Paris - Day 1

Because there aren't words to describe my 30+ hour day, let's just start from the beginning...

Yesterday (Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. CT) I woke up slightly nervous. I enjoyed my morning with Sam and Mom, but as the day progressed and the time for my flight drew near, my nerves continuously got worse. I could barely eat lunch in Springfield. 

After checking in at the airport and getting tickets, I had to say goodbye. That was the worst. I felt like I was the only one in the group emotional about walking away from my mom. I didn't want to leave them. Maybe it's because I hadn't previously prepared myself for the separation because I just continued to ignore it until that moment. And in that moment, I lost control. I was ready to say no and drive home, but I didn't because I knew they'd force me to walk away. 

I walked away from my mom and Sam heartbroken because of the mere minute I had to say goodbye before walking through security. It wasn't long enough, but I can't say having more time would've made it easier because I know it wouldn't have. I was the only one crying through security, but honestly, I wasn't embarrassed. I know how much they both mean to me and I wasn't afraid to admit I was sad. Plus, I didn't know anyone in the group very well, so that only made it harder to say goodbye and easier not to care about my emotions. 

The plane ride to Chicago wasn't anything to discuss. It was a very small plane. The landing was a little rough and I had a headache the whole time, but I can't say whether it Is because of the flight or my emotions because after a whole day here, my head still hurts. I suppose I'm just worried and stressed and overwhelmed with everything to do with this trip. 

The plane ride to Paris was similar, but terrible at the same time. I continued to have a headache and I've realized that I don't fly well, at least the taking off and landing parts anyway. My ears hurt and I felt dizzy and nauseous. Because of the time difference, we were supposed to sleep on the plane to help us avoid extreme jet lag since the trip leaders, Dr. Philibert and Dr. Stebbins, were forcing us to stay up all day today. I slept more than others probably, but it was definitely not enough and very uncomfortable. The people around me just kept chatting and well, economy plane seats just aren't anything like a lazy boy recliner, right Sam? 

The plane food was terrible. The dinner choices were a curry chicken with rice or a cheese lasagna. Knowing me at all means cheese lasagna definitely because I just don't take chances with meat. Well, I decided on this once in a lifetime opportunity that I was going to start trying new things on the plane instead of waiting until we arrived in Paris. Wrong decision. Since the meal was microwaveable, obviously, everything was slimy and the chicken didn't even taste like chicken. Oh well, I tried, right? 

Landing in Paris was crazy. It still doesn't feel real that I'm here. 

Today has been insane. I haven't walked this much nor ate this little in a long time. After arriving at 8:30 a.m., we all got some euros at the airport and then took a charter bus to the hotel. It was definitely nice that our Dr. Philibert planned this part with a travel agency so we weren't alone. The roads in Paris are always busy. There's traffic all day and the cars are tiny. It was crazy to see the speed limit in kilometers; that took some time to process. 

After dropping our luggage off at the hotel, we headed to lunch at a cafe about a block from here called La Terrasse. I ordered the croque Monsieur recommended by someone in the group. Essentially it's a ham and cheese sandwich with lots of cheese, very strong cheese. It tasted good at first, but then with so little ham and such a strong cheese, the taste went downhill. I ate about a fourth of it along with some French fries and ketchup. The fries were almost identical to fries in the states; I guess that's because they're French. 

After, we visited the first business. It was called SpeciTubes. They make the pipes that build airplanes. It was really neat, except after the terrible roundabout walk because we were rather lost. The company was in a hidden corner. The guide, a friend of one if the trip leaders that lives in Paris, would have never found it without asking several people for directions. So while we were listening to their managers, I kept falling asleep. I felt quite rude, but I couldn't help it. 

We returned back to the hotel on a thankfully shorter route.

 

Dinner was on our own, so Katie, my roommate, and I decided to go to the local grocery store and find dinner to save some money. I bought a turkey and cheese sandwich with some kind of sauce. Well, when I bought it I hoped it was turkey. I just knew it looked like turkey and thought I'd take my chances.  I also bought some peach yogurt and a water. The sandwich was turkey and tasted pretty good, but the yogurt was Greek, which I don't care for so I threw it away. Katie and I ate on a bench near the hotel by a metro stop. 

You can see the Eiffel Tower from our hotel, so you could also see it from the bench where we ate. It was neat to just sit and watch people while we ate. That's what they say Paris is all about anyway. We took a selfie with the Eiffel Tower behind us; that was fun. After we finished eating, we came back to the hotel and showered and got ready for bed. 

So after face timing my mom and Sam, I'm completely exhausted. I didn't really feel like talking about my day or talking much in general because I have been up so many hours. It was nice to see them though. It's been a rough, stressful day. 

Honestly, I'm ready to go home. I miss hugging Sam and talking to my family. I wouldn't say I'm homesick, but it'd be a heck of a lot easier if they were here. 

Anyway, until tomorrow au revoir friends.