Mes Premiers Jours (My First Days)

Bonjour tout le monde et bonne année!

I have made it safe and sound to Montpellier, France after a long flight on New Years Eve! There is so much happening right now that it has definitely been an overwhelming first couple of days. In addition to the obvious stress of traveling, I arrived in Montpellier only to find that the laptop (that had worked the night before) was no longer functioning properly and kept shutting itself down (again!). Thankfully, my dad thought ahead and purchased a warranty that would allow service to my computer within France. I have yet to get it fixed, but it has been working the last two hours so I figured I would try to make a post! Admittedly, this is a much longer post than I had intended, but there is so much I would like to share!

Jour 1 (12/31/11)

I flew out of Ohare in Chicago at 6:15pm on NYE. It was hard to believe how incredibly empty the airport was in comparison to other days of the year. For the first time ever, security didn't ask me to go through the metal detector-- but instead through the x-ray machine. I had to stand still for a few moments as I watched them pat down an old woman next to me who seemed confused by the process. I eventually made it to my lovely first class seat and was greeted by a very kind flight attendant who instantly insisted I get wine to celebrate the New Year... so I did. The flight was wonderful, aside from some semi-scary turbulence towards the end, and I was able to watch a number of movies, and eat some surprisingly good steak. Unfortunately, I was unable to sleep, so that made for a long first day in France.

Jour 2 (1/1/12)


I arrived in Paris at about 9am French time, 2am for Chicago. Charles de Gaulle Airport is slightly confusing: it has many tubes of moving floors going in a number of directions, a number of levels, and not to mention a wide variety of terminals that require a train to reach. So, with my one 25lb bag, I ran around the airport trying to confirm that my other bag, which had been checked in Chicago, would in fact arrive in Montpellier. I was assured that it would be, and thankfully it did make it there later that day :) I boarded a flight to Montpellier at about 1:30, even though it was schedule for 12:40, and sat on a much smaller and older plane. My experience with this was not as pleasant. First, the flight attendant refused to help me with my 25lb carry on bag (the limit was 26lbs) when I asked for assistance in placing it in the overhead compartments. He told me that if it was too heavy for me, then it would be too heavy for him and it would have to be checked for an extra charge. Thankfully, a very nice New Yorker realized that the bag was not TOO heavy, but that I was just exhausted from traveling and navigating an airport with my luggage, and he kindly helped me with my bag. Second, after the crew apologized for the delay due to maintenance, we began to head away from the airport. Only moments after, though, there was a loud, continuous banging sound beneath our feet. Everyone was worried by the sound, and looked around for answers-- none were given. Then, moments after this, the plane began to smell strongly of exhaust, which only concerned more passengers. Somehow, we made it into the air for the hour long trip and arrived safely in Montpellier. The airport here was much smaller, and easier to navigate and I quickly found my way outside to find a cab, only to notice that there was an incredibly long line for cabs, but of course, no cabs! Apparently, many drivers took the day off, which resulted in a very long wait. Finally, I made it into a cab, and was on my way to my actual campus.

Bathroom is to the right.

A full bathroom-- in 4 feet!

I arrived at about 4pm and was greeted by a new friend, Camille, who answered a number of questions before I went to my room. Once in my room, I was shocked at how small it was, but knew that I could make it work (shout out to quad 104!). It is really, really, rectangular, and each wall has something attached to it. This is when I attempted to use my computer and found it to be broken, again. So, I went back to Camille to see if ANY stores were open, none were, and to see if she had any other suggestions. This is when my stressful day got much better. A girl who had been listening to the conversation, and my exhausted voice, kindly offered me her laptop to charge my phone and check facebook. Elodie has quickly become a great friend here, and I am incredibly thankful. She promised to take me around town the next day to help me figure things out, buy a french phone, learn the tram system, find food, and has essentially been my savior the last few days. I ended up going to dinner with Elodie, Camille, and Janna (another exchange student from the Netherlands) and spent the rest of the night chatting with them with my rusty French. I was, and am, incredibly grateful to have met them. My first night was incredibly difficult, as they, my mom and Kevin would tell you. I was unable to sleep until about 7am and felt completely cutoff from the world I knew because of one damn computer. As silly as it sounds, it was very overwhelming at the time, but I kept reminding myself that it would get better, and it already has!

Jour 3 (1/2/12)

After a stressful day and night, I woke up after sleeping from 7am until 1pm, and I could already tell I felt much better. Clearly, my exhaustion got the best of me and 1 hour of sleep on an airplane just wasn't going to cut it. I met up with Elodie, who had promised to take Janna and I around Montpellier to do some errands. We went to the Tram (basically their train/El system) to purchase tickets, only to realize that because I have an American credit card that I would have to pay in cash. This is because the credit cards in Europe have an electronic chip on the front of the card, in order to be swiped or used with machines. Elodie assured me that while I may run into problems from time to time, most larger stores would accept my card. We went on a long ride to the edge of town where there was a huge mall. There, I was able to purchase a French "pay as you go" phone to help me communicate with my new found friends. After, we went to "Géant" which is essentially an even bigger Target. I was able to find a number of things, including a comforter (the one provided to me had hair on it was NOT mine, and I am too much of a germaphobe for that) and a hair dryer that won't explode with the different outlets they use. For lunch, we went to a French McDonalds, which they call, phonetically, MacDoh. It was MUCH more expensive than in the States, and the chicken nuggets tasted just the same. When we came back to campus, I went to see my facebook buddy, Jade, who had just arrived fresh from Knoxville, TN. It was great to meet her finally, and even better to have someone to take a break and speak English with on occasion. Elodie, Camille, Jade, Janna and I spent the rest of the night together talking back and forth. Jade and I helped to teach some "important" English words, like cheapskate, and also learned that one song Elodie associates to Americans is none other than the very popular "Barbie Girl" by Aqua-- go figure. We were also able to learn some new slang, which I will not even attempt to spell. Altogether, it was a much less stressful evening and I can tell I am already adjusting! My sleep schedule is still off, which is why I am posting this at 2:30am, but I'll slowly get back to normal :)

Some things I've noticed/learned already:

• Taxi drivers here are more aggressive than Chicago drivers. Yes, it's true, I've experienced it. 80km in a 30km zone.
• Staying in one lane is apparently optional.
• The smoking stereotype has proven to be somewhat (really) accurate.
• In order to exit buildings on campus, you have to press a very small, and discrete button. No, I was not told that before, and I spent a good 5-10 minutes trying to push on the door and find another exit. I was convinced I somehow managed to lock myself IN a building. I blame it on the 1 hour of sleep.
• French men know how to dress.
• Everyone loves that there are Americans interested in speaking French! Bonus points for me :)
• Montpellier is home to many stray cats.
• Nearly everyone I have seen walk through the residence hall lobby has carried a baguette. I have yet to buy one, but they look soooo delicious!
• Coats from H&M cost 50 euros or more. Pay as you go phones cost 19 euros, plus 35 euros for about 2 hours of talk time. Mcdonalds' Chicken nuggets, Fries, and a TINY bottle of water costs about 7 euros. 
• Watch where you walk, people don't clean up after their dogs.
• The weather is gorgeous here, even when it is cloudy.

Bonne nuit tout le monde!