If I were to tell you in the US that I had two weeks of paid vacation after only two weeks of work, you wouldn't believe me. But if I were to tell you I had two weeks of paid holiday after working two weeks in France, then it would make perfect sense! Everyone in France gets five weeks of vacation, or eight weeks plus Summer if you work in a school. This may be shocking to some Americans, but if you understand the French culture, it does not come to much surprise. In France, along with other European countries, they value leisure time, with more holidays and shorter work weeks, and in a sense, choose to "buy" this free time by sacrificing pay - contrary to American society, where money holds a higher value of importance. Personally, I value having the time to spend with friends and family and to travel, more than prioritizing money. So, I am going to embrace and appreciate this French mentality while I am here.
I began my holidays with a trip back to Angers, which cured any homesickness I might have had at that time. Le Mans is great, but could never take the place that Angers holds in my heart. A town, an experience, where I truly fell in love with France. I got to see some familiar faces, making my trip back "home" even more special.
A few days later, a train took me to Paris, where I got to visit my French family, feeling at home once again. After a couple days, we flew to Warsaw, Poland, where we stayed for five days in the heart of the former Jewish district.
One of the magical qualities of traveling is that it not only allows you to discover a foreign culture, but often also allows you to travel back in time. If you are like me, then you probably do not remember everything you learned in your History class from that dry History textbook or that one monotone professor. Learning about events that felt so far away and so irrelevant to your daily life that in a few months you forgot those dates you memorized and the minor details of major events. But with traveling, you become closer to those events... It's like jumping into a History textbook and learning first-hand : standing in the very spot the event took place, seeing the destruction or creation as it has been for hundreds of years, and truly feeling the emotions rooted in that piece of the past. This way of learning is a sure way of never forgetting details of past events that shaped our present. I invite you to jump into my photo History book below and imagine yourself living the History lesson as I did.
~Highlights and History of Poland ~
(Click on photos and videos to view them larger)
My History Book
I began my holidays with a trip back to Angers, which cured any homesickness I might have had at that time. Le Mans is great, but could never take the place that Angers holds in my heart. A town, an experience, where I truly fell in love with France. I got to see some familiar faces, making my trip back "home" even more special.
A few days later, a train took me to Paris, where I got to visit my French family, feeling at home once again. After a couple days, we flew to Warsaw, Poland, where we stayed for five days in the heart of the former Jewish district.
One of the magical qualities of traveling is that it not only allows you to discover a foreign culture, but often also allows you to travel back in time. If you are like me, then you probably do not remember everything you learned in your History class from that dry History textbook or that one monotone professor. Learning about events that felt so far away and so irrelevant to your daily life that in a few months you forgot those dates you memorized and the minor details of major events. But with traveling, you become closer to those events... It's like jumping into a History textbook and learning first-hand : standing in the very spot the event took place, seeing the destruction or creation as it has been for hundreds of years, and truly feeling the emotions rooted in that piece of the past. This way of learning is a sure way of never forgetting details of past events that shaped our present. I invite you to jump into my photo History book below and imagine yourself living the History lesson as I did.
~Highlights and History of Poland ~
(Click on photos and videos to view them larger)
My History Book
