UW Student Alex Rickert observes a protest during a year-long study abroad trip to the Universite Francois-Rabelais in Tours, France.
Chowing down on some McDonald’s with a sophisticated French touch, my new friend Constance and I meandered through the thick crowd of demonstrators. Soon, before the National Assembly, French citizens would vote on the right to homosexual marriage and this was the final demonstration — the last chance for us to help prove that France was filled with supporters. The crowd of demonstrators was enormous, just as I hoped.
As we worked our way through the swamp of demonstrators, I spotted my cousin, Valérie. She was standing by a massive lion statue in the square du Lion in Paris.
The march worked its way down the main boulevards of the city and ended at the Place de la Bastille, one of the city’s most common meeting zones.
Valérie and I were glad to participate in the demonstration. We marched for hours. It was a great chance to be politically active and catch a view of the city. As we walked, people flocked to their balconies, cheering and waving, sometimes still in their bathrobes. All the while, loud party-themed music was blaring from cars moving in the entourage.
Finally, the march ended and we arrived at the Bastille, a gigantic square marked by an immense column topped with a golden angel statue.
When the music ended and a booming voice came through the speakers saying, “Merci d’être venus nombreux et nombreuses à tous et à toutes!” (Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for coming in such great numbers!)
It was a truly historic moment.
My name is Alex Rickert, a UW sophomore, and this is how I spent this past weekend in France. As a French major and self-proclaimed Francophile, spending a year as an exchange student at the Université François-Rabelais in Tours, France, was a natural choice for a study abroad.
I am a Laramie local. This is my first time outside of the country, and transitioning to French life has not always been easy. There have been challenges, emotionally and mentally, but the rewards have been immense. The most notable has been friendship. It is a reward that makes overcoming the challenges well worth the effort.
One of my closest French friends is Constance. She participated in the demonstration with me and she has been an incredible friend. Constance has shown me the city, invited me to soirées and taught me more French than I could have ever learned in a classroom.
Occasionally, I still run into challenges, but whenever I am feeling down, I cheer myself up with visits to beautiful historic monuments, which is something you could never do in Laramie! The Touraine region, where I study, is filled with inconspicuous châteaux (castles), and Paris, one of the most beautiful cities on earth, is just a train ride away.
