The French Open

After blogging last night, J-Train and I decided to roll over to the Falstaff for a little 3 am pizza *singing '3 am' in my mind.* Devouring ensued. On the way back we ran into Tommy and (forgettable) Al. Just thought I'd mention some other people in here in case anyone besides family decides to read. Sleepy time came and went and Savir, Jimmy, Molly Sharapova and Ken made our way to the metro around 12:30.  Sidebar: My best Indian and Taiwanese friends are being replaced, at least for the next three weeks. Sorry Will and Rana. Savir and Kenny will be taking your spot.  After several failed attempts at buying tickets from scalpers (asking upwards of 100 Euro a piece), we finally found the line and decided to start waiting for our tickets around 2 pm, for a 5 pm match.  Savir, Ken and Molly held the spots in line while Jimmy and I found arguably the "best bang for your buck" restaurant in Paris.  Giant sandwiches price at only 5 Euro is impossible to turn down.  We headed back to our famished friends and ate our subs. Then the waiting game began.  4 1/2 hours of minimal movement due to a one-in-one-out policy made for a very slow day.  However, we talked amongst ourselves and others and ended up finding out a lot about each other.  Also, we met a pilot for continental airlines named Tony, who enjoyed talking with us as much as we did with him. Finally, our queue number was called and we were granted entrance into the magnificent Roland-Garros tennis complex.  We got in just in time to watch Rafal Nadal lose his first French Open match EVER (previously 30-0).  We then saw Maria Sharapova pull off a stunning come from behind victory over Ken's much preferred Na Li.  The spectacle of the event was breathtaking, and it has definitely changed the way I view tennis. We headed back to the sandwich shop where we struggled to make an order due to language barriers (after the confrontation, we were too afraid to ask for ketchup).  The metro ride home made us realize how tired we were from one of the best weekends of my life, and after "sharing a glass of wine with my peers", "crankin some tunes," and "making conversation," I decided it was best to see what my blog and bed were all about. James came with me ( by the way, James, Jimmy and J-train are all the same person) because he tends to do that. Great end to a great day. On to some more thoughts.

Quicknotes:

My study abroad group is ill. Like in a cool way, not a swine flu way.

Getting a SIM Card in France is much tougher than I thought.  I have seen zero (0) wireless dealers so far.

Skype is probably not gonna happen this trip. Unless you are all very lucky.

I'm adding a new section called:

Things I don't fit into in France. So far I have:

The train to Brussels.

The bus from Brussels.

Roland-Garros Stadium seats.

Most sizes of shirts.

Soon to be added:

Daumenile showers.

Thanks for your time, stay classy.

I Won't Create Anymore Exciting Titles, I'm Going to Start Naming the Blog by Number

Alright readers/family followers.  I can't explain how terrific and outstanding today was. I learned so much about myself and others, as well as solidified some friendships here that will be lasting forever. I am trying to write this blog as my friends are watching a butt muscle building/vibrating machine commercial, so bear with me. We all wish the Wings were on. 

We started off the day with a late start and sprint to the metro, mostly because of my inability to respond to my alarm (this was my first trouble, and hopefully last).  After debates about whether or not we would be on time for the tickets, we arrived ten minutes before Professor Harrell and got out tickets without problem. We then made our way to a restaurant with 16 group member and myself for a brunch type meal.  It was here that for the first time in my 20(21)-year career that I used a women's restroom.  As I exited, I realized the error in my ways and quickly exited the area, with head down and French insults dancing in my direction.  Needless to say, I was slightly embarrassed. The brunch came to an end and we made our way to the green line to witness historic Paris with 15 people in tow.  We lost 5 to the Louvre, but maintained a solid ten for the rest of the day.  For the next two hours, I took lots of pictures that I will not be able to explain to anyone, for my knowledge of the tour was EXTREMELY limited.  The first part of the tour that I can explain is the Hotel Des Invalides, a monster of a complex constructed by Louis XIV for any crippled or injured honorary military officers in Napolean's army.  We went through his Hotel, Sanctuary, and Museum before exiting the grounds. Slightly distracted right now, a documentary on Common is currently airing in French and I am attempting to understand, while slightly intoxicated, and I emphasize SLIGHTLY. Back to the day.  After the Hotel, we made a walk up Champs Elysee for a little shopping/European hot dog, to the Arc de Triomphe, which is supposedly more excited than the Eiffel Tower.  I can see why. Our group spent around  an upwards of an hour to clear the rooftop of the Triomphe, though half the group left after what was an empty bomb threat. I decided that if I was going out, at least I was going out on top (of the Arc de Triomphe). Finally, we made the climb down the tower, and took our sunburned bodies to the Bistro Romaine, where we racked up a delicious 160 Euro bill. (Money is irrelevant/complicated here, if any family would like to make a donation, please contact anyone at 517-349-4314). The cheapest meal we've had so far was in Brussels for 20 Euro, but all meals have been worth every cent, and the atmosphere/camaraderie more than makes up for the small to adequate portions. Needless to say, I think I will be changing my eating patterns back in the States.  After dinner, we took the metro, which I now know like the back of my hand, to our residence to celebrate our friend Allie's 21st birthday.  Though there was a lot of turmoil and disappoint of late departures and lack of comunication between 40 people at first, the night ended very well. I somehow adopted the role of Dad/Protector for the night. 70 Euro later, we ended up heading back to the Citadine without tears or abducted persons, despite the many attempts by French men thwarted by my muscle flexing capabilities developed in the Pemble gym.  Happy Birthday Allie, can't wait to celebrate back in the U.S.

Quick Notes:

I've decided this is a great way to get across some points without any relevance to my ramblings. I will continue to do it.

Many, many pictures were taken today, so be excited.

I will never leave my camera at home again, I have learned my lesson.

Hopefully I don't have to be "Group Director" next time we go out, but I like the reassurance that everyone had fun and got home safe, it must be in my blood.

Finally.

I really appreciated the last set of comments, and I look forward to more.  Your appreciation for my writing is very meaningful to me.

Get at everyone tomorrow!

Brussels, Belgium

40 morning birds chirped up at 6:15 this morning after a late night at the pub to catch the metro and high-speed train to Brussels, Belgium.  Attempts to sleep on the train were futile and the group arrived half-awake at the European Union (note: we stay positive at all times here, hence, half-awake and not half-asleep).  After a riveting tour of a sort of subsidiary of European Parliament, we were released into what is my favorite city in the world.  Given a healthy two hours for lunch, T-storm(Savir), J-Train(Jimmy), Kiki(Ken) and I posted up at Braserie Belgic.  Located on the corner of the most BEAUTIFUL town square in the world, our view matched our food and home-brewed beer in excellence, as well as some truly legit male-bonding.  In tradition, most of the group joined up but didn't experience as great of a time as us because they weren't outside.  Relentless tours ensued after our splendid lunch.  We took a walking tour of Brussels which was as informational as it was fun.  We rubbed a statue for good look, saw the famous (original) little boy peeing sculpture and learned about the history of Belgium.  We also (more importantly) found the best waffle place in Brussels and had to try it. It did not disappoint. I feel like Caitlin would have loved this.  You also may be saying,"What about the chocolate, Brad? I heard the Belgians have great chocolate." You would be correct and if you greet me within the first 24 hours of my arrival you might have the chance to sample a piece, pending Mom's approval. Anyways, we went back to the same restaurant we ate lunch at and sampled three different kinds of the 500 available Belgium beers.  In the midst of all this, a Jazz festival was going on.  Between sips of refreshing brews, we witnessed an interview of one of these such bands for a Russian television station.  It was English and we actually were able to talk to them a little bit before hand.  Sadly, the day had to end and we took an uncomfortable, albeit fun bus back to Paris.  Tim Deters and I chopped it up most of the way and it was a good 'ol time.  Finally back at the hotel, we saw the Eiffel Tower light show and are now just talking and reminiscing on another TERRIFIC day.  

Quick Notes:

Belgium is my favorite place in the world: beer, chocolate, waffles and a laid back attitude could entertain me forever.

I miss everyone home, but all the people here are outstanding.

I appreciate the comments, so keep leaving them!

Back to conversation! Blog at you all later!

The Irish Pub and Negocia

These posts are going to be harder and harder to do I think because we are so busy! We went over our schedule today, and aside from our two free weekends, there isn't a whole lot of free time.  Everything we have scheduled looks very fun though.  Today, we went to Negocia, the premier business negotiation in France.  The facility was all first-rate, as were the people. It is about an hour away by metro, and by riding it today I affirmed my decision to NOT ride it from the airport.  I feel as though I have a good handle on it now, but with luggage and without a clue, the metro is definitely the last place I would want to be.  After a rigorous day of class, introducing our innovation project, and a two hour presentation by the world leader in marketing consultation, we came home, again by way of metro.  James, Savir and I went to go get tickets for the Eurail to go to Bruges, from Brussels tomorrow, but after an hour and a half wait in line (Monday is penecost here, so everyone is traveling this weekend), we found out they didn't have any tickets.  Upon arriving back at the Citadine, we found our group waiting for everyone to gather and head out to the bars, despite the 6:15 meeting time tomorrow morning.  The three of us hadn't eaten yet, so after finding out where the group went off to, we dipped next door to the Irish pub where they had live music, good food, and great beer (for 7 euro a drink). The rest of the crew rolled over after about an hour, they obviously realized where the party was at, and we celebrated our arrival. After a couple beers, we called it a night and I came back to iron my dress clothes for tomorrow.  Anyways, I'm gonna go stare at the Eiffel Tower twinkling in the moonlight and reflect, and then hop into bed. I'll post again tomorrow. I miss everyone!

First Day Escapades

Leaving East Lansing last night around 5:45, I knew I was in for a whirlwind 24 hours. As usual, my prediction was spot on.  I arrived at the airport 2 hours ahead of schedule, and proceeded to befriend a man named Hyder, who was visiting family in the southern part of France. Through heightened awareness, I made decent conversation with the man and learned that the people of Paris are quite difficult to work with.  As we boarded the plane, operated by Air France, he sent me off with an enthusiastic, "Welcome to France!" The plane took off on standard Pemble time (minus Mike); about 15 minutes late, but arrived promptly at 11.  The flight was full of faulty movie screens, fussy babies and french accents. I pulled about 3 hours of sleep.  I watched "Yes Man" per recommendation from Natalia who did the same thing and upon arrival was very ready to get to my hotel. I wimped out on the RER and Metro after being detained briefly by customs, but quickly dismissed with a smile, and took a cab, which actually worked out quite nice because he spoke English and was very helpful in helping me establish my bearings.  I checked into my top level suite (4 person dorm), complete with a view of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, along with 3 cool dudes and made my way to the orientation.  Basic rule reading ensued.  After a short trip back to the hotel to drop off laptops, we made our way to Flagstaff for pizza at the Bastille, which is a beautiful 50-foot sculpture in the middle of a roundabout.  The three-course meal was very satisfying and was a great way to get to know some of the group.  I can see that I'm going to like a lot of people on this trip. Anyways, jet lag is setting in so I'm gonna get ready for bed (it's 21:14 here, or 9:15pm)  Don't worry everyone, I made it, and I'm loving it! Catch you all on the next post.

I won't be on skype much, but I'll be letting you know when I do.

"To educate the intelligence is to expand the horizon of its wants and desires."

~James Russell Lowell

Site Instructions

As all of my readers know, I'm going to be in Europe for the next few weeks and instead of filling your inbox with spam, I thought I'd set up a little site where anyone who wants to know what I have been doing can check in on me. I'll be detailing my daily experiences through (what I think) are interesting anecdotes, trivia and quips.  Of course, at this point, everything is just a plan, I don't really know how much time I'll really have for blogging, but I'm sure I'll know really soon.  My updates will certainly occur more often then anything over at www.dobydigital.blogspot.com. SOOOO basically, check this page at your leisure and you'll feel like you right there with me. Kind of.

Anyways, happy readings. Comments would be appreciated, but of course, not necessary.

"To educate the intelligence is to expand the horizon of its wants and desires."

~James Russell Lowell