I have finished work, my bags are packed, and I am on the eve of my departure from Paris! Well, in reality I am going to be coming through the city a few more times before I leave permanently, so I'm not totally finished, but I don't expect to do much more here. I may not have left home yet, but I'm done with Paris. I'm going without any regrets, because I have waited quite a while for this moment. This is the start of a summer which will bring me to a very promising place in my life. I want to enjoy it fully and make the most of it.
Since I've been working for the past two years, over different jobs, without taking much vacation, I was able to plan quite a great trip for myself, which will lead me from my hometown, Paris, all the way to my new home away from home, Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Canada. So where can you expect to see me blogging from?
Tomorrow I'm leaving for the south of France, in the seaside town of Antibes, where my grandparents live. This will be a great way to start the summer vacation, as it will be full of calm family moments. Well, that may be idyllic and hopeful on my part. As far as the mediterranean side of the family goes, family moments tend to be loud agitated rather than "calm". But overall it should prove to be a great week to unwind and get into the vacation mood.
Next, I will travel to Normandy with three other friends, for a weekend in Deauville, a popular seaside resort on the northern beaches of France. With one of these friends, we'll then head off to England, on the other side of the Channel, and attempt to hike from London to Oxford in three to four days.
I'll then return to Paris for a weekend, just in time to see my other grandmother, who will be visiting the family, and to tie up all loose ends. Indeed after that, I'll definitively leave Paris, and won't return until the winter. So, in early August, I'm heading down to Barcelona with four other friends, to spend a week in this exciting Spanish city. I'm currently going through travel guides to plan what I want to see, and I've also picked up a book to learn to speak some basic Spanish, seeing how I've never studied it before.
After Barcelona, I'm taking the great leap across the Atlantic Ocean, to end up in Las Vegas, where I'm meeting up with my girlfriend and her family. Indeed, my girlfriend's brother is getting married in California in July and afterwards, she and her parents are taking a two-week tour of the American West. I'm joining them halfway, as they enter the wonderful desert landscapes of the inner western states. Promised sights include the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Lake Powell, among others.
My trip with my girlfriend ends in San Francisco, after a week. Her family and she are going home to France, but I'm staying in America, of course. I'll be spending the last two weeks before moving into University in Mexico. This was, by far, the most complicated part of my summer to organize, because the friend I'm staying with was very unsure of his situation. Having just graduated from high-school, he wasn't sure where he was going to end up for university, or when he would be starting classes. This lead to a lot of worrying and frustration, as well as a lot of waiting, but eventually it all worked out and I'm very pleased. I have something of a bet with myself to cross borders and to visit a new country every year. Originally, I wasn't supposed to end up in Mexico at all, but I'm very glad that I am, because it will be my new country of the year (believe it or not, despite all the traveling I've done and have planned this year, Mexico is the only new one).
On September 1st, I'm flying out to Montreal, entering my new country of residence and on the 3rd, I finally move into Bishop's, making a long time dream come true. I've put a lot of effort into planning this whole summer and these past few days I've been trying to make sure everything is in order. But, as of today, I have all the documents I need to immigrate, and all the plane tickets I should have to be in the right places at the right time. This summer promises much fun, and I'm glad to see it get started.
Since I've been working for the past two years, over different jobs, without taking much vacation, I was able to plan quite a great trip for myself, which will lead me from my hometown, Paris, all the way to my new home away from home, Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Canada. So where can you expect to see me blogging from?
Tomorrow I'm leaving for the south of France, in the seaside town of Antibes, where my grandparents live. This will be a great way to start the summer vacation, as it will be full of calm family moments. Well, that may be idyllic and hopeful on my part. As far as the mediterranean side of the family goes, family moments tend to be loud agitated rather than "calm". But overall it should prove to be a great week to unwind and get into the vacation mood.
Next, I will travel to Normandy with three other friends, for a weekend in Deauville, a popular seaside resort on the northern beaches of France. With one of these friends, we'll then head off to England, on the other side of the Channel, and attempt to hike from London to Oxford in three to four days.
I'll then return to Paris for a weekend, just in time to see my other grandmother, who will be visiting the family, and to tie up all loose ends. Indeed after that, I'll definitively leave Paris, and won't return until the winter. So, in early August, I'm heading down to Barcelona with four other friends, to spend a week in this exciting Spanish city. I'm currently going through travel guides to plan what I want to see, and I've also picked up a book to learn to speak some basic Spanish, seeing how I've never studied it before.
After Barcelona, I'm taking the great leap across the Atlantic Ocean, to end up in Las Vegas, where I'm meeting up with my girlfriend and her family. Indeed, my girlfriend's brother is getting married in California in July and afterwards, she and her parents are taking a two-week tour of the American West. I'm joining them halfway, as they enter the wonderful desert landscapes of the inner western states. Promised sights include the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Lake Powell, among others.
My trip with my girlfriend ends in San Francisco, after a week. Her family and she are going home to France, but I'm staying in America, of course. I'll be spending the last two weeks before moving into University in Mexico. This was, by far, the most complicated part of my summer to organize, because the friend I'm staying with was very unsure of his situation. Having just graduated from high-school, he wasn't sure where he was going to end up for university, or when he would be starting classes. This lead to a lot of worrying and frustration, as well as a lot of waiting, but eventually it all worked out and I'm very pleased. I have something of a bet with myself to cross borders and to visit a new country every year. Originally, I wasn't supposed to end up in Mexico at all, but I'm very glad that I am, because it will be my new country of the year (believe it or not, despite all the traveling I've done and have planned this year, Mexico is the only new one).
On September 1st, I'm flying out to Montreal, entering my new country of residence and on the 3rd, I finally move into Bishop's, making a long time dream come true. I've put a lot of effort into planning this whole summer and these past few days I've been trying to make sure everything is in order. But, as of today, I have all the documents I need to immigrate, and all the plane tickets I should have to be in the right places at the right time. This summer promises much fun, and I'm glad to see it get started.
Yay I move into rez on the 3rd too, see you there! Sounds like you are definitely making the most of your summer : )
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