September 21, 2015
2016 TUSA Ambassador Summer Scholarship Program Promotion Film
大家好!
Check out the promotional film for the 2016 TUSA Program that I helped produce!
Check out the promotional film for the 2016 TUSA Program that I helped produce!
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Friends from Around the World
By far, the best part about studying abroad at ESC School of Business in Rennes, France this semester has been meeting people literally from around the world. My first friend in France is from Sweden and I have friends from Slovakia, China, Kazakstan, Colombia, and many more cool countries! It's amazing to meet people from so many different countries and cultures who all are able to communicate in one common language - English. What's even more amazing is the fact that most of the international students here can speak AT LEAST two languages fluently, many can speak conversationally in multiple languages. What an incredible world we live in!
Daniyar - Kazakhstan |
兴南, 秋寒,怡琳,霁楚 - China |
Alfred - Sweden |
Nina - Taiwan |
Shanna - China |
Brandon & John - United States |
Martin - Slovakia |
Maria & Raquel - Colombia |
Hyunsu, Woohyun, Jihye, Junghee, & Minji - South Korea |
Ashni - India |
Carlo - Italy |
Hannah, Melanka, & Vanessa - Germany |
Zoë, Charlotte, An - Belgium |
Ana - Brazil |
Nana - Ghana |
Franco - Argentina |
Karo & Lisa - Germany |
Mia, Claudia, & Paul - Finland & Germany |
Martina - Poland |
Amy - Egypt |
Cathy, Lily, Vanessa - Taiwan |
Andreas "Panama Jack" - Panama |
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