Settling into Lyon

After just over a week in Lyon, France, I think it is fair to say that I am getting settled in here. I arrived from London to about half a foot of unexpected snow that made things a little tougher. With everything I would need to live here for the next 4-5 months on my back, I somehow managed to find my friend Blair, who helped me figure out where in the town my apartment was. After arriving at my apartment I started to get settled, only to have to move after my UA roommate declared the place to be insufficient for her class of living... literally sending me packing after only a few days. Fortunately for me, Blair, my friend from UA, and my other friends I have made here assured me that I wouldn't go homeless and I found another place right away, the only downside is that it is much more expensive. By the time I found my new home, a nice Studio in student housing, I had also obtained my Student ID, which I used to get my Metro pass. Using the Metro (subway, tram, bus system), I have been able to cruise around the city, discovering good stores, figuring out my way around, etcetera.

I am very happy where I am living now. I am very central to a lot of places, close to a Metro stop and good grocery store, and have good internet so I can keep in touch with Brittany. My place also has a small weight room...essentially a barbell, bench, weights for the bar, and elliptical, however this is enough to keep me going on a daily basis. With some extra time on my hands I have begun to workout every morning and I have accepted the challenge to learn new exercises that I can do with a bar.

By far the best things about this study abroad experience are the other students. I have met so many amazing people from Thailand, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, and the US. We have become instant friends and have our own little family, so far from home. I can truly say I value every minute I get to spend with these people and look forward to seeing them everyday. Let's hope that doesn't change :-) Fortunately they tolerated my rapping of Will Smith's "Miami" in the pub the other day, so they have probably seen me at my worst, and yet they still associate with me.

School on the other hand, is getting off to a slow start. My "family" of friends and I get to suffer through six hours a day of boring lecture. While the subject of Criminal International Law is potentially very interesting, our Prof seems to suck the life right out of it. Let's hope it gets better from here. The good thing is the school administration is great and extremely helpful, so any problems that arise are usually fixed in due time.

Now that classes have started my days have become a bit less exciting. Lots of class and trying to finish up loose ends of business that need to be done (like getting a French bank account to pay my rent.

More to come soon, I promise.