Vlog: Partying in an American college

In this video, I describe my personal views regarding alcohol and partying in the US, most precisely in an American campus.

I've finally decided to create a Youtube channel for vlogging purposes.

If you're tired of reading lengthy texts and looking at motionless pictures then...here comes another alternative: vlogging! Very motion and rambling-friendly. In English.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Ceelyn89

International exchange program? Paperwork included.

And here comes the most brain-breaking friendly part: the paperwork related to the non-immigrant US. As I'm talking in a completely spontaneous way, this video has its fair share of rambling. Don't mind it!

How it started: applying for an exchange program.

In this video, I go on the first step to an exchange program: applying for it!

Another attempt at vlogging

I was in the mood for vlogging, so here is the first video (among the many others) to come. Seeing as I vlog on an insufficiently regular basis, I will continue posting videos on blogger, even though the quality is far from being terrific and that the sound and image synchronization is quite off.

Snowshoeing in Ripton (Part 1)

Below is part 1 of my entry about my outdoor activity in Ripton. As I have shot a lot of photos, I will post the rest in part 2.

 

On Saturday January 28th, I went snowshoeing for the very first time in Ripton. It was a winter workshop which was offered to Middlebury College students and the latter had to sign up for it. On the one hand I was excited about it because it was such an incredible opportunity to get out and discover a new place and activity, but on the other hand the perspective of having to wake up at 8am on a Saturday was far from enjoyable. Moreover, three weeks of Chinese every day from 9am to 12.30pm since January 8^th do tend to wear you out. I still cannot believe how quickly this month has gone by, and I keep reminding myself of how little time left there is.

First thing’s first, I initially wanted to grab a nice breakfast because of the need for energy when you go snowshoeing in the cold. Unfortunately I had to hurry up when eating my fried egg, potato cubes and ham, as well as drinking my mixed juice. It was said in the email that the car would leave at 9am. When I went back to my dorm, it was 8.38am and I noticed that I forgot my ID card…again! It is needed to have access to dorms. Naturally, nobody was to be seen on campus at that time. Fortunately, Public Safety was only one minute away from where I lived. I dashed and broke in, out of breath. They gave me a ID card and I ran back to my dorm. I almost forgot to bring my snowshoes. It was only after I went down four flights of stairs that I noticed something was missing: my bottle of water! Pretty much useful when you do an outdoor activity. So here I was, going upstairs, again. Needless to say, I was all sweaty and tired from running around. When I left, many students were outside. Of course. When you need someone to open the door for you, nobody is here but when everything is fine, the campus is swarmed with people. That is how things roll.

I arrived at the meeting point at 9am and was relieved to see that there were only two people so far: the instructor’s husband and one student. Thirty minutes later, the group made of twenty people took off. The drive to Ripton lasted for twenty five minutes. Although the weather was warmer than usual, there was still snow. The instructor welcomed us warmly and we started with a snowshoe-less trail trip.

One hour and a half later, we put on our snowshoes. You basically have to wear them as if they were slippers. Since it was the first time I had ever worn them, I had to get used to walking with them. Nevertheless, you quickly get used to them. The second trail led us to a marvelous journey where we gazed upon a beaver pond. We crossed it and continued enjoying Vermont’s landscapes.

Being in the middle of nowhere, in the silent and snowy forest was so enjoyable, for the peace and relaxation it brought me. I did not think of anything else but the present moment. Everything was washed away. I was solely focused on the beauty of the scenery, breathing the even purer air, gazing at the majestic trees and the horizon, for the mountains could be seen.

We went back at the instructor’s house at 2pm. She was very friendly, warm and always willing to share a story. It is such a pleasant change to be surrounded by nice people, something that is very rare in Paris. No more stern, empty faces to look at, no more rude and cold strangers that bump you in the public transportation; but the pleasure of being in the nature with nice company. We all had lunch, and needless to say, after four hours of hiking we were extremely hungry. I devoured my bowl of buttered rice and pasta mix with spicy veggies. As a dessert, we had pudding and some sort of chocolate cake.

Although I stayed outside for four hours, I was not cold, quite the contrary because of the snowshoeing. However, entering into a well-heated house was more than pleasurable. It was all cosy and warm so after lunch I was inclined to have a nap. I actually felt the same way as when I skied.

At 3pm we came back to Middlebury College. I was extremely satisfied of the day. Snowshoeing was a fantastic experience, and there was nothing difficult about it, for it simply consisted of walking in the snow with special shoes. I was happy at how people were nice, especially the instructor and her husband. I also got to get to know more with fellow students. It was such a nice day.

Flashback: entry written on Dec 18th 2011, the day I left the US for vacation

Flying is magical...

At the time being I am in the plane to go to my final destination: Paris. I can feel in my body the weight of three weeks of poor-sleeping patterns as well as excitement. Yet I have gathered enough strength to write a bit about my journey, so far.

Me and a freshman acquaintance, of the (many) international students here.

The moment had finally arrived: it was Sunday December 18^th. After three months and a half, it was time to come back home for a well-deserved break.
The strange thing is that no matter how much I was looking forward to the moment I would eventually get to breathe, leaving Middlebury College was strange. It was definitely not home, but out of staying there for three months and a half, it starts feeling like one. Far away from my family and my roots, I have progressively built my own little niche. I stayed on campus, lived in a dorm, enjoyed the privacy of my own room, was constantly surrounded by students and got to get used to that radically different environment. As a consequence, it is no wonder I felt pretty uprooted now that I am leaving a familiar place to come back to one that I have grown estranged to. 

All my luggage (minus the one in the left)

Living at Middlebury College tends to make you feel very disconnected from the world. First, because of the location itself. Well, it's Middlebury. Vermont. If you have never heard of that state, do not be ashamed. I do not recall having heard of it beforehand. So it is rural, but you get to love it, because it is so peaceful and relaxing. The quality of life here is way better than in the city. Secondly, living on campus cuts you out even more from the world. So you end up living in your own bubble.

Very comfy transportation. We were five students and there was a lot of space. $30 and it lasted for an hour.

I think I am drifting away from my original purpose, so I will continue my story. Yesterday night I was finally done with my last exam, “Corporate Finance & Accounting” at 10pm. Since I was terribly busy with the preparation of my exams, I naturally had not started packing up yet. By the time I went to bed, I was mostly done with it. I did not fall asleep until 5am, which is curious because technically I should have been dead tired. I cautiously put three alarm clocks because I was to leave my dorm at 12.40pm!

I have never been a huge fan of packing up, to say the least. When you think about it, it is an easy guess for I am a messy person. So naturally, you'll think of me more as the one who enjoys unwrapping presents rather than preparing them. I had so many things to pack up, but about 90% of them were not mine – clothes, gifts, coats...The hardest step is to close the luggage. But like my mom says...”sit on it, it'll flat it all!”.

Max & me

At 12.55pm, Max came to my room to pick me up my stuff. It was very nice of him to offer his help, and it was not even the first time! He has already been a gentleman by carrying my huge pile of laundry to my room, located in the forth floor. We waited for our private mini-van, service provided by Middtransit. As there were five of us, the price was pretty reasonable and there was enough space. One hour later, we arrived at Burlington Airport. As usual, I was stressed out about one thing: the I-94. It is an important document for customs because this enables them to keep track of your arrival and departure. As I was to go to Philadelphia first before my final destination, I was therefore not sure who to give my I-94 to. The airline employee had absolutely not clue, and I suspect she did not even know what it was. I asked several employees later on and they told me that I was to give it to Philadelphia as it was my last port of exit. 

 

I think Max did not thoroughly check his boarding pass for he abruptly left me when I was heading towards the gates 1-6. Bummer. We waved bye bye to each other behind glass-windows. And here we go again, being alone. As much as I like travelling, I am always anxious when it comes to being on my own. But time went by quickly and I boarded the little plane. It left at 4pm, which was well-timed for this way I got to see an incredibly pleasant sunset. 

 

The plane left a bit late though, so I had better hurry up to catch my connecting flight, even though there was one hour left when I arrived in Philadelphia. After walking for a long time to go to terminal A, I quickly went to the duty free section, because taxes-free shopping is quite interesting, don't you think? I then dashed to my gate, where few people were boarding, which means that the gates have been opened for a while. The airline employee patiently replied to my questions about the I94, and bingo, I was to give it to him. Hurray! I was all set. 

My travelling companion...

I then continued my way to the A-330 plane, which is twice as big as the previous one. No sooner had I boarded than I noticed the French atmosphere. Stern, grim-faced people. The woman that was next to my seat (but who eventually got to sit elsewhere, phew) looked at me in an uncomfortable, quite negative way. Odd. 

 

After we took off, we had dinner. I was not picky this time and wolfed it down instead because it was 7.30pm and my last meal was seven hours before. Each passenger was equipped with a personal TV, but I was disappointed by the lack of choices. Perhaps I have had high expectations even since I have traveled with Air New Zealand because everything was pleasant, most importantly the food and the entertainment. On my current flight there are movies and TV series. I eventually got to discover Larry of the Hill (or something, can't remember) and How I met your mother. I already knew the latter because my brother enjoys watching it. I found myself laughing throughout the episode, so that was a nice surprise. I understood 100% of what was being said, which comforts me because I have definitely improved my listening skills, on top of my oral and writing ones. As I enjoy being in a complete American-speaking environment, I have to say that having to speak French again most of the time is one of the cons of coming back.

See you soon, Middlebury.

It's definitely weird to realize that you've already reached 1/3 of your journey in the US and to see how three months and a half pass by so quikly. One thing for sure is that when I come back, I want to make the most of it.

See you in three weeks, Middlebury College.

Say hello to France tomorrow! And to the Netherlands next week.

Finally Finished with my First Freaking Finals

I survived. I made it. In other words: FFFFF: Finally finished with my first freaking finals. All I want to say is that it was horrible because within a week everything was so muh more intense and stressful. On the other hand, it was not a big surprise because this is what happens when you do last-minute revisions. I hope that I will learn my lesson (several meanings here!) better next time!

Some fun facts:

- I haven't had a real decent lunch since yesterday, 1pm.
- I had an apple at 6pm then two bananas during my exam (7pm-10pm).
- I've had some powder soup since then.
- I haven't packed up yet even though I leave my dorm tomorrow at 12.40pm

My first freaking finals.

I am taking a very quick break from my intensive finals' reviews so as to update my blog and say what I am up to. As I am writing at the same time as my thoughts pop out, I am sorry to say that the quality of this post will seem tremendously poor compared to the previous ones. 

So, what have I been doing? Studying. Last-minute revisions. The worse thing being the fact that I did foresee the exams coming up but even though the tornado was right in front of me, I kept going ahead. Two weeks before the finals, I had already started ringing my brain's bell, telling myself that I ought to get on tracks. On top of the three courses I had to work on, there are two courses I have never been taught, and still, I have to take them when I come back to France. Joyful vacation! I try not to stress too much because as much as I would like to ace my exams, there are just exams. It is not a matter of life or death, I know that even if I don't get A's (because I don't have to care about the GPA or whatever), I will still be doing well, very well, even. I have two gigantic books of marketing and communication to wolf down within two weeks (I plan on doing the most of the work on the first though). 

What does it mean? It means that no sooner will I be done with Middlebury College's finals that I will have to work on my university's courses so as to prepare the exams. I'll try to be productive and enjoy my three weeks among my family and my boyfriend. Because this is the only time I will be in France and the Netherlands during my nine-month exchange program.

Back to the topic of finals. I'm working my b...rain out and I'm horrified by the lack of time. I haven't even started packing up yet, and the least I can say is that I have some work to do! I'm leaving on Sunday at 9am, most definitely. How challenging.