Suitcase Calling

After I had finished packing last night, I opened my bedroom door to go find my dog so that she could sleep on my bed. As it turns out, she had been waiting outside of my door for who knows how long. Aww. I am going to miss her so much!

I leave in a few hours. Very exciting.

Here is my address if you want to send me things such as postcards, peanut butter, Mexican food, and anything else:

Suzanne Emmert
Cité des Tilleuls / Campus 1 Chambre 216
23, Avenue de Bruxelles - BP 5153
14070 CAEN Cedex 5

I'm ready to go!

Fromage du jour: Giordano's Chicago-style cheese pizza (that counts, right?)

Yesterday my father and I went to Chicago so that today I could pick up my student visa. We met a friend for lunch and in the evening went to see violin virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird concert at Millennium Park for free. Aside from some ridiculous animations, it was a good concert. He's friggin' talented! I think he did a little too much of the recording & layering at times-- it just got a little repetitive. I would love to see him again, though. Especially in Chicago, where security guards do not escort drunk girls who climb on the stage off of it-- no, they just push them. Today, we got my visa, we went to the Chicago Art Institute, and somehow made it home despite the flight delays on account of the incessant rain.

Finally getting my visa felt like climbing a set of stairs and thinking that there was one more step than there actually was. Painless, but mildly unnerving. That's it? That's all it took? I hand you these papers and $74, and I get to go to France? I've had such anxiety and so many nightmares about it-- I just knew that I would be rejected, I just knew there would be a problem with my paperwork like there was with a few of the other people I saw in the consulate! Last night I had dreams that I was rejected for the following reasons: my ethnicity, lack of exact change, lack of proof that I have a ride from the airport to the train station in Paris, and many other ridiculous things that I hope no embassy would reject you for!

At the airport I met Cobra Starship in the security line-- they're known for their Snakes on a Plane song. I knew it was them because "Cobra S" was written on everything they carried with them-- and because of my pure intuition, of course.

And then I went to a bookstore where I got into a discussion about books with a few people in the store. After that, I went to another bookstore to look for a book the previous store didn't have, and one of the guys from the previous bookstore was there. His name was Dwight. He recommended Jitterbug Perfume so highly that he said he would buy it for me if I wouldn't buy it for myself. He asked for a recommendation from me, and I told him to look at Welcome to the Monkey House by Vonnegut. While I was looking for the book I wanted, he went to checkout and on his way out of the store, pushed a book in my hand. Inside was the receipt, which showed that he had purchased the Vonnegut, and on it he had scrawled, "Hope you enjoy this! If not, return it! Stay golden, Dwight." No last name, number, or e-mail, and he didn't ask for any of my information. He must have been a benevolent librarian of some sort!

I like Chicago O'Hare! Obscure, indie bands and free books? Sounds good to me! I'll be passing through again on Sunday on my way to France. I'm nervous, and excited, and happy, and sad.

Two down, one to go

Fromage du jour: Irish Cheddar

My friend, Missy, left for Normandie on Tuesday, and Erin leaves in just a few hours for Paris. Isn't it odd that my two oldest friends will both be in France this semester?

I ordered my train ticket today from raileurope.com. It was about $80 including shipping. I guess rail travel in Europe isn't cheap (though that's certainly cheaper than traveling by train in the USA), but I've heard that you can get plane tickets for about 30 Euro. That will be nice for traveling around during my Christmas break. I hope to make it over to Berlin to visit a German friend of mine.

Awhile ago I joined the Universite de Caen Facebook group and just posted a message saying that I will be there in September. Since then about five or six of the French students have messaged me offering advice and giving me tips and encouragement. They've been so friendly and I appreciate them more than I can say! I feel like I might have a couple of built-in friends at Caen and elsewhere in France. Facebook has its vices, but I must say that it's helped me out a great deal in recent months.

Hallelujah!

Fromage du jour: Gruyere (I've been watching a little too much Pushing Daisies. Excellent show, but beware: it will make you want to hug someone.)

French word du jour: Jumelage-- Twinning. As in, Jumelage de Deauville, the Twinning Committee of Deauville. We'd call this a Sister Cities Committee.

Today I received an e-mail from Caen's "service financier" that confirmed that I am, indeed, departing on the correct date. I am more relieved than I could possibly say!

Emilie, a facebook friend from Caen (who reads this blog!), told me to go to this website to learn more about the city. It looks lovely, doesn't it? I can't wait to be there in 16 days! She, and other students from Caen, have been very helpful in making me as at ease as possible, and I'm not even there yet. I am so thankful for that.

Things are coming together... but keep your fingers crossed.

Fromage du jour: Warm Brie

As today two of my sisters begin their first day of school I can't help but envy the fact that all they have to do in order to get there is swing by Wal-Mart to buy their supplies and then either walk or be dropped off by my dad at the school doors. I've been preparing for my first day of school since February, and I'm still not totally prepared! But things are coming together in a solid wheel of Brie, or so I hope.

+My Dell broke, and so finally, last night, I purchased a shiny new Macbook that I hope will arrive tomorrow or Saturday. It comes with a free iPod touch, about which I am quite excited. Getting new gadgets is ridiculously fun.

+I bought two pairs of walking shoes that I hope will last me the entire year, protect me from rain, and still look stylish enough so that I won't look too garishly américaine. One is a pair of knee-high black boots (Rieker), and the other a Mary Jane-style flat (Privo).

+I bought my plane ticket, but I'm still quite nervous about that, especially since...

+The earliest appointment date at the consulate was September 4. So, my dad and I will be flying into Chicago-Midway (I think) on the afternoon of September 3, perhaps enjoying a free Andrew Bird concert at Millennium Park that evening, and after a night in which I will not be able to sleep we will arrive at the French consulate at 9:00 A.M. and hope and pray that I have everything I need in order to be accepted for a student visa. If I don't, then I probably don't get to go to France-- my plane leaves three days after that, and if I don't have a visa by then, too bad for me.

+I've been talking to a few people from Caen on Facebook, and they've been very friendly and helpful. One told me that there are weekly salsa dancing sessions on campus. That's my kind of school!

I'm so nervous about getting my visa in order and finding my way from Charles de Gaulle to Gare St. Lazare to Caen. I'm trying to remain optimistic, and in this I can use all of the help I can get. Prayers and encouragement are much needed! Phone calls are also appreciated-- during the day, everyone is at work or school, and so it can get quite lonely with just my dog around!

Plane Ticket-- Finally

Fromage du Jour: Fresh Mozzarella served with fresh basil leaves

I'm a little worried. I know that you probably feel that "Suzanne must be a little worried" vibe from most, if not all, of my entries thus far, but I think I have legitimate reasons! Someone from the Twinning Committee of Deauville, France, sent me an e-mail stating that classes begin on September 1st, but the Caen website and my acceptance letter very clearly state that while a Fall session begins September 1st, my session (Winter/Spring) begins September 11. My adviser advised that I just buy my plane ticket for the September 11 start date, and so I did. I will be leaving September 7th and arriving in Paris at 9:30 A.M. on September 8th.

Now, I'm a little nervous, because I bought the plane ticket before the Committee returned my e-mail about the date being wrong. I had to-- the prices were going up by the hundreds each day. I did get a phenomenal discount, though.

There are many websites out there that help traveling students get discounts on plane tickets, rail passes, and more. I went to www.statravel.com. First, you have to call them and ask for an international student ID card, which will run you about $28. My plane ticket was $615, which was about $300-1000 less than on any other non-student website. If you are between the ages of 12 and 26 and/or you are a full-time student, you're eligible for the International Student Identity Card (www.isic.org) and are therefore eligible for these discounts. Pretty cool, huh?

Anyway, back to Paris... I will get there in the morning and I figure it's fairly easy to get from the airport to the train station by Metro. After that, someone will meet me in Caen and take me to my dorm. The only thing I have left to do to make this happen is get my visa in Chicago, which I've heard is an adventure in and of itself.

Culture shock.

I read the booklet that came with my acceptance letter today, and it said that not only is there not internet access in the dorms, but there are only seven hotspots on campus (as compared to UK where every spot is a wireless hotspot!), but you are permitted only two hours of free internet access per day. I've also heard that the internet on campus shuts off at 7:00 P.M., which is about the time I'd be using Skype to contact my family. What the heck, Caen?

Of course, if this is the worst thing I've heard about campus, I think so far I'm well off! It sounds like a nice school.