J'aime Paris

Hi everyone!

Today was our free day, where we were going to see all the monuments and sights. Unfortunately, Jan has been feeling ill, and today got the best of her. We luckily were able to tour the Eiffel Tower today (I absolutely loved it!), but after lunch, we headed back to the hotel. That's where we remained for the rest of the day. Hopefully she'll feel better tomorrow so we can accomplish more!

Coincidentally, CNN is the only English channel we get in the hotel, so I've been keeping up on what's going onin the US and the rest of the world. A big topic is, of course, the BP oil spill. Another story that is interesting right now is the paintings stolen from the Paris museum. Some people are valuing them at 116 million, and some value them at as much as 600 million!

In other non-journalism related news, for lunch, I tried escargot at lunch. I do not recommend it. Since Jan wasn't feeling well enough for dinner, I opted for some snacks instead of eating dinner alone, so I'm ready for breakfast!

Tomorrow is the first day of the UNESCO conference, so I'm not sure what to expect. All I know is that I should dress well. Hopefully the French are impressed with us becuase so far, we've had mixed experiences.

Au revoir
*Candace

Oh mon dieu!

So, we head to DC tomorrow morning! I'm so antsy. I can barely sleep, but I've been trying to clean up my apartment before I go. I think I have just about everything packed and ready to go!

I'm a little worried the volcanic ash may delay our flight. The Washington Post is reporting Heathrow is closing at 1 a.m. until 7 a.m. We won't arrive until Tuesday, so hopefully we'll be okay. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/16/AR2010051600762.html?hpid=topnews

Now, I just need to wait until about 8:45 p.m. so I can pick my seat on the plane and check in online.

I'm so excited that everything seems so real now, and I can't wait to arrive in Paris!

*Candace

Hello!

Hi everybody!

Jan was so kind as to introduce me. I'm so flattered. She failed to mention that she is an essential part of the journalism school -- she won the SOJ's Golden Quill Teaching Award last year, teaches class, advises and serves on a bunch of committees!

We leave for Paris, France, in one day! We will get to experience how journalism works in France. We're scheduled to make a presentation at the UNESCO Conference, meet with two French AP reporters and visit a French journalism school. If all goes according to plan, we may be able to set up an exchange program with France between the two schools! Right now, I've been reading up on the news in France and gathering clothes to pack.

We ran into a little bit of trouble the other day -- our flight was canceled because of an impending strike in London for British Airways! We were scheduled to fly from Dulles in Washington DC to Heathrow in London, England, then to Paris, France. Luckily, Jan was able to find two flights with Air France that are very close to our original scheduled arrival and departure times. Hopefully our luggage follows us! Here's a little bit more information about the strike: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/14/ba-strike-pilots-appeal

I should get back to packing and prepping myself for all the journalism goodness!

*Candace