WOW! What a journey this has been so far. I never thought I would get to do so much!
All the sights and different cities I have seen would be nothing without the incredible people I have traveled with and met along the way. KEDGE Business School here in Bordeaux, France is a wonderful place. The student associations here are designed to make international students as involved as possible. By being involved with Melting Potes (a student association that welcomes international students and organizes activities in the community) and WAXit (an association dedicated to extreme sports) I have had the opportunity to meet, eat, party, and shred up the Pyrenees mountains with some of the most amazing and diverse group of people I have ever met. I have made great friends with people from all around the world.
I’ve tasted some of the world’s finest wines in Chateau’s around France. I’ve been to the top of the Eifel Tower and toured the Coliseum in Rome. Ridden a bike around Vondel Park in Amsterdam, climbed Dune de Pilat on the Atlantic Coast of France, surfed in the oceans of Morocco, eaten tapas on the beaches in Barcelona and enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere in the legendary Casino Monte Carlo. I’ve enjoyed exciting trips with some of the best people I have ever met. The friends I have made have truly made this experience unforgettable.
Being fully immersed in the French culture has inspired me to learn as much as I can about life here. While the language barrier has been difficult at times, I am learning. I now feel comfortable in a restaurant and feel like I can make at least some (a little) contribution in a French conversation, I have my Quebecois roommates to thank for that.
With that being said, time really does fly. I remember the day I got to Bordeaux like it was yesterday and now people are beginning to leave to go home. As for me, funds are running low and the meals are getting cheaper and while traveling too far out of Bordeaux is probably out of the question for the remainder of my time here, it is not a bad place to be stranded. Between the pickup football (soccer) games on the quai and picnics in Jardin Public, I think I can manage.
A la prochaine!
Zach