I got soul but I'm not a soldier....

The past couple of weeks has been filled with excited things. I went to a soccer game at the French stadium (France vs. Austria). France won 3-1!!!

I also went to several museums including the Louvre, and Musee d'Orsay. Apparently if you spent 3 minutes on each piece of art work in the Louvre, it take you several months to get through everything. Needless to say, I did not get through everything. Not even close. However, what I did see was very impressive. Actually, the least impressive thing I saw may have been the Mona Lisa. You can only get as close as 15 feet away, and when you do, there is so much glass around it that you can't really get a good look at the painting. Bummer.

I do have good news though! I solved the Da Vinci Code...I looked at his paintings and realized that Tom Hanks was right. Da Vinci was trying to tell us something, the figures in his art were pointing me in the direction to solve the mystery of life. I followed the clues and ended up in....drum roll please......the womens restroom. I was confused too but at least I solved the mystery.

This weekend was the Nike+ Human Race 10k!!!!!! I woke up early on saturday and journeyed all the way across Paris to the Jardin d'Acclimatation and the Bois de Boulogne to run 10 kilometers. It was a tough run but I managed to get 3rd place! I know, I know, 3rd place is not that exciting and many of you might even consider 3rd place to be the second loser. Nevertheless, as I write this I am looking at the finish line banner which they let me take home as a souvenir. It says "arrivee" which, at the time of race meant, "Alex when you reach me you can lie down and eat this free apple sauce they are going to give you." So I kept on running and finished about 8 seconds behind 1st place.

That night me and my 2 friends Matt and Laura, who were visiting for the weekend from Limerick and Rome, respectively, went to Sacre-Coeur. Sacre-Coeur is a beautiful church that overlooks the city. Many people go there to hang out or drink wine. There are always people playing music there and it's a great place to get a good view of Paris. Today I went for a run and decided to run toward the Sacre-Coeur to get a look at  it during the day for a change. After running up the 300 hundred or however many stairs there are, I wanted nothing more than to lie down in the grass and look out over my new city. Unfortunately my legs had other plans and I almost collapsed while walking toward the grass that I had chosen. Instead I enjoyed the view and the music from a concrete ledge by the church. Still not half bad.

I just can't wait to be king...

Ooook I haven't been able to update this as much as I wanted to but oh well.

The weekend before last I went to Brussels, Belgium with a friend from school. As soon as I arrived I realized that my goal of not eating anymore waffles would have to be postponed. They are too delicious.

We arrived in Brussels Thursday night and met up with Jan, a guy from couch surfing who said we could stay with him for a night. He took us to a place called the Kulture Kafe on a college campus. It was neat because they had a live band playing. Afterward, we dropped off our bags at Jan's apartment and went to a club near the campus. It was an abandoned warehouse really, but the drinks were only 1 euro! My friend Wade and I met a bunch of Jan's friends and danced the night away.
The next day we said our goodbyes to Jan and gave ourselves a tour of the city. We stumbled upon a fantastic waffle house and enjoyed our first taste of belgian chocolate. We also stumbled upon the Grand Place, which we learned was basically the most famous place in Belgium, le Mannekan Pis, Le Palais Royal, Mini-Europe and the Atomium, and a miniature version of Oktoberfest that Brussels hosts every 2 years for one weekend. Yes I know, we got lucky.

We stayed in hostels the other 2 nights and met a wide variety of people. One girl named Lavinia, mentioned an amazing cafe/bar called Delirium Cafe, and another guy named Geoffrey took us there! The cafe has over 400 different kinds of beer and a great atmosphere.

For some reason on Saturday we decided it would be a good idea to get haircuts. After failing miserably to communicate what kind of haircut I wanted to the barber, I pointed to a picture of Barack Obama I saw in a magazine. The barber became very excited as if he had been given the mission of a life time. When he was done he yanked off my blanket, flicked it in the air and yelled "VOILA! Obama!"

The last day of our trip we gave 2 guys a tour of Brussels (because we knew it so well), and somehow we missed our train. There actually is a reason but I won't get into it now. We had to pay 17 euros to get a different train though :(

So basically what I'm trying to tell is:
If you love chocolate, if you love waffles, if you love cool looking buildings with lots of history, and most definitely if you love beer, go to Brussles. Now.

Some days I wake up Laughing...

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Everything is going by so quickly and it feels like I updated this yesterday.

Last weekend I went to a concert, it was amazing. A few weekends ago I did community service through that program I told you about, Orange Rockcorps, and this weekend it paid off! I got to see David Guetta, Akon, Kelly Rowland, Busta Rhymes, and 2 french artists, Razor Light, and Sefyu. The concert was at the Zenith center in northeast Paris. I went with Jamal and my host brother and had a great time!

The next day, saturday, was Nuit Blanche. I mentioned this in another post but just to remind you. Nuit Blanche translates to "white night," and for us americans it means an all-nighter. This time however everyone in Paris had a nuit blanche (www.nuitblanche2009.com). All the museums were open all night to accompany the multiple events taking place all around the city. My friend Wade and I went to the Gardens of Luxembourg where we found the biggest disco ball in the world. It was the size of a small mansion and suspended over a lake by a crane. There was a substantial line just to get into the gardens but Wade and I somehow found a way in.....anyway the gardens were full of dancing people wondering how they made Pluto look like a disco ball.

I got home at 8 in the morning and slept until my host family woke me up for lunch.

I know it's not New Years yet, but on Sunday I made 3 different resolutions.
1. No more nutella covered waffles. They are deliciously delicious but each one comes with about 5, 000 calories and I don't have the money or the metabolism to sustain my eating habits of the past few weeks for much longer.

2. I will run everyday to get back in shape for the Nike+ Human Race 10k...

3. Study! I need to study and get ahead so that I can continue travel around and enjoy myself without worrying about my world crashing down when my plane touches down in the States at the end of January.

Now then, today is Wednesday! I've run everyday so far, I have been studying and reading ahead....but I've also eaten a waffle every day this week...and one had caramel on it too....amazing. I think I'm going to find a support group to help me with this addiction. Waffle Addicts Anonymous anyone?? With the internet as my witness, starting now I will be waffle sober! So long as the powdered sugar was actually powdered sugar and not some other highly addictive powdery substance...I should be able to quit cold turkey without waking up in the middle of the night in a sweat...

Also, FYI, I have booked trips to Brussels, Belgium and Stockholm, Sweden...kind of random I know, it was a spur of the moment thing. But 20 euros roundtrip from Paris to Sweden? Who would pass that up? Not this guy.

On that note I must go study and run before dinner. I bid you adieu!

Heid is so a schena Dog - lalalalala

SO I'm still alive. I went to Munich with no money and no guaranteed place to stay. When I arrived I went to an internet cafe and praise the lord my couch surfing request had been accepted.

(www.couchsurfing.com) its a social networking site for travelers who prefer to not spend any money on a hotel or hostel. You type your destination and a list of people who live there pops up. It's great for students and young professionals.

Anyway, I had 6 hours to kill before I met my host for the weekend Markus. I went to a festival sponsored by and Irish pub and enjoyed a delicious lunch that consisted of a Nutella filled crepe, and a pint of beer. The combination wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. After that I explored the area around Ostbahnhof station which is where the train dropped me off. After sitting on the train for 6 hours it was nice to stretch my legs.

I met Markus around 6:30 and he gave me a quick tour of the city. Munich is beautiful. There are so many gardens and cathedrals. It was a shame that I didn't have more time to absorb everything. Markus took me to a very nice restaurant for some authentic Bavarian food, it was just in time too because I was starving. The only weird thing about the meal was the potato shaped like a baseball. The consistency was very gooey and soft, but it was delicious and I licked my plate clean.

We then went to his apartment so I could clean up a little bit and drop my stuff off before going to the WIESN! (Oktoberfest). In case you don't know, Oktoberfest looks like a carnival when you first walk up. Throughout the carnival are several large tents which are where all of the partying occurs. When the tents get too full they security guards stop letting people in, yet somehow Markus and I managed to sneak in. Within the first 5 minutes I saw 3 people get thrown out of the tent, a woman slip off of a table and plant her face firmly on the floor, and several other bewildering things that I can't quite describe. I knew it was going to be a fun weekend.

This post would be very long if I described everything so if there is something you're curious about just email me and I will happily explain more. I spent the whole weekend with Markus and his friends who are all great people. It was one long, giant party that ended for me at 9:45 on sunday night, an hour before my train left for Paris.   Luckily, I managed to force my self out of the tent in time to catch my train. You can imagine the state I was in when I left...long story short I tripped over my shoelace trying to catch a tram and almost killed myself. Picture a baseball player sliding into home base on his stomach, and can get an idea of what happened to me. Except I was on pavement in the middle of an intersection. You might be able to watch it on Munich's funniest home videos, or Discovery Channel's "Destroyed in Seconds." Somehow I made it to the train station just in time for the worst 14 hours of my life. The train had no food, no water, and it broke down halfway through the journey. I missed both of my classes that I had today.

As I limped toward the door of my school 2 hours late, struggling to hold onto my bag with my now skinless hand, I ran into a friend who asked me how my weekend was. I lifted up my aching head and gave him a big smile, "one of the best in my life" I responded.

As people are watchin' me, I never miss a beat...

OK! Sorry there is no picture this time. This could be the last time you hear from me as I could easily die at any point between now and monday morning.

After class today I'm dropping my backpack off at the train station and going to a breakdance class. After that I will be going to the Eiffel Tower to enjoy a very nice 2 euro bottle of wine with my friends (the bottle is from 2008, good year!). There is what's called an erasmus party at club Mix tonight. On thursdays every student over 18 goes to this club, it's amazing. LUCKILY the club just happens to be right next to Gare Montparnasse, the train station from which I will be departing at 7am friday morning. After I leave the club I will just walk across the street, pick up my bag and head to Munich for Oktoberfest!
In Paris there is what's called a nuit blanche, or white night. In america we call it an all-nighter but I think nuit blanche sound cooler.

Anyway, I would like to ask anyone reading this for a couple of favors which I think you owe me because as of yet I have received no Chipotle burritos in the mail....
1. campaign, campaign, campaign for frank-walter steinmeier. Al Qaeda has threatened to blow up Oktobefest if steinmeier does not win the election. Fantastic timing for me. Honestly, I do not know a lot about german politics, but I do know a lot about not exploding and I kind of like it.

2. I will not have a whole lot of time to do my global marketing homework this weekend :( SO if anyone happens to have a market research survey for Lunchables in France it would be spectacular if you could email it to me :) ajragland89@gmail.com

3. If Chancelor Angela Merkel happens to win the election, there is a good chance that I will be blown to smithereens. I would like the Black Eyed Peas and Flipsyde to play at my funeral...and I want Chipotle and Corner Bakery to cater. There will be an area for Salsa (Hector I want you to spearhead this), and an area for a techno dance party (Matt [vanilla bear] you take the lead on this one). Lastly, before you close the casket, I want everyone to give me a high-five (cinq).

Ooook wish me luck everyone..I'll put pictures up when I get back. Hopefully.

Trading the world for money, stars, and power, living my life at 100 miles an hour...

So today's my birthday. I'm no longer a teenager which means I have to be a little bit more responsible...maybe. This weekend has been amazing. Friday I went to the University of Paris and played soccer with some friends and french students who are way better than I could ever hope to be. Yesterday I woke up early and did some community service with my host brother Maxence. I say community service, but really it was a dance party where people happened to also be picking up leaves and trash. They provided music, lunch, and drinks and I got to meet lots of people! The people I went with with, Max and his friends are in the picture above. The program is called Orange Rockcorps and it's great. After only 4 hours of community service they gave me a free concert ticket! So October 2nd I'm going to see David Guetta, Busta Rhymes, Sefyu and Razorlight. I don't know who the last two are but I'm excited!
The guy in the other picture was hilarious. He kept getting up to dance, he wasn't bad actually.

After that we went to a techno parade. I want to express how crazy it was but I don't know how....ok, we went to a TECHNO PARADE! Me and about 500, 000 other people danced in the streets around giant buses with speakers larger than my house. No exaggeration....well maybe a little. Seriously though, it was a blast. Everyone was drinking and dancing for about 5 hours straight...I can't talk about it anymore because I get too excited so just look at these pictures.

Today I ran and played soccer with my host brother Tristen which was a lot of fun. Afterward our family had a picnic with shrimp and hot dogs and ice cream! Delicieux!!! Anyway it's time to go to the Eiffel tower to finish my homework.  Au revoir!

I feel like they didn't even have to put words on this sign...it's kind of self explanatory right?

I'm the reason they made the dress code, they figure I wouldn't wild when I'm in my french clothes...

Bonjour everybody!

I started my classes this week finally. It looks like I have a fun semester ahead of me, but I already have a decent amount of homework. Luckily my weekend starts on Thursday! That's right, no classes on Fridays...I love Paris. However, for some reason I was under the impression that my books were already payed for...or that they would be super cheap. Neither one of these fantastic scenarios is the reality. The reality is...on Monday, the day after my birthday mind you*, I get to watch all of my Oktoberfest money go down the drain. And by down the drain, I mean toward my education....(that was joke, my education is PRICELESS like Mastercard).

Nike and 7,300 tons of metal...what more could you want?

This is a picture of me on the top of the Fortress of Verdun, where the Battle of Verdun (1916) took place!

Yesterday this cool french guy named Tony Taz taught me how to break dance. I think I tore my left tricep but it was worth it! Now I must bid you all adieu, I'm going to play soccer.

* Born september 20, 1989. Send all presents (money, cookies, Chipotle burritos) to:

Alex Ragland
c/o IES BIA Center
27 bis, Rue Deparcieux
Paris 75014
France

A freak like me just needs infinity...

Alright, I love France. In the past couple of days I have had crazy amounts of fun, even in Verdun, France in the middle of nowhere. In Strasbourg there is a bar called Tapas Cafe, it has a Spanish theme to it and they make the best sangria I've ever had. It's right near the river and we filled the place with american students. Afterward, our whole group went to bed except for 5 of us. Even though it was a thursday night in Strasbourg, we found a popular little club called Kourrigans with only a 2 euro entry fee! We danced the night away to some interesting techno beats before we found our way back to the hotel.

Here's a pic of our group! I'm the one with the white button down and red under shirt.

We spent the next night in Verdun, which is the halfway point between Strasbourg and Paris. As we drove through the town, I had the distinct impression that I was going to die there. It was as if we were driving through the set of a scary movie. Everything was empty and they were several places where someone could easily be killed and never discovered. There was a bar in our hotel that our group brought to life. The hotel owner was ecstatic because he made more money that night from us than in the past year. After the bar closed he took me and a few other people to a bar called L'estimanet. It was the best. It's a small microbrewery with the coolest bartenders and delicious drinks. If you youtube "biere flambee" you can see what I had and maybe imagine how tasty it is. At the end of the night I brushed my teeth while looking out the window at the town and thought about how everything's better when you're abroad.
Last night was my first night back in Paris after our trip to Strasbourg. It was a little bit crazy. If you have never had Absinthe before, it tastes like a highly alcoholic chili pepper. At least that's what I thought of it. I somehow managed not to spend any money! Well, not somehow, a very friendly gay gentleman kept sending me drinks...and lets face it, I'm not going to turn down free drinks. I don't even turn down those worthless flyers that people pass out on the street.
I'll spare you the details of my evening but I feel like I should pass on some knowledge that I gained during my exploits last night. If you should ever find yourself in Paris, near the Arc de Triomphe, shivering from the cold, do NOT under any circumstances and I repeat DO NOT use the eternal flame to keep warm while you wait for the metro to open. The flame has been burning since 1920 and apparently they prefer that it continues to do so. SO, if you find yourself in that unfortunate situation, don't do what I did.

Also, please feel free to send me an email with any questions or comments about anything! ajragland89@gmail.com

Don't stop, don't change, stay beautiful!

Ok so I haven't posted anything in a while, sorry. The days and nights are whizzing by and although a lot's happened in the past week, it feels like a couple of hours has gone by.
I will try and summarize everything for you!

My french teacher has taken us on a couple of field trips to different areas in Paris. First we went to le Marais which has a lot of culture and history since it is the gay and jewish area of Paris. It is home to the Hotel de Ville (the mayor's house, and the center for a lot of political activity; pictured left), and lots of cool parks and buildings. We also went to St. Denis which is a giant melting pot of different cultures because it is home to a lot of immigrants from all over the world, legal and illegal.

I just got back from a weekend trip to Strasbourg, which I thought was amazing. It's a small town on the border of France and Germany with a river running through it and everything. We went there to see the European parliament and chamber of commerce. Apparently, Strasbourg is the heart of Europe! We left Strasbourg and went to Verdun, a small, small town on the way back to Paris. At first I was skeptical of the idea that I would be able to have a good time in this town, but I was proven wrong. Unfortunately my camera died within minutes of my arrival to Strasbourg so I have nothing to show from my trip!
The past week has been filled with homework, sightseeing, and lots of good times with the locals.
I have to buy school books this week which hopefully aren't as expensive as they are in the US. If they are, my next post might be from a prison after they catch me trying to rob a bank.

On the right we have Notre Dame, which means "our lady" in french, and below are some awesome stained glass windows from the Basilique St. Denis Cathedral. The big circular one shows the creation!
A tout l'heure!!

Mama was queen of the mambo, papa was king of the congo...

Time has been going by way too fast. The days and the nights just aren't long enough. It's Sunday and I finally caught up on sleep last night. Friday's orientation was fun. They took us on a boat tour of the beautiful seine river (left), which stretches across central Paris giving you views of the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Musee d'Orsay, Notre-Dame, and much much more.

Yesterday we went to the Palace of Versailles which was amazing. We walked the halls of the former kings and queens, and through the backyard which is actually larger than Manhattan...

Today I was walking around and finally found a place to play basketball! Unfortunately I can't find a gym that is reasonably priced though. Last night I went to Jonathan's apartment for his house warming party, and afterward we went to Bastille which was very crowded but nice. I have this whole Noctilien night bus thing down now! Traveling around Paris is a piece of cake! Today I came across the most fantastic park I have ever seen, Le Parc Monsouris. People were everywhere, jogging, eating, drinking, talking, sleeping. But here is the best part, so hold on to your seat. The whole park has wi-fi! Now I'm not sure if it is a good thing that we can now feed the ducks and check our email at the same time...but it sure is                   

convenient.

(palace of Versailles front yard is above to the right, 

and the backyard is below)

Now, I am about 90% positive that the food my host mom cooked tonight was a blessing from God. Actually, I'm being too modest. Allah and the Buddha blessed it too. As I write this, my mouth is trembling and I'm drooling all over the keyboard. We had chicken soaked in some sort of sauce, with mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, and a dish that looked a lot like eggplant parmesan but she said it was zucchini. Afterward we had bread and cheese which is customary in France. They have a giant platter with several different kinds of cheese on it. For dessert we had what I think was cherry cheesecake. I don't even like cherries but I thought it was tasty.

Tomorrow is my first day of class! For the next week I have nothing but intensive french language classes, and on the 16^th all of my classes begin. I signed up for global marketing, history of Paris in art and architecture, international and intercultural management, and intermediate french II. It should be a good semester as long as I get enough sleep, and on that note....I'm going to bed. Bonne nuit to all!

Chateau Versailles is pictured above! (I think Louis XIV had that video camera installed)

FUN FACT! If you lined up all the trees from the palace of Versailles, they would stretch for 80 miles! Knowledge is power.

I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine...

I think I have everything I need now to make it in Paris. I am getting a hang of how the metro system works here, I just bought a phone for $76 that came with unlimited texts and 30 minutes, I have a metro pass that cost $113 that gets me all around paris, by train or bus, and I have my new student ID that gets me into any museum I want for free! Life is grand and so is Paris.

We are about to have another family dinner that I'm sure will send my taste buds once again on a journey through heaven. Afterward, Jamal and I are supposed to meet up with a few people from our program to explore some more!

                                                10 hours later...

We made it back home, finally. After getting to know some of the other students in our program a little more, we all decided to go walk around. When the clock stuck midnight everyone began to get tired, and by 1am Jamal and I were on our own again. Unlike the others we refused to take a cab. (We are both on a tight budget you see). In Paris, they have what's called the Noctilien, which is their form of public transportation between the hours of 12:30 and 5:30am. The only problem is, it's very difficult for someone who hasn't even been in town 48 hours, to determine which bus will take you home and when.

After wandering aimlessly around the Arc de Triumph (pictured left and big enough to fly a small plane through, which actually happened in 1919) in a state of confused awe, we found a nice couple who looked like they could help us. Here is the best part....., they spoke spanish! So I was actually able to communicate effectively with someone for a change. It was also at this bus stop where we met Jonathan, a future lawyer born in France and raised in England. Jonathan was also lost and confused, and when we joined forces, it was like the reunion of the three musketeers. My sense of adventure, Jamal's sense of direction, and Jonathan's sense of humor made this 4 hour search bearable, and even fun. The fact that we were in Paris didn't hurt either!

After chasing buses all over the 8^th arrondissement we finally found our bus. Bus number N63. And it was parked. 30 minutes later when the driver finally emerged from God knows where, we were homeward bound, with 5 hours to spare before the 2^nd part of our school orientation. Yay!

Lend me your ear and I'll sing you a song...

Jamal, my housemate, and I went out last night for one beer and ended up coming back at 2 in the morning. While we were looking for a bar near the house, we lost ourselves in the streets of Chatillon. I asked a girl our age for directions and she ended up being really funny and she screamed when we told her we were American. “Americans! Ahhh I love Obama!” She yelled. “Where in America?” “Texas” we said. “Ahhhh!” she screamed again, “you are cowboys then.” She introduced us to her 2 friends who were also hillarious and we all talked and walked around for almost 30 minutes. After they showed us to the metro stop we said our goodbyes and Jamal and I were on our way. It was at that point when we decided that we needed to celebrate our arrival a little bit. We picked a metro stop that sounded cool, Invalides, and went to the nearest bar. In the bar we hung out with a group of girls that we met and talked about our Paris experience thus far. At this point I had been in Paris for about 5 hours so I didn't have a whole lot to talk about.

Jamal and I decided to go explore some more, so I got the number of one of the girls in the group and we left. It was at this point when I saw the tip of the Eiffel Tower in the distance. We made a beeline toward          the 1000ft structure stopping at a few bars and a grocery store on the way. 

After we absorbed the silent power of le Tour Eiffel for a few minutes it began to drizzle. Which was perfect because there were 2 girls with umbrellas on the other side of the tower that I wanted to talk to and now I had a conversation starter! We walked around with them for about an hour before we realized that the metro had shut down for the night. I got their number and Jamal and I put them in a cab so that we could figure out what to do.                                                                           Neither one of us had been to an ATM since we arrived and we spent most of our remaining euros on drinks.

We jumped in a cab and waited until the meter reached 15 euros so we could tell him to stop. To our surprise, and more proof that only SOME french people are rude to americans. The cab driver said it was no problem, consider it a welcome gift to the country. Amazing. We thanked him, tip toed up the 3 creaking flights of stairs to our rooms, and fell into a blissful sleep. Not a bad first night!

I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life....

Now I am sitting in my new home in Paris (left). Finally. It was a long trip to get here but it was definitely worth it. Just look at the view (below)! I met some fellow America travelers at baggage claim who were pretty cool and we exchanged information. Always good to have people to party with! Three trains, a bus, 8 blocks of walking, and 8.5 euros later, I am home and can relax a bit before dinner.

Before I go any further, I want to bust the myth that French people are rude. I know I haven't been here very long, but everyone I asked for help was happy to give it to me. My french at this point isn't very good. I haven't practiced all summer and it shows. The good news is that the more I speak it the more it comes back to me, so maybe in a few weeks I will be decent enough to hold a good conversation. The family I will be staying with have an amazing house. It's three stories with a great backyard and a pool. A 14 year old kid greeted me at the door, gave me a tour of the house, and took me to get a 1 month bus/metro pass. It's been 2 hours and I already feel like his brother.

The metro system is very good here too! And now that I have a pass I should be able to move around the city with ease! I haven't actually seen any of the city yet except for my neighborhood and the train stations so I have nothing to report. BUT, my neighborhood is very homey and there are beautiful women everywhere. Now if I only knew how to flirt in french...

I just had dinner. It was pure home-cooked deliciousness. We ate skewered meat and vegetables with potatoes cooked in some special sauce, with a giant bread stick in the middle of the table for everyone to share. Just when I thought it was over, my Parisian mom brought out a bowl of crème caramel that almost made me cry. It's 8:30 and my stomach is in heaven. Hopefully I won't need it back by tomorrow. Just enough time left in the day to go grab a beer and check out the neighborhood some more! :)

In the sunlight haze, I feel good to be alive...

The plane was massive, my seat was comfortable (for the first 30 minutes), the TV I had in front of me had several good movies available that I hadn't seen, I couldn't believe my luck. I was wondering who the lucky person would be that would get to sit next to me for 9 hours, and then I saw him, the German version of McLovin. He plopped down next to me and didn't say a word...for an hour, and the whole time he kept pushing my elbow off the arm rest. Everyone on the plane immediately turned on their TV's after takeoff. To my left a women was watching Angels and Demons, in front of me a Gentleman was watching Night at the Museum 2, and to my right McLovin was watching the The Hangover. I went to select a movie for myself when my TV turned off. The flight attendant came up to me and said in a startling German accent, “sir you're not going to like this but, your TV died.” “Fantastic,” I replied. The lights were out in the plane so I tried to turn on my personal light so I could read. Apparently the TV sent a memo to my lightbulb before it died, because the light was on for 3 seconds before it flickered out. Fantastic. Just when I thought all chancing of a good flight were lost, a shining beacon of hope appeared in front of me (shining beacon pictured below). I sat there and enjoyed my Wacsteiner while I watched Tom Hanks silently save the world. 

When McLovin finally did open up he ended up being pretty cool. We talked, exchanged music, drink beer and wine, and he even taught me some German. After the flight we exchanged information and went out separate ways.

I am in Frankfurt now waiting for my connection to Paris. They actually have a casino in the terminal in case anyone wants to lose any money before losing even more money exchanging their dollars for euros. Tempting, but I'll pass thanks.  

You're on the road, but you've got no destination...

I'm sitting here at my gate letting my final chipotle burrito digest, and waiting to board my plane so I can get this show on the road. I would really like a cold German beer right now, but I guess that will have to wait until my layover in Frankfurt. My good friends, great friends even, Hector, Adnan, and Anthony all called to say good-bye which made me miss Austin College a little bit. The plane is completely full but the lady who checked me in gave me an aisle seat which is fantastic, although I prefer window seats so I can see the country I am about to conquer or be conquered by, whichever way the cookie crumbles. Oops, I'm late for boarding. Time to go!

Skipping town, skipping stones

So my adventure starts this Tuesday. If I did my math right (which is highly unlikely), I have a 14 hour flight ahead of me not including my 3 hour layover in Germany. Yay. In case you don't already know, I will be spending the next 4 months in Paris studying International Business, followed by a 2.5 week journey through France and Spain during which I will make my way toward Morocco where I will be until the end of January! My french is terrible, my arabic is non-existent, but when I come back that will be a different story.

If you are curious about a place in Europe or Morocco, shoot me an email and let me know and I will try to go explore it for you!  

It hasn't really hit me yet that I won't see my friends and family, eat a Chipotle burrito, or drive my car Sasha for 5 months! But despite these terribly unfortunate drawbacks to my trip, I am still pumped.

Au revoir les Etats Unis!