My 21st Birthday was obviously on Monday March 21st. I had six hours of class that day, and was generally overwhelmed with the workload that is piling up at GEM. Really, I did not know what I was getting myself into at the beginning of the semester. We are now bombarded with group project after group project and assignment after assignment as we continue to study for final exams in a month. I'm really not a fan of all of this work at the very end of the semester when I scheduled most of my traveling. Anyway, that Monday, after six hours of class, our super outgoing British friend Charlie told the whole class to go get drinks at the restaurant by our school in honor of my birthday. Everyone showed up! I really enjoyed just hanging out with the people I see in class everyday, getting to know them better, and to be honest, seeing some of them let loose a little bit. By the end of the night we got to talking to some of the French students (see note below). It was great to talk in French a bit with locals and meet some of the fancy, smart MBA and Masters students.
By around 10 PM I got some weird cheesecake/flan French concoction with raspberry sauce free from the bartender. I think I took two bites and decided the texture was not for me (see second side note below). We then ordered three pizzas with spinach and mushrooms, because I said that was my favorite. It was a very fun night, but I really had in the back of my mind that I had so much to accomplish before I could leave for Spain on Wednesday.
I had a really great Birthday mostly due to the many Facebook wall posts. My parents sent a great care package with tons of granola bars, which served as my breakfast on-the-go for the past week and a half, some hot chocolate, a new toothbrush, and some other great items like a pair of FABULOUS earrings that I've worn ever since. My grandparents also sent a great card in the mail, which I really enjoyed. So, really I got Happy Birthdays from people all over the world, and even though a 21st Birthday in Europe isn't that big of a deal, I still had a beer in honor of the idea of drinking in the States when I get back!
Notes
1. Grenoble Ecole de Management is split into two very different sections. There is the international side where the business classes are all taught in English and there is the French side where all the classes are taught in French. I'm obviously part of the international side where there are students from all over the world and some French students who want to take business classes in English. It's just a business school so there is no need for anything else to be taught, but there are language classes. Obviously, I take French, but some of the French students take Spanish, Italian, German, or Chinese. Those students amaze me.
The two sides of the school don't have a huge amount of interaction so any time that we get to talk with the cool French people from the French side is time well spent.
2. It is fact that certain people avoid certain foods for whatever reason, rational or irrational. I have an irrational disgust for mayonnaise and anything that is too much like pudding, also some creamy dairy products like créme brulée. Créme Brulée is most certainly not my thing I'm sorry to say. It may seem weird, but consider this... Kate and I had a lovely discussion about food, as usual, in Barcelona, and we were talking about foods that just freak up out, foods we love, and foods we will never try to matter what. It all seemed really random at first, we both love veggies, love chicken, aren't wild about red meat, and then there were a few individual preferences. We started talking about our Moms and how they don't eat those things or how they can't go through a day without a vegetable. So, I officially attribute my irrational disgust for mayonnaise to my Mother. Comments from parents make a difference growing up, whether they are supposed to or not. Also, the fact that my favorite pizza is spinach and mushroom says a bit. Yes, I was raised by a nutritionist, thank you very much.
Bisous!
No comments:
Post a Comment