Bittersweet

Here's a little snapshot of where I'm at now. I have:

ONE full day remaining until final exam week starts (with 4 exams to write).
FIVE days until final exams are over.
FIVE and a half days until Jess and I leave for Marrakech, Morocco and most of my friends leave Grenoble.
TEN days (or just over) until I land at the Edmonton International Airport.

Every day that passes seems to be bittersweet. I'm looking forward to going home and seeing my friends and family again but everytime I think about it I am countered with the thought of leaving France and all of the friends I've made who have become my 'away from home' family. I hate the thought that I might not see some of them ever again. I'm sad that the time and effort I've put into these relationships might be 'all for not' if we struggle to keep in contact, but at the same time I'm excited to have new friends across the world, whom I can visit, as well as new travel opportunities.

I'm a little bit scared to return to Canada. Scared that it will feel different, for the adjustments I know I will need to make and scared that I will feel like I left part of myself or my heart in Grenoble. Even a little bit scared that I will settle back into my 'normal life' far too easily and not let myself be challenged by the things I've learned and what I've experienced.

No matter the mish-mash of things that I'm feeling I am certainly going to try to enjoy my last few days in Grenoble and in Europe in whatever way I even can. I write this with a sense of frustration because I wish to be living this week to the fullest and doing everything I enjoy however, the need to study for finals is a huge hinderance on my ability to follow through. Unfortunately, that means that my next 4 days will be spent in little contact with others, cooped up in my apartment, trying to pack as much knowledge in as my brain can currently handle. It also means that you should consider this my last blog post until I land on Canadian soil, or at least until I return to Grenoble (for 6 hours) after Morocco and before my departure from Europe.

Oh and with all this stuff going on its even more exciting when the thought comes to mind that there's actually only 2 weeks left until Christmas!! (just a little bit excited)

Until next time.

Thanksgiving

Okay, okay so I know that's not until next weekend (at least for us Canadians) but seeing as I will be in Amsterdam, Netherlands without computer access I will write about it now. For some reason thankfulness has been on my mind lately too. Maybe it has something to do with the amazing experiences I am having or the incredible scenery around here....or maybe just the fact that I've had lots of reflection time either on the tram, trains, busses, planes or walking. Also, I had my first option class yesterday and I'm taking International Humanitarian & Development Intervention. We talked about countries in need of aid and UN assistance and that also got me thinking on the things I take for granted, either here in France or in Canada. Or maybe God was just trying to get me to realize how lucky I am. Most likely a mixture of all those things.

Either way, during my time living in France I've gone through some periods of missing the comforts of home and sometimes missing the predictability of my life in Canada (although that part doesn't usually last for long). Because I've been fighting a brutal cold this last week it seems my desire for those things was recently heightened. However, as I was walking home from a marvellous shopping trip this afternoon, I flipped a switch in my thinking and started considering all the things I love about being here. Don't get me wrong...thats not a rare occurance as I am so enjoying my time here.

I know this list could really go on forever but these were some of my more recent considerations.

I am thankful that:

-I live at the base of the French Alps near a river full of clean glacier water with a gorgeous view to be had, everyday
- It's October 2 and I was able to wear a tank top, shorts and sandals today (even though the lady at the grocery store asked me why I wasn't cold dressed like that--which makes me consider that this is normal weather for them)
- I have hot water to shower with and a warm apartment
- I have a computer to keep in contact with friends and family
- I have friends in places all over the world
- I have the ability to travel freely, without persecution, all over Europe
- I can afford to buy food to feed myself
- I feel am living in a generally safe place where I have no fear of being shot or attacked on my way to school and to the store
- Although I may be fighting off illness, I am not in an area suffering from malaria, malnutrition, exposure and dysentry
- My walls are thin and I often wake up to screaming kids or loud footsteps but I am not waking up to bombs and gunfire
- I learned French when I grew up and can now get along on a daily basis in a language other than my mothertounge
- I got to enjoy Haagen-Dazs icecream AND a dark chocolate-banana crepe with Jess this afternoon
- There is an English speaking church in Grenoble
- I am privy to an education
- I am loved

As I walked contemplating all these things I really was overwhelmed at how much God has blessed me.

As it comes close to Thanksgiving, try to consider not only the things directly around you for which you are thankful but the things you might take for granted, which people in under-developed/war-torn countries are likely missing. Now consider how lucky and blessed you really are.

Dania

Au Revoir

So I'm intending for it not to be this long between posts while I'm in France because otherwise you will only see 4 or 5 up here. I just haven't had much to write about lately. My life has been going on as usual, however I have spent the last month ridiculously busy trying to see all my friends before I leave. In addition to those extra plans I am running errands and had added numerous items on my to-do list of things to get done before I leave. Combined, those things have made for an insanely busy, and pricey, August.

I woke up this Sunday and reality hit me hard for a moment. I had just been crazy excited all the way to this point and it finally hit me that I will be across the globe, away from my friends and family, the conveniences I'm used to, my car and English...until Christmas. It didn't scare me or make me less excited but it definitely created a moment of apprehension. After that I kinda stopped counting down the days until I leave since I looked at my to-do lists and the number of days and sat wondering how the hell I was to get everything done...especially since I work my full time job during the day until Friday the 27th!

Thankfully, my lists are finally getting shorter and I'm starting to get excited again.

I can't wait to:

1) Find an apartment and make it my home
2) Explore my new locale that is Grenoble
3) Live in the mountains!
4) Live somewhere where the average December temperature is 5 above
5) Travel to other countries on the weekend
6) Pay 3 Euros for a bottle of wine
7) Plan all my trips once I get my school schedule (hopefully including Egypt, Oktoberfest and, Spain and Switzerland...at least)
8) Live in Europe
9) Become fluent in French again
10) Enjoy the fresh pastries and cheese that France is so well-known for

Things I'll miss (some already mentioned):

1) My friends
2) My family
3) My car
4) My own bed
5) My full closet selection
6) Having an income
7) My cell phone and being able to text people without an international fee
8) Using Canadian Dollars and not having to constantly convert currencies in my head
9) Being fully understood in English
10) Smoke free restaurants and bars

As for my next blog, I leave way too early on Sunday morning so I won't be writing again until my feet are on French soil.

Au revoir mes amis!

Prelude

Hello all!

If you read my "About Me" section you'll see that I am heading to Grenoble, France on August 29, 2010 to start a 4 month, semester abroad at Grenoble Ecole de Management (this will be the second last semester of my Bachelor of Commerce degree). This blog will begin by telling the tales of my French adventure and, if I can keep up the writing, will continue to serve as documentation of my travels. Bear with me as I'm a detailed person and parts of my blogs you might not find very interesting however, I hope you will find other parts enjoyable as you join me on my journeys.

I must say I found it especially helpful and interesting to read other blogs written by students who have already gone on an exchange to Grenoble so I'll do my best to document the process, my frustrations, what I learn, amazing places I visit and of course...the best cheese and wine I experience! That way, hopefully, other people can benefit just as much from my blog as I did from others.


The process of my exchange began in the idea stages last October/November. Although I have already been in post secondary for 5 years and will have finished the Cooperative Education program, I started seriously thinking about adding in one last experience before I graduate in April 2011. Because my major is International Business...and I ADORE traveling...an international exchange was the first thing on my mind. Deciding on a location was a tough call. I had already visited Europe twice (France, Italy, Germany, England and Greece), but it was mostly with my parents and living there on my own would be a whole different story. I thought about Mexico, and South or Central America but based on previous experience, I determine it would be a lot harder (almost a logistical nightmare) to travel between countries, during my spare weekends, then it would be in Europe. The reason I had already ruled out most other areas of the world is because I thought it would be advantageous, to my degree and to my language skills, to live in a country that spoke a language I also spoke (English, French and Spanish). Well that left me with France or Spain. I have never been to Spain but I decided I could actually communicate fairly efficiently in French so that would be better for signing leases (for my appartment), setting up a bank account, maybe scoping out a job (for after graduation) and for social reasons as well.

Anyways, point being, here I am now after much preparation and bureaucracy (which I was expecting but not really before I even arrived) I'm headed to Vancouver, BC this weekend for an appointment with the French Consulate to get my Student Visa. Hopefully everything goes smoothly since this would be the last thing that could potentially stop me from studying in France.