Rome Sweet Home

Oh, Rome, what a city. I've been to Rome twice, once in 2001 with my family and again in 2010 with one of my best friends from college, Emily. I was lucky enough to go again, with work, at the beginning of this past week. I was so excited for this trip, as I love the city, but it started off a little shaky. After a nice long run on Sunday I returned home and started packing. Around 4 pm a fever hit that stayed with me all Sunday night and throughout Monday. Luckily, by Tuesday morning I was feeling so much better.

Emily & Me in Rome 2010

For lunch Tuesday, we went to a small Taverna near the center. Walking to lunch we passed the Fontana di Trevi, which is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. The fountain is over 85 feet tall and 160 feet large and each day 2,824,800 cubic feet of water spills into the fountain! The location of Fontana di Trevi marks the end of one of the Roman Aqueducts. Beginning in the early Renaissance, Popes began to build extravagantly decorated fountains at the end of the aqueducts they restored. In the 1730s, Nicola Salvi, an architect, designed the fountain and construction soon began. Years later, on Sunday May 22, 1762 it was officially completed and inaugurated. Today, tradition states that if a visitor throws a coin into the fountain they will one day return.

Fontana di Trevi

From the fountain we passed the Pantheon. The Roman Temple, built between A.D. 118 and 125, is dedicated to all of the Gods of pagan Rome. The Pantheon's architecture is amazing. The Pantheon is composed of a series of interesecting arches which rest on 8 piers. The Pantheon's 43 meter high dome is supported by a second set of arches that run horizontally. The Romans had perfected the use of arches and often used them to support their buildings. They also decreased the width of the Pantheon and used lighter building materials towards the top in order to relieve the building of large amounts of weight and stress.

The Pantheon

Lastly, no stop in Italy would be complete without gelato! Gelato is made with milk, cream and sugar and is absolutely delicious. Gelato is different than ice cream: it is made with less butterfat and has a higher density than ice cream due to the small amount of air added during the production process. My favorite flavor is Stracciatella, but this time I decided to go with fragola...and it was delicious!

Enjoying my gelato

Taylor Institute Alumna Spotlight

*This article comes from the alumni spotlight in my graduate university's monthly publication, which was sent out this week! 

 

Mapping Out a Marketing Career – Taylor Institute Alumna Clare Z. MS ’13

 

Lugano 2010. Photo by Justin :)

"In choosing a graduate program, Clare Z, '13, wanted an international business degree that incorporated real world experience. She spent a semester abroad at Franklin College and cherishes this experience. "I fell in love with Lugano and really enjoyed my time at Franklin and met some of my best friends. During this time, I heard about the Taylor Institute’s Master of Science in International Management and it seemed to be the perfect program for me."

Clare believes that the skills she learned in the MS in International Management program, prepared her for her current work at Saint-Gobain in Paris, France. "The Taylor Institute was the ideal way to transition into the business world. It prepared me by giving me access to the business concepts and know-how that I sought. Most importantly, I got to experience living abroad and learning how to adapt to a new culture. My undergraduate degree from Colgate and the Taylor Institute gave me the tools I needed to start my career and with the proper guidance and support, I was able to use them successfully."

Clare’s position at Saint-Gobain entails multi-faceted work with the Marketing and Communications team. She’s responsible for the company's global Social Media and News publications and is working on their large bi-annual event, the Saint-Gobain International Gypsum Trophy, the largest event of its kind. Clare has previous work and internship experience.  She worked at Lucky Magazine, conducted field studies in El Yunque National Rain Forest in Puerto Rico, and is qualified in GIS (Geographic Information System). "So you can see that I had a varied work experience," Clare says, "But all those internships in one way or another have helped mold me and gave me the tools and experience to help get me to where I am today. Every new job and internship teaches you new skills that you will continue to use and build on in the future."

Clare fondly remembers her Academic Travel course to the UAE and Malaysia, and the opportunities for independent trips to places like Singapore. She also values her coursework with Professor Adams. "She was extremely influential regarding what I wanted to do and worked with me and pushed me to succeed. When I expressed my interest in entering the marketing field she assisted me in my everyday marketing classes. One of the topics that we studied was digital marketing. My interest was sparked and I ended up researching and writing my thesis on Behavioral Targeting, entitled, 'The Online Advertisement, a Privacy Issue? It was a study of Internet advertising and how the internet and social media are changing the future of advertising and marketing for corporations. Professor Adams became my thesis advisor and helped guide me through the process of securing my internship. Without her support I may not have been on the path that I am today." Through her hard work and multifarious abilities, Clare has certainly mapped out an exciting career path that she is eager to continue following."

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

I live so close to Notre-Dame, that I see it on a daily basis and hear the church bells ring every hour. And none of it ever gets old. It has become my church of choice and I often find myself visiting on Sundays. Although, I will admit, waiting on a large tourist line to get inside to say a prayer will never feel normal.

This Sunday, I decided to become a Notre-Dame tourist, because, why not? Notre-Dame de Paris, French for Our Lady of Paris is one of the best examples of French Gothic Architecture and one of the most well known Cathedrals in the world. The Cathedral is one of the first buildings in the world to build flying buttresses (the arched exterior supports). Originally, they were not planned for, but the walls of the Church are high and thinner than usual due to the Gothic Style. This combination  caused stress fractures to appear during construction. The flying buttresses were placed around the choir and the nave to give support to the outer walls and as construction continued the architects added more to continue the pattern.

View of Notre-Dame and the flying buttresses

The inside of the Cathedral is beautiful. It's made up of long halls and high vaulted ceilings. The many stained glass windows allow just enough light to trickle through, providing a calming effect. You cannot access the second floor of the Cathedral, which forces us to stay on the ground and only gaze upwards. This was done purposefully, to represent how people in the Medieval time saw humanity and divinity.

Looking down the main Aisle

Near the rear of the Cathedral you can visit the Treasury. Housed inside are intricate crosses, crowns, chalices and monstrances made of gold and other precious materials. Continuing behind the apse there are many little chapels that you pass by, dedicated to certain Saints with beautiful stained glass windows.

The Chapel that I visit

After, I decided to head up to the top of Notre Dame. It was quite windy on the ground and the line took a good 40 minutes but the view from the top was breathtaking. Hiking up 387 spiraled steps provides a great view of Paris and the famous gargoyles. The Gargoyles were built into the ends of the gutters to drain rainwater off the roof. They were built extending far away from the roof, allowing the rain water to fall away from the church walls, preventing water damage. The chimeras are used as simple decorations and most of them are on the façade, watching the people below and scanning the city. The gargoyles and chimeras are all unique and the sculptors really used their imaginations when creating them.

Gargoyles and Chimeras

View from the top with the Eiffel Tower &
La Défense in the back right (where I work)

Sacré-Cœur

The other day, the "What City Should You Actually Live in" Buzzfeed Quiz caught my eye. Always on the lookout for new places to explore, I figured I would take it. I totally expected to get some random city that I either have never been to or that I couldn't see myself living in. Well, kudos Buzzfeed, I couldn't have said it better myself! I know it's just a random online quiz, but it made me smile. I totally agree, I absolutely adore this city and love living here.

The quiz got me thinking, as I'm living here, I should probably see the major sites. When I arrived in October I made sure I went to see something once a weekend. However, a few weeks in my weekends became more focused around running errands and seeing my friends. In order to change that I made a list last weekend of a few of the places I would like to see and went on my first adventure.

Sunday afternoon, with blue skies and the sun shining I headed to Sacré-Cœur, a Roman Catholic Church and minor Basillica dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Located in Montemartre in Northern Paris I jumped on the metro and headed over. Sacré-Cœur, located on the top of Butte Montmarte, is the highest point in Paris and the church is actually higher than the Eiffel Tower. The Church stays extremely white and clean due to the stones, as rain cause the stones to secrete calcite ensuring the Church retains its white color!

Construction of Sacré-Cœur began in the late 1800s after the war of 1870. The project was initiated by a group of influential people who vowed to build a church if Paris escaped unscathed from the war. They believed that the defeat of the French was due to the moral sins of Paris and not political ones. The Church would be their act of penance for their sin.

The inside of the church was stunning. It was decorated with copious amounts of gold and a ton of intricate and vibrant mosaics. The mosaic in the apse, "Christ in Majesty" is one of the largest in the world and is absolutely stunning. Created in 1922 by Luc-Olivier Merson, it depicts Christ with a golden heart and outstretched arms, surrounded by various people, including the Virgin Mary and Joan of Arc. Sadly, photos weren't permitted, but I found the one below online.

Beautiful Mosaic

I must have flowers, always, and always

When I came to Paris for the first time in 2000, I fell in love with the city. Between the croissants at breakfast, the trip to Versailles and all the flower shops we passed I was in heaven. Before the end of the trip, my mom bought me a bouquet of roses. One rose safely made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean. I still have that dried Parisian rose in NY with a little note written by my 10 year old self that reads: "Mommy bought me roses in Paris." Upon my return to NY I couldn't get Paris out of my head. I loved Paris so much, I told my parents, "when I grow up I want to move to Paris and be an artist." As soon as I came to the realization that my artistic skills were not going to get me anywhere, I dropped the artist idea and with it Paris. Little did I know that I would actually fulfill my dream of "growing up and moving to Paris."

My handwritten note and French Rose

A lot has changed in Paris over the years, but a lot as stayed the same. The architecture is absolutely beautiful and even with globalization the Parisian feel is still very much there, with specialty food stores, crêperies and cafes at every corner. When I was here in 2000, we went to the same cafe every morning for breakfast and by the end of the week the waiters knew exactly what I would order. It was before my coffee drinking days but I loved the foam on my parent's cappuccinos so the cafe started making me a cup of steamed milk/foam every morning! Today, my boulangerie is beginning to recognize me as a local. I can say this with confidence as the other day when I asked for a baguette they gave me one fresh out of the oven rather than one that was a few hours old, which is a HUGE deal. I'm pretty sure the majority of the things that captivated me then still do today, with the addition of coffee, wine, cheese and champagne. However, the thing that stands out the most from my first trip and still always catch my attention today are the beautiful flowers!

My favorite, I want them

Flower shops are located all over Paris. Unlike the states, flower shops are not few and far between, and you do not order your flowers online or buy them at your local grocery store. Here, you have flower shops in every neighborhood. Each arrangement is more beautiful than the next making it quite difficult to choose a favorite. The best part is, I can gaze at the flowers almost everyday. With any stroll I am almost guaranteed to stumble upon flower shop and their beautiful arrangements, as the florists set up a selection of their arrangements outside their shops every morning.

Floral Arrangement

A popular arrangement seems to be a petit bouquet. It usually consists of a handful of flowers arranged in a small silver bucket. They are so simple and beautiful.

Four different petite bouquets

The flowers are always in pristine condition and the colors are so vibrant they pop. On a rainy and grey winter day, they always have the ability to brighten the moment. I can't pass a flower shop and not slow down, even if just for a moment. It's amazing how something so simple, can be so beautiful.

Beautiful roses

Title quote: Claude Monet

There's no place like home for the Holidays

After my successful OFII appointment on December 23, I was able to go home for the Holidays. The time leading up to the appointment was a tad stressful as I couldn't go back to the states until my passport was stamped. On December 23 at 7:45 (45 minutes prior to my appointment which was the first time slot) I arrived at OFII. I was the second to arrive and was so glad that I arrived early, as we approached the 830 opening the line snaked around the block! While waiting, I met another American in the same position as me, but her flight was that day! At exactly 830 they let us in and the appointment began. One hour and one painless and successful doctor's appointment later I was all set to go!

On the morning of Christmas Eve I got up early and headed to CDG airport for my flight home. The weather channel and air lines were all predicting delays and cancellations from European airports due to bad weather. The rain and wind were picking up right before my flight, but luckily my flight was early enough that we were only delayed 30 minutes! I landed safely in NY a little before 2pm.

Curled up by the fireplace

After driving home and picking up some coffee I quickly got ready for Christmas Eve dinner with my dad's family. I thought I would be exhausted, but I surprisingly wasn't due to the festive Christmas mood. After dinner, Santa joined us for our gift exchange. Since some of my cousins have kids, Santa was a little tamer than usual this year. The kids are at the age where Santa is quite terrifying so there were a few tears and freak outs, but overall it was a success. When gifts and dessert were over, my parents, brother, sister-in-law and I headed back home and I crashed around 10!

Christmas day I was up at 4:30 due to jet lag and felt like a child waiting for it to be an appropriate time to go downstairs. James and Teresa were coming over on the earlier side to open gifts, so luckily I didn't have to wait that long. :) We all enjoyed breakfast together and then sat around the fire handing out gifts. In the afternoon we spent Christmas Day with Teresa's family at her parents' house.

The rest of my time home flew by! However, I was lucky enough to be able to see my home and college friends and spend time with my family. I also spent some quality time bonding with Baloo! He is such a good puppy and James and Teresa have done a great job with him. He is the cutest little thing and such a love bug.

What a cutie

I arrived back in Paris on Sunday and was able to meet up with my cousin Katie and her husband Amit who were in town for a few days! We met up for drinks on Sunday and then again on New Years Eve! New Years Eve we met on the lock bridge behind Notre Dame, so that they could place their lock on the bridge. After, we headed to Bastille for a lovely dinner and to ring in the New Year. The night was filled with good food, fine wine and amazing company! It was so good spending time with them here in my new home and be able to share a little part of my life in Paris with them.

Lock on the bridge

One of the appetizers we ordered was Foie Gras, which I have never had and thought that I never would have. If someone told me I would try it, I would never in a million years believe them. However, as they say, "When in Rome," right!? So, I decided to go for it. I was then handed a piece of toast with some Foie Gras and fig jelly and there was no turning back. I nervously ate it, and guess what? It wasn't bad! It actually didn't have a real distinct taste but maybe the toast and fig helped mute it. I'm not saying that I would order it the next time it's on the menu, but I won't rule out trying it again.

2013 has been an amazing year. I got my masters in Switzerland and moved to France. I have met lifelong friends throughout my journey who have helped me get to where I am today. Most importantly, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish everything without my family's support and cannot thank them enough. Here's to another amazing year! Now, after the holidays, it's back to work, learning French and exploring this beautiful city!

Lock bridge behind Notre Dame

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

This past Sunday, Shelley, Emma and I took an afternoon trip outside of Paris to Château Vaux le Vicomte, located just outside of Melun, France. Nicolas Fouquet, the head financier of King Louis XIV, bought the small castle in 1641. Within 20 years he had bought the two small adjacent villages and transformed the small castle and its surrounding land into a beautiful château and garden. Fouquet enlisted the help of the architect Louis Le Vau, the painter Charles Le Brun and the landscape gardener André Le Nôtre to create a comprehensive plan that encompassed their three expertise. This was the first time that three different crafts were employed together to create one collaborative design. Louis XIV was so taken by the design and aesthetics he hired the three men to design a much larger and more elaborate château: Versailles. The style of both Châteaus is known today as the "Louis XIV style" and you can see that the similarities between the two are vastly apparent, especially in the gardens.

Château Vaux le Vicomte

Shelley, Emma and Me

For the month of December the Château is completely decorated for Christmas inside and out! Christmas music plays in the foyer and the smell and feel of a warm fire softly burning in the fireplaces envelopes you as you enter the rooms.  Each room was decorated according to a theme, one room prettier than the next. The whole place felt like Christmas and it was so nice to leave Paris for a little and enjoy the fresh air and scenery. The photos don't do the Christmas trees any justice, but hopefully you'll get a little idea of how beautiful it really was!

Merry Christmas!