Normandy and Syria

The cliffs of Normandy

In mid-October the Davidson program traveled to northern France to see Mont Saint Michel and the beaches of Normandy.  The region's beauty contrasted starkly with the horrific violence that took place there seventy years ago.  Bayeaux, France, a tiny town in Normandy, is home to a nearly 1,000 year old tapestry telling the story of the Norman invasion.  In it's local, centuries-old cathedral is a temporary photo exhibit of the Syrian civil war.

The Syrian Civil War in photos

France's history in Syria is a violent one (France occupied the region that is now modern-day Syria off and on up until WWII).  The quiet, peaceful interior of the cathedral was an odd location for the violent and shocking images of death and destruction.  At the same time the juxtaposition of the safety of modern France, the on-going anarchy in modern Syria, and Normandy's violent past created the perfect platform for a thought-provoking gallery.

The ceiling of the cathedral in Bayeux

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On a lighter subject... According to the ever-helpful Google I live 4,005 miles from my hometown in Ohio and 4,105 from Davidson.  The distance means that, while some aspects of my life in the U.S. and my life in France are the same, one cultural aspect stands out right now:

My all-girls education taught me that I do not need to wear make up (or just that I don't need to), but the older I get, the more I realize my opinion is in the minority.  French women share my approach to make up (also known as little-to-none)!  Unfortunately they do not share my love of yoga pants (my personal guilty pleasure) and other comfy, athletic clothes.  French children (also known as miniature adults) dress better than I do.  While some of this fashion sense must come from their parents, I find myself envying their sense of style.  But a large part of me is entirely okay with getting ten extra minutes of sleep and sacrificing my ability to compete with the fashion sense of the neighborhood's under-12 crowd.