So my life in France has begun! I am so excited! Luckily, my visa arrived on December 28th so I left on Friday, December 30th, as planned. I flew from Halifax to Montreal then from Montreal to Paris with no problems what-so-ever! The whole process felt so quick (despite it being around 13 hours). When I got to Charles De Gaulles one of my best friends, Morgan, was there to meet me. It was wonderful to see her for three reasons: 1- it had been 6 months since I had last seen her, 2 - it was nice to see a familiar face, and 3 - she was able to show me the ropes! After an excited greeting, we took the metro to Gare du Nord, a train station in Paris. There I bought my train ticket for a few hours later then it was off to eat and hang around Paris! We went to a cafe just outside of the train station where I got to enjoy a ham and cheese sandwich on baguette. Delicious! After that Morgan helped me get a french phone (can't be without communication for long haha). Next, it was time to walk around Paris. We walked around the area where the cabaret Moulin Rouge is located. I also got a glimpse of Sacre-Coeur, one of the most beautiful sights in the world in my opinion. Because it was a little rainy out, we decided to sit inside a cafe across from Moulin Rouge to have a hot chocolate. It was soon time to make our way back to the train station so I could catch my train. Morgan walked me to my train and helped me with my luggage then we said our goodbyes. By this point, the jet lag was beginning to set in so I was looking forward to a nice, quiet, hour-long train ride to Lille. Unfortunately, quiet was not what I got. Just before the train was about to leave, two guys sat behind me and for almost the WHOLE train ride, they were barking and making fart noises. I was not impressed. Good thing it was only an hour long! Getting off the train and finding a taxi was easy as well. It took about 15 min to get to my hotel which is good because I was SO tired. Once in my room, I threw my stuff down and got online so I was able to tell people that I arrived safe and sound. I then slept for a few hours but then woke up at 11:30pm (oddly enough). I guess France wanted me to be awake to bring in the new year! I had planned on getting up early this morning but my ear plugs and jet lagged body had other ideas. I slept till 12:30, which was needed. When I was ready for the day I went downstairs to get a map of Lille and then took off to explore. People in France take their holidays a little more seriously so there wasn't much open. I walked around for about an hour until I found a place to buy a baguette and something to drink. I then walked back to my hotel because it was rainy and nothing else was open. The rest of my day was spent relaxing and watching some French TV. Tomorrow I get to meet people from ISTC, my new school, and move into my room in residence! Can't wait!
A bientot!
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