22 December 2009

Transition...


The time that I have been avoiding has finally arrived. Move out here at the residences. I myself am here until the end of January until I move to my new apartment for my next program, but sadly, all of my amazing friends here at ESSEC are moving out and returning home. You know me, I am not the emotional type, it is hard for me to express emotions, but I have told my good friends here that I just feel this hallow feeling inside. Not quite sad, but something else. Yes, the sad and depressing blog entry, but we truly are at a cross roads of all our lives. For a lot of us returning home, we return to our last semester in university and on to continue our career journeys. It is the last time we will be free to travel as we please, do as we please (on our parents' budget =P  ), be a Parisian,  feel 17 again, come home from partying as the sun rises....there are so many amazing things we all have experienced here on exchange that we will treasure forever. Many, many times in the future look back and remember the amazing adventures and all the wonderful people we shared them with and just have a good laugh at ourselves is Paris.

I know we say goodbye today, but I have a strong feeling inside me that knows we will all, at one time, see each other again. Going home is only the beginning of our amazing futures.

Next semester will be new and different, but all the same a great adventure for me. I know it will be fun and meet so many great people. I look ahead with excitement, ready to conquer a new challenge in my life abroad.

17 December 2009

What's this?

Inspired by Jack Skellington in Nightmare Before Christmas...'What's this, what's this? There's white things in the air, what's this?!

Today was the first snow in Paris!!!! I woke up and opened my shudders to a white wonderland, snow still falling all around. It is sooooooo cool!!! At least for now, until the new feeling wears off haha.
It was so magical! Still is actually, even at the end of the day! I love it. Everything is just 10x prettier too! Definitely a great feeling to live in snow for at least one Christmas season.

Here are some pictures I took today:


(Written on my windowsill!)

 

                                                                 (View from my window)


(Last final, last day at ESSEC)

Couldn't be a better last day of the semester.

16 December 2009

La fin de la semestre

The end of the semester has finally arrived. Both happy and sad at the same time. More so than usual. Normally I am ecstatic to be finished with the long grueling semester, but this year is different, for obvious reasons.




Time has flown by so unbelievably fast and I wouldn't be able to tell you where all the time went. Just incredible how quickly this semester went by. Though, despite it flying by, it has left with me so many, practically uncountable, memories that I will cherish forever. So many friends made from all over the world, whom sadly a lot of them are leaving this weekend. Such a feeling of nostalgia right now, for everyone really. Thankfully, there is a good group of us staying for a second semester. All of them staying here at ESSEC; me though, I am starting a whole new program, a French language program to finish up my culture & language requirements for my international business degree. So I am really excited to be able to continue living in Paris and having five more months left here. If I had to leave this week, I would regret it for the rest of my life. I am not done here. I finally feel at home and like I live here. Continuing for another semester will be such a great experience, I am a Parisian, at least for a year. The best year of my life to date.




              (taking our French final in the exam room!)


As for this week, and last...just studying away for finals and preparing like SDSU taught me to, study study study very hard and do well on exams so you can have fun after, knowing you learned a lot and did well on all your exams. Work hard to play hard. Such the SoCal motto really.


(before my final, haha)


Had a final yesterday, one today, and two tomorrow. Then I am free! =)


(Coffee, what keeps me goin'!)


Take care everyone, I hope you are enjoying the wonderful Christmas season. I am very excited today...it is supposed to snow tonight around 9pm, all day tomorrow, and all day Friday. Maybe I willg get my wish for a white Christmas here. Pictures to come, keep your fingers crossed that the snow comes =)

08 December 2009

Driving...


Every time I see a car that I like here, I really miss driving. Though, I really really love public transit here. Tt is EVERYWHERE and so efficient (most of the time haha). The underground of Paris is honestly a honeycomb of tunnels, rails, stairs, and pathways leading deep under the city to various transit lines. It is just so mind boggling to think about! The Metro in Paris comes practically every two minutes which to me, coming from San Diego having to wait 15min during rush hour for a metro, it is amazing here! Despite coming back home at 5am from a night out to a metro car with puke or piss on the floor, or for that matter, a person passed out on the floor, whatever...it takes us home and is always a good laugh. Ahhhhh, life in the big city. I really do love it. I feel so at home.

Yes, I miss driving.....however, I do NOT miss sitting in traffic on Montezuma or the 163 South to Downtown....ORRRRRRR summer tourist beach traffic on the way to work...The worst!!! Definitely do not miss that haha.

Pros and Cons to everything...I love it. I like that I can enjoy wherever I am. The best part though, is I really do genuinely love Paris.

05 December 2009

Dream Last Night

Last night I had a dream that seriously made me trip out when I woke up. I dreamt waking up at Tyson's place back home, like I was just stopping over from France. Had a casual morning, got ready, some friends came over for lunch, then I realized that I had to go back to Paris and I wondered why so much of my stuff was at his place, like tons of random stuff. I had also driven to his place, from who knows where. I started to trip out in the dream when I had to get back to Paris, how was I getting back there? Plane, driving, when??? hahahaa. I was convinced I drove to his place lol.

Freaky part though was when I woke up here, I seriously had no idea where I was. Came to, oh I'm actually in Paris...didn't take a late night trip back to San Diego to say hi. haha.
Weird!

Random, but I felt like blogging.