Liamell Quezada '25 always dreamt of seeing Paris and immersing herself in French culture. She didn't realize they were separate wishes.
It had been a childhood fascination with Paris – the culture, the food, the Eiffel Tower. Liamell began studying French her freshman year of high school and yearned for the chance to give her budding language skills a chance in France. When she turned 15, her ultimate birthday wish came true. Well, one of them. Liamell traveled to Paris with her mom, step dad, and step brother, and it was everything she imagined, almost.
"This city is absolutely beautiful. I loved it. Except, it's not the true French experience. Paris is a very international city filled with tourists. The trip was great, but I still wanted to see France."
Six years later, Liammel is back in France, and this time, she's experiencing French life. Liammel is in Lyon, 300 miles southeast of the French capital. And though Lyon is the nation's third largest city, it is distinctly French in a way Paris is not.
"There is more of a French vibe here. There aren't nearly as many tourists. Just going into little meat and cheese shops, this is the France I always wanted to see."
Liamell, a marketing major, is taking business courses this spring through CEFAM (The Centre d’Études Franco-Américain de Management), an international business school with deep ties to Siena. During the first week of their semester, the program organized a dinner out in the Old Town district of Lyon at Chez Grand-Mère.
"I had this moment in the restaurant where I thought, 'I'm actually here.' Our table was the only table where people were speaking English."
Of course, Paris will always have its pull. In fact, Liamell leaves tomorrow (with a new friend she's made in the program) for a weekend in the City of Lights. But after a quick excursion as a tourist, it's back to Lyon, and back to her new (temporary) life among the French.
