Hello, France.
The journey across the pond to explore new places.
06.09.2011
So much and so little to say at the same time.
Moving home from Vail was bittersweet. I am going to miss living in such an awesome place so much, and hope to return there again in the future. Driving out of that Valley was a bummer, but the excitement for what lay ahead was amazing. I'll miss being in the best shape of my life while living there this summer, but maybe I can return to that next year. Spending my last few days in the States at home was great, and although I thought I appreciated them then, I still don't think I did now. Spending time with my mom, my dad, my brother, and my grandparents was awesome. I miss them all more than I expected I would, and I can't wait for the family to come visit over their Thanksgiving break. Packing was a challenge, but having been here in Dijon for almost 2 days now, I think I did pretty well. It definitely took the full three days to pack, unpack, and repack, as I did this 4 times total to get everything I desired into two suitcases, a midsize backpacking pack, and a Timbuk 2 bag. The mine stereo my parents claimed wouldn't work works perfectly, and has made a huge difference in allowing me to listen to music while enduring this initial emotional roller coaster of adjustment. I doubted the satchel bag because I never used it much, but it has been the best thing I brought with me so far.
Travel
Amazingly smooth travels from start to finish. I had enough things packed into my two carryons it would've taken my half an hour to repack them had TSA decided they were worth a look, but luckily they made it through fine. No major flight delays other than 90 minutes in Dallas once already on the plane to Paris, and all went well once I landed. No lost baggage (hooray!), the cab driver to train station number one was very nice, informative, and complimented my French. Train ride was smooth, and wow are those TGV trains fast! Zip zip. The gentleman next to me on the train was very kind and helpful, and the train ride was gorgeous, even at 200 some odd kilometers an hour. The castles you pass, old villages, the pastures and rolling hills, rivers, etc are all incredibly beautiful. I arrived in Dijon safely with all of my stuff, and then took another cab fare to my residence where I again conversed with my driver in some French. I'm sure my level of speaking is poor right now, but I can already tell the improvements because of the application of words instead of studying textbooks or flashcards is tremendous.
Dijon
I arrived yesterday evening, and began to set up my things, not taking note of time. I hadn't eaten since my flight landed at around 10am, and by the time I went out to grab food at about 8pm, everything was closed except a lone burger place. Not the best food in the world, but it passed for how hungry I was. Today was much better as I was able to get out and explore the city this afternoon after a skype date with my girlfriend. I stumbled upon a super market, which was ideal for how much food I needed for my flat and no meal plan. I then made it home and after talking with my parents on skype for a bit, I went back out to try to find the university, since I have to be there tomorrow morning for orientation. Got totally lost, and I'm sure I looked it and looked American. But, eventually after two hours I found my way home again, and found a much closer super market, the university, and an Orange store, where I plan to get some kind of cell phone soon. It was an adventurous day for sure, and I'm starting to adjust a little to the time change. Last night was painfully hard, between hunger with no food, jet lag, a little lonely, missing friends and family, and my body thinking it should be daylight when it wasn't, but today was much better and I'm looking forward to things once I get better adjusted.
That's the gist of things for now, but stay tuned for when I begin to venture out and travel more. No pictures yet, as I'm trying hard to avoid the "idiot American tourist" look for a bit, but I'm sure I'll have the chance to snap some photos soon. Cool side note: I made the front page of du.edu today in the States for my lifesaving story, check out the article if you have time! Link: http://blogs.du.edu/today/news/student-saves-man%E2%80%99s-life-receives-award-for-heroism
Posted by la vita bella 12:39 Archived in France