2010 - A year to make history

Let me start by wishing all of you a very Happy New Year, filled with as much as you want of whatever you need!

The last few weeks have been interesting to say the least, and always a lot of fun. So let's start with Christmas.

I celebrated Christmas 2009 with my friends, the Fourniers, and had an absolutely amazing time. I met some people for the first time, too, and even one person I supposedly know from the last time I was here. Supposedly. Anyway, I spent a wonderful 5 days in Voisins-le-Bretonneux with everyone and I will never forget it. Merci Michèle, Jean-Luc, Anne, Nathalie, Édouard et Papi :D

I left the Fournier house on Sunday the 27th and made my way back into Paris. At the Gare de Montparnasse, an apparition in the form of an angel greeted me and took me to my quarters for the night. It took me a few minutes to realize it was actually Anastassia :D (not so easy to believe after so long), and I was quite happy when I came to this realization.

(pictured: angel)

For the next few days, we toured around Paris, seeing such noteworthy things as the Arc de Triomphe (see below), the Tour Eiffel, the Chateau de Versailles (also below), the Père Lachaise cemetery (where such famous people as Edith Piaf, Marcel Proust, Frederic Chopin and Jim Morrison are buried), the Galeries Lafayette, Mango, Zara, H&M, Promod, Etam, BCBG Maxazria, and a few other landmarks.

New Year's Eve, we went where every other immigrant and tourist goes: to the Eiffel Tower (pictured below). They put on a sound-and-light show for the masses, and it felt more or less like a club, but with the Eiffel Tower less than 100 feet away. Awesome!

We came back to Reims for almost 24 hours (it takes about 30 minutes to see the entirety of the tourist attractions in Reims - see picture below), before heading back to Paris. We got to stay in a Hilton the last night due to difficulties with planes, trains, and airport security. The dinner was wonderful, and the room looked more or less like the Royal Chambers in a museum or something. Also, it was a 10-minute walk from the terminal, so that's convenient.

A very enjoyable Christmas vacation, indeed, but what's to come? 2010 is the year of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, a few Asia-based fads, and the official Year of the Long-Distance Relationship. Allow me to elaborate.

Over the last couple of days, I have done some scheduling, and some basic math. As it turns out, the gift of the exchange program is a mixed blessing. Between my exchange here in Reims, Anastassia's fall exchange to Copenhagen, and barring any other unforseeable (or forseeable) changes, we will be away from each other for a minimum of 315 days this year (including forseeable events, the maximum days apart climbs to around 345). As you may understand, I was quite surprised and disappointed by this at first. However, I am optimistic that the experience will be positive all around.

As a final note, I hope you all transition back into work or school smoothly, and that you start your 2010 off on the right foot (unless you're left-handed).

Enjoy the pictures! (the rest are or will be on Facebook)