Airport Alphabet Soup

Bonjour le monde! Good morning, world! Welcome back to my blog, where I will

be writing about my experiences abroad this summer in France and beyond.

This post is going to be an amalgamation of both pre-departure and travel tales, since the transition from taking my last few final exams of Spring Term to departing on this study abroad was quick but exciting. I moved out of West Hall (the residence hall that houses most of the first-year Honors students), unpacked my belongings, and re-packed for this trip in just three days – I think I set a new personal record for the most loads of laundry finished in the shortest amount of time! On Saturday, my parents and I drove up to Portland to begin the journey…

Over the course of the last 48 hours (i.e. since I arrived in Portland on Saturday – I still can’t quite wrap my head around the concept of time zones), I have spent approximately eight of those in four different airports: PDX (Portland International Airport, OR), YYZ (Toronto Pearson International Airport, ON), YUL (Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, QC), and LYS (Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport, FR). With all those initialisms, I could almost make alphabet soup!

I’d like to believe that I am a sort of airport connoisseur; each facility has a unique flavor comprised of a multitude of elements. For example, PDX is full of light and color, perhaps to compensate for the prevalence of cloudy days in a typical Oregon forecast. Much like the locals, PDX is bursting with character, from live musicians displaying their talents (both with their instruments as well as being so cheerful at six in the morning), to the massive stone map of Oregon, to my personal favorite part of the airport, Powell’s Books.

In a way, the airport reflects the vibe of the city. The city is composed of people. Therefore, by the transitive property, the airport could be thought of as a representation of the local people and culture. PDX certainly embodies many of the quintessentially Portlandian – and, on a greater scale, Oregonian – attributes.

While this idea may be elegant in its simplicity, I am making a conscious effort throughout this study abroad to, in the words of John Green, imagine others complexly. In general, I have found that such straightforward rationales are not conducive to representing intricacies in their entirety.

One of the courses I’m taking while abroad concerns both the myths and realities of French culture. During my time in France, I hope that I will acquire a broader understanding of what it means to be a member of another culture, specifically one that is frequently misunderstood or perceived in terms of a handful of stereotypes. More broadly, I want to acquire tools that will prevent the cultural disconnect that marks the difference between interpretation and comprehension.

My fellow students and I all arrived safely here in Lyon and spent the afternoon and evening mingling with each other

and our professors to officially start our study abroad experience! As I write this, I am sitting in the top bunk of my hostel bed in Lyon looking out over the charming courtyard around which my new home away from home was built. It is a cozy 85 degrees Fahrenheit at 9:40pm local time, and now it’s time to get to bed to rest up for a full day tomorrow!