Hello from Grenoble!

Dear all,

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Grad school is keeping me busier than I expected. Motivated by S's post, I decided that it was time for a new entry. I am currently at a conference in Grenoble, France. And wow, what a beautiful city! Grenoble is known for its scenery associated with the Alps. Let me summarize the trip so far:

Pros:
- Gorgeous scenery! It's so breathtaking, and I can see the amazing scenery right from my room. Here is a picture of my dorm from the outside:
My dorm is at the top, which is why I have such a great view of the city.
- Great food! My lunch today was better than most dinners I've had in North American dorms. Duck, delicious salad, and a pear for 5 Euros. Kind of pricey, but oh well. My dinner was bread, salami and cheese, which was just as delicious, and cheaper. You really can't go wrong with food in France!
- Brushing up on my French skills: I haven't really used French since grade 9, but I did read French things when I had the time, and some of my math articles are in French, so I guess I wasn't totally rusty. I was able to navigate using mostly only French, and I'm so proud of myself!

Cons:
- Horrible itinerary: I will never use Delta airlines again. They were unhelpful when their flights got delayed (13 hours!) and they seem unsafe. As we were about to take off from Atlanta, a thunderstorm hit, and the pilot discovered that the windshield wiper wasn't working. They took it to the gate and had an 8-hour maintenance. Had it been a clear day (and god forbid, pouring in Frankfurt), worse things could have happened.
- My dorm: Let's just say, I don't know how the French students survive here. It's cozy in a way, and has a great view, but the toilet sucks (there are no seats! Can you imagine what it looks like?) and the hygiene level of the room is very, very low. I'm off to buy a bug spray tomorrow, because I'm afraid of falling asleep!
-Location: As I said, Grenoble is known as the capital of the Alps. Guess what that means? That means you see the Alps everywhere. In particular, to get to my dorm, you have to walk up the very steep stairs for 25-30 minutes (in the above picture, my dorm is the top building, I think). Very very tiring, but I guess if I do it with friends, it makes things better. And I'll really be in shape by the end of three weeks.

Well, I doubt anything significant will happen in the next few days, I'll probably update when S gets here (sometime next week). And I should really sleep - I was terrified because I saw (and eventually killed) a centipede in my room. But alas, there are classes tomorrow!

Good night, and bon voyage, S!