One week in Rome

After my registration for my Master degree programme at the IAE Gustave Eiffel (Eiffel Management School of the Université Paris Est - Créteil) early September, I decided to take a week break and visit Rome before lecture commence.

It was a short but culturally enriching trip with visits to the Coliseum (gladiator arena) amphitheatre of the Flavian emperor of Rome, visits to the Palatine, Forum, the catacombs of the St. Callixto of early christians in Rome (close to St Giovanni), visit to the Vatican, and visit around the centre city of Rome.

The touristic sites were very interesting but the only problem with this short vacation is the hotel where we lodged, and customer service.

My hubby and I were lodged in a lovely hotel called Hotel Cilicia, on via Cilicia, close to Saint Giovanni metro stop. Yes the hotel is lovely but we spent 5 nights of 28°C without air conditioner. We spent the nights leaving our room window open, listening to the siren of the city ambulance and noisy vehicle engine sound, and waking up as early as 5 am tired and warned out for the days' activities.

What was surprising about all this is that the hotel did not seem bothered to try to fix the problem. After so much asking, all they could propose was to bring table fans to the room. But they already had these table fans in the rooms but wouldn't tell clients that the air conditionning systems possibly is broke down, or is just placed in the rooms for fancy.

We also had problems with finding a decent restaurant. Rome has more of pizzerias, and offers pizza at tourist price.

Considering the fact that prices were expensive for what were offered, and after eating some horrible looking empty pizzas in the tourist traps called "pizzeria", we had often had no choice but filling our appetit with the only acceptable speciality of Rome; the 'gelateria'.

Another good thing in Rome are the fresh water fountains found almost at every street corners in the city.

Ice cream in Rome is a sure option to calm your lack of choice for good food, and I so much loved to stop off at "Blue Ice". The price is cheaper than in France. You get 3 scoops for €2.50 with lovely flavors like nutella flower, nocciola, strachiatella and more. There is one in the city centre, and another close to the Vatican.

Images of my week in Rome:

Coliseum, Forum & Palatine

Outfit of the gladiators on exhibition

Monument Il Vittoriano (Victor Emmanuel) and that of the unknown soldier

Victor Emmanuel (1820 - 1878) was the first king of Italy (1861 till death), also called the father of the patrie was the unificator of Italy. This monument was put up in his honour.

Trevi fountain

TheVatican City, its Swiss soldiers, St. Peter's statut & grave, & the Double Helix Bramante stairs (where people descending or ascending never meet)

Patron of the altar boys (St. Callixto)

Good sides of Rome

A graduate at last

After 8 tough years of persistence, I finally have my first degree.

It has been a long rough road of ups and downs. I stumbled on rocks, fell on hard nails, got up, passed through difficult administrative bodies, but arrived at my targeted destination.

It all started 8 years ago back in Nigeria. In 2001-2002 academic season (started in 2002), I got my admission to study French Language in the department of Modern Languages, under Arts Faculty, University of Lagos. After series of lecturers' strikes (2003: 3 months, 2004: 7 months, and 2005: 5 months) demanding for salary increase from the federal government, I decided to go overseas to follow up my studies.

As a year 3 student in French Language, I opted for France. I applied for a French visa and found myself in France.

Arriving in France, I was told that my french was not sufficient to pursue a higher degree programme in french; that I needed to take a 1 year intensive french classes. I equally needed to go through a national French Language examination in order to test my level of comprehension of the language, written level, as well as the level of my oral french.

I passed through the stage of intensive language year and exams, got into the university to read law (in french language), but failed my 1st year (ofcourse. Why not?).

My first day in the amphitheater was 'Introduction to French law'. The overseeing lecturer made a joke in french. I did not know he said something untill I heard everyone laughing. Another anecdote was when we had a suprise test (general principles of french constitutional law). I did not understand that the lecturer was setting a test untill I turned around and saw people bringing out sheets of paper. Before I new it, she was already dictating.

The year went by and I saw myself coming back to do all over what I did the previous year. But this time around, I understood better. I ended the year with better grades (10/20 overall grade), and even had 16/20 in the constitutional law course, whereas I had 1/20 the previous year.

After my 2nd year in the law faculty of the 'Université de Droit et de la Santé Lille 2', I decided to follow up studies in the language I was born with, English ofcourse.

I went to (IAE) Institute d'Administration des Entreprises and read business administration. The programme allowed for 2 internships in an academic year. Such training periods are highly valued in companies. It enables one get direct company insight, add practical knowledge to ones' already acquired theoretical knowledge, offers career opportunities, as well as an individual follow up of students. All these are rare (if not lacking) in the universities.

I need to spare you dear readers of the ordeal I went through in the hands of some of my french lecturers who are not open minded with foreign students even in this 21st century. There attitude toward grading a foreign student who's 1st language is not french is a bit appalling. Every error in french was not tolerated, whereas, in the English language course I took, lecturers were always strict with me, claiming that English is my 1st language.

It was very saddening to know that I was not treated equally with my other classmates when it was a matter of English, but was told (in the courses taught in French) that when I become a lawyer, I will practice in french courts, and will defend my clients in French. For this reason, there should not be room for errors. I was even refused French/English dictionary in the exam.

Following these ordeals, I changed my orientation and went to a graduate management school, where I am now proud to write to you that I am finally a graduate.

I am very happy all the same that I went through such difficult time in the university. It added to my experience in life, developed my knowledge of the French legal system, increased my written and oral french (necessary to stand in front of a jury and defend clients!!!), gave me the courage to fight harder in order to have better gardes in my new school, and with my recent success, comforted my motto of never say die.

At the moment, I am proudly pursuing my post graduate degree programme in Paris. However, the level at which students are left behinde without assistance in the french university system should be put into consideration.