Departure

Oh la la we’re about to leave!!!!

I’m sitting at the airport now and it I can’t believe how fast my last week went! Since Monday, I’ve been on lunch and coffee dates with the most important people, catching up and saying bye before I’m gone for four months. Of course, there was the entire process of packing, too. I took over the basement and had little towers of clothing which I sorted; went through; and sorted again.

I realized on my drive out to JFK this evening that, even though I had known I would always find a way to study abroad, I couldn’t believe it was actually happening! We stopped at White Castle for dinner (a good late-night airport tradition) and then voyaged on to Terminal 7 where – after much deliberation on the phone with Orbitz, American Airlines, and Iberia – I finally realized my flight would depart from. Even as I was waiting online to check in, I was still unsure! So I ran to the flights board: my flight was leaving from that terminal, yes. Then I ran (in front of the next person on line!) to a man at the ticket counter and burst out, “Hi I just want to check and – well I’m not the next person in line but – just make sure that flight 5550 is leaving from this terminal I think it is but I’m not sure and do you know, could you check?” During this long inquisition, the man I was actually talking to just looked at me calmly while the man next to him nodded fervently, indicating that yes, my flight was leaving from here. As the original man finally confirmed on his computer that I was headed for the right plane, I thanked the nodding man and spun around to get back in line.

Party spoke Spanish to the woman who eventually checked me in (she said it was muy buen), and just five minutes after my hasty, crazed detective work, I was checked in and ready for security. I gave many hugs and said goodbye to everyone and then went through security (where they lost my body scan data and I had to wait just standing there, barefoot, for a while until they said I could go) and then bam! Ready for takeoff! 

Now I’m sitting next to my gate. I can see my plane – it’s huge! Two jet turbines; that little bump above the nose; all lit up for my cross-Atlantic voyage.

xxo, S

Purpose

On Saturday morning, I woke up to my phone alarm buzzing and had a mini bout of confusion:
What day is it?
Where am I?
Am I late for something?
What am I supposed to do today?

Quickly, I realized that nothing had changed: I was still at home in my room, it was Saturday, and I had no plans to be late for. Phew!
But why was I so quick to assume that it was going to be another busy day?

For seven weeks straight (except weekends of course) I had been working as an intern. Waking up early, remembering project due dates and meeting times, getting dressed nicely – you know. Working.
As I came to the final stretch (a.k.a. last five days), I realized that I was really going to miss the demanding yet reassuring atmosphere I had spent the majority of my summer in. From my bubbly boss to my super-smart co-intern, from projects spanning six time zones to commuting on three different routes, everything about the working world was shiny and new to me. I at once loved and hated it.
Loved, because people were actually using the work I did for them, asking me specifically to work on certain projects, and were driven, intelligent, and graceful.
Hated, because there wasn’t always work for me to do, between botched communication, hectic schedules, and the fact that I was just an intern.

this is who I worked for! :)

For seven weeks this was my life! I learned so much (a story for another time) and was sad to leave. Of course, I was glad for the weekends during my internship. But suddenly, on the Saturday after my internship was over, I thought I had to be somewhere.
After some lovely introspective meditation, I have come to this conclusion: I was work-sick!
In the weirdest way, I wanted to be getting up and having a purpose that day because I knew that my job was over (forever???).

Instead, I turned that Saturday into a chill day. On Sunday, we went to New Jersey to visit family (and had so much fun! I jumped off the high dive for the first time in ages… terrifying… I can’t wait to do it again). And on Monday, I threw myself into high gear again and began research on Aix (since, you know, I haven’t really done that yet – oops).

sitting on the porch at our new house, doing research

it's like being outside... but inside

So you see: Sad as I was to be “purpose-less” without my internship, I found a “new” purpose. Being a student in France – une étudiante française.

T -5 days!

xxo, S

Thoughts Before Abroad

As mentioned in an early blog post, this is my submission to the IAU's "Featured Blogger Program."

My travel plans will bring me to Aix a little less than one week before classes begin. This means I’ll get to adjust to the town a bit. I seriously love exploring and I’m used to walking everywhere – pas de problème. Hopefully, during my first days in Aix, I’ll find a great café to chill at. Now wait just a second, I know it sounds cliché! But this girl is one serious coffee lover. You find me a latte and book and I’m set for the day.

I don’t know much about the town of Aix. Is it small? Is it big? (Obviously not as large as Marseille.) I do wish we were slightly closer to the beach. Is there a river in Aix? Where are the parks? These are the questions I hope to answer for myself within a few days of my arrival.

What’s that you say? I should Google it or pick up a Lonely Planet guide? To that I say: Did they have Google in Cézanne’s day? Did Hemmingway read Frommer’s?

I didn’t think so.

I’m a “just wing it!” kind of person. Travelling is one of my greatest pleasures. Coffee is another. I’ve been studying French since I was 11 years old, in the sixth grade.

So, personally, it’s not the language or the travelling that’s got me most freaked out. It’s this idea of starting at a new school again. I went to the same school almost my whole life. Being “the new kid” is not something I’m very accustomed to. My friends would tell you that, once I’m comfortable around people, you’d be hard pressed to get me to shut my trap. But getting to that level of comfort takes a while. The fact that I’ll be living with people I’ve never met before and navigating a city I’ve never been to before will only add to the time it will take for me to get comfortable.

All right, pep talk time: realistically, you only get to study abroad once. That means you better make the most of it. As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.”

Motto for the fall? Heck yeah it is.

No really, we’re getting t-shirts.

In other super-exciting news, my visa is good to go! Before I went, I was ridiculously (some might have said irrationally) nervous that the Consulate would deny my request for a visa. Thankfully, that didn’t happen and the visa process went smoothly for me. Being from New York, I got to go two whole times to the Consulate. As we say in New York, “Oy vey!”

The first time was a painstakingly long two hours of muffled loudspeaker announcements where you weren’t really sure if they were speaking French or English until you heard your name – “Stephanie, window two please” – and thumb-twiddling. One thing they should add to that helpful little checklist on the Consulate website is “Bring a book or large amount of paperwork as you will have no cell phone or Internet access.”

On the plus side, I had a great conversation with two other college juniors who are going abroad in France! One had just flown in from her internship in San Francisco (she’s from NY originally and therefore fell under our jurisdiction) and was going back for her third trip to France in four years. She had so much to say about the tiniest towns! The other was – get ready – another IAU student! We both discovered we’re going to be in Aix this fall and instantly bonded over college life, visa stress, and excitement for France. Would you look at that, I’m one small step ahead in this friend-making game.

The second time I went to the Consulate (to pick up my visa; NY won’t mail it to you), I saw my fellow IAU classmate again on my way out. Just a quick “Hi! Bye!” this time since we are trying to get out of that place as quickly as possible. Visit numéro deux was, delightfully, only one hour. Phew!

So now I’ve got my visa! Nothing can stop me now (Except the weight limit on checked baggage. Hey, we girls need our shoes and this is France we’re talking about, remember?).

To Aix-en-Provence, and beyond!!!

xxo, S

Stairwell Encounter

At my work, there is a door, a tiny space with a window, and another door that goes to the stairs. I always take the stairs down because we're only on the 4th floor. No one else ever takes the stairs, I think because they don't live in a college dorm 9 months out of the year.

tiny landing between the two doors

As I approach the first door, I hear some sound, but just go to open the door anyway and then the voices suddenly stop. And I try to open the door but it doesnt move. And someone's voice goes "Hello?" And I go, "Um hi, it's just, um I wanted to - I was just going to take the stairs if - um, can I do that? Is that okay? Uhhhhh." And then Founder J's head pops around the door and he's like, "What? Oh yeah, sure!" 

And so he opens the door a little and me and my pink polka dot DZ bag squeeze through and then it's me, Founder J, and Founder A all standing in this tiny space for about 10 seconds as I make my way to the 2nd door to go down the stairs.

Just as I'm opening the door to leave, Founder A turns and goes, "Wait! Do you have a lighter?" and the two guys stare at me and I'm so panicked and confused and frightened all I do is say, "No I'm so sorry!!!!" and then turn around and bolt down the stairs.

And my heart was pounding all the way until I got home. I was really sure that someone was going to run after me.

Spotted in New York

This morning on my way to work i find myself walking behind four people - one woman and three men. They're all in their late 20s and are friendly with each other and clearly work together. They're walking four-across the sidewalk, the woman all the way on the left.

What made me laugh was this: the woman was about six feet tall and the guys were all around 5'4".

But it went beyond that. The woman was really pretty: slim, chic, long brown hair, made up, nice smile... the guys were okay-looking, but they were all dressedexactly the same. Plain, slim-cut t-shirt, dark wash jeans cuffed above sneakery-work shoes, short hair, and a boxy messenger bag slung over their right shoulder (i.e. hipsters).

Okay, the t-shirts were different colors and one of them had glasses, BUT THEY WERE LIKE CLONES! And this gorgeous, tall woman was chatting and walking with them like no one's business! It was like a joke out of Lord of the Rings, part iv: A Giant And Three Hobbits Walk Into New York........

Too hilarious.

I don't know if you can picture this now: i'm walking behind them and looking back and forth trying to understand what's happening here, while trying to control my laughter. Not much makes me do a double take in ny, but this was cracking me up. And it didn't seem to be purposefully funny.

Maybe i'm just weird.

New York scenes [photos]

DU friends from far and wide

There's few things in the world that could make me wake up early, get off the train in Harlem, and take a loooooonnngg, crowded bus ride out to LaGuardia Airport - Ginger coming to visit me in NY!!! I met her at the terminal (after luckily - and randomly! - guessing which airline she was flying), then we took the bus back to the city (ugh!), took a sweaty subway ride downtown (ugh again!), and had a whirlwind afternoon :)

We walked around my old stomping grounds in Battery Park City and Tribeca by the Hudson River.

Wandered over to the South Street Seaport.
Got soaked in the rain!
And finished off the day by seeing Memphis on Broadway and having dinner at Junior's restaurant (famous for their cheesecake).

We were also supposed to meet up with our friend, Celia, from Seattle, but the timing didn't work out :( I did have dinner with her last Wednesday at a delicious gluten-free Italian restaurant, though. Ginger just wasn't in town yet.

All this in one day! And that was just the start of our weekend, because on Friday, we left the city to go to East Hampton and visit another friend.

Being in East Hampton was great - relaxing, easy, and fun. We went paddle boarding, and took a spin class, and went to the beach, and saw the Montauk lighthouse... so much stuff but it was so fun!!!!

Even for the short period of time that I saw my DU friends over the summer, it was quality time and I'm so glad we got a good visit in :)

xxo, S

Movie at Bryant Park

As I wrote the other day, there are free movies every Monday night in Bryant Park. They start at sundown, but you have to get there EARLY if you want a good spot on the grass. Me and Kumquat showed up right at 5p, and there was already a mob of people around the grass waiting to stake their blanket territory (the guards won't let you in until a certain time).

The movie was "The 39 Steps," a really good oldie I'd never seen before; most of the movies played at Bryant Park are old ones. But around the city, there are other good free outdoor movies in different genres.

Maybe I'll see you at the next one!
xxo, S

Garden time

I met Kumquat and Katherine at the Botanical Garden on Wednesday. Beautiful weather! We walked all around, which is something I haven't really done before. Normally when I've gone to the Gardens, I just hit up the kiddie area with Indy. But this time, it was a grown up trip.

I arrived by train, so I went through the "pedestrian" entrance near the library. After finding Kumquat and Katherine, we walked through the Forest, over the stone bridge, by the Rose Garden, and through the wetlands plants. It was a lot of walking after being in the city all day, but it felt great to be outside in the sun, surrounded by so much greenery - in the middle of New York!

xxo, S

Summer in the city

June is rolling away from us and July is roaring right in - you sure can feel it here in the city!
My job search has had its ups and downs and I think I'll soon be settling into a regular sort of schedule for the next six weeks. Meanwhile, I've been trying to live a minimum-cost vacation. That means free (or seriously discounted) events and simple activities, staying with friends, and eating with family. Doesn't that all sound pretty wholesome?

Some of my favorites:
1) Free sunset movies at Bryant Park
check what's playing every Monday, bring a blanket, and enjoy the warm nights!

2) Student nights at Color Me Mine
certain nights have half-off discounts on painting time, perfect for friends!

3) Central Park SummerStage concerts
most concerts are free at venues throughout the city and on the legendary mainstage in Central Park.

4) Shakespeare in the Park
provided you're willing to wait on line all day, you'll get to experience world-class, free plays.

5) The New York Botanical Garden
free entry to this lush, 250-acre garden lets you explore a wide variety of plants along winding paths, under shady trees, and past relaxing fountains.

Now, if anyone can point me towards some free eating establishments, the list would be complete!

xxo, S

Art at home [photos]

A few beautiful things in/around my grandma's apartment

xxo, S

Skyping

Right now I am on Skype with my family. Party is being awkward and T is... silent screaming (?).... in the background....

Miss everyone!
xxo, S

The backyard waterfall I always wanted

Last night, a little after 11p, the fire alarms began to screech all throughout my apartment building, the Avalon (Avalon Bay Communities), waking all those who had settled into their warm, cozy beds as the blizzard of the decade rolled through town.
Pulling on boots and warm jackets over pajamas, my brother and I left our apartment first and headed directly for the stairs - only to be blocked by a wall of water crashing through the ceiling of the hallway, not twenty feet from our front door. We turned and exited through the other staircase with a stream of sleepy neighbours. Then, we all waited on the lobby for the firetrucks to arrive. All the while, fire alarms continued to whine incessantly against our eardrums. When the firemen finally arrived (it took an extra long time because of the snow-blocked streets), they didn't turn the alarms off right away, either. They had to first check the source of the problem - that leaky ceiling, though "leaky" seems like an understatement. It would be an hour before the blaring alarms were finally shut off, to which we all cheered :)

By the end of the night, the firemen had torn through the hallway ceiling and shut down the hallway lights in attempts to find the source of the leak. It was discovered that a fire sprinkler in a vacationing family's apartment had been set off due to high heat in the boiler room.

After such an upsetting event, you would hope we would never have to do this again. So it might surprise you to know that this same water damage happened last Christmas.
What failures and incompetences in Avalon Bay's infrastructure did not prevent this catastrophe are unclear to me.  However, a fire alarm that went off without a fire seems completely counterintuitive. And having been disrupted by these faulty fire alarms three times prior this year plus last year's Christmas alarms, I would LOVE to see them fixed properly once and for all! Further disruption for such a trivial thing would be extremely irresponsible on the part of Avalon Bay.

Hoping you are all safe in your homes too
xxo, S

100th post!

New York was hit by a great, big blizzard today that has tucked my already-quiet hometown into a silent white blanket. T tried to go sledding earlier (before there was so much snow) but it kinda failed. Tomorrow should be better for snowy day activities - we've gotten at least three more inches since the sun set!

In other news, this is my ONE HUNDREDTH BLOG POST!
Thanks to all you who read :)

Time to settle in with a good movie and some hot coco (my latest hot drink obsession)!
xxo, S

Overheard...

Madison Bistro, 238 Madison Ave.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010 at 7.45p

As told by a man who is friends with "Eric."


...and Eric has a sister. Well, in addition to his brother, the middle child. So it's Eric, his older brother and his sister. And apparently the sister is a mess. Like, she's really fat and a total pot head - you know, because of the dad - and she works at the dad's store. Kinda like a Duane Reade out there, like a pharmacy... Anyway, she works at this pharmac and she married a guy who works as a short order chef at the local diner... I know right, of all the people in the world... Well it turns out this guy has a problem with buying things on eBay. Like cars or old radios; either really expensive things or really crappy things, but he'll buy anything. And the sister couldn't stand it, he was always buying all this stuff. Anyway, it was a problem that he really didn't think anyone could help him with and so he wouldn't accept any help... It ended up ending the marriage... So sad, right?

...so she started dating this new guy, who I've never met, but Eric has. Eric just met him, he was down there visitng and when he came back, he told me that the boyfriend is [whispered] blind and has 80% hearing loss. [nods] Right??? Of all the people. And his sister met this guy because she works at the pharmacy and he had been there to pick up his medicine for his problems. Apparently it's a really terrible story. He was this athelete and he had this degenerative disease that first hit his eyes and then his ears, so sad...

...they were crossing the street and she ran off to catch up to Eric, like "Eric, Eric!" and she let go of her boyfriend's hand. And she was supposed to be holding his hand! And so he tripped and fell and scraped - it was warm, he was wearing shorts - he scraped up all his legs and his arms and face and it was all bloody... I mean, she let go of his hand!


THE END

Cross my heart this is truly what I heard next to me during dinner tonight. Don't know what else to say except that life is stranger than fiction!


xxo, S

Travel day - going home

After watching all of my friends slowly clear out of the dorms this weekend, I was the last one left. Today, I got picked up by Uncle T to go to the airport and go HOME! for six lovely weeks.

It's a bittersweet departure. Of course I am happy to go home and see my family and drench myself in New York-ness, but I'm also going to miss all the friends I've made these past ten weeks. We've gotten really close really fast and had a lot of fun times already... I don't know what I'm going to do without them for six weeks - that's more than half of the time I've even known them!

All this means is good news - I'm having a great first quarter at DU (I know this was the right choice for me) and I'm going to make the most of my time at home.

See you on the East Coast!

xxo, S