Amsterdam!

We got to Amsterdam late last night and finally found our campsite-hostel in a beautiful part of Holland. After spending over an hour walking around the local area trying to find a night bus stop, we turned around and went home to sleep in the FREEZING cold but really neat cabins. We got a decent night's sleep and took the train this morning into Amsterdam and are currently wondering around the city, seeing what true debachery is :)

We're about to go to a few museums before spending an evening on the Red Light district. I'll update this Sunday when I get back to Paris!

Lazy days

Nothing big to report... we spent over 5 hours in class yesterday learning bits of French and a lot of probability, which is surprisingly a great subject. Our small class size of 12 is very conducive to learning and Dr. Dunn might be the most well prepared professor I have seen before. After class, our group walked to the new apartment and we decided that I would move into their old apartment by myself (which I'm fine with) so I won't have to live with 2 girls in a cramped Parisian flat anymore! Our trek to Gare du Nord (train station) was very eventful; it concluded with Amy and I frantically dashing thru the Metro system to her apartment and backa, complete with a broken train, a few misdirections, and one "We're going the wrong way on the metro" scare which proved to be untrue! By the time everyone had tickets to their respective destination for the weekend, we decided Sacre Coeur was out of the picture and went to a Thai place near our apartments instead. The food was reasonably priced and delicious although my stomach did a few flip-flops last night before bed; I feel wonderful this morning so no complaints!

After class today, I'll be getting on a train to Amsterdam where I do not think we will have internet provided to us; don't expect many updates or posts from me this weekend although Sunday should provide ample time for me to blog, post pictures, and catch up!

Class, Food, and a short Walk in Paradise

Class started today; my how out-of-routine I have already become in the past 2 weeks of summer! The French class lasted a little under 1.5 hours and consisted of the alphabet, basic phrasing and some pronunciation. Our teacher spoke ONLY in French which made any comprehension difficult but the total immersion will be beneficial in the end. My pronunciation sucks at this point but I practice on any word I see walking aimlessly through the streets of Paris so hopefully in the coming weeks, I will capable of saying 'r's without sounding like an idiot! Our stats class, which is our primary purpose for being here (yeah right), lasted a good 3.5 hours and moved at a quick pace but everything is manageable for now. Dr. Dunn is quite possibly the nicest professor in the department and is very willing to tailor the work load to our needs.

Post class, I went back home and stopped at rue de Rivoli for some quick shopping. Bought an amazing pair of shorts and a really cool German-esque shirt from Zara before stopping at a Monoprix for fresh groceries. I was pleasantly surprised at the inexpensive food I found in the mini-market which will save me lots of money in the long run. The entire group met up at le Petit Picard near the Notre Dame for an incredible 3-course French meal (pictures of everything are on facebook, per usual!). Everything was spot-on delicious and the chilled Pinot Noir was refreshing! So far, the food has been very impressive every day.

We left the restaurant after an hour of chatting and made our way to the court in front of the Notre Dame to watch some fire-throwers juggle flames for our pleasure! Everything was so picturesque but my camera sucks at taking dark pictures. In the coming days, I plan on getting pictures from other students whose cameras perform better at night (heh!) so everyone can get a good appreciation of the beauty! Our walk to le Louvre took a good 50 minutes because we continually stopped to enjoy the weather, the smells, the sites, and really enjoyed everything about Paris. After a few minutes at the glass pyramids at le Louvre, we made our way back down rue de Rivoli to come home!

It is definitely bed time, though; I have to get up at 830 again tomorrow for another 6 hours of class and more walking.

Au revoir!

Rain, rain, go away!

Today was a great day, aside from the overcast and oftentimes stormy weather we received! It started with orientation at the class center in south Paris. The entire group seems to be getting along extremely well and I'm getting close to the sophomores on the trip. We played a game of spades in the cafe area before getting aboard a tour bus with a very knowledgeable guide who gave us insight to this amazing city! We made a few stops at major monuments of the city but the constant rain kept us from doing anything engaging; I settled for a few photo-ops without much complaint (which are posted on facebook now!).

The real fun began once we got back to the FIAP. The 6 underclassmen and I took the metro back to le Marais and shopped around for a few necessities before going back to one of the apartments to relax. Most of us were extremely tired because our bodies have not quite yet adjusted to the new time zone but we all stayed awake! We each bought a bottle of wine and slowly worked our way through 7 bottles... there were 7 students drinking said bottles over the course of 5 hours so we all reached a healthy dose of "veritas" without getting drunk. I bonded really well with the others as we discussed politics, social issues, life, death, marriage, and everything in between before venturing onto youtube to find solace and laughter amongst great videos! We had a wonderful meal prepared by one of guys and really enjoyed one another's company. This is definitely a wonderful group of engineers who want to thoroughly enjoy both Paris and the rest of the students.

I made my way back feeling wonderful about life and found my apartment without much difficulty... Sadly, my fun ended as I had to (finally) start on homework assignment 1 which is due tomorrow by noon. The problems were very simple and merely an introduction to the program we will be using extensively throughout this course so no curve-balls tonight! Tomorrow is another day with more experiences and hopefully more wine! We begin our French course in the morning, a language I have taken a great interest in as it is so beautiful when spoken. The afternoon should bring a much needed shopping trip down rue de Rivoli and maybe a few department stores in central Paris!

Jetlag = Ugh, Parisian Mornings = Wow

So I fell asleep as soon as the lights went off last night and slept solidly for about 5.5 hours; then for some reason unknown to me, I abruptly woke up at 630 feeling very refreshed. I honestly feel as though I had a full night's sleep, no baggy or bloodshot eyes, no fatigue. The sounds outside of my apartment are truly inspiring, from the cooing of pigeons to the gentle French music being played by people living below us. The sunsets at 10pm and rises sometime before 6am which is incredible to me... gives us tons of time to see the city!

Everything is so peaceful right now... I am looking forward to walking miles throughout Paris today!

Eiffel Tower!

Decided to forsake sleep this evening to visit the Eiffel Tower with my buddies. The walk over to their apartment was a good 45 minutes or more but I weaved near Notre Dame, the Municipal House of Paris, and a few other beautiful bridges and walkways to make the trip incredible. I took a few pictures of the scenery (which are posted on facebook). We got to the Eiffel Tower right at 10pm when they light up the flickering strobe lights from top to bottom which was magical to say the least. After a few photos and stares, we ventured beyond the tower's square and ate at a decently priced yet yummy cafe. I played it safe tonight and ate roasted chicken and a glass of Sauvignon blanc. Tomorrow, I will expand my horizons and shop at a authentic French market for fresh food to cook!!

I used to have a tainted view of Paris as being haughty and arrogant but this is simply the most romantic and beautifully constructed city I have ever seen. Everything seems classic and even the people have been nice up til now. Hopefully this trend keeps up!

The Arrival!

So I finally arrived in Paris! My flight was uneventful and felt quick for a 9.5 hour trip. Continental has a wonderful in-flight entertainment system which kept me distracted from the deep abyss of the Atlantic Ocean under me for a good chunk of the flight! The plane landed and I got thru baggage claim/customs without much hassle. The taxi ride to the FIAP (the building where our class is held) was an experience by itself... French drivers have a unique way of driving, to put it nicely.

There was a few hours of waiting at the FIAP because our apartments were not ready until earlier this afternoon but thankfully, 2 other BME's that I knew previously were already in the cafeteria and more began trickling in over the next hour. We were finally assigned our apartments and my group of 3 (2 girls, lol) were the first to be taken north across le Seine to our tiny but cute French apartment. I will be sleeping on the fold out sofa while the girls sleep in the bedroom; so far, everything is really comfortable and quaint so no complaints here! Our apartment is located in le Marais which is the local gay district... definitely could not have asked for a better location. It was labeled as such because of the growing gay presence due to the ritzy and glamorous shops, great food, and wonderful views. Google search a map of it :)

My exhaustion is overwhelming at this point, though, as I haven't slept in over 25 hours now. Beating jetlag should not be too tough if I make it til at least 10pm tonight and get a great nights rest. In just a few minutes when everyone else gets situated in their apartments, we are going to meet for a French dinner and go shopping :) Right now, a soft pillow and blanket sound incredible but I am forcing myself to last a few more hours.

Hope everyone is doing alright! I will post another blog in the comings days and continually put pictures up on facebook and/or myspace.

Au Revoir

And so it begins

Summer has finally arrived and with it, a feeling of hope has swept over me as I come barreling out of my quasi-depression (read: low point of my year) with a new vigor and optimistic outlook on life. Towards the semester's end, I had succumbed to a dreadful mindset that failure was going to overtake my life; this fear commandeered nearly every facet of my routine, causing me to become cynical, crass, illogical, and irreverent to my opportunity. Three events ripped me from my funk and brought me back to the real world.

First, my mother randomly emailed me a pep-talk email telling me how proud both of my parents were of my accomplishments and that through God, I could reach the fullest of my potential. My close friends proceeded to build me up and served as a strong foundation for me to find myself once again. They encouraged me to seek the Will of God first and then attempt to take on the day. With this three pronged support, I finally had the emotional ammunition to face finals head on.

Second, I spend the weekend between finals pit-stopping in Ft Worth with my best friend and his wife as they visited from Omaha where they are stationed in the Air Force. While there, Jordan informed me that both his wife and he will be deployed to the Middle East sometime later this year, news which really shook me. Neither he nor his wife were phased by the news and both seemed almost excited for the opportunity to serve with courage while I stood on the sideline worried about their safety. This put everything into perspective for me as I realized that I was scared of a systems final, 19 pages of math problems, while my best friend and his wife were anxiously waiting to fly into a war zone halfway across the world before their first anniversary. In spending those few days clouded by fear, I was wasting the vast educational opportunities that have been handed to me freely; instead of complaining about difficulties, I needed to be thankful for the challenges that allowed me to grow and learn something valuable in the process.

Finally, the test came and I spent the next 4 days obsessively refreshing the 'Grade Report' page hoping to catch a glimpse of my final grade. The final was posted early Friday morning but it told me nothing of the curve; I went to sleep like a child does on Christmas Eve, hoping to find a glorious A and 4.0 semester wrapped delicately under my tree the following morning. My alarm went off, I checked my email through my phone and saw "Stas Emelianov" as the sender, knowing that the curve was only a touch away. I anxiously scrolled down and immediately saw that my raw score fell within the generous 'A' range; Christmas came early for me this year and my goal of a 4.0 semester just prior to medical school applications was realized!

Honestly, this semester was not supposed to be an overly difficult one but something about my mentality and methods over the past four months transformed a should-be blow-off semester into a monstrosity that nearly got the best of me. But with the held of God, my family, and my friends, everything fell into place and my story had a happy ending!!

And so it begins... the next chapter, the final chapter to my collegiate career. I am gearing up for the application process and studying for my MCAT; my six week excursion to Europe begins in 4 days and will hopefully bring another definitional period to my life. Hopefully, being apart from my life here will allow me to grow in newer ways, to mature into something different and better than the me that gets on the plane Sunday evening.

On a side note, I will be continually and regularly posting blogs during my treks across the Pacific. Tentatively, we have a weekend trip of partying in Amsterdam and Bruges, a 4 day journey to Switzerland including touring Zürich and skydiving in Interloken near the Swiss Alps, hiking through Tuscany and the art museums of Florence, shopping in Milan, and sunbathing on the southern beaches of France near the French Riviera. After my class, I will be taking a train to Barcelona to meet Brennan for 5 days of beaches, clubs, museums, and relaxation in what I have been told is the most beautiful city in the world. I then fly to Athens (which I am most excited about) to stand in the forums of Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato, to visit the temples at Corinth and Athens where Paul began to spread the Gospel, to ponder philosophies near the Aegean and Adriatic Seas where so much of our current democratic history was born! This will really be the highlight of my college career!!

Go in Peace :)

People Matter

I came to a realization today when discussing politics and the world with some close BME friends... the United States in the past 60 years has championed the concept that people matter, regardless of color, gender, ethnicity, social standing... people matter. Perhaps in a lot of regards, the privileged few seemingly hold more importance in society than the rest but generally speaking, this country has done more to advance civil rights of all over the past few decades than the rest of civilization did over millennia.

My friend brought up the current arrogance of not only the American government but the American people as well; we have this inflated view our our importance to the world at large. But my retort, although lengthy and quite emotional, was simple: this country and the ideals it stands for have given a voice to those who used to be silenced. We made people matter, regardless of whether they wanted such responsibility or not. Historically, I find this began during the Vietnam protests. During WWII, 23 million Russians, 20 million Chinese, 7 million Germans, hundreds of thousands British and American lives were lost amongst countless millions throughout the rest of the world yet these numbers did not, at the time, phase the people. The general consensus was that war was necessary and massive death was required to fuel war.

This changed, however, during the Vietnam war; over the course of the 18 year conflict, roughly 60,000 US soldiers lost their lives during combat and a great number of Americans moved to the streets in disgust. With these protests, the American people ushered in a new era of military thought in that a minimal loss of life is paramount. These beliefs, over the course of the past several decades, has trickled into nearly every aspect of American culture. Currently, two of the most important issues voters claim influence their decisions are universal health care and ending the current war; both issues have a common theme in that they seek to improve life. The conflicts of Darfur has swept through our colleges, driving thousands of students to action while we openly criticize war-mongers and hope-haters both in this country and abroad. We look down on tyrants who openly challenge civil rights and praise governments who plant messages of love and peace. And America truly started the trend...

During conversation, I then realized just how much empowerment our government and its peoples have given to those around us, almost a fault. During the Cold War, we broke the back of the Communist party and gave the oppressed a voice. We marched into Kuwait and pushed back a despot's army, giving the oppressed a voice. We helped end genocide in Rwanda and have brought international aide and attention to Darfur, giving the opressed a voice. On our own soil, we have empowered a generation of youth with the responsibility of our futures and given a stronger voice to those who choose to shape it. Civil rights have reached a new level of expansion, setting a tone for what our foreign relations should model. And although our practices are far from perfect, it has become this country's mantra to stamp out oppression, topple tyranny, end reigns of terror and to declare to this world that no matter who or what stands in our way: People Matter.

The Final Push

This weekend was an amazing tryst with relaxation for me. Coming off of the most challenging and stressful week this semester, I needed to just take a step back to enjoy life again. Breaks are totally refreshing!


Yesterday began at 7:30 with a quick shower and a trip to Starbucks for liquid magic (quad-shot latte!) to give me the boost I'd need to drive to San Antonio. Once I rendezvoused with my friends, we made our way to Fiesta Texas for a day of roller coasters, turkey legs and a lot of sun. Their new overhyped coaster was slightly disappointing but thanks to the addition of a 'singles line,' there was no wait at all. The Superman is still one of the greatest roller coasters I've ever ridden and I thankfully did not lose my keys this time around! By the time I had to leave at 4, my entire body was exhausted from only 2 hours of sleep at 6 hours of constant sunlight.

Dinner for Shannon's birthday was quiet and enjoyable; I guess 15 BME seniors at dinner just do not have much to talk about. Afterwards, most of the group went downtown to see Marvel's latest attempt at summer blockbuster and I can say with certainty that Iron Man will not only impress most viewers but make Marvel hundreds of millions of dollars. The movie was entertaining for its entire 2:06 length with enough comedy, action, and acting to really connect with anyone. It was a great 2 hours!

I finally got home at 11:00 and almost immediately crashed; the constant activities with very little sleep finally caught up to me. When I finally rolled out of bed this morning, I had accumulated over 12 hours of deep, fulfilling sleep that rejuvenated me both physically and mentally. This next week and a half will be very tough with my long report due, a few finals, and several graduation ceremonies to attend across the state to contend with. I did get my evolution test score back and I hope that a 93 will be enough to carry me back to the A range in the class; it is still possible for me to pull a 4.0 semester at the most crucial time!!

But now, I have my final long report (ever) to finish. The end of this semester cannot come early enough... I need Europe!