The past few days have been the time of my life!

It started with the Parcours Adventure in Canyon Forest. It was a team building activity with high ropes, zip lines, and rock climbing. There are three courses to choose from, which were red, purple, and black. The labels being difficult, very difficult, and extremely difficult, respectively. The red and purple courses had 37 stations, while the black course had 33 stations.

At first I was set on the black course because I wanted to say that I did the hardest one. Then, our professor showed us how high the zip line for the black course was and I changed my mind. It was literally above the trees in the forest. Approximately, the zip line measured 60 meters in the air which is about 180 feet. Being kind of scared of heights I ran the other direction and opted for the purple course.

All three courses started in the same area. I watched the first station for the black course and almost wanted to change lines because the first station for the purple course was absurd. It was like a raised rope later that ended on a rock wall. There were three wooden steps along the way where you could stabilize yourself to lock yourself into a lifeline. The lifeline consisted of two hooks attached to your harness and you would lock yourself onto a sturdy wire in each station in case anything were to go awry. So if you were to fall while completing a station, you wouldn’t hit the floor. Instead, you would hang in the air.

We only had a small group of people do the purple course because everyone else wanted to do the black course. I was the third person in line for the purple course. The person in front of the line was the only guy doing the course. He was a life saver! He put up with us and coached us throughout the course.

For the first station I took forever! My lifeline kept getting caught on screws and I would have to climb down and fix it every few steps. It got obnoxious. After the first station I had to take a small break before continuing the course.

Overall, the course was difficult but everything was all in your head. For me, I would see the station I had to complete and would freak myself out from intimidation. Then I would tell myself that I was safe and that I could do it and go for it. It worked every single time. The parcours was definitely a mental challenge but it was also a work out. A lot of it required upper body strength, which I have none whatsoever. You had to do a lot of climbing and hold  your body weight. It was a little intense but still really fun. I had a good time. Unfortunately, it started pouring rain while we were completing the course. The monitors made us come down because it was too dangerous to continue.

Not completing the course definitely bummed me out because I really wanted to finish. Since we could not finish, the professors asked if anyone wanted to go back to finish. Of course you would have to start all over again but you could say that you completed the parcours. I am one of the five people who said I would go back. The guy who did purple course with me is also going back. He wants to do black course and said that I could definitely do the black course, so it looks like I’m doing the extremely difficult course! Wish me luck!

The next day I was so sore! We started the day with class and then went to the Cannes Film Festival in the afternoon…UNREAL!

It was kind of windy in Cannes, but it was still a good time. There was a lot of security there and it was impossible to get inside the Ritz Carlton, which is where most celebrities stay.

I didn’t see anyone famous during the day, which was mildly upsetting. We noticed that there was an increase in security around dinner time. We stuck around and noticed that there was a red carpet event for the film Lawless with Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce, Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, and Mia Wasikowska. We had no idea who was in the film when we were waiting for celebrities to walk the carpet. We just wanted to see someone famous. P. Diddy ended up going the event, which was awesome! The DJ played the song “We Ain’t Going Nowhere” and he started jamming to his own song. It was really cool to be 20 feet away from him. Towards the end we saw Shia and everyone else from the movie. We went crazy when they got on the carpet! It was weird to see him in person! I could not have been any more happier!

Seeing those celebrities definitely made my day! We were tired but it was a Saturday night so we decided to go out to a club.

The club we went to was called Cleopatra. They had a deal where girls got in for free and their first drink was free. Pretty awesome deal, right? Well, turns out that for each different type of liquor you have to pay 10 euros. So ridiculous! That’s like 13 bucks for a drink. They had another deal that a bottle with chasers was 70 euros but it was like top shelf liquor, which was okay. We ended up doing that because we could save a little money.

This bar, however, was really awesome. It had two floors with a crazy dance floor. There was a stripper cage in the middle of the dance floor and an opening in the ceiling of the first floor so people upstairs could see the cage. It was the definition of a eurotrash club but it was so much fun! We literally danced all night! I have never been more sweaty in my entire life. The whole group was a shambly mess and I loved every minute of it! We ended up staying until three in the morning. It was so crazy.

You know you had a good night when you wake up the next morning and your entire leg area is sore. I couldn’t even walk because my feet hurt from wearing heels and my thighs were sore from dancing. It was definitely a success. I can’t wait to go back.

Hopefully I have more stories to tell! Tomorrow we’re going to a perfume factory in Grasse.

See ya later bye!

Jeanette

The French Riviera is absolutely amazing! Our apartment is literally right on the water. There is a view of super yachts, mountains, and water from my room. It is breath taking. I honestly cannot believe my life right now. Everything seems to be going so well.

(The view from my room)

My roommates are nuts and I love it! We just clicked so well together. I’m excited for the rest of the trip because I know we’ll have a great time together. We have dance parties every time we’re in the room because we just like to party. Also, I’m pretty sure we all have a bottle of wine every day. When in Rome, right?

(My roommates and I at dinner on the first night)

Basically it has been really chill so far. We have only had one class session and it didn’t last long at all. We have to do a group project where we plan an event , which should be fun. Tomorrow we’re hiking The Alps and doing a team building activity. I’m really excited for that because I have never done anything like that before.

Antibes is such a beautiful town. I could honestly live here and love my life every single day. I’m just trying to soak everything in and learn some French! I feel so lost some times! The people aren’t rude about it either. They just want to help, which I find refreshing. I know that Parisians are straight up rude and hate dealing with Americans. Thankfully, the ambiance in southern France is more relaxed.

I can’t wait to see the rest of this trip unfold! Until next time!

Jeanette :)

P.S. I probably won’t be able to update this often because the internet is really slow and it takes forever to upload pictures. Sorry!

I’m going to southern France to study abroad for a month and cannot be any more excited! I can’t wait to see what it will be like living on the French Riviera for a month! I will try and update my tumblr as often as possible but I don’t know how reliable the internet is.

Au revoir!