Vacances de Noël? Jasmine emporte le goût de Noël...

Yesterday, I got a wonderful surprise when I went to work. As I got ready to start my shift, my co-worker rushed to me, wanting to show me something.

"Jasmine, you're going to be so proud of me !" said Natacha.

At that moment, I couldn't think of why she was so excited. I thought maybe she had deep clean and organized the counters before my arrival (We work at Starbucks, so we spend most of our time cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. Of course, we also provide the Starbucks Legendary Service :) ). So, to my big surprise, she showed me something that was definitely worth being proud of...

Isn't it the prettiest drawing ever!? Knowing that I am leaving really soon, she drew me the cutest Eiffel Tower in the world! I love it so much! It's funny how I decided to bring me camera to work today. I had a feeling it would be useful.

Natacha is a sweet, sweet, sweet girl. She's always nice and has a big hear. You know when people say "she's so nice,she wouldn't able to hurt a fly"? That's exactly her. Although lately I haven't worked with her much,  it's always fun to be on the same shift as Natacha(who by the way is a self-proclaimed "nerd lover").

When I leave for France, I will definitely miss her.


Thank you Natacha for the awesome drawing! 

The Countdown Officially Begins...

I feel such a rush of adrenaline. I can't believe I just booked my flights! I am officially leaving Montreal for Paris on Dec 30, 2010 and coming back from Nice on April 29, 2011. The countdown has begun! As of today, there are 45 days before I leave! I need to start thinking what I am going to pack...

Seriously, I am freaking out.

Hi, I'm Here to Pick Up My SKEMA Package.

For the past few weeks, I have be stressing out to the fact that my official acceptance letter from my host university was still MIA. Without that letter, I can't apply for my visa or book my plane ticket! So last Thursday, while studying for my finance exam - which by the way went well (now I don't feel so bad for missing ACCO 310 and 330 :) )- I decided to express my concern by writing an email to my International Liaison Officer, Pauliina (it's not a typo, her name is really spelled what way). As I was reaching for the computer, I saw a red light flashing from my Blackberry - I had received mail from... Pauliina.......

I opened the mail, and it was to inform my that my acceptance package had arrived ! FINALLY!  I was so exited that I started to scream and jump in the JMAS office. Did I mention that one of the office's wall is made completely of glass? Basically, people sitting outside saw me act like a monkey and probably think I am crazy. But that's okay, because I'm going to France :) . Of course, the first I did was to call Naomi and tell her that I received my package. This is how the call went:



* go through contact list, found Naomi and pressed the green send button*

*phone is ringing......Naomi answers*

N : "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

J: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I got the package!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

N: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

I'm assuming you get the picture of how our conversation went.  Needless to say, both of us are now relieved. From that point, it really hit me. Oh em gee. I am leaving for four months. I am basically leaving my life and starting another one in Europe.  Everything feels surreal. I also realized something else; how am I going to pack for 4 months?! How am I supposed to put my whole entire life in a suitcase!

Also, there are so many things to do! I have to apply for my VISA, open a international bank account, take pictures for my VISA, book plane and train tickets, fill paperwork.... Here I thought I would be able to take a little break after my finance exam. :(

On a happier note, I finally bought my Hunter boots. The store didn't have my size in stock, so I will only receive them in a few days.

Hunter Wellies

Oh my god! This is so Blair Waldorf!

After seeing the ever so wonderful Blair Waldorf eating endless amounts of macaroons on this week's episode of Gossip Girl, my friend Gabrielle proposed we do the same. And so we did. After our class today, Gaby and I headed to the very chic M Cafe on the corner of Maisonneuve and De La Montagne. Oh boy was it delicious! Although, I must say, some flavors were quite... unique (ie. banana & lime and peppered mango). Each of us ordered six macaroons and we ate them while listening to this old man's cellphone ring 1,058,103 times during our stay. I am not exaggerating. The cell rang every two minutes and it got to a point where the wife angrily said: "I will never eat with you again"! Anyways, I digress.

While enjoying those delicious french pastries, I couldn't stop thinking about my own journey to the land of macaroons. I am leaving in less than 2 months! For those who don't know yet, I will be studying abroad the upcoming winter semester. "Where are you going?" you might ask. Well, I am heading to the world capital of croissants AKA La France!  I have never set foot in Europe, so I am quite excited to leave. When I leave, I plan to convert this blog into my travel diary. I will be posting my adventures with my friend Naomi, who will be studying and sharing an apartment with me.

I will soon be writing a post with more details like where will I live and what school I will be attending. Until then, take a look at the beautiful macaroons I had today :)

Apple & Cinnamon, Peppered Mango, Chocolate & Passion Fruit, Lemon, Salted Caramel and "After Eight "(choco & mint)