Bruxelles & London

Woah.... it's October already???! School, friends and adventures have kept me unbelievably busy, but I have a little bit of time right now so I thought I should post some pictures about two incredible cities I visited this past month. Truth be told, these pictures all belong to my friends because I still have yet to get a new phone :) Enjoy!

Bruxelles, Belgium:  
We had no classes on Friday, so Lauren and I decided to make the most of our long weekend and visit the land of waffles, chocolate and beer! Boy, did this place surpass my expectations. I honestly did not know much about the city before I went, but we spent our days just exploring the streets and wandering into the cutest hole-in-the-walls, and our nights were spent with new friends at cool bars. Highlights? A cozy bar in the back of a cobblestoned corridor, with stained glass windows and (literally) the best beer in the world.... and also an old bookstore that had a spiral staircase leading to an underground room with vintage French cookbooks.

London, UK:

I will remember this adventure for the rest of my life. Between the overnight bus ride (for only 30 euros, roundtrip!), literally seeing every single inch of the city, navigating the tube, singing through the streets, and then getting stuck in Paris... I was in awe of London every second I was there, and exhausted for the next week! And the weekend was made perfect because of my company: three Spanish and two Germans who have become some of my best friends in Reims.

La Poste

The cause of some serious stress has finally arrived..... AND I HAVE CLOTHES!!

Before I departed for Europe, I was planning on bringing a carryon suitcase and checking a huge suitcase with all the clothes that would last me for the year. But as soon as I booked my vacation to Barcelona and realized how difficult (and expensive) it would be to keep track of all my luggage throughout Spain and France, I decided to bring one carryon and then ship the rest of my stuff to my apartment in Reims.

Sounds simple, right? HAHA it wasn't.

My mom and I chose the 3-5 day priority shipping option and sent it out on the day I left Barcelona for Paris... thinking that it would arrive within my first week and I'd be all set. However, as the days went on, I knew I wouldn't be getting my package anytime soon and I had to buy some stuff (the weather here is freezing!).

Also, I started my classes and couldn't be at the apartment all day long to wait to sign for the shipment. So I put my name on the buzzer and the letterbox for the mailman, and on Tuesday afternoon I got a notice that my package had attempted to be delivered but that I will have to pick it up from the post office.

And then I realized..... I had to carry a 60lb / 27kg box all the way home from the post office ??? Cue the stressed, shivering Sydney asking everyone if they have a wheelbarrow she could borrow.

But in the end, it all worked out (as it always does). Thank God for good friends and strong boys and friends with cars because I was able to get my package yesterday :) I won't be cold anymore!

Life Unplugged

Often, in everyday situations, I find myself saying "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my phone" or "How did people survive without their phones x years ago?!" It is just so darn useful, especially in Europe. I became particularly reliant on the clock (because the watch I own does not work), the Facebook app (to communicate with friends and family back home), and the maps and compass (because I have no sense of direction).

But then I lost my phone in Paris. And realized that I did,when I woke up fifteen minutes before I had to leave for my new home in Reims. I had to make it to my new apartment in a place I had never seen before, with no map and no way to contact anybody.

Crap.... Luckily my amazing Parisienne friend Laure wrote down exactly which metros I needed to take to get to the train station, which train I needed to take and which seat I had. So I grumpily lugged my suitcase two blocks to the metro station, got on and and then off, and then on another metro that I prayed took me to the right place. I got off at the stop where I saw people waiting with suitcases, walked up the stairs, and then voila! I made it to the train station!! I hopped on my train, found my seat, and literally two minutes later the train departed.

Getting off the train in Reims was a different kind of struggle, since I had no idea how to get to my apartment, no way to contact my landlord, and no clue what time it was (I was supposed to meet my landlord outside my apartment at 10:00am to get my keys). So, I seriously walked out of the train station and just kept on walking straight in the hopes that I would see my street at some point. After about ten minutes of walking I happened upon a row of restaurants and bars and shops and a fountain, so I guessed I was in the center city..... so I kept walking straight. After about another ten minutes I SAW MY STREET! I turned right and there it was: 32 rue Boulard. How did I get that lucky?? I fell asleep on the step outside the apartment and was woken up by my lovely French landlord who didn't speak a word of English.

The worst day without my phone was complete.

Every day since then, I think it's been a good thing to not have my phone. Sure, not having an alarm clock has been a problem, I'm never on time, and I do feel a little left out when my new friends exchange numbers... but the pros well outweigh the cons.

My French is improving because (1) I constantly have to ask for directions and (2) I can't just "google translate" every word I don't know, I have to explain it in another way. I'm getting to know the city of Reims much better because my eyes are not glued to a phone screen and I'm having to familiarize myself so I don't get lost.

But the best part of not having a phone is the connection I've been able to make with my new friends here. I think back to times when I go to dinner or hang out with my friends in the US and everyone is always on their phone... texting, taking pictures, scrolling through social media, Snapchatting... and I couldn't have normal conversations because they were too distracted to listen. Here, all of our dinners, drinks and gatherings have not included any technology. We tell stories, share laughs, and truly get to know each other without a technology barrier. I think this is the best way to live. And I think I'm beginning to form some very strong relationships here. :)

Je suis une parisienne...?

Wow, just wow. Let me tell you about my day, starting with last night.....

7:30pm - Kayla and I had to pack and figure out our flights/ transportation to the airport, so we headed out to get our final nice dinner of Barcelona so that we could come back to the apartment somewhat early and have a couple hours of sleep.

7:45pm - We found a cute restaurant we'd been eyeing for awhile and sat on the terrace. We ordered guacamole, cheese, and a beer each and decided that was all the drinking we would do tonight.. But for some reason there was a lot of buzz in the air. Everyone just seemed to be in a great mood, so we spent some time making jokes with our waiter and the people eating nearby.

8:45pm - We realized we got a little caught up in the atmosphere and lost track of the time. It had gotten kind of late and we needed to ask for the check! But just at that moment, our waiter came to our table with two shots for us... so we had to take them or it would be rude! We laughed for a little while, said "no mas" jokingly, then all of a sudden our waiter brought two more shots (compliments of him and the bartender who thought we were cute). I'm terrible with shots but I took them, even though I made a funny face!

9:30pm - Kayla got up to go to the bathroom and a man at another table stopped her and said that, because I made him laugh with the funny face I had made, he wanted to pay for our dinner! So of course, we joined him at his table and I ordered a beer and Kayla ordered a wine. However, the bartender made us both espresso martinis (which were delicious) and we chatted with the man who paid for our dinner for quite awhile. Apparently he's an important doctor who was giving a presentation on his research in Barcelona, but his family left earlier that day and he was missing them. So, hearing our English and making him laugh had made his day! We bonded over Egypt, exchanged email, and made a good friend!

12:30am - FINALLY GOT BACK TO THE APARTMENT

2:30am - After drunkenly packing our belongings, we started walking to the Catalunya square, where we caught the N16 night bus to take us to the airport... where we were totally clueless but ended up following crowds to the passport station, security, and ultimately our gates: mine to France and Kayla's to Italy.

8:00am - My flight arrived in Paris Beauvais after being delayed from heavy fog. Paris Beauvais is an hour outside of Paris, so I rushed off the Ryanair plane and caught the shuttle to take me to the city center, where I then hopped on a bus that I didn't know how to take, and got off at a stop I wasn't sure was correct.

11:30am - I finally (after getting lost multiple times) found my friend Laure's workplace! She was so kind to let me take her keys and show me how to get to her apartment so I could drop off my suitcase.

12:30pm - Showered and not well rested, I bought a metro pass and added data to my phone and headed out to explore Paris. I LOVE exploring/ traveling on my own, because nobody can point you out as a tourist. Being alone made me look like a local... like a "parisienne". I was asked multiple times directions to places and I just said "desole" and continued on my way! It's a really cool feeling actually.

I did get a little lonely though, because there was nobody to share my cool experience of meandering around Paris. So, I called my parents through FaceTime and had the greatest time just showing them La Seine, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees, and the typical streets I was seeing! Technology these days just made everything better :)

6:00pm - Laure was finished with work, so we grabbed some cheese, saucisson, bread, and fruit from the closest grocery store, and started cutting them up for some tapas for the night. A little bit later, her boyfriend and two of their friends came over with rose wine and we listed to music, ate dinner, and enjoyed each other's company.

8:30pm - All of us took three different metros and ended up at Hotel Invalides, where we met up with another five or six of Laure's friends and we sat on the river and drank fantastic French wine. Apparently, I was taking part in a typical Paris night.

This weekend was great (except losing my iPhone in Paris) and I really enjoyed learning how to live like a local Parisienne and even getting mistaken for one! Tourist sites are super cool, but in twenty years I'm not going to remember how I felt when I saw the Eiffel Tower... I'm going to remember how I felt sitting by the river, under the stars, practicing my French with a very close group of friends.

Barcelona Highlights (pt. 2)

Hey there! I'm back again to pick up where I left off, describing some great parts of my Barcelona vacation :)

Barcelona is constantly mobbed with tourists. I love being in the middle of so many diverse people and cultures, but sometimes it's nice to get away from the crowds (and all the selfie sticks). Kayla and I were in the mood for something outside of the city, so we got some recommendations from our host and ended up having the most wonderful days at these places...

• Tibidabo is the tallest mountain in the region, with amazing views of Barcelona. Oh, and by the way, there is an amusement park at the very top. There was a bus that went directly from Catalunya square to the amusement park, but it was a designated tourist bus and we wanted to try out the other public transportations to see if we could make it there! We first got on a super comfortable metro, then off at our stop which led directly to a cable car that took us up the mountain and to an ice cream shop, which we happily enjoyed while waiting for our final bus to take us to the amusement park. The streets were empty, the ice cream was delicious, and the weather was perfect up there. This was seriously such a cool day!!!! At the top of the mountain there was a cathedral overlooking the amusement park, which overlooked all of Barcelona. We rode some pretty terrifying rides all day long and left after watching the sun set over the city :)

• Sant Pol de Mar is a cute little fishing village about an hour north of Barcelona. There is an old castle, a nice pier, and all the homes/ buildings were white! It looked just like Greece (not that I've been there or anything). There were zero tourists there and it was a very relaxing day getting a good lunch, meeting some sweet locals, and bronzing on the beach. I will offer this piece of advice for anyone who may go there.... if you go to the beach to the left of the bus stop, be prepared for a whole lot of nudity. The beach to the right has stronger waves but no surprises!

• Ocata Beach was our final "excursion" of our Barcelona vacation. It was just thirty minutes north of Barcelona and we took the same tram we took to get to Sant Pol de Mar. I stupidly didn't take any pictures of it, but you can take my word for it that this beach was beautiful. It was clean, calm, with white sand and the bluest water. We spent the whole day just lounging and getting crispy..

I was also going to include in this post about the Barceloneta beaches and clubs, the Gothic Quarter, and the hours that Kayla and I spent sitting on the steps of the Barcelona Cathedral (photobombing everyone's pictures). Although every moment there was great, those were not my true highlights and can probably be better described on touristy sites! 

Tomorrow morning Kayla and I are splitting up... I'm going to France and she's going to Italy! We both have never flown with Ryanair before, so we will see how it goes. We are both sad to leave Barcelona and each other, but excited for our next adventure!

Gotta go pack for now. Paris awaits!!!

Barcelona Highlights!

My ten incredible days in Barcelona have come to an end, so here I am to document my memories! As sad as I am to leave, I am also ecstatic about my new adventures that are about to begin in France. If I have learned anything from my adventure in Spain, it is that wandering aimlessly gets you where you need to go. Every single meal and every activity that my friend (Kayla) and I had was neither meticulously planned nor "Google-mapped". Sure, we had an idea of places we wanted to see and some vague goals for each day... but we accomplished them all and discovered hidden secrets just by roaming the streets of Barcelona and seeing where they led. It astounded us, honestly.

On our first night (after spending the day sleeping off our jet lag), Kayla and I stepped out of our apartment building in El Raval to find the streets totally slammed with tourists. Hungry, but not having any sense of direction, we found ourselves walking through sidestreets and into a small tapas bar called Acoma. The bartender let us know there was a small terrace in the back, so we grabbed a table and ordered a glass of cava. Everything was perfect! The atmosphere, the cobblestone ground, the coyfish pond next to us... everything.

We even met an American girl there who was traveling alone and invited her to sit with us. We all ended up grabbing drinks after dinner and discovering Barcelona's nightlife together. (which included being VIPs at a beach club and ending up on their website)

So just by chance, we made a great friend and had an unforgettable night. Wandering also worked in our favor in instances where we weren't sure where the metro we walked into was going but hopped on anyways, stumbling upon famous cathedrals and landmarks while searching for churros, and saying "eff it" let's just see where this road goes. Doing this forced us into situations where we had to branch out of English and use our Spanish, French, Italian, and (newly developed) Catalan skills. It gave us confidence in unfamiliar situations and it allowed us to experience a side of Barcelona that other tourists aren't able to see.

But anyways, back to the highlights! I'll start with the famous attractions:

• Park Guell took my breath away. It is basically a huge park that overlooks all of Barcelona, and we got there easily on the #24 bus at the Catalunya square. I love love love trees, so this was such a cool day for me. However, it is a huge tourist site and it did rain all morning, so the best part of the day was wandering out of the park and through Park Carmel, then happening upon a little restaurant with the best juice & calamari of the trip. 

• La Sagrada Familia was one of those places we definitely didn't mean to find, but it probably the greatest tourist attraction in Barcelona! Kayla and I were wandering around one night looking for a place to eat dinner, when we saw a metro stop at Parallel in El Poble-Sec and decided to eat someplace out of walking distance. We ended up on the L2 tram towards Badalona and noticed there was a stop for La Sagrada Familia! We got off and planted ourselves at a restaurant three blocks away which overlooked the cathedral, and proceeded to eat a seafood paella each and 2 1/2 pitchers of sangria. It was nearing midnight by the time we were done and the cathedral was lit up, so we took a few pictures, got some gelato and explored the neighborhood. This was one of my very favorite nights... maybe because of the cool breeze or the unreal architecture, but actually I think because the restaurant staff was just so much fun. We ended up going back for dinner the next night, where they gave us a whole lot of free cava and dessert!

• The Magic Fountain of Montjuic. There are no words I could ever write to explain the beauty of this place. Kayla and I didn't really do much research before coming to Barcelona, so we heard about it from our waiter at dinner one night. Montjuic is a cool district on top of a mountain where the Olympics were held in the 90's. Thursday through Sunday nights between 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm the massive fountain lights up and plays music and a show. It sounded like fun, so we got on the L1 tram at about 9:30 pm and were blown away as soon as we stepped off. First of all, there were TONS of people there. We heard about 100,000 showed up that night! Secondly, the street performers, the lighting from the fountains and the cool mountain air makes the atmosphere perfect. We walked around and sat at the top of the stairs to just stare in awe at everything around us. The water, the music, the view... I really wish I could describe what the fountain looked like but neither I nor pictures will be able to do it any justice...

Other highlights were:

• Barceloneta
• Gothic Quarter
• Barcelona Cathedral
• Sant Pol de Mar
• Ocata Beach and
• Tibidabo

....all of which I will talk about in my next post! Hasta la proxima ;)

Visa Hell

Getting my student visa was 100% the most difficult part of preparing to move abroad. My recommendation to those who are planning on studying in France:  START THE PROCESS ASAP. I thought I was on time with everything, but wow was I wrong! I also had a difficult time finding a good resource to step me through obtaining my visa, so I'll take it upon myself to put one out there.....

Before you do anything, you must register with Campus France online. You'll need to answer a few questions about yourself and your study abroad program, upload your acceptance letters to the program, and send by mail a money order of $100 (along with a photocopy of the money order). It usually takes 3-4 weeks for the Campus France application to go through, and only after you are approved can you finally make an appointment with the consulate for your region. 

Appointments fill up very quickly. I was finally approved through Campus France in early June and went straight to the consulate website (in Atlanta) to make an appointment. However, there were no slots open until AFTER I was supposed to start my classes at NEOMA! At that point there was really nothing I could do but seek out help from my study abroad director, who ended up getting me an appointment within the same week that I reached out to him. So, I took off two days from work, frantically tried to gather all the paperwork I needed, and made the trek to Georgia to get my visa. Below are the required documents I had to bring, but make sure to check the website and specifically for your region as they could change over time and per area

1. Original passport AND copy
2. Driver’s license or student ID card or proof of residency AND copy
3. Processing fee (mine was $50) – by cash or credit card
4. Application form (found on specific consulate page)
5. ID photo glued or stapled to application form (same type of ID photo for a passport) AND extras
6. “Attestation” from Campus France (email from Campus France) – will be sent through your Campus France account so be sure to check there
7. Receipt of payment from Campus France – also sent through your Campus France login
8. Acceptance letter from the French university AND copy
9. Financial guarantee – either your bank account statement or your parents that has designated amount for each month you will be in France (find specific month to month breakdown on consultate site)
10. If your parents are your financial guarantee – a notorized document that they will support you during your time in France
11. OFII form – found on consulate site, only part needs to be filled out for this appointment
12. Airline reservation (copy)
13. Self-addressed, prepaid envelope (they will keep your passport and send it back with your visa inside in this envelope) – find specific details of how to address on the consulate website

     So in the end, it all ended up working out and I got my visa. Now I am off to Europe! First stop: Barcelona :)