Are you guys POSITIVE that this Friday wasn't Friday the 13th? One of the worst day EVER!
Let me begin...
We left beautiful Honfleur in the morning and had a bus ride to Etretat. What's Etretat you may ask? Claude Monet painted it
Well, it really is that beautiful. We went around noonish and I had a nutella crepe as I sat on the boardwalk enjoy the PERFECT weather and having the sea roaring behind me.
After that we took a 32432 hour..okay 4ish hour ride to Lille! This is the city where I'm living for a month, where my classes will be! It's exciting to finally not be a tourist but a STUDENT! Everyone was anticipating arriving to a new home!
Well we finally reached! It looked different then expected..like New York but pretty dingy. To be honest, I was quite disappointed. However I was first to get off, first to get my heavy luggage, and first to get my room key! Room 415! Woo :) So thennn I trucked past everyone and their luggage and went to the elevator. One of the girl who is part of the program warned me right when I walked in the tiny old elevator that it gets stuck if you don't close it properly and how it works. I'm like well , make sure I close the door etc etc. For some reason, the elevator didn't close the second door and I open it and everyone's like you're STILL here? And I'm like of course..idk how to work it! So they figured out I had to manually close the second silver door? So I did..and it moved and stopped and I freaked out and pressed a button or SOMETHING but I was STUCK. AND STUCK BETWEEN TWO FLOORS.
Let me take a second to breathe, I'm panicking from just TYPING about it...
So basically I can see 2nd floor and ground floor...and the people on both floors, bottom could see my feet and the top could see below. I had no way to get out. Luckilly that silver door stayed open and there was a tiny window between two floors so I could talk to people and they could see me (and ruthlessly TEASE me) I immediately started crying and panicking. I couldn't breathe and I wanted to die. Everyone was laughing and I'm like seriously? But what could I do? I tried to press another button but I was still between TWO floors. The doors to the other floors can't open unless the elevator is infront of it...which it clearly wasn't. Madame B and Jenn (a girl working for the study abroad program) and Noel (the girl who warned me about the elevator) were comforting me and telling me what to do. Over one hour later, (did I write hour? I meant ETERNITY), I finally escaped. The people to fix it took AGES to get over to the dorm and they unlocked the ground floor door and took my suit cases and I jumped out.
I refuse to touch an elevator.
Then I caught up with the group on the tour and we were learning about cool hang out places and places to avoid. I felt the latter was more than the previous. =\ During the tour there was a HORRIBLE stench. Apparently it's always there. I did manage to find a lot of Indian places to eat! I plan to check them out.
The tour wasn't amazing, I felt more discouraged and upset afterwards. Then we had to find dinner and I got pizza. Which ended up being completely burnt on the bottom. Ugh. Thats when it hit me. Hit me REAL hard. I am on my 2nd week in France and I'm suffering homesickness (a form of sickness that I usually don't get that early or often.) I wanted to break down and cry. I missed everyone, Familyyyy Friends and Milan. I felt so alone right then and there even though my new friends have already become family!
I cried so much afterwards. I had the most awful day and I was still traumatized by the elevator experience. ONE HOUR!
Later that night after Loretta comforted me as well as a few others, we decided to check out the night life. I really enjoyed that, dancing was SO much fun! However all the girls some how split up and Loretta and I were together and couldn't find ANYONE. Long and scary story short, we SOMEHOW made it back to our dorm. Somehow as in..we just used our instincts. At like 1.30am....
Luckily, Friday the 13th (3rd really) had came to an end. I realized I'm pretty strong and I have gotten through the worst. Yes, stuck in a tiny French old scary elevator for one hour is the worst.
Let me begin...
We left beautiful Honfleur in the morning and had a bus ride to Etretat. What's Etretat you may ask? Claude Monet painted it
After that we took a 32432 hour..okay 4ish hour ride to Lille! This is the city where I'm living for a month, where my classes will be! It's exciting to finally not be a tourist but a STUDENT! Everyone was anticipating arriving to a new home!
Well we finally reached! It looked different then expected..like New York but pretty dingy. To be honest, I was quite disappointed. However I was first to get off, first to get my heavy luggage, and first to get my room key! Room 415! Woo :) So thennn I trucked past everyone and their luggage and went to the elevator. One of the girl who is part of the program warned me right when I walked in the tiny old elevator that it gets stuck if you don't close it properly and how it works. I'm like well , make sure I close the door etc etc. For some reason, the elevator didn't close the second door and I open it and everyone's like you're STILL here? And I'm like of course..idk how to work it! So they figured out I had to manually close the second silver door? So I did..and it moved and stopped and I freaked out and pressed a button or SOMETHING but I was STUCK. AND STUCK BETWEEN TWO FLOORS.
Let me take a second to breathe, I'm panicking from just TYPING about it...
So basically I can see 2nd floor and ground floor...and the people on both floors, bottom could see my feet and the top could see below. I had no way to get out. Luckilly that silver door stayed open and there was a tiny window between two floors so I could talk to people and they could see me (and ruthlessly TEASE me) I immediately started crying and panicking. I couldn't breathe and I wanted to die. Everyone was laughing and I'm like seriously? But what could I do? I tried to press another button but I was still between TWO floors. The doors to the other floors can't open unless the elevator is infront of it...which it clearly wasn't. Madame B and Jenn (a girl working for the study abroad program) and Noel (the girl who warned me about the elevator) were comforting me and telling me what to do. Over one hour later, (did I write hour? I meant ETERNITY), I finally escaped. The people to fix it took AGES to get over to the dorm and they unlocked the ground floor door and took my suit cases and I jumped out.
I refuse to touch an elevator.
Then I caught up with the group on the tour and we were learning about cool hang out places and places to avoid. I felt the latter was more than the previous. =\ During the tour there was a HORRIBLE stench. Apparently it's always there. I did manage to find a lot of Indian places to eat! I plan to check them out.
The tour wasn't amazing, I felt more discouraged and upset afterwards. Then we had to find dinner and I got pizza. Which ended up being completely burnt on the bottom. Ugh. Thats when it hit me. Hit me REAL hard. I am on my 2nd week in France and I'm suffering homesickness (a form of sickness that I usually don't get that early or often.) I wanted to break down and cry. I missed everyone, Familyyyy Friends and Milan. I felt so alone right then and there even though my new friends have already become family!
I cried so much afterwards. I had the most awful day and I was still traumatized by the elevator experience. ONE HOUR!
Later that night after Loretta comforted me as well as a few others, we decided to check out the night life. I really enjoyed that, dancing was SO much fun! However all the girls some how split up and Loretta and I were together and couldn't find ANYONE. Long and scary story short, we SOMEHOW made it back to our dorm. Somehow as in..we just used our instincts. At like 1.30am....
Luckily, Friday the 13th (3rd really) had came to an end. I realized I'm pretty strong and I have gotten through the worst. Yes, stuck in a tiny French old scary elevator for one hour is the worst.
1 comment:
Pranjali,
First off I want to say that while at the moment it may seem like the end of the world, you are doing an EXCELLENT job trying to adapt to a completely different atmosphere and surroundings, something that most of us fear and stay away from. I feel like no matter what happens, you are gonna be able to come out of this experience an even more beautiful and stronger person than you already are <3 I'm reallyy sorry to hear about your elevator experience, though. That's def. up there for one of my worst nightmares, but like I said, you're def. my hero for surviving it with grace, and what douche bag people for laughing at you... how would they like to be in your shoes??
All you're pictures look gorgeous and I feel like you should endeavor into a little European modeling while you are there :)
<<<3333, Lavanya
P.S. your storytelling abilities are phenomenal!! You capture all the emotions beautifully. I felt like I was experiencing everything right there next to you!
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