Robots in France

The End, for real

2007-06-08T19:54:00.000+01:00

Alright kids, time to wrap this up, a full two weeks or more after I got home. It was awesome, life-changing, yada yada. I'll remember the people and places more than the actual being away from home part, even though at the end, that was my favorite part of coming home: the people, and the places (at home). I've already visited Lafayette umpteen times, been to movies, driven my car, and now I'm going to F1 in a couple of weeks: what more could you want? Thanks to whomever read this, and I'm sorry for the lack of updates and pictures. Feel free to contact me if you're not on Facebook (my profile) and/or not on my friends list, and I'll hook up the photos. I got REALLY frustrated with the Blogger interface for photo uploading...it was simply too much to handle. Anyway, I'll see ya when I see ya. If you're in Indy this summer, hit me up. I'll be around. If you're in Lafayette, I'll call when I get into town next time, I'm sure it'll be soon. I'll see ya when I see ya...

La Fin (the end...)

2007-04-30T16:36:00.000+01:00

OK, so technically there's a lot of trip left. Sort of, I have just BARELY over two weeks (some 16 days) until my parents and sister get here to visit, then we hit Paris and do the tourist thing until the 23rd of May, when we will all fly out together back to the States...where I can press "Play/Pause" and resume my American life that I put on hiatus for six months...about six months ago. OK, five months. Sue me. Anyway, I am excited, terrified, sad, delighted, and very uncomfortable making this change. Over the course of the last 5 months or so, I have come to call Montpellier home, which above all, shocked me. After returning from a BLAST of a time in Germany, then visiting Paris, I was almost brought to tears coming back to Montpellier and seeing the familiar sights again. The tram, the train station, the place de la Comédie, all of it. I felt like I was coming home. As I said, I was shocked, and that's why I am feeling sad and excited to leave. This is my home, but my home is also in the United States with my friends and family.

...But wait...I have friends here, and another family I consider to be mine. As mentioned, I visited my old host-family in Brest at the very beginning of the trip, and I am hoping to get to see them again before I leave.

Truth be told, I have no idea how I feel. None. I want to see my friends, my house, my town(s - lafayette and indianapolis) my job(s - SBUX in laf and indy), my cat, and strangely enough, well, not so strangely knowing me, I REALLY want to DRIVE MY CAR. My license has expired effective March 25th, but my sister is taking me to get my new license (with my 21yr old self on it!) pretty much as soon as we get back, well, the day after. I don't know if I'll be able to stay away from my car that long.

How do you end a trip like this? How do you say goodbye to a PLACE?! How can I say goodbye to people that I have become very close to, knowing I will most likely never see them again? It's all so strange, and sad, and I never want to leave, yet every night I dream more and more intensely about being home, and I want nothing more than to BE home - "Home" - yeah.

Now what?

Spring Break Itinerary

2007-03-30T15:49:00.000+01:00

Here it is:

31/3/2007

Train

Montpellier -> Marseille
Depart 05h26, arrive 07h08

Plane

Marseille MP2 -> Karlsruhe-Baden, Germany
Depart 10h18, arrive 11h40 local time

31/3/2007 thru 5/4/2007
Corny picks me up at the airport on the 31st (tomorrow!) and then the fun begins! Ben Borgmann will be meeting up with us in town around 13h00 local time (+7 from EDT, US), and will stay with me and Corny at Corny's place that night. Heading out on the town! Seeing sights and general Germany-kickin-it, with a possible trip to Heidelberg to see a sweet BMW Alpina B7
owned by Corny's friend up there. Possible. Expect pictures for sure if I get to see it! Heading to Paris on the 5th of April, 5-hr train trip:

5/4/2007

Train

Karlsruhe, Germany -> Paris, France
Depart 12h, arrive 17h.

Once is Paris, I will relax for a while (as long as a couple of days, depending on Scotland!) and meet up with Larisa, one of my best friends, who will be working with an architecture firm in Paris until December, can't wait for that! Talk about unexpected, but also really fun :)

So that's what I got, kids. Enjoy! Email me if you have any questions, suggestions of what to do/see/general harassment.

Ciao!

Germany, das ist gut!

2007-03-26T16:38:00.000+01:00

I booked my tickets for all travel concerning my trip to Karlsruhe, Germany. I'll be taking a train really early in the morning on the 31st of March, circa 5h26, to Marseille, where I will take a plane (thanks ryanair for the cheap ticket!) to Karlsruhe, Germany, to visit my old high-school and swimming buddy, Cornelius Weber, and also one of my Phi Psi brothers (and an LNHS '04 grad with me, among other things) who is interning for John Deere, Ben Borgmann. Nice. I am so excited to get out of Montpellier for a bit! After all the crazy times are over in Germany, I'll be taking a train to Paris to either fly out to Edinburgh via Glasgow to visit the family there!

Actually I just found out the library's closing...so I gotta cut this one short. Expect a full itinerary when I get back on the 'net! See you...

Grammar Exam, Birthday, Vacation!

2007-03-22T13:49:00.000+01:00

Originally I was going to head out on a grand voyage with Bridget & company for this HUGE 2-week vacation, but I have a decided LACK of TALENT with money, so I'm going to abbreviate my trip (hopefully I get one!) to things I'm going to hate myself if I don't do before I leave...mainly go to Scotland (I should email them again...), visit Cornelius & Ben in Germany (and also see Germany...yeah! Go BMW!), and thats about it. I'd be happy with that! I will probably pop up to Paris a few times, that way I can see more of the city (it's also stupidly close & cheap to get to from Montpellier), and that will help me with being 'tour guide' for my parents & sister when they get here may 17th. Excited!

So I got my first grammar exam back today...and I got a B+. I was a little disappointed, but a B+ is pretty good, and I didn't get too much time to review as people were visiting at that point. I'm glad they were here, very glad indeed, but a little (lot) of peace and quiet is really really comforting for me. I'm a loner of sorts, and if I never get my alone time, even if I'm bored, I start to go crazy. I cherish those few hours a day I get to myself...its like recharging my battery.

Also, I turn 21 on Sunday, the 25th! Wow, I can't remember how long I've been waiting for this one; having been going to the bars here and the ability to buy alcohol, it sorta tarnishes that special title, but once I get back to the states, I bet it'll feel fresh all over again. I'm just glad I'll get that initial phase out of my system before I get back to the states...you know, the Holy Crap! I can buy this! one. Glad that's over. I've gone out an infinite less amount of times since the beginning of the semester, a trend I hope to continue. It saves money, and time, and sleep. Guess I needed to get that out, but still...I was exhausted a lot!

Sorry for the lack of pictures, it's been cold and ugly around here lately, and I haven't gone anywhere exciting nor done anything exciting, except have guests, and I'm working on those pictures, so don't worry, you'll get to see what we did in due time!

See you next time...
P

Holy Lack of Updates, Batman!

2007-03-15T13:16:00.000+01:00

Yeah yeah, I know. It's been almost a month to the day since I last updated. So here we go:

My mom pointed out in an email the other day that I've crested the half-way point of this trip, which is a weird feeling. Everyday that passes I'm more ready to come home, but also strangely more comfortable in my skin and with my surroundings. I also stun myself sometimes with my French skills, not to brag, but they were definitely thrown into sharp relief when I had some visitors here these past few weeks (Jimmy & Victoria, Lee & Jess, Kyle & Megan and his Mom), where my services were much needed. Always feels good to actually use my major for something...

Basically this trip has been/is a long lesson for me, and I realize that my time in college is almost up. I've started putting together a resume, and thinking about the future. Step one: get my spending habits under control. Ouch, seriously. Step two: get a job. I've got a few options flying around in my head, and almost all are easily attainable, some aren't, but those are the dreams/the ones I really have to work for. Success is never sweeter than after hard work. One year of college left, then it's the real world, at least for now. And it's going to be US-based, I'm not flying the coop for Europe, not just yet. I can definitely live here, I've proven that to myself here, and probably will in the future. But for the time being, my family is basically my identity, and while I've made my own for myself, they still are a huge influence and support system for me, and I can't be this far away from them, at least not yet.

So, where to? Chicago is a good thought, maybe even somewhere in Indianapolis temporarily, but I really liked Boston, and I want to visit New York. Yeah, all expensive, I know. But Starbucks being my first career option, I can hopefully afford it. I've spoken with some higher-ups, and put the wheels in motion for my further promotion up the company ladder, all of which is good news. Question is, have I forgotten how to barista?! I sure hope not; it's actually a recurring dream for me, being behind the bar, back at work, pleased as punch (it gets REALLY boring here sometimes...I've learned boredom is a global trait, no matter where you are, Indy, Lafayette, or Montpellier, you can always be bored...find something to occupy your time!), and then I've forgotten everything. It's pretty terrible. I'm sure I'll be fine ;)

Gotta run to class, more updates more often, I promise.

Jogging, or “Jogging,” it might be a soft “j” …

2007-02-16T19:14:00.000+01:00

Today I decided to get back into a very good habit that I started a while back in the states; heeding some good advice from my father and staying active throughout my adult life should indeed prove, well, good for my health. I am pretty out of shape since it’s been a good 2 months or more since I had my last run, but it’s never easy to get back into exercising. Today’s jaunt only lasted about a half hour before I started to get some cramps, but that may be because I am pretty de-hydrated in general (last night being the beginning of February vacation and all. We spent the night in the traditional Thursday fashion, that is, the pub quiz at O’Carolans! Works your mind and your beer glass…)

I am a bit tired and winded, but it still feels good…weird how that is. This time I ran around in the neighborhood, but next time I’m going to take the tram and bus to the beach (you have to take both to get there) and see what’s goin’ on down there. I actually haven’t been to the beach yet, but since the weather is currently spectacular, (about 70 and sunny for the past two days, but who knows how long that will last?) I figure it’s worth a visit.

In other news, Josselin can’t come due to some complications, so I have no plans for February break and it’s a bit late (and I’m a bit low on funds…got to make it ‘til March!) to make any, I’m staying in town and, well, since almost all of my friends are leaving, (except a few of the French kids I know) I’ll be…bored. However, I might make a quick jaunt (yeah, a quick jaunt) to Germany to visit Ben Borgmann and/or Cornelius Weber, one of my friends from swimming back in high school. Wow!

I’m off to shower…see you.

I want an iPhone

2007-02-13T15:18:00.000+01:00

I'm sure most of you already know this, you techno-savvy people you (hey, you're reading my blog, you must be a geek!), but Apple revealed plans for its iPhone at MacWorld 2007, and to put it simple, I must own this object, as tasteless as that sounds. It comes in 4GB or 8GB models, $499 and $599, respectively, and a host of amazing technology. First, it's an iPod with a 3.5" widescreen, obviously, its a phone, with some really cool features like easy call-merging to enable conference calls, and Apple made a deal with Google and Cingular (the ONLY provider of iPhone) to offer Google maps on the phone!

The phone uses 802.11g/b wi-fi to get real broadband speeds, and you can also use Cingular's EDGE network. Why am I telling you all of this? Check out the link and see for yourself!

Oh yeah, no keyboard. It's all touch-screen.

-apple.com/iPhone

Rules for Commenting

2007-02-07T16:23:00.000+01:00

Alright, time to set some ground rules. I love it that people comment, but here's a few easy rules to follow:

If you leave one of those "Wow! Nice to see the blog, how are things? Well, get back to me!" posts, you are obligated by common sense to leave a way to contact you. If not, you risk a manhunt with your name on it, or me publicly calling you stupid. You pick.
If you are posting, there are 3 options. One is to post with your gmail/blogger account; one is to post and simply leave your name (for those of you without a gmail/blogger account - this is about 90% of you); and finally, anonymous. This is the worst option. Not only do I not know who posted, but I am also frustrated by my inability to respond and/or weigh in my views/opinions/clarifications with you. Please leave your name, number, and message after the beep. beep.

Thanks again for reading, and leave email addresses, or if you want postcards, send me an email (its posted) with your address (I don't recommend posting your address, but it's up to you...) and I might think about sending you one.

Rock It To The Moon!

2007-02-06T18:14:00.000+01:00

Here in Montpellier, there is an awesome event called "Rock It To The Moon," which happens most every Wednesday evening at a music bar called "Peanuts." It was canceled this past Wednesday, but that's a story from another time. The RockIt bills itself as "Indie Pop Rock Mix" so obviously I wanted to go. I am now addicted, and if you're one of the lucky few visiting me, plan on attending at least one (depending on the duration of your stay!). Here's some snazzy pix, and their blog: Rock It To The Moon!

Blue Up...

2007-02-03T11:57:00.000+01:00

It's been over two weeks now, so time to get back down to business. Hey! Things have gotten busy here, school is now going strong, so time has become precious. A lot has happened since the last post, but I'm using a friend's computer, so no photos, they're all formatted already, so posting should be quick and easy!

So last night we went to a Jazz bar that a couple of the students stumbled upon called the "Blue Up," there was a live band playing, and they were pretty much amazing. Not the best of the best, but easy to listen to, and they had a sax (a GOOD sax), which isnt really easy to find.

Gotta run, we have a cocktail party at our place tonite, and that means I gotta clean. Expect pictures!

Misc. Update

2007-01-16T16:03:00.000+01:00

Yo. Long time no see. Here's whats new in Montpellier: Beer Pong! The french have never heard of it, so we jerry-rigged (sp?) a janky table to educate these poor poor ignorant people. We didn't have SOLO cups, though, so we had to make up our own style...smaller, and therefore, harder to hit the cups. Check out the pics! We invited a bunch of the American students and their French friends and the French kids that are helping us out in the program. Also, from now on the pics will be small thumbnails, big (800x600) when you open them up. Not bad, eh? Hoo-ray Nikon. Also, some of these pics are from random nights out in Montpellier with the usual American/French mix. Bam! Also, please everyone laugh and point at Liz and Brian (two other Purdue kids on the program) crashing on our couch/bed the night of the beer pong championship. They are perfectly separated on the sides of the couch. Haha, awkward.

Classes are in their second week here, and they're not too bad, except probably I'm going to switch my philosophy course for something else; philosophy is hard enough in english, let alone french. Plus, the material is based on stuff the class learned first semester, which doesn't really help, no?

Man, I keep forgetting of things I've taken pictures of this weekend while I didn't have access to the internet. Took some pics of Paul Valéry! This is the Arts/Humanities campus of the Université Montpellier, which is actually spread out all over town. So here it is, my campus! Hopefully you can tell which is which among the photos posted, because Blogger makes it pretty hard to manipulate images accurately in the posts. I wish there was an easier way, but it's free, so what more can I ask, eh? Watch this spot for the apartment tour video...

The Apartment!

2007-01-11T17:29:00.000+01:00

Well, I took this sweet video of the apartment to give you all a nice idea of the place, but I can't upload videos to blogger. But I am moved in, and indeed it is a huge apartment with a terrace, a well-equipped kitchen, a large general room, plus a living room with a couch that folds out into a bed. 2 bathrooms, though one is a bath with 2 sinks, and the other is a shower and a sink. One toilet for the whole place (in France the toilets are always separate from everything). But basically its huge and unnecessarily so, but that makes up for it being so far away from everything. It takes about 25 minutes to get into town, and anywhere from 20-25 to get to campus, including walking, tram, and walking to campus. Tonight is "quiz night" at O'Carolan's, so I'll be there later with some of the french kids I've met, woohoo! Brought my camera this time, so tonight some pictures.

Photo Demand

2007-01-11T11:31:00.000+01:00

Testing the picture capabilities, I've had some demand for larger photos, so let's give it a shot, eh? Filler text to follow.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Maecenas tellus massa, egestas quis, pharetra at, tempor a, risus. Vivamus lobortis, sapien at consectetuer rhoncus, ipsum purus adipiscing elit, ut tincidunt leo libero eget lorem. Ut porta, nisi in cursus tincidunt, urna felis luctus orci, hendrerit ultricies risus odio in erat. Pellentesque eu mi. Sed metus. Nam eros magna, mattis eget, varius ac, faucibus non, ante. Vivamus nec nunc. Donec bibendum pharetra nibh. Praesent adipiscing hendrerit justo. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Cras pharetra. Nunc volutpat, risus tincidunt suscipit fringilla, eros metus consectetuer turpis, eu vehicula lectus metus eget odio. Vivamus non metus. Fusce fermentum. Proin ut lectus in ipsum aliquam hendrerit. Donec pulvinar. Nam semper eros et leo. Pellentesque urna.

Paul Valéry, and Photos

2007-01-08T16:42:00.000+01:00

Classes started today, with just one at 14h00, going all the way until 16h00. That's how classes tend to work here, one class a week (generally speaking), but they're long. usually 2h to 3h apiece. Not so bad, I don't have to go back until next week. Today was Phonétiques! It was indeed a lot of fun, well, as fun as class can be. The teacher is nice, and the exercises aren't too hard, but this class is actually useful. I can use the lessons from the class in my everyday conversation! Hoo-ray for that. Check out some of these sweet photos I've been snappin', consider this "Photopack one: Montpellier proper."

Les Cours (My Classes)

2007-01-06T15:57:00.000+01:00

So I scheduled for classes today at the student center for U of M Study Abroad students. Also found out they have wifi on campus and here at the center, so hoo-ray laptop! I have a total of 15 credit hours, 16 with my "maximizing study abroad" class. I'm going to try to get them up here on a calendar, along with confirmed plans, visitors, etc.

The biggest difference so far from an american university is that I only have class once a week for each class. Well, two times a week for my integrated courses, because one class is split up between "master classes" and "directed study," focusing on more specific topics within the master class.

Bien, a plus!

Enfin, Montpellier

2007-01-05T20:05:00.000+01:00

Ah, Montpellier, France! So wonderful to be here. At last, the city where I'll be staying for about 5 months. I'm not yet moved into my apartment, but at least I'm moving across town instead of across the country, again. again. Brest was wonderful, the Jaouen family really is one of a kind, they are all so welcoming, fun, and kind. What's more, they tolerate me! Ha, now that's a feat.

So, after about 10 hours on the wonderful SNCF today, I arrived in Montpellier around 5pm local time, and took a taxi to my hotel, where the rest of the program is staying. Since no one else was around (I waited about an hour and a half), I decided to go eat since I was starving. A quick stroll found me a pizzeria by the name of PizzaPapa, which had wonderful food. I had a 3-cheese pizza complete with tomato sauce, sliced tomatoes on top, and some olives. A 1664 beer finished off the meal.

So it's back to the hotel, where I am now sitting typing this and thinking about what to do next. There is still no one from my program here...wait, that's a lie. There are two people here that I don't know at all and they don't know me, and I feel it would be weird if I just went up like hey...whats up. I'm American too. Sweet. Maybe not. maybe I need a shower.

Check out the pix, count on some more as time passes!

Welcome to France, Part II

2007-01-05T02:45:00.000+01:00

Well, normally I don't like to post something new then repost right after because it bumps the other "new" post down, but this is worth mentioning: Jet Lag! Oh la la, this is the second night I've woken up at around 1 or 2am and NOT sleepy. Seriously, this sucks. Oh well, at least I get some posting done, right? Blah. When you travel abroad, they tell you about jet lag. But take them seriously. Such a pain. I've got to be on the train in 4 hours.

Paris, et puis Brest, chez Jaouen

2007-01-04T21:10:00.000+01:00

WOW! So here I am in France. Pretty much just as I left it, but a little bit has changed. For starters, the Euro vs. USD is crappy. I lose a lot of money and they have a lot of taxes here, something like 19% or so on every purchase, as opposed to Indiana's wonderful 5% (or 6% if you live in Indy). But otherwise, not bad, the food is wonderful, the wine and beer too, and the cheese is to die for. My cell phone works here...if you want to call i recommend doing it thus: (its all you need to dial, 10 10 987 is a connector, 54 cents to connect, 4 cents a minute after that! I don't think it works from cell phones. 011 is the international dialing prefix, and 33 is the country code for France)

10 10 987 011 33 6 14 06 98 28 - the bold part is my actual cell phone number. NOTE: according to my helpful (seriously!) mother, if you dial 10 10 987 011 33 06, it doesn't work. so try 10 10 987 011 33 6 14 06 98 28 first! if that doesn't work, dial 10 10 987 011 33 06 14 06 98 28

OK, so the trip:Well, from Indianapolis to Philadelphia, not bad. Quick. Easy. From Philly to Paris CDG, not bad. Long, but comfortable. There was a really nice guy from Paris next to me, Mejid. He actually helped me out again once I got there because after I got my (HEAVY) bags off the carousel, I had to find the bus that goes to the RER (a bit like the Parisian metro, or subway, but it goes from the airport to train stations, etc), and he helped me out. I knew right away I brought too much, well, probably not too much, but my bags were HEAVY. My arms are still sore from carrying that crap all over Paris. Well, basically I got to the train station after about 2 hours, and I found a place to put all my bags. My arms were really weak, and I was super hungry, so I changed some money, called my parents, and grabbed a local specialty (local to France, not Paris), un Jamon-Beurre. Basically it's delicious, une baguette (a long piece of bread) about 6" long with some ham and a little bit of butter. Mmm. OK, so that was good, time to get my cell phone working (which it does!) So I bought a SIM card to replace mine, put mine in a safe place, and called Jos from my "new" cell phone. It worked, no problem. I have 30 euros of credit to start out with, and when it runs out I recharge it. After that, I got on my train for Brest at around 4:05pm, and sat. and slept. and sat. and slept. I change trains at Rennes. OK, no problem, here I go, I get off. Heavy bags. Chaos at the station, lots of people. I wait. and wait. and wait. Well, I was only supposed to wait about 26 minutes or so (and this being France, the trains are on time. They WILL leave without you). Turns out I had to wait 2 hours to find out there was a TREE on the platform blocking all trains going to Brest, but not at my station. Finally they get most of us on some buses to Brest, of which I was included, and off we go. 12:30am I arrive, and having already warned Jos, he comes and gets me. Wow, what a night! At hat point I was already up for more than 24 hours! Totally exhausted. Finally we arrive chez Jaouen, and hup, it's off to bed for me. Wow!

That's enough for now, probably more to follow, including the story my wonderful (not sarcastic, I had a great time!) New Year's Eve.

Comme on dit, a bientot!

The Eve of my Travels

2006-12-29T03:22:00.000+01:00

So here I am (suddenly) on the last day, the last night before I leave. After tonight, the next time I go to sleep will be on foreign soil (or in the air, dozing restlessly on a plane). I am comforted by the fact that my "brother," Josselin (son of my host family from my 2003 trip to Brest, la famille Jaouen...he and I were both 17, and now we're both 20, almost 21...weird) will meet me on the rail platform in Brest upon my arrival, and my ex-host family soon after that. But what am I supposed to feel? Nervous? Excited, surely, but what happens if I just feel a sort of disappointed nothing? I don't feel sad yet, I don't feel strange or lonely. I don't feel anything but a sort of...empty. Tired? Ready? Excited and I just don't know it? Overwhelmed?!

When does it finally hit you?

Look around you. Address.

2006-12-26T19:01:00.000+01:00

So yeah, look over there! Where? To my address! Why did I put it there? So you can send me sweet stuff I post on here as a wishlist. Let me get this rollin. I totally want this. If you send it to me I will totally reimburse you or you can just be nice and GIFT it to me! Yeah attitude!

Also, this will do nicely:
"If it weren't for Carbon-14 I wouldn't date at all" @ Diesel Sweeties

Le Noël

2006-12-25T18:47:00.000+01:00

Merry Christmas! Well, for starters I got a digital camera, hence the following pictures.

Also, I got some sweet stuff to prepare me for the trip, here's a few:

Obviously this here is a pair of headphone (can't ya tell?) Ladies and gentlemen, the Sennhauser PX100! These are a wonderful, comfortable replacement for the standard iPod earbuds which lack strongly on low-range frequency response. These guys can bump, but I'll have to watch it on the plane as these can piss off some inter-continental travelers...

Next up, the batter pack to keep my iPod runnin and playin movies & music whilst in the air. This sucker adds 6 hours of video and 15-20 hours of total play time (presuming music...). NICE.

OK so this was my Christmas gift last year, but I've decided to take it with me, since last time I took my acoustic and the electric will give me a much larger range of flexibility, especially if I find an amp!

Mon Appartement

2006-12-12T20:43:00.000+01:00

So, today I got the email from University of Minnesota concerning my apartment placement! I have one room-mate, Bridget, as mentioned before. Here's the vitals:

Large, two-bedroom apartment

Two Bathrooms

3rd floor (2^e étage)

Terrace (!!!)

Not downtown, but on the tramway (very convenient)

So I calculated the distance from my (our) apartment to the university, 3.7km! About 7 minutes according to google maps, but that's rough and probably by car, obviously without stops on a tramway, but quick nonetheless! I'll have my address posted on here for those of you who want to look it up out of curiosity or send me stuff.

Route, apt to university @ google maps

Mes Projets (my plans)

2006-12-08T21:22:00.000+01:00

OK so first things first, I leave the 29th of December, which is already too close and not soon enough. I'll be flying into Paris, aéroport Charles de Gaulle, then taking the train to Brest, France to visit my old host family, from my first experience in France. I'm pretty much excited to see la famille Jaouen again, and I'll be having New Years in Europe! Wow! Then on the 5th, I'll be hopping on an early train to head down to Montpellier to begin the program, and moving into my apartment with my room-mate, Bridget, which will be exciting. I have no idea what's going to happen then, but I do know that at the end of the program my parents and sister are coming to visit, and that can only mean trouble for Europe!

Plan on lots of photos, tales of my journeys, and probably some whining. I know you all feel SO sorry for me.

One more note: let's keep it PG. Parents, possibly kids, teachers, and other family members will be reading this. I'm going to keep the content appropriate, so if you post a comment, I expect you to do the same, or I will edit or delete your comment.

For reference, here's where I'm going to be: Montpellier @ Google Maps

Le Début (the beginning)

2006-12-08T18:27:00.001+01:00

So here it is, the blog I promised you all. Be sure to come back for pictures, stories, and ramblings about what I do in France!

Warning: I make no promises about my english when I get to France, though I'll do my best!