Time is money; no truer words have ever been spoken. Because I did not make any housing arrangements in hopes of finding some upon arrival, I’ve been living in a hotel for almost a week now in Juan Les Pins. This is a very nice area on the French Riviera, but unfortunately, it’s very expensive as well. I’ve been sucked into buying overpriced lasagna and downing it with wines I can’t pronounce. Every bite was filled with excitement and hurt.

I haven’t been feeling very well since I’ve been here either. I ate some airline food heading to London and my stomach is still severely hurting. But let me step back a few days to get you caught up with my adventures so far.

After saying my goodbyes to my family and friends in Ft. Lauderdale on September 1st, I took a flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Dallas, Dallas to London, and Finally, London to Nice and landed at about 5 p.m. the next day. To get from the airport to my hotel, it took about 15 minutes. The fare came out to 77 Euros, about 107.80 USD. Just an idea of the prices I’ve been paying so far.

The views so far have been breathtaking and I still do not believe I am here feeling this French sun. The weather has been about 85 degrees Fahrenheit and everyday is the perfect beach day on the Riviera.

I had Orientation on Wednesday. The school itself, SKEMA Business School, is located in Sophia Antipolis, about 20 minutes by bus from Juan Les Pins. It was truly exciting meeting so many students from so many different places around the world that I didn’t even know existed until that day. And I was very surprised by how many other students spoke English. Their faces lit up when I told them I was from America. The replies varied from “Wow, you guys have everything over there,” to “Are you scared? This is far from home?” It’s always fun talking to them and I’m sure I’ll have a lot of story’s to tell.

I haven’t been to any museums or any historic places as yet, but I was able to capture a few pictures in the town around here. So until next time, au revoir.