Firsts

Today was a day of firsts in Paris. We started off the day with our first breakfast at St. John's University. Of course, it included a French Baguette slice, and then cereal. Except in France, I believe that they use whole, room temperature milk. It was very odd, and me being someone who is not the biggest milk drinker to begin with found it not the best I have ever had. My roommate and I then passed out until about noon (still a little jet lagged) and then we were off for the day! We toured some of the stores that the area has to offer, as well as visit the offices of the people who were guiding our trip. This involved a trip on the Metro, the underground transportation of Paris which is notorious for gypsies and pick pocket-ers. I was finally able to buy a converter and blow dryer too! They are small things, but essential for me! Another first today was the tasting of crepes. I decided to go with the Nutella and bananas flavor, and it was one of the best things I have ever tasted! The man made it on the spot for us in his little hut. It had a slightly crunchy exterior, and the inside was gooey and with so much flavor and aroma there was no one that could have denied eating all of it.With dinner later that night at Cafe un Metro, I also had my first glass of Parisian wine. The cheapest one they had at the cafe was one of the best red wines that I have had. I can't wait to bring back lots of bottles for everyone to enjoy! I ended up having salmon for dinner, perfectly cooked of course, and then we headed to the Eiffel tower for the last first of the day. My roommate Jennifer and I got completely lost. We wandered around the city for about an hour and a half, trying to find the tower and the group that we had left because we decided that they were walking a little too slow for our taste. After a valiant effort to find the tower by ourselves, we ran into two Americans with maps who pointed us in the proper direction, which we were not previously headed in. So around 10:30 pm, we found our group sitting on the large lawn in front of the tower, introducing themselves and sharing fun facts with each other. A half a bottle later and finally seeing the Eiffel Tower's hourly light show, the cold and fatigue was setting in, so a group of us girls, a little influenced by the wine and the long day, headed back to St. John's. Jennifer and I led the way after getting lost in and then knowing some of the ways around the city. It is starting to become a little familiar, and hopefully it will be after the lengthy six weeks ahead.

Un jour à Paris

Finally I have arrived in Paris! We arrived in Paris at 7am, meaning 1 am Atlanta. Jet lag has been somewhat of a struggle, but knowing that there is an amazing city to explore has kept me awake for the most part. My roommate and I passed out right before lunch time. We were supposed to be in the cafeteria at 12:15, but didn't wake up until a half hour later. We rushed down, still in a half stupor and suffering from the jet lag. After lunch though and a quick orientation, a group of us went around the street that we live off of. We are staying at a place called St. John's. It is a Catholic school in the US, and this is their Paris campus that UGA rents from them during the summer. We quickly learned how hard it is to be in a different country when you don't know the language. It has been intimidating interacting with locals. Some are nice, but others just yell words to us in French that we can tell aren't the kindest. Hopefully by the end of all of this we will be able to interact better with locals, but as of now we are having a difficult time. The structures and the shops that are in Paris, or just the small part we have seen so far, are all beautiful!There are so many bakeries and fruit/vegetable shops, with obviously extremely fresh products wherever we go. So far, we have only managed to taste one of the chocolatiers, but it was all amazing! I tried what is called an Opera, and it tasted like a glorified Tiramisu bar. Later today we are taking a bus tour of the city, and this weekend will be the real exploration!

Last few days in the states

Ok, so I may just be writing this post to avoid studying. I have a final tomorrow for my Independent Learning class that I have been taking for the past year. I should have finished it months ago, but, nothing I can do to change that now. Saying these past few months have been crazy is a complete understatement. They have been some of the most memorable. I graduated from the University of Georgia this weekend, having the whole school graduation on Friday and then the business school graduation on Saturday. Family was in town, and it was so stressful making sure I was prepared for the big days along with coordinating all of the fam. I also, of course, had to make sure that I made it out for my last weekend in Athens for a while. Being that I was going all day and night Friday definitely made sitting through graduation on Saturday tiresome. I kept trying not to nod off through the ceremony, since every student was called, walked across the stage, and received a "diploma" which actually contained a photo of Brooks Hall, the main business school building.

With all of the craziness and friends and family that I got to enjoy it made the weekend truly memorable. It hasn't quite hit me yet that I will never have this same composition and group of people in my life again. One of my roommates left yesterday, and still I haven't cried all weekend. For those of you who know me well, I cry a lot and so easily (it is usually because I am laughing though), so this indifference is so strange to me. I think I just haven't had the time to sit and think about everything. I am so ready to get to Paris and take it all in.

Also with the massive amounts of socializing I did this weekend, I tended to reject getting many miles on my sneakers. I ran for about an hour this morning and it was pretty rough. I have decided that one of the things I plan to do while in Paris is begin training for another half marathon, and eventually getting back to the states and training for a marathon. Within a year, I will do a marathon as long as my body decides not to break down in the process first. I may be a little injury prone. Haha. If anyone would like to suggest ones to sign up for, I am completely willing to register now! I have two more days left here, and can't wait to meet everyone on my trip and finally have a little more stability in my life again.

Victory!!

Small victories are the ones that you need to remember to get you through the week. This weekend was Terrapin's Twilight Criterium, a bike race that has a course encompassing Athens' downtown area. Well, the first event on Saturday was a 5K race. I went into it thinking that I just wanted to finish. I had logged few miles on my legs that week, and my shoes had been killing me. There are still bruises all over my calves from my shoes being worn and still running with them. Well, once I got into the race, as usual, my competitive nature exploded. I ended up finishing in 23:15, a personal record. I beat my PR by about a minute and a half too, which I completely did not expect. My next goal is to break 23. I think it will happen soon if I actually start training.

Time for something new!

So, as some of you know I have a blog that I have been keeping up with on and off for the past 3 years, but now I feel that I need to make a change in direction. My life is completely different from where it was at that point- my interests, my goals, my viewpoints on what life is offering and the challenges it presents, etc... With that in mind, I wanted to start over, fresh.

One of the biggest changes that I will be going through in my life is happening in the next two week. I will be graduating college (finally!) and moving myself across the Atlantic Ocean for 6 weeks to the smack dab of Paris, France. I am completely leaving everything I know and opening myself up to whatever the amazing city and countries that surround it have to offer.

I want to keep up with my travels and the places I see, along with what I gained from my stay, in this blog. Hopefully y'all will be interested in what I have to share and maybe take a new perspective into account. Only 19 more days till I board a plane and take off, in more than just a literal way.