I arrived on Sept. 18 and had a wonderful day. It was non-stop from the time I woke up the morning before (Sept. 17) until 11:30 pm the next day when I arrived...so needless to say I was a bit tired after having been awake for so long. These are my thoughts from that day :
9/18/12 - 32 hours ago I woke up after a sleepless night of anticipation.
26 hours ago I boarded my flight.
22 hours ago the plane took off...we were rerouted and delayed due to Chicago weather.
18 hours ago I landed at CDG airport in Paris.
16 hours ago I spent a lovely french-speaking day at the Hollister, Incorporated office in Paris.
8 hours ago I was able to reunite with my host family from high school.
3 hours ago I remembered that driving in Chicago is like a picnic in Safety Town compared to driving in Pairs. #motorcyclesHaveNoRules
2.5 hours ago I saw the Eiffel Tower majestically shimmering away in the night sky.
1 hour ago it finally hit me that I was here to stay for a while.
9/19/12
The next day, I went to Montpellier to look at potential apartments. I luckily found one I really liked. After exploring Montpellier a little bit and meeting some of the other English teaching assistants, I went to bed to prepare for my long journey to Munich that would involve planes, trains, trams and buses.
9/20/12 - 9/23/12
I arrived in Munich and met up with two new friends. We bought dirndls from a local German department store, and explored the city. Since we were staying with a German friend, he took us to a traditional German meal at a local restaurant near his flat.
The next day we explored the city-center and met up with my friend Inès, who I met while studying abroad in Rouen last time. It was wonderful to see her again, and we had a great time catching up. That night we all went to a club in Munich where they were playing 90's music. I got to rock out to Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. Who'd a thought haha.
The next day was the start of Oktoberfest, so we put on our dirndls and braved a rainy city. We found our way into the Hofbräu tent to find a wild crowd of screaming people, and frequent bouts of dancing on the tabletops. It was extremely crowded, and there were Australians everywhere. We met so many people from so many places, and I even met a firefighter from Arlington Heights. Small world. Of course we got a giant sized pretzel to share (the only option) and a jumbo mug of beer. It was sooo heavy. Later that night we went to some other bars/clubs in downtown Munich and had a blast.
After getting home at 5:30 a.m., I took a 15 min. nap, and strolled to the train station to catch my 6:10 train back to the airport. It was an amazing trip, and I'd love to go back to Germany during my time here! It was so fun to experience the culture from the other side of the fence, and not be as touristy as I normally am. Also, I learned a few German phrases, plus I knew how to count from a past German class, so I was able to communicate effectively in several instances in the native language!
9/24/12 - today
When I arrived home from Munich, the contact from my school picked me up from the train station and I stayed at her house that night. She cooked a lovely french meal, and the next morning took me to my school so I could meet the other teachers. It was great, and I am looking forward to starting on Monday!
This past week has been full of signing leases, opening my bank account, setting up my phone (01133648068410 is what you dial from the U.S.), and taking care of other business related items. I have had a lot of time to walk around the city, and I simply love it. I cannot wait to explore more, but from what I've seen thus far, it will be a perfect place to live. There is a great student population, and a good amount of international people, so it's a really cool dynamic. Not to mention there are two fountains in the city center! The wonderful tram system is perfect for getting around, and eliminates the amount of cars in the city center. It is peaceful, yet vibrant and lively.
Today will be another day of exploring and meeting new people. I can't wait to talk to you all, and if you have skype, be sure to add me! (amox13)
Love you, miss you, and hope everything is going well back home :)
Bisous,
Alexandra
