Traveler's Tales

International adventure does not always go exactly the way the traveler plans it. For many of us, the memories of our misadventures are the highlights of our experience.

This page is a place to share a brief adventure story from your study abroad or travel experience. To submit a story for the page, send an email to erin@fiuts.org.

A Canadian in Europe
by Mathieu Fregeau

As a graduate student, I sometimes have the chance to attend international conferences. After two years of research at UW, I had a chance to present my work-in-progress at an International Symposium in Heidelberg Germany. And after 2 years involved in the wonderful FIUTS world, I have friends from around the world. Neither time nor distance is enough to forget such friendships.

Luckily, I was able to take extra days after my presentations and the conference to stroll around, taking the train within Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Europe has many things to offer, if you, even slightly, have an interest in History. (And of course, good wine!)

Many students would become a backpacker for a few days, jumping from one youth hostel to another, grabbing countless pictures and souvenirs in all major cities…and telling how fun (or lame) is a city to their friends once back home. Well that’s fun for sure, and I think it’s wonderful to discover a new continent in any way. (Go my friend, go!)

Discovering a country with a guidebook, from a hotel/restaurant, and meeting people in the train is merely the tip of the iceberg, although interesting and exciting for sure. In my eyes, knowing locals and living with them for few days sounded more thrilling. Of course, I was still a tourist, using my guidebook to know why that church is famous and so on. But because of my FIUTS connections, I had a chance to discover real Dutch food (the kind from mom); learn why Nuremberg was an important city; see how wonderful Amsterdam is without smoking the magic stuff (yes, Amsterdam is much more than just a liberal city); experience the fun of riding a bike in the Netherlands countryside; and see a romantic Paris outside of “la Tour Eiffel” and Notre-Dame.

Thanks to MSN messenger! I met Eva in Nuremberg, a friend of 2 years that is studying Psychology in Erlangen, in Bavaria. I also met Nienke and Karlijn in the Netherlands, friends from the FIUTS San Juan Island and Oregon Coast trips last year. We rambled together in Amsterdam, Utrecht and Den Haag. Eric and Alexia are young Parisian executives. I drove their van and showed them Vancouver while they were FIUTS members last winter. They finished their business degrees at UW last year and stopped counting working hours at their firm in Paris. They were happy to take two days off with me, and to show me the charms of the Latin district, walking along the Seine river, and the neighborhood of Opera de Paris. We also shared and enjoyed nostalgic memories about our time in Seattle around real croissants and French roasted coffee in the “16th” district (a less touristy district, that offers a great city life).

In short, I cannot forget this European tour; I met my friends in their natural element. Times like these remind me of what FIUTS really is to me - extraordinary friendship.

Mathieu

Read previous Traveler's Tales...

August, 2006 (Northern Ireland)

Have a Traveler's Tale to share? Stop by the FIUTS office in HUB 302B between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. We hope that you will feel comfortable dropping to share your own stories, or just to say hi and help us out with the New York Times crossword puzzle! Please feel free to email us with any questions, or with a submission for a future FIUTS newsletter.