5 weeks of backpacking starts in 4 hours :D

Hey all,

Haven't been able to fully update things and now, obviously, I won't get to for a while. To contact me while I'm mostly incommunicado, send me an email! Leave your mailing addresses, I barely have any! My train leaves for Paris via Geneva at 6:11am. I've slept 1-2 hours a night for the last 3 days, as a result of my cramming, which didn't work out ideally this time, but oh well. It's been crazy with school work and parties haha. Hope you guys are all enjoying your summer (I still have a paper to write). Here's the itinerary:

Paris 7 nights
Lyon 2 nights
Provence 6 nights (Avignon, Arles, Aix, Nimes, Gord, Apt, Salon de Provence, ...)
Cinque Terre 1 night
Pisa/Lucca 1 nt
Florence 3 nts
Tuscany (Siena, ..., Elba Island) 6 nights
Rome 6 nights
Venice/Verona 3 nights
Milan 2 nts
Zurich 1 nt

Back to Toronto Aug. 16th! Looking forward to seeing everyone then and happy adventures to all :D Ciao!

June 18 – Unifest

I was really, really hyped up for this party, as I told you in the last entry before the party happened. Sally and Emily arrived Saturday evening and passed out at my house for a disco nap heheh. I was so happy to see her and just see someone from home!

We pre-drank at our house, although I was already drunk by the time I got to the party. I drank more at the party, because all of what we’d drank at home hadn’t even hit me yet. Some of the bartenders were exchange students, who would put 2 or 3 shots into each cocktail that I ordered. I don’t have much else to write about the party and you’ll find out why soon enough. This was a very unpleasant experience. Please do not do this to yourself. I felt incredibly stupid afterwards. In 1.5 hours, I had over 10 shots of vodka. I ended up spending the night with the paramedics and having a 2-day hangover. I have never felt so terrible.

I was very sorry to Sally and Emily, because I couldn’t even get up to show them around town!!! They managed to conduct their own tour and I hope that they had fun with my roommates, who were all the most hungover I have ever seen them as well. I found out the next day that pretty much everyone had gotten sick, but also that it was the best party of the semester and I missed it. I’ve never blacked out so much after a night of drinking – I don’t remember taking most of these pictures and I don’t even know some of these people.

This was supposed to be the "before" picture, but none of us were in a right enough mind to get an "after" picture...

Susi & me! (& Sally in the back haha)

Scandinavian bar guys hahaha

Hokan & I

The Buddy System bar!

Hokan & Cora, both with sleek & glossy blond locks for the night

Susanne, me, Wouter (now roomy!)

Me and my roomy Guillaum aka Guinouz aka "uhhh"

Christoph & me

Jessica and Mikaela (sorry if I can't spell your name!) at the Scandinavian bar

Meeee and Coooorrrraaaa

Matthias, bartending the Scandinavian bar

Me, Joy, Jordan with big, drunken smiles

Me trying to pour vodka into Luke's beer

Sally models the vodka haha

With the stolen bottle of vodka ;)

Henrik, Michael, Alex (drunkard!!), Cora

Sofia, Liseth, Cora, me

Ally, Oliver, & me

crazy canadians

Remember, this is all IN the school! Liseth & Emily :)

Me & Manuel from the Canary Islands. The last picture before I passed out.

June 15 – International Dinner

The Buddy System set up an International Dinner. We got into groups of 3 or 4 and each group made a dish of their country. Alex, Jordan, Laura, and I made poutine! Actually, Alex slaved in a hot kitchen all day and we helped carry it ;). I never expected to have to explain poutine to so many people in one day. The other Canadians made pancakes.

It was actually really cool and some country groups put a lot of effort into their food. My favourite was TJ’s green thai curry because it was spicy as hell and I really missed ethnic food. Peter made some really good jambalaya and chili. There was also Spanish tortilla, Dutch pancakes, Finnish cake, Norwegian smoked salmon, Swiss pasta, Czech dessert, Chinese spring rolls, and a bunch of other stuff. The Buddy System gave us free alcohol for the whole night!

There was a party afterwards. The Buddy System buddies were wearing their signature red jumpsuits and they usually get exchange students to sign them with permanent marker. Me, drunk, ended up with permanent marker signatures all over my arms. It was pretty funny in the morning cuz I’d also written on the other people in my house and several others at the party hahaha!

Right arm - "beste gruezi - henrik" (best greetings), "Hi!! You are super drunk! Hugs and kisses from Norway! - Hokan"

Left arm - "This is Cora, Amy is drunk too - <3 Cora", "Amy made out with Andrew" (not true), "Gruezi von Wouter" (greetings from Wouter)