Minding the gap!

Alright, here I am again writing to you as I sit in the computer lab of the Université Catholique de l'Ouest in the beautiful city of Angers, France. Because j'ai la gueule de bois, I will keep my travel stories short and to the point...but let you know how much I love it here! Alors, let's begin:

Peggster dropped me off at SFO and I caught my first plane to Denver. At the airport in Denver everything was fine and dandy until they called me up to the service desk (horribly mispronouncing my name of course). The clerk said he typed in my baggage claim number wrong and had to retype it in. Then he realized that he typed it in right and gave himself a high-five (not joking), all the while I'm FREAKING out because that means the bag they grabbed to put on the flight to London wasn't mine. The only reassurance he gave me was: "We'll try to find your bag and get it on the plane before you take off. If it's not there when you get to London, just file a claim". I was in such shock at the prospect of not having my bag that I said 'okay' and walked away. Luckily when I landed in London, my bag was there...PHEW! I feel very lucky, especially after hearing a story yesterday about a girl who came to Angers to study for one month (like me) and her luggage got lost...and it took 2 weeks to get it back to her! So half of the time she was there, she didn't have any of her stuff! No thanks.


Anyways, after getting my luggage I found my way to the Tube and took the Picadilly line to St. Pancras International. I love the tube! It's so fast and easy to use, and I loved the British woman's recording: "Please mind the gap" love it! I was admiring all the scenery on the way to St. Pancras, and then realized how similar everything looked to the setting of 28 weeks later and I got a little scared...lol

I made it to the train station but missed my train to Paris Nord by 2 minutes, so I bought myself a Cadbury chocolate bar and people-watched for a few hours. I absolutely love the way European women dress! I definitely feel like my personal style is going to change after being over here - no more Old Navy flip flops and sweatpants pour moi! lol I finally got to Paris, and just made the next train to Angers. After travelling for 24 hours, I made it!!! I'll blog more about my host family in un moment.

Things to know:
*The food on British Airways is horrible, and unfortunately they give you a lot of it too. Don't eat it.
*To get to the Eurostar train station from London Heathrow Airport, take the Picadilly Line (color-coded as navy blue) to King's Cross/St. Pancras.
*Be AT LEAST 30 minutes early for the train at St. Pancras International. It's much like the airport.

Doing the visa dance

I got my visa! And what an experience it was...

Aunt Carla and I got to the consulate at about 8:30am for my 9am appointment. Apparently 15 other people's appointments were at 9 as well, because there was a crowd waiting outside. When the doors finally opened, we all filed in a line to go in and this is where my heart rate rose and remained elevated for the next 2 1/2 hours.

As soon as I step in the door (and through a metal detector) there is a big sign that says "NO CELL PHONES OR LAPTOPS"...really? I felt like we were at a prison or something. There was a guard with a list of names to be let in and even though mine was at the top of the list AND he was pointing right at it AND he had my passport in his hand for verification, he couldn't seem to find it. He kept saying, "If this isn't you, I can't let you in". AHHHH just let me in! He finally did, and Carla was told to sit in the brown chairs while I sat in the blue chairs. Anybody who was not sitting where they were supposed to or was sitting out of order (ahem, me) was sternly told by one of the the french tellers to move.

After waiting for 1 hour and 45 minutes, I finally was able to go up and submit my paperwork (tons and tons of paperwork). Then I waited another 45 minutes to get the visa, which technically I wasnt't supposed to be able to get because I didn't have my parents last three bank statements...WHAT?!? First of all, I had a financial guarantee from them stating they could support me while overseas; second, I was never told I needed those documents; and I have no desire to see what kind of money my parents are or are not making! Sheesh.

But FINALLY the visa was securely fastened in my passport, and I was home free. Carla and I did a visa dance to celebrate, and she treated me to a tartine at a cute french café across the street. Phew.

I would love to write more right now, but my jet lag is hitting me hard and typing on french keyboards is really frustrating me right now. For example, if I just wanted to type "The quick, brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" without looking at the keyboard, it would look like this:

The auick; brozn fox ju,ped over the lqwy dog

Stay tuned for the lost luggage adventure and minding the gap on the Tube! I need sleep.

Ahhh!

I'm freaking out! I leave for San Francisco tomorrow to get my visa, and then...à Paris! Well, I'll be in Paris for probably an hour or so, but AHHHHHH I'm so excited! I purchased a backpack yesterday for my travels, and I have (almost) successfully fit 3 months worth of clothes and toiletries into it. Sometimes I really impress myself :)

Didn't think I could do it, did ya?

I've faced a lot of obstacles in trying to study abroad, and still have one more to conquer: getting my visa. The consulate is VERY picky and VERY strict about knowing where you're going, how long you're going to be there, how you're paying for your travels, etc. etc. So if I do ONE thing wrong, I won't be able to get my visa and my trip is kaput. This is not an exaggeration people. Please wish me luck for my appointment Thursday morning!

To let everyone know, here are my plans when I get to Angers:

September 1st - Orientation/Tour of Angers

September 2nd - Placement test

September 3rd - September 27th - Classes!

And...on the weekends we'll be taking excursions, which I will definitely post pictures of: Puy du Fou, Mont St-Michel et Saint-Malo, Anjou troglodytique, Châteaux de la Loire, Golfe du Morbihan, Mégalithes de Carnac et Vannes. Don't worry, I'll explain each later!

I'll be back to update again before my flight - au revoir!

20 days until takeoff!

In exactly 20 days I will be flying halfway across the world to Europe! I've decided to follow the "blogging while overseas" crowd and keep my family and friends updated on my travels...so here I am! In case you didn't know, my name is Kyrie Juchemich and I'm 22-years-old and a graduate at the University of Oregon. I still have 6 more credits before I can actually get my diploma, so instead of taking Rocks for Jocks or Underwater Basketweaving (both legit classes!), I'm studying abroad in Angers, France for one month. After the month is up my friend and roommate from freshman year will be joining me to travel around A LOT of Europe and the UK. I will also be making one last stop in Dubai before I head home. Around the world in 93 days...or something like that :)

Another reason I'm keeping this blog is to keep track of my exercise and food habits. I understand that la nourriture française est très bonne, but it's very important to me to stay healthy and fit throughout the trip. The school I'm attending for the month of September (Catholic University of the West) has a gym, so I'm good there. HOWEVER, I am trying to train for a half-marathon, and obviously I'm going to have to be running. Hopefully my host family can show me some good spots to run! I might as well start my food log today (never in detail, just highlights and not-so-highlights):

*Eating: Good! I ate well all day, with the exception of two BIG bites of kuchen (german cake) that my grandma made - it was SOOOOO freakin' good! Yum yum, definitely a possibility for my bakery.
*Exercise: I just ran 5 miles, so I'm pretty happy with myself. I'm going to go lift weights for about 30 minutes and do a few calisthenics, but then I'll be done for the day.

I have a large list of things to do before my trip, so I will be posting about that as well. Woo, I can't wait!!!