Week 1

It has been officially one week since I have left the states to begin my adventures abroad. I cannot believe that it has only been one week since my arrival in Europe, I guess because it has been such a full week.

To recap, on Wednesday, January 27, 2010, along with my friend Erin from Pitt and my soon to be roommate, Stephanie we boarded British Airways to begin our journey from the Philadelphia Airport across the pond to London, England. The plane was rather comfortable and the staff was very kind and attentive, which made for a rather easy 7-hour flight. The only disturbance we experienced was caused by the lovely drunken Scotsman who sat in the row adjacent to us. Grounds Keeper Willie, as we playfully nicknamed him, spent a large portion of the trip telling us of the grounds he tends to for the Queen, his undying love for an American woman who lives in New Jersey and singing us love songs. Except for the sleep I lost as a result of his singing he provided me with continuous entertainment. Once arriving in Heathrow Airport Thursday morning, I met the rest of my fellow AIFS (my study abroad program) travelers for our program orientation and site seeing. Orientation was short and was soon followed by an intensive and quick exploration of the city of London, given we had only 2 days to do so. During my time in London I had the opportunity to explore the famous Harrods Department store, briefly visit Buckingham Palace, St. Pauls Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and of course Platform 9 ¾. London was a blast and I would have liked to have more time to see the sights but ultimately it reminded me of New York City only with British accents. (For More Pictures of London click here)

From London I continued onto Nice, France, Cannes’ neighboring city. The flight from London was a quick 2 hours and in Nice I was welcomed by sunshine, palms trees and the glistening Mediterranean Sea. After a short bus ride to Cannes, my final destination offered an identical welcoming. The small College International de Cannes, where I am studying for the next 4 months, is situated across the road from the beach, which makes for a very “serious” study environment. The college itself is situated about 15 minutes from town, which makes for a lovely walk a long the beach. The town is gorgeous and is considered the “Beverly Hills” of France. Along the Croisette you can find all your luxury designers such as Chanel as well as the Palais de Festival where the famous Cannes Film Festival is held. For more affordable French shopping one must venture away from the beach on la rue d’Antibes, where during this time of year one can find terrific sales or “soldes” as translated in French. As for my French I do not want to bore you, but for now I am getting by quite well. As a result of Cannes being a tourist destination many of the locals speak at least some English though I am studying hard so I may improve my French. For the first month I have 3 hours of French class a day and so far I believe I am doing quite well in the level that I was placed. Along with wonderful French professors to teach me, I live and attend school with some French students as well as many international students in which to practice with. (For More Pictures of Cannes click here)

La Croisette

View from my room :)

As for my first entry I apologize for the rant, this is probably the first free time I have gotten all week. From now on I hope to make time to update often so as to keep those who are interested updated on my travels. If you have any questions or suggestions on topics for me to cover I would greatly appreciate it and you can leave a comment or e-mail me at ras102@pitt.edu.

Au revoir for now!