tomorrow

I leave for Paris tomorrow.

I think this may be the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

the beginning of the end

Today, my best friend's boyfriend, TJ, turned 21. (That's me and him and, appropriately, a Corona beer bottle, in the picture on the left. It was taken about a month ago when we were all in Montreal for New Years.) This got me thinking...

Now, my friends have slowly begun turning 21 and it's not that hard for me to get alcohol if I need it (although it's a lot easier at school than at home!)... but between the time that I leave on Monday and my return at the end of June, I counted that at least FIFTEEN of my VERY close friends at home and at school will turn 21 and be legal to buy alcohol.

This means that this weekend will basically be the last weekend in my life where I have to even question if/when I will be able to get alcohol. Even though I'm not turning 21 for another eight months. (Because in Europe, the drinking age is eighteen.) And that's a very weird feeling.

Although, I won't even really have to worry, because as I said, Lesley's boyfriend is now twenty-one and when I go up to her University to visit tomorrow night, I'm sure that he will be more than willing to stop by the "packy" (that's what we call it up here).

Tags: alcohol, boyfriend, report, montreal, new years

sundries

1. I have two sisters: the middle sister, Lana, will turn 10 in March, and Deena, the youngest, will be 4 in October. Since I live a home only during vacations, and because of the big difference in age, I am not that close with my sisters. I really do want to try and change this. I wanted to take Lana to the movies while I was home this time to see Cheaper By The Dozen 2. The problem is that I haven't seen the first one and I don't really think going to the movies qualifies as quality bonding time. Also, since I'm leaving in five days, I don't really have time to do that. Please help me and leave your suggestions on fun hanging out/bonding activities for me and my nine-year-old sister.

2. One of the things that I knew I would miss while abroad was The West Wing, arguably my favorite show right now. Well, NBC has made the transition easier by CANCELLING THE SHOW. Now, everyone says that the show became less enjoyable as the seasons went on, but since I'm only on season 3 or 4 or 5 right now, I haven't reached that point yet. Although there are some character switches I'm not such a fan of. (Will Bailey needs to go!) Anyway, I'm upset it's cancelled, but at least this gives me some hope of catching up at some point. Oh, and I found a great quote on the Scripps Howard News Service website:

"It was often said that the TV series "The West Wing" was the Clinton administration the way Hollywood wished it would be."

3. I started packing today. I took out all the clothes I wanted to bring and they actually all fit in one of my suitcases. The other suitcase will have shoes, delicates, toiletries, etc. Things are looking good. Although my list of things to do is still long. Anyway, I decided to leave my "everyone loves a jewish girl" shirt at home, but I couldn't resist bring my "j'adore zeta" shirt. (That's the best picture I could find of me wearing it...)

4. I have a new favorite cheap flight search website - http://www.skyscanner.net/ ! I like the site because it searches a LOT of airlines, and it includes the budget airlines, while Kelkoo does not. The only downside is that it only does certain airports. But really, it shows you the two best flights each day and how much they cost and you can pick any day you want. It's hard to explain, but really, you should check it out. I should start charging for this advertising!

5. I don't know if you've noticed but I love lists!

Au Revoir!

Hey guys,

Contrary to popular belief, I'm not in Paris just yet. I leave Monday!

Below you'll find my information for this semester. I'm getting a cell phone but not until I after arrive so that number will have to wait. I'll be in Paris until June 1st and then I'll be travelling around Europe (Greece, Prague, Amsterdam) until June 26th. I'd love to hear from you or see you if you are going to be in Europe!

I know many of you are starting school (and recruitment) this week. I wish you luck in both, or in whatever else you may have in store this semester. I'm going to miss all of you so much!

Also, I'd REALLY love to hear about your adventures this semester! Keep me updated! Send e-mails!

love & miss / zlam / much love,

Julie

--
Class of 2007
RH Smith School of Business
University of Maryland

Seek the Noblest

n to the y to the c

unfortunately nothing to report really, other than I was in New York this weekend visiting my father. I'm back and tomorrow is my last day of work. The rest of the week is to be spent doing the things on that awful to-do list, packing and re-packaging, and just generally stressing out about going to a foreign country by myself for five months where they hate people like me...

to do

Things to be done before I leave - an abridged list!

1. Pay the parking ticket I got in Harvard Square two days ago when I was there with Micki, one of my best friends from school, who was visiting Boston after a semester abroad in Florence, Italy, and a three-week vacation in South Africa. We met up with another one of our friends from school and had lunch at the famous sandwhich shop (where the sandwiches all have names like Jeb "favorite bush" Bush sandwich), browsed at Urban Outfitters and the Gap, walked a lot. And somewhere in between I got the meter 7 minutes late...

Maybe I should use http://www.parkingticket.com/, which guarantees that my parking ticket will be reduced or dismissed. Although, it would probably cost more to fight my ticket than to just pay the $20.

2. Buy a Wi-Fi USB stick. Right now, I have a linksys adapter and it kills me that for my wireless internet connection to work, I need a wire!

3. Buy a backpacking backpack. My stepfather has one so I might just use his... but really, I have no clue on this one. It just needs to be done.

4. Submit my petition for reduced dues for my sorority. Because, although I'll still have to pay about $150 for National Dues, it's better than paying the whole amount. This is easy to do, I just have to write a letter explaining where I'll be next semester and fill out an application. I just have to stop putting it off.

5. Comfortable walking shoes and well-fitting jeans. Perhaps a sweater or two, also.

6. Put together e-mails and physical addressses of people I want to stay in contact with abroad.

7. Get 6 passport-sze photgraphs taken. I was told that they don't need to be high quality - I can et them done at one of those 2 minute photo booths that cost $3. The problem is that the only one I know of is at the AMC Theatre in Burlington and it hasn't been there for at least 4 years. Does anyone know of another one in the Boston area?

That's all I can thinking of for now. But I'm sure this list needs to be continued...

three's company

Today, three of my fellow Bostonians began their Spring 2006 adventures. Three different young women headed to three very different destinations. (Thinking about it now, they left in the order that I've known them... coincidence? I think... probably.)

Sarah and I met in sixth grade. We were in the same big group of friends. This picture was taken sophomore year of high school (Spring 2001)... as the years went on we became closer. She's off to New Orleans as a transfer student at Tulane University. She hasn't been in school (college) since Fall 2004, so this will be a big change for her.

My friends at Maryland and I always talk about what we would do if we were students at Tulane. Our consensus is that if we had been there from Freshman year, and all our friends were there, we'd go back without a doubt, even though the area surrounding the school is a disaster and the structure at Tulane has changed. However, if we were transferring, or if we were Freshmen, we all agree that we'd probably go somewhere else. Most people choose Tulane for the city, and if the city's not there anymore...

Anyway, Sarah left for Tulane this morning. I saw her last night and said bye to her. I wish her the best of luck and hope that she has a happy, enjoyable, crazy semester.

I'll always remember the way I met Liz. It was seventh grade and she had just moved from a different town. For some reason, this girl she knew from beforehand didn't like me, so Liz threatened me... something about the fact that she was from the ghetto and would cut me with a knife if I hurt her friend. Long story short, we ended up having the same crazy best friend in common, and after high school we got really close (this picture was taken Spring Break 2004). I hand out with her all the time now when I'm back home on vacations.

Liz left today around 1:00pm for Sevilla, Spain. She's nervous because she doesn't speak Spanish, but is doing a homestay. This summer she travelled to India for five weeks to work in an orphanage. I figure if she can conquer India, Spain should be no problem. Liz and I traveling around Europe for a month after our programs end.

I wish her the best of luck and hope that she has a happy, enjoyable, crazy semester.


Jackie is one of my best friends at school (college). What makes it even better is that she lives 20 minutes from me at home, so I get to see her on breaks. We met through mutual friends Freshman year and are in the same little tight-knit group of friends.

Jackie is bubbly and fun. When I hang out with her, it's a refresher course on how to not take life to seriously. Jackie is spending the semester abroad in Rome. Hopefully, I will get to see her.

Jackie was freaking out a little bit this week, understandbly. Her main concern was that once she gets to Rome, there's really no coming back until May. You're stuck there.

I don't doubt that her worries will disappear as soon as she arrives. I wish her the best of luck and hope that she has a happy, enjoyable, crazy semester.

(Saying bye to these three girls was a little surreal. I can't believe that they are actually going off to explore the world - I still have seventeen days before I leave. And that's a very long time.)

kelkoo

I found the website I was looking for - Kelkoo!

"Kelkoo is a one-stop shopping service, which helps shoppers to find,
research and buy products online with confidence. We provide shoppers with
essential tools to compare prices and product features in
seconds."

I was excited because Kelkoo searches all of the following airlines, and I thought, "wow, how useful, instead of me trying to go to all these different websites, Kelkoo will do it for me."

the important part

Today, at work, I was looking for all this flight information (let's assume it was lunchtime). I don't really remember what I googled but I imagine it included some combination of "go, fly, europe, cheap, travel". I found a great, great, european travel search engine. It started with a K and was called something like Kanando or Kamazoo or Kanzono... you get the idea. It searched about 30 airlines for me. It was the most amazing thing ever! Now, the expedia fare is fine, and that's what I'll probably end up booking, but I have spent the past two hours triving to find that search engine with no success. Does anyone out there know the website I am refering to?

airlines, airlines

Before this whole changing program thing, Caitlin, Liz, Missy and I (that's us on the left this summer at the Black Rose in Boston) were all planning to meet up in Athens, Greece on June 1st and take a 5:50pm Aegan Airlines flight from Athens to Corfu.

This would have been no problem since my program was scheduled to end May 19th and I planned to travel for a week in Spain before heading over to Greece.

Now, my program ends ON June 1st (the day we are all supposed to meet) so I have spent the last two days trying to find a flight that got to Athens in time for me to make the 5:50pm flight. There are two Olympic Airlines and Air France flights on June 1st, but they each arrive after 5:50. There is a flight from Paris to Athens that gets in at 5:25pm, but I know that there's no way I would make the second flight. Then, there's a flight from Milan (Malpensa) that departs at 12:45 and arrives at 4:15, but there's no flight from Paris for me to make it to Milan in time. Trains from Paris to Milan take about six hours. There are flights with perfect timing, going from Paris to Athens, but they cost around $1500. I don't really have that kind of money. Are you still with me?

Tonight I decided that I would get to Corfu from Paris on my own because it seems like there's no way for me to make it to Athens in time to take the flight with all my friends. So I started researching and researching and researching. I was very excited when I finally found a flight leaving from Paris at 1:05pm, arriving in Corfu at 8:35pm, and only costing 178.60. What I didn't factor in is that the price is in British Pounds and equals approxiametly $316. I knew that the two flights: Paris-Athens, Athens-Corfu on June 1st were my only option, so it would all come down to where I went to book my ticket. I'd like to display my findings below. (This is a list of TOTAL price, in dollars.)

Airgorilla: $330
Ticketspotter: $329
Just The Flight: $320
opodo: $316
STAtravel: $311
Orbitz: $308
SideStep: $301
Travelocity: $297
Expedia: $293

I, personally, was surprised that expedia.com ended up having the lowerst fare. I wouldn't have thought to check out their site except for the fact that it came up in my google search everytime. Which brings me to the real point of this post.

Today, at work, I was looking for all this flight information (let's assume it was lunchtime). I don't really remember what I googled but I imagine it included some combination of "go, fly, europe, cheap, travel". I found a great, great, european travel search engine. It started with a K and was called something like Kanando or Kamazoo or Kanzono... you get the idea. It searched about 30 airlines for me. It was the most amazing thing ever! Now, the expedia fare is fine, and that's what I'll probably end up booking, but I have spent the past two hours triving to find that search engine with no success. Does anyone out there know the website I am refering to?

(One of my best friends from school is flying here tomorrow after her semester abroad so I'm taking a couple of days off of work and won't be able to look through my history to see what the site was in time to book the ticket.)

advice

Me: any encouraging words?
Melanie: shower often
Melanie: you'd be surprised how many travellers don't
Melanie: and don't be afraid to talk to strangers
Me: i'll do my best
Me: on both counts

'til you drop

One of the most fun things about getting ready to go abroad is the incredible amount of shopping that I must do.

It works like this: my mother has decided that since I'm leaving for six months, this is an opportune time for me to get rid of clothes, shoes, belts - basically anything and everything - that I don't need... Apparently, it doesn't matter that I spent Summer 2005 trying to complete this very task.

The new twist is that she gives me various gift cards (which have been oh-so-popular this holiday season) that I am free to spend to "update my wardrobe". ["Gift card sales were expected to hit more than $18 billion this holiday season — 6.6 percent higher than a year earlier" says an article in The Ithaca Journal.] I am A-okay with this part.

The must-get item for this week is comfortable walking shoes. I now direct your attention to the photo to the above left.

I found these boots at The Maxx (which apparently doesn't have its own website - probably the only thing around that doesn't have a website - but is an offshoot of TJ Maxx and sells only accessories and shoes). They were on sale for $40 and looked like just the thing a young, chic European female would own... Plus they are a step up from my other shoes which my sister is modeling in the picture on the right.

And yes, they don't look like the comfortable-est (I know it's not a word) of shoes, but I guess I'll just have to work on that next week.

l'horaire... une autre fois!

2006 Spring Semester (French Language & Culture)

1/31/2006

Arrival/Program Begins Official Program Start Date.

2/1/2006 - 2/4/2006

Orientation Mandatory CEA Orientation will be held.

2/13/2006

Classes begin at Sorbonne on this day.

4/8/2006 - 4/23/2006

School is closed for Spring Break. No classes will be held.

5/1/2006

Holiday Fête du Travail (French Labor Day). No classes will be held.

5/8/2006

Holiday Victoire 1945 (End of WWII in Europe). No classes will be held.

5/31/2006

This is the last day of classes at Sorbonne.

6/1/2006

Program Ends/Move-Out. Official Program End Date. Students must move out of
housing no later than noon of this day.

let's make it official...

Wow.

You will get credit for 6 of these credits with no problem at all. Probably choosing one language course and one of your electives. Choose the one that's most interesting to YOU>

It's a terrific turn of events for your education in general!

LC
(French Advisor)


Hi Julie-

Here's what the ECON advisor said: The two do not have specific UMCP equivalents for Economics, but would merit a 3xx-level ECON designation (we would allow them to fill an Economics requirement that allows a non-specific 300 level Economics course).

I spoke with BH who agreed that you could take either of the other classes for credit as your second ECON.

LM
(Business Advisor)


Your credits at the Sorbonne will transfer. Congratulations! Have a wonderful time in Paris.

RS
(Study Abroad Advisor)


Dear Julie,

We have received your request to change your participation from the 2006 Spring Semester (International Business) program in Paris, France to the 2006 Spring Semester (French Language & Culture) in Paris, France.

I am excited to continue to help you to plan!

Sincerely,
AM (CEA Paris Advisor)

only me

Here's the update:

As of 6:03pm Eastern Standard Time today, upon receiving a confirmation e-mail from CEA, I am no longer a registered student at the American Business School in Paris. Since ALL of the classes that I had been planning on taking for credit (other than one french class) were cancelled due to low enrollment - similar to what UMass was forced to do last spring - I decided that it wouldn't be worth it for me to go.

That's the bad news. Kinda.

The good news is that after spending the past month trying to find any sort of solution, with options ranging from changing my study abroad location to Grenoble to not going at all to taking two summer classes to dropping one of my double majors to setting up two independent studies... And after trying to figure out what works for my mom, CEA and my THREE advisors - french, business, and study abroad - (in terms of what credits will transfer back)... We have found a solution.

As of 6:03pm, I became a student at the University of Paris IV - Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne! I will take an intensive French course, plus two elective courses taught in French. One of these can be anything I want, and the other is Econ-focused.

The University of Paris IV is one of the most prestigious and oldest universities in the world. It was founded by Robert de Sorbon in 1253 and has attracted thousands of students each year from around the world. It is often referred to as the “Sorbonne.”

The University is located in the Latin Quarter. Fashionable cafés, restaurants, movie theatres, classy boutiques and street vendors play an essential role in the vibrancy of the 5th arrondissement. The overall student population at the University is 25,000, with an international student population of 3,000.

I'm actually pretty excited. The fact that I'm going to be studying at the Sorbonne is crazy. Everything seems to be working out.

The only little hiccup is now the program starts a week later than my old one. CEA has already purchased housing for me for that week. Should I go as planned and bum around Paris for a week not knowing anyone or anything? Or should I change my plane ticket and arrive in time for orientation with the rest of the students? Hmm..

um... so... well... speechless

the good news: after walking in the rain, passing through security three times, pay $120 and waiting an hour and a half i got my visa for France. By the way, the application can be in English, and they process the application in 10 minutes, not three days.

the bad news: i was supposed to be taking three classes for credit abroad. I found out on December 9th that had been cancelled. i found out two weeks ago that a second one would only maybe transfer. i found out today that the third class was cancelled. So.. now, I might be taking two independent studies, one class that might count, and one class that's worthless. awesome.

Can someone remind again me why I'm going?

don't leave home without it

The plan for tomorrow morning is to go get my visa at the Consulat Général de France à Boston (the French Consulate in Boston).The visa I'm getting won't help me buy bagettes or vin, but it will help me get into France.

"A visa is an official authorization appended to a passport, permitting entry into and travel within a particular country or region. When visas are required, they are necessary entry documents, but they do not guarantee entry into a country. The Immigration Officer at the point of arrival will review visas and/or other documents and make a determination as to whether entry will be permitted, based on the purpose of entry and the length of stay. There is no legal right to a visa." (according to Cultural Experiences Abroad)

I'm nervous because I don't really have a letter from my University saying that I'm a currently enrolled student although I do have the bill for this past semester and next semester, in addition to an unofficial transcript... I am leaving three weeks from today and I don't really know what I would do if I didn't get a visa! If I do get it, it will be glued into a page of my passport and look something like the image on the right.

Among the things I need to bring with me tomorrow are two filled out long-stay visa application forms. This would be easy enough - expect they are in French! Now, I could understand pretty much everything on the form, but since it's an official document and could determine whether or not I get my visa, I sure as hell didn't want to mess it up. I searched the internet and found an english translation of the application. Maybe the French Consulate should think about doing something similar because I sure was stressed out before I found the translation. And nowhere does it say whether to fill out the form in English or French (I did it in English - hopefully it's okay).

So tomorrow I go. And then I panic for three days as I wait to see if I've gotten my visa.

Oh, and apparently it's supposed to snow heavily tomorrow. This should be interesting!

two thousand six

I spent my New Year's in Montreal (with the rest of the 18-21 year olds from Massachusetts and New York). It was great fun. I went with my best friend from home, Lesley, and a bunch of her friends from school... and their friends. There were twenty of us total.

The point of the story is that although, obviously, I'm aware that Montreal is bilingual, I was still surprised to see how much was in French. It was the first time in a long time that I had to put my French knowledge and skills to the test. I think I did okay... I'll have to work on not taking the easy way out and speaking English. Gotta start using my French when I finally am overseas.

Anyway, Happy New Year. Or as the French say, Bonne Annee!