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St. Emilion

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A little belated but here it is:

Four days. The business game is over and we have four days to get ourselves into trouble. The majority of us are new to Bordeaux (let alone France) and we only know a few people. The school hosted a party on Wednesday. Thursday we recovered. Friday we ran important errands – picking up bank cards, selecting internet providers, etc. But what were we going to do with our remaining two days. It was supposed to rain so the beach is out. Bordeaux isn’t that big and there are only so many tourist sites within the city limits. So the American, the German and the French girl piled into a car and drove to St. Emilion for a day of exploring and wine tasting. At least that was the plan…

In preparation for the adventure we visited the Bordeaux tourism office on Friday and picked up a information book about St. Emilion. We asked about visiting the Chateau and tastings. We were told that it shouldn’t be an issue and that we could easily visit several different locations on Saturday afternoon.

In actuality, tasting rooms aren’t quite the same in France. It’s not like the lovely, welcoming tasting rooms of California. A lot of the Chateau require reservations. And just as many, if not more, aren’t even open on the weekends. So after our arrival in the city and a lovely lunch at the town square, we tried to visit a couple of different tasting rooms. And only had a little luck. It was partially my fault – when looking at the map I failed to realize that most of the tasting rooms were within walking – let alone 2 minutes driving – distance. But we did manage to find our way into a lovely cave and then to an even lovelier chateau.

We also walked around the very quaint medieval village. Complete with steep cobblestone streets, forts and stunning churches. To kill a little time before our second appointment we went exploring and found a lovely grove of trees, a quaint stone bridge and some lovely grape vines. (No grapes were harmed in the making of this post.)

All in all it was a lovely day and a great adventure. Visit the St. Emilion Photos page to see the proof.

Seminars, Red Tape and … and English Class

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By 8 pm tonight I will have completed my second week of “school.” This week it was ateliers RH or HR Seminars. Aside from one cancelled and postponed session this afternoon, we’ve spent the past three days talking about integrating into a new company environment, working on our resumes and frantically preparing presentations. And I have to confess…it was a bit boring. I did enjoy the case study work and scrambling to prepare a presentation in an hour. It was also nice this week to start working with my program class mates. But I’m looking forward to digging into my real course work on Monday. 

Before I do that I do have to sit through an Business English class. Yes that’s right an ENGLISH class. I’ve been excused from the introductory class – after I attend the first early morning session and advice the instructor – and the exam but not the Business English class. In all honesty I can say: I hope I can pass. I keep being told to slow down.

I am however looking forward to taking my intermediate French class. So far I have managed to successfully get through enrollment, opening a bank account, a business game and more. But it will be nice to brush up on my grammar and my writing skills. Hopefully the next time the internet at my apartment crashes I will be able to help my landlady understand that it is OK to unplug your router and physically reset the WIFI.

This week has also been a lesson in French red tape. I had to postpone starting my internship by one week as I am still waiting for the necessary paperwork to come through. I purchased my bus/tram pass and paid for the whole year in advance. Only to try to board the tram and have my card not work. (P.S. Anyone know the french translation for lanyard or badge holder?) I purchased the SIM card for my phone so that I finally will be able to use my smart phone as more than a large texting device. Only to realize that I would have a few days of interrupted service while my number changes providers. I think I can officially say I have a greater appreciation for navigating important tasks in my native language.

The Movie Moment

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You know that moment in the movies where thunder claps, lightening flashes and in an instant a beautiful day turns into violently pouring rain. Apparently this actually happens in real life. And I got stuck in the downpour.

Today was actually a beautiful (if hot) day in Bordeaux. The sun was shining. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We’ve actually had great weather all week. In fact the picture below was one I snapped from the school terrace at lunch. You can see the cathedral and the old city overlooking the river. Since I took it with my iPhone it’s not a great picture but you can get the idea.

photo

Tonight there was a party celebrating the new school year and the end of the business game.  After meeting a fellow American expat for drinks – who also happens to work at the same company where I will be doing my internship – I met several friends from school and headed to the party. It was when we were leaving that the freak weather struck.

As Bordeaux isn’t a huge city so as we headed out we debated walking to the local bus depot and attempting to conquer the bus system or just walking. Being poor graduate students we opted for attempting to figure out the bus system. But as we were walking toward the bus station the freak weather struck. And it started to pour. And I do mean pour. It was more like someone opened a spigot.

So we made the mad dash back to the club. And, soaking wet, the three of us – all headed in the same direction – jumped in a taxi. Again at least Bordeaux isn’t a huge city and it was only about 4 euro for my portion of the ride. But I was still faced with the half mile walk in the now harder downpour.

Had I been hope, I would have been stripping as I walked in the door. But as I wasn’t sure of my roommate’s location I dragged my soggy but up the stairs. My shoes literally squished with every step. My jeans were saturated to the knees. Hell, even through a sweater, a tank top and an undershirt my bra was wet.

Now I’m off to go dry my hair and go to bed.