Follow A.J. Through His Adventures In Life!

So pretty sure this city is absolutely gorgeous, but I honestly could throw all of the rude French people into the river. I have never felt so hated or disliked simply because of my nationality...ever. This has been an eye opening experience for me, having been in the majority my whole life (as an American in the USA). The museums are wonderful, the parks are spectacular, sculptures are breath taking...but all I really want to do is come home to people who smile to you on the strett and are somewhat eager to help someone who is in need or lost on the street.

As a group, we have sat under the Eiffel Tower the last two nights from about 8pm to 11:30pm looking at the stars and watching the Tower glitter with stobe lights every hour. The subways stop running at 1am here and our hotel has a curphew of 1:30, so we haven't been able to go out at night like I was hoping. Oh well, all the more reason to come back and do Paris the right way =)

Also, after some unexpected changes in personal travel plans, I have decided to come home early on Jne 5th back to the states. It's unfortunate, but I need to cut my losses somewhere and come home while Im still somewhat ahead of the game. Ask me for details some other time. However, this means more time for me to relax before starting my internship at LEWIS PR =)

Hope you all have enjoyed reading my blog for these past two weeks. I've enjoyed sharing some of my travels with you, and can't wait to be back in California in 48 hours =) Long plane rides await me...oh glorious day.

See you soon =)

Yeah yeah, I know...it's been a while...but I've been busy.  I'm on another French keyboard so, again, please excuse errors. 

Sunday

Today was a free day and we recuporated from the trip to Paris.  My feet hurt so bad from the 10 miles of walking we did yesterday.  Ouch.  It rained today too, so a couple of us ended up doing laundry...and it was an adventure.  We had to translate the directions with our little French knowledge...and accidentally opening the washing machine during one of the cycles...water rushed out of the machine onto the floor and it was like a mini hurricane Katrina...There zas so much water that I wish we had a boat. haha...but it was a funny day nevertheless.  The rest of the day was spent hanging out at the hotel and going out with the rest of the group to a local pub.  We didn't stay out late at all though, because we were all so tired.

Monday

We weren't aware immediately, but it was a Catholic Holiday (Pentacost) today, so the majority of stores and shops were closed.  It was our last 'free day' so we decided to make the best of it and went to the Botanical Gardens which was only 10 minutes away from our hotel.  The name akes the garden sound big and beautiful, but it was nothing of the sort.  Actually, it was quite ugly.  haha.  There was, however, a puppet show for children going on and it was really cute hearing them laugh at the performers screaming "Oui!!  Oui!!"   That night, we played Phase 10 in my room and watched the French versions of the MTV classics: Pimp My Ride and MADE.  Very interesting.  

Oh!!  Our picture was also in the news paper today with the headline: "American Students on a visit to Dijon"  Now the French have faces to target when trash talking Americans.  Great.  Thanks.

Tuesday

Tuesday we had a morning lecture at the school about the French Union...kind of facinating but to tell you the truth, at 8:30 in the morning, it's hard to keep my attention with something I'm not that interested in...especially with no coffee.  haha.  

That night, however, will probably end up being my favorite night of the entire trip.  We had a cooking class at the hospitality school here in Dijon.  We made a full course meal including:

An Appetizer:  Cheese Puffs with a buttered dressing

A Main Course:  Baked Spiced Chicken with a Creamy white wine glaze

and a Dessert (ok, this was made by the head chef):  Strawberry cream cake with a chocolate decoration around the plate.

By far, the best time we've had in Dijon....  AND the best food we've had in Dijon as well.  I have tons of pictures of the entire process..and we got to keep our aprons and serving towels as well.  Very very fun.  I felt confident that I could cook this for my family at home...so we'll see!  =)

Wednesday

Today we also had a morning lecture about the French Government and political structure which was very facinating.  I actually stayed awake from this one because we had an engaging lecturer:  our tour guide Claude.

After the lecture, we all got on a tour bus and headed out for a wine tour.  We thought we'd be stopping at all of the wineries along the way to sample some of the wine but we were mislead.  We just basically drove by all of the wineries while Claude talked about each of them.  It wasn't too bad because we ended up at Claude's family winery where we were able to sample some of his wine, which was very good!  Thanks Dad for the wine lessons!!  haha.  I did the swirl and sniff method..haha

Also during the tour, we stopped at an old medical shelter that was built in 1443.  It was very beautiful considering it was ,eant to help the poor.  We were able to tour the entire facility which included the barracs, the surgery center, and the kitchen.  Each of the rooms were set up like they were back in the 1400's with the original artifacts as well.  We were told that sometimes the single beds were filled with 3 or 4 people because of overcrowding.  The beds were absolutely tiny, so it was hard for us to imagine even 2 people in them.  Yikes.

That night, a bunch of us headed out to a Karaoke bar, which was very fun.  I sang a couple of songs, and after the second one, I had French people requesting songs for me to sing...haha...it was really funny.  I felt like a celebrity for a few seconds.  haha.

TODAY

Today we visited Cotè - Dor which is the capitol of the county of Dijon.  We spoke with the director of Communication (who spoke English), about the different media channels she utiliaes to disseminate information to the public.  We also had a look at the budget she uses in order to complete the tasks she is assigned.  I think she had something like 500 million dollars a year...which is A LOT for a small city like Dijon.  Dijon's taxpayers are to thank for that budget!  They put out a magazine every two weeks and also put out a programming guide filled with concerts and events every month.  Additionally, they also produce and ,aintain a city website and communication database so that community members have direct access to their government officials and representatives.  Very high tech!  I was impressed!


Well folks, thats all for now...we have a free night tonight, so I assume we will try to go out tonight to get one last hurrah before we head into Paris on Saturday.  I will try to update the blog sometime this weekend, so check back soon.  

Hope all is well, and remember to write to me =)  I enjoy reading your comments when I wake up in the morning!! 

Ciao

Yesterday was an absolute blast.  It started off a it rough though...allow me to explain.  Six of us decided we were going to take a day trip into Paris by taking the train.  It was only 15 euro round trip so we felt like this was an incredible deal.  The only catch was that the train left at 6am...which meant we needed to wake up at 5am and be at the station at 5:45am to secure good seats.  Sounds great, eh?  Well, not when you wake up at 5:30 because the damn alarm didn't go off...and your roommate has to wake you up (thanks Chelsea).  I had to sprint...and I mean sprint...to the train station in order to make it on time.  Yikes.

The train took 3 hours to get to Paris, and if you know me well, I slept the entire time.  Hi Mom.  :-)

When we arrived in Paris we anxiously ran off the train and tried to look for the Eiffel Tower, but alas it wasn't to be found.  We ended up approaching a police officer and asked if he knew English...it took 5 officers to find one that did.  He told us we needed to navigate through the subways to get to the Eiffel Tower.  Let me tell you, navigating public transportation in a foreign country is very frustrating, especially when you're in a country where everyone pretends not to speak English.  Jeesh.

We had to take two different subway lines, and there ended up being two nice French men who kinda told us where to go.  Thank you, nice French men!  The subway pulled literally right up to the Eiffel Tower above ground...I wish you all could've heard us gasp at the sight...it was absolutely incredible.

We grabbed some sandwiches directly under the Eiffel Tower and took many, many pictures around the tower as well.  It was so incredibly crowded, so we didn't get to go up...but we're planning to do that when our whole group moves to Paris in five days.

From the tower, we walked to Le Arche de Triumphe.  That was a sight to see as well because the entire thing is carved with enormous sculptures and text.  You actually have to go underground to get to the arche itself because it's in the middle of a round-a-bout.  Very crowded as well.

From the Arche, we walked about three miles to The Luvre which is the famous museum in Paris.  After getting hit in the face by a flying pigeon, we made it to the entrance.  I hate pigeons.  I digress...In all honesty, this massive building (which was Napoleon's home) was probably the most extravagant and most magnificent anything I've ever seen.  It has five stories, and stretches over two or three blocks.  You could honestly spend 2 or 3 days there just wandering through the entire thing.  The ceilings and walls are ALL painted in gold and have enormous statues looking down on you, hardwood floors cover the entire property, and the exterior is completely decorated in sculptures and lavish gardens.  That was just the beginning...we haven't even started to walk through the galleries.  Ask me for pictures when I get back.

Since we only had about three hours to spend at the Museum, we decided to visit the three areas we were interested in the most.  These were: The Greek area, The Egyptian area, and The Italian area.  To do my fingers and your eyes justice, I will not describe each area because there is too much to say.  I will mention however, that the Mona Lisa was absolutely amazing.  You would imagine the painting to be quite large, but it is actually rather small.  Just the mere fact that it was so quaint and elegant made it that much more beautiful.  I could not believe I was seeing a painting that I had only seen in text books and television shows...it was right in front of my face.  The real thing.  I kept reading the year that every piece was painted in and I can only say that I was flabbergasted by how long ago these paintings were created.  We were so blessed to be able to see them and I just felt so completely honored to be able to see these great works of art.  Truly remarkable.

Oh...and I saw a real mummy, and a medieval life size moat  :-)  So cool.


Then we trekked another two or so miles to Le Notre Dam (sorry about the spelling), which is the famous church that the fairytale is based off of.  By far, the most impressive church I've seen.  Again, the entire exterior is decorated with enormous sculptures that depict famous saints and other important French figures...and of course gargoyles.  We went inside to see the interior and it was even MORE beautiful.  The stained glass windows were incredible and the biggest ones I've ever seen as well.  


We ended the day with chocolat crepes that we ordered in complete French...we were so proud!  haha.

This journal entry does not do my trip justice...actually this entire blog.  So please ask me to show you pictures when I return and check back often, because I will try to post some pictures on here directly.


Ciao for now!  haha...like that?

-me

Yes, you read that right.  Ithacappella, the band I'm in sang with the very popular band, Incubus last weekend.  We were interviewed by Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, and MTV News.

You can catch the entire performance on our website...we performed infront of 16.000 people at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine California...an absolute blast.

www.ithacappella.com   to check out the video.

 

If you google "Ithacappella" and "weenie roast"  you can find some awesome articles and probably pictures as well.

 

Take Care!!

Soo pretty sure this whole country is incredibly beautiful, however the French seem to not like Americans at all.  They scowl at us all the time, but honestly I don't really mind it.  Yesterday we went to Leon and saw a live television newscast.  It was reassuring to know that they run the news just like the states.  Their video boards were just like the ones we have at Ithaca!  Way to go IC!  The newscast was only 20 minutes, but we got to see them switch to different shots and operate teleprompters.

Then we had a picnic lunch at some park and through our buttered bread to the birds.  I almost gave a bird a seizure when it started to choke on the bread I fed it.  Oops.  After that we jumped on the bus again to travel to a REALLY PRETTY midevil town and when we arrived, I thought the whole thing was a National Park so I started to walk into some rooms that looked interesting and inviting.  Little did I know that people actually LIVE in these midevil towns and this old man came running after me screaming that I went into his home.  He proceeded to ask me if I just went in his house, and I said "Non...Merci beau coup!"  (No!  Thank you very much!) haha.  That was a great way to start that visit, let me tell you.  I had a beer with Chelsea at one of the old style restaraunt replicas, and then we were back on the bus to Dijon.

That night five of us sat at a beautiful park with statues of bears and old men, while drinking wine and sharing stories about the day.


_________________________

Today, we started off by visiting Dijon's French Market, which is just like an American Farmers Market.  Vendors were selling meat which included chicken, rabbit, horse, fish, turkey, and duck.  Mind you, all with their heads attached except for the horse meat....thank god.  People were also selling flowers, cheese, fruit, clothing, clocks, shoes, etc.  The whole town basically converts into an oversized WalMart and you get to enjoy the weather while shopping for needed items.  Very fun.

After the market, we jumped on the bus to visit Le Bien Public which is Dijon's local newspaper.  We met all of the editors including the Editor In Chief, and we had Claude (our tour guide) translate for us.  They operate their newspaper very professionally...it is read by 100,000 people a day in print, and a lot more online and little less than half of the paper has advertisements.  They're bringin' in the dough!!  haha.

I am now at the Burgundy School Of Business using their free internet  :-)  We are meeting the Mayor of Dijon at 3pm and then going out with a group of students from North Carolina later tonight.  Should be a great time.  I miss you all and hope everything is going well back in the States...you don't realize how special America is until you've left.  The friendly nature of the American people and the willingness to converse with one another is what I miss the most.  I guess the language barrier could contribute to this feeling, but who knows.  Europe is definitely amazing though, and I can't wait to travel more!

Au revoir!

Sorry about leaving so quickly...we had to get out of the building to go on a walking tour and I almost got left behind!  But hey!  I found out how to change the keyboard to the American one, so I may be able to type better! Woo Hoo!!  The walking tour was breath taking...we went inside these HUGE churches here in Dijon and walked around to see 16th and 17th century architecture...aboslutely gorgeous.  


Now we're off to a lecture...talk to you in a bit.

AJ

Greetings from Dijon France.  The keyboards here are very different from American keyboards so please excuse gramatical and spelling errors.  France is absolutely gorgeous.  Its just like you would see in movies with the old architecture and tiny streets with small stores and such.  We had a great dinner after a total of 11 hours traveling.  WOW.  It was a very very long day to say the least, however we are having the time of our lives.  Everyone on the trip is very friendly and we are becoming close friends very fast...which is a relief.  Today we are doing a walking tour of dijon followed by a meet and greet with so,e political science students here in France...should be a very fun time because afterwards they are taking us for a night out on the town!! 

I CAN'T BELIEVE I AM LEAVING IN 24 HOURS!!! There has been a new development/exciting thing that is happening on Saturday...I can't say it right now because it's a huge hollywood secret and I would ruin a lot of things if I posted it before it actually happened, and I was there doing it...but CHECK BACK SUNDAY for all the details and lots of pictures. YOU WON'T wanna miss it.

After I get back from LA (which is where I'm going Friday, to give you a hint), I'm jumping on another plane to France for the trip I've been talking about for 6 months....It's here...I'm ready...and we're down to hours baby...just hours....

Now the real updates will start and I am ON MY WAY!!!

Ciao mis amigos!

Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, the final list of the countries that I will be traveling to is about to be revealed. Don't get too excited...I know you've been waiting a long time for these. So here ya go, in order:

() Dijon, France
() Paris, France
() Rome, Italy
() Berlin, Germany
() Dublin, Ireland
and...
() London, England

I will be out of the country starting May 22nd, and returning back to San Francisco on June 15th. I honestly can't believe I will be doing all of that traveling in the amount of time that I have set aside. When I return, I will probably have the biggest jet-lag ever known to man, so if you live with me *caugh* family *caugh*...watch out.

In other news, I'm right in the middle of the "final exam zone", as I like to call it. The end of the year is wrapping up very quickly and I can't believe that I will be a Junior in three weeks. I have two 10 page papers, three class projects, and a promotional video that I will be finishing up in the coming weeks. My stress level has reached an all-time high and I can't wait to get on that airplane and leave it all here in New York. =)

I've also started to pack up my apartment into boxes which is rather depressing. This year was such a memorable year and it's sad to see everything get either disposed of, or stored away as if they will never appear back in my life. Hmmmm. Reflection is very powerful...

Keep checkin' back for more updates as I get closer to my departure...I'll be sure you keep you all in the know! Take care!

-me

...people have visited my blog.

Sweet.

This summer, I will be working at LEWIS PR as an intern in San Francisco! LEWIS PR is a technology PR firm that represents a wide variety of companies...including Second Life! I am very excited to be working for them, and I think it will be an incredibly rewarding experience!

I had to interview twice over the phone for the position...it was a little nerve wracking but I survived, and they offered me the position! I think I will have a very "hands-on" role because of the small teams they work in, so I will definitely end up walking away with some valuable experiences. Great place for me to be this summer; I can't wait.

Everything is just turning out very nicely this time of year...too bad I'm busier than ever with extra curricular things and school work. Next week, I won't get home to my apartment until probably 11pm every night. Wow. Wish me luck.

-Me

Well, turns out that this journal will only be for my travels to Europe this summer...because I will actually be in Los Angeles for the next semester. How crazy is that? I am really looking forward to variety of things including internships in the entertainment industry and possibly resort management. We'll see what happens.

Check back, though, for updates on my trip across the continent of Europe!

Cheers!

We are getting the information regarding the travel dates shortly...I can't wait. My friend Kristin, who is also going on the France trip, decided to ask me to backpack with her in Europe for a few weeks after the France trip. We want to go to Amsterdam, Greece, Switzerland, and possibly Ireland...I have no clue when/where we'll be places but Ill update this as soon as I can =)

So I entered a contest with about 200 students at my school (The Park School of Communications), and I won a spot on an all-expenses paid trip to FRANCE!!

We will be spending the majority of the trip in Dijon, followed by a free weekend (going to London), and then 4 days in Paris. I could not be more excited. We will be visiting news/tv stations in France and ad/pr agencies to get a glimpse of what it's like to work in the communications industry in Europe.

May 22nd is the departure, and you better BELIEVE I have the countdown goin'. Keep checkin' up as I post more adventures on the blog because not only will I be using this for my summer trip to Paris, but I will also use this when I will be studying abroad in London Fall '07.

Cheers,

AJ