Dunkin Deprivation

Hi all,

Recently, Dijon has slowly been gearing up for Christmas, and the lights and garland that now peek out from storefronts have been accompanied with some unseasonably warm weather. The mid sixty degree temperature and full sunshine offered a nice surprise compared to the usual chill and gray skies. In order to make the most of this amazing weather a couple of my Erasmus friends and I decided to climb the 46 meter high Tour Philippe le Bon, part of the original ducal palace that now constitutes the center of Dijon. Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect; as we ascended the 300 steps, the sun was slowly sinking, creating an amazing view of Dijon and its surroundings bathed in pink light. Far on the horizon we could even see the rosy, snow-covered façade of Europe’s highest peak, Mont Blanc, straddling the French-Italian border.

The tour of the tower ended with the first place I have been to in France where you can get coffee to go. Feeling thankful for the amazing view and pictures, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of nostalgia for a large Pumpkin Swirl coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts, which makes any situation better (especially studying). You win some, you lose some.

Overall, I am actually pretty happy to say that this week felt very normal. As many study abroad students can affirm, everyday seems like combination of the highest of highs (I can see the summit of Europe illuminated by a sunset!), and the lowest of lows (thinking about how many times a trip to Dunkin’ Donuts with my dog and my siblings constituted the perfect start to a day). Though I don’t think that this roller-coaster-like feeling will ever end, I’m sure that the disparity between the peaks and troughs will balance out the more that France begins to feel like home. That’s why I’m happy that I have no crises or revelations to tell you about this week; I feel as if I’m finally settling in, finding people who I enjoy being around and who motivate me to learn more, navigating the complexities of french and the French people, all while learning a lot about myself and who I am. Though there are no Dunkin’ Donuts’ to be found, I’m managing to survive!

À la prochaine,

Thomas

Gargoyles keep away evil spirits and pumpkin flavored coffee

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 8th, 2015 at 9:46 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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