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Enjoying My Down Time
Today marks the one week mark of being in Lyon. How can that be? I feel like I have already been here for a month, at the least. I feel comfortable enough taking the train by myself, traveling to nearby cities, ordering baguettes at a local boulangerie, starting conversations with locals, taking care of logistics, and being in the company of my fellow American students. Since the previous entry (which you can read if you click the tab of dates…), I have gone to Annecy for a one-day trip and had my first European clubbing experience.
Annecy was a breathtaking, incredible, and pictures-can't-do-justice type of city. The waters were sparkling clean, the mountains looked like paintings, and the little villages were charmingly quaint. We went up to the Place du Chateau and saw a gorgeous view of the town and walked towards Lac D'Annecy. We ate by the little river running through the village (my favorite type of eating experience) and several of us decided to go on a boat ride. The boat was only large enough to sit 10 people, plus the driver, hence it was a very personal and intimate ride. We rode all around the lake and soaked in the magnificence of the scenery. It was a priceless experience. We were supposed to head back to Lyon at 7:00 pm, but all of us were exhausted so we caught the 5:15 pm train.
The next day, Claire (one of my roommates) and I went to Part-Dieu to check out the shopping scene. It was a busy mess (of course, it was a Saturday) but we got the general gist of what stores are worth going into and what stores are a hands-off. I am slowly becoming more settled in my new home - I finally got house slippers to avoid the dirty dust on our hardwood floors and an air freshener to filter out an unknown funky smell. It's not me, I promise - I shower everyday.
The same night, all of us decided to go out to a discotheque/bar before classes started. Boys were looking sharp, and the girls were dolled up…the group was ready to go. Complications with transportation caused the group to split up into 4 groups, with our group walking for what seemed like forever in the cold (and mind you, the girls didn't bring jackets to avoid coat check-in and were walking in stiletto heels). Well, we ended up going to an Australian pub called Down Under until it closed. Then a few French guys led the way to another open club. It was called Pinks. We had no idea, but it was a gay club. It all clicked once we got inside and settled in. Enough said. Overall, the night was interesting, to say the least.
After getting in at 5:30 in the morning and not going to bed until 7, my down time on Sunday was well-worth it and needed. I had time to recuperate, time to soak in my first week, and time to get in the mentality for school. I have my first class at 5 today. My schedule is a true God send. No classes on Friday and an evening one on Monday. The courses I will be taking are: International Economics, American History (this should be interesting), Advertising Management, Advanced French, and French Culture (the one class where all the Americans will be together; yay!). Honestly, I am excited about classes starting. I am ready to meet and interact with my French peers. I plan on building great friendships throughout my next four months here. Until the next entry, à bientôt.
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