How I feel about going to France for two months.. Je suis très nerveuse mais surtout contente!
The UT Lyon Study Abroad Program awaits
Going to France has a lot to do with my dad. I grew up looking up to him. My father would have been an architect or engineer in another life, but he had to take care of his family. As a Vietnamese refugee coming to the US, he searched for manual labor. And as a high school student, he built his own wooden shrimping boat by smartly negotiating with Mexicans and Americans with very little English. He was a shrimper. His grit and charm is the reason why my family is alive today. I’ve been following his footsteps and have sat besides him when he sketched out his ideas. He was a big fan of stones and columns. He didn’t know the history of architectural forms, so I would research and often tell him—“Those are Corinthian columns. And these are Dorics!” He would tell me, “One day, you will show the world how beautiful it is through your kind eyes.” His love for architecture and his duty he had to support my family inspired me, the baby in the family. Unfortunately, he passed away last October.
Proof that I’m a francophile: A canvas of the Eiffel Tower hangs above my bed. Et oui, my bedsheets are in French.
As an artist, it is my life-long mission to find the beauty and pain in everyday things and challenge the world to think differently. Much of my interest in documentary storytelling has to do with connecting with people on the spot, and I do that best when I am open-minded and accepting. It reveals the human condition, our passions, fears, and beliefs. I have always looked to architecture to convince people to think about their lives. For example, the adage, “Life is a just series of rooms with different people inside them,” makes people take a step back and be conscious with who they are speaking to. And pointing out that buildings with arches are an invitation for you to come in, dwell a little, and dream as high as the sky allows—inspires and comforts people. France has beautiful buildings and monuments. I am sure to share my insight, my drawings, my interpretations, and use what I have learned in France to connect with people.
Not only will the Lyon program spark my creative juices, it will allow me to also practice my French. Learning a new language opens doors. It is a tool. Speaking from personal experience with the Vietnamese language, I have seen the saddening effects of language barriers from old to new generations. But to be able to acquire a language and use it is absolutely amazing. It is useful. Because to speak to someone is to understand them. People are like gardens. Each individual has certain plants that yields something that I do not know about. It could be knowledge or ideas that I have yet to learn. If one spends a decent amount of time in a garden, they benefit from Nature. And Nature will continue to give. Likewise, in the spirit of philanthropists, you must have the belief that people will continue to give. Going to France will encourage me to use what I have learned in my three semesters of French at UT. Now, it is a matter of using what I learned to understand the French culture and its people.
From cobblestone pavements to curled iron lampposts to the French pride that is epitomized in Marianne—liberté, égalité, fraternité—France will only invigorate my creative spirit. It is a place my dad once told me where some beautiful things are. My hope is to show and tell the world inspiring stories using what I will soon see. I will bring my respectfulness, enthusiasm, and thoughtfulness to this program for an exciting experience with my host family, fellow trippers, teachers, and the French people I will encounter. I cannot wait to go.
To be continued…
In loving memory of my father
Special thanks to Solange Boutin Plangman (pictured above), the CFP Foundation, and the UT Italian and French Dept. for fully funding my study abroad trip. Your donation means the world to me and my family.