...but I couldn't have wanted to move to San Francisco or Philadephia or even LA? No. Of course not. It had to be France.
After 24 hours of traveling, I finally made it to my destination of Caen, France. My parents dropped me off at the airport in Sacramento on Thursday, at around 6:30 in the morning. The first leg of my trip was to Dallas. I sat next to a very nice man on the plane and we chatted most of the way there. After arriving in Dallas, I had a long layover so I bought a sandwich and read. I found out that the airpot didn't have wi-fi so that was a little bit of a bummer but I quickly made friends with a girl who was traveling to Paris to visit her friend who had just moved there. We talked for the majority of the wait so it was not too bad. Then, I happened to recognize two guys and figured out they went to the U of O, were in my french classes, and are now in the same program as me. It was nice to go through customs with them and have someone to talk to about what we are about to embark on. They ended up cathing trains at the Paris airport, where as I had to take a taxi to get to my train station in the middle of Paris. I had a very nice cab driver and it didn't cost as much as I thought so that was good.
The train was a little tricky. In France, you buy your ticket but it can be good for up to a couple months if you don't use it that day. To make sure that people aren't scamming the system and using one ticket for multiple trips, you must validate your ticket as you board the train. That was the easy part. Finding where I was going to sit and getting my two giant suitcases on the train was another issue. Luckily, it all worked out and I made it on the train with time to spare.
Once I got to Caen, I had to take yet another taxi to my hotel. I had no idea where it was. Only a 5 euro taxi ride away, I was standing at the front of my hotel. Finally. And....they have an elevator. I immediately got online to use the free wi-fi (the french pronounce it wee-fee) and tell my parents I got in okay. After that it was nap time. I barely slept on the plane, so the past 24 hours definitely caught up to me. After getting up and showering, I needed to get out and see this city where I will be living for the next 7 months. I know nothing about it. I also needed to get a phone so that I can contact housing agencies and friends while I am here. I found my way around, took a nice walk, got something to eat, and managed to get a phone just before the shop closed for the night. I would definitely say it was a success.
I think it will be an early night for me, seeing as I have not had nearly enough sleep in the last hours and am emotionally drained from this move. Last time I came to France it was only for a month, and I had people waiting for me as soon as I arrived. Not this time. I have been on my own since leaving the Paris airport this morning and while it's been an adventure, I'm really lonely in this completely foreign city. But not for long! Tomorrow I am meeting with Claire, one of the English teachers at the high school. It will be nice to have someone who lives in the area help me find my way. The important part is I am safe in Caen and ready to settle down and start the next year of my life here.
Au Revoir!
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