Skiing in the Alps

On Saturday David and I went skiing in the Alps which made for David's first time skiing ever in his life, and the first time for me in about 7 years. We had an absolutely phenomenal time and we even did quite well at the skiing part. Luckily for me, and thanks to my parents for taking me skiing, the skiing technique did seem to come back to me quite quickly and I was able to go the entire day with no tumbles, even down 4 or 5 different blue slopes with a 2-3 foot jump in one of them. It was a really great time. The only real problem was that it was really warm! Perhaps 55 degrees at the bottom of the mountain and 40-45 at the top (depending on the wind) and it was really sunny! Therefore the "snow" was quite slushy on top and hard on the bottom adding a technical difficulty to our learning process. But on the bright side we were never cold! And on the brighter side, literally, we escaped getting a sunburn thanks to a little stick of sunscreen that just arrived in the mail from my mom. It was a lifesaver because without it chances are we would have had quite the red faces, with super attractive sunglasses designs on them. Here are some photos from the day:

This is probably one of my favorite photos of the day. There is me: "Woot, I am excited to ski, let's make a fun pose and show-off my enthusiasm!" There is David: "Ok, I got this, this isn't so bad..." And then there is our friend Greg (also his first ever time skiing): "What the heck have I just strapped onto my feet!?!?"

David and Greg made it down the free bunny hill. We started here for about 45 minutes to let them (and myself) warm-up before paying for real skiing in the afternoon.

This is David and I on our first green slope of the day. We were making progress! 

This is us about to go down our first blue slope, which very aesthetically started at the top of the mountain and gave splendid views. The blue slopes were quite steep however and proved a challenge for the new skiers. And even though my form is far from perfect (my shin bruises speak to this fact) I quite enjoyed the challenge and the speed attained at this level of skiing. (Though I certainly refrained from going as quickly as some of the skiers...)

A view from part of the blue slope. I had several breaks during which I could take pictures while David and /or Greg were trying to get up from a fall, which is no easy task, lol. 

Me now on my own (no more David on the blues) about to shred the slopes (=

After skiing the weekend has been fairly normal but uneventful because it rained all day yesterday and is threatening to do so again today, which prevented us from taking a hike or two as we usually do. Though I suppose a day at home isn't the worst thing in the world, as we do need quite a bit of time to accurately plan and budget our upcoming month of Europe travels. Today, Monday, neither David or I have courses, which is not normal for me but much appreciated nonetheless, which is going to allow us to get ahead on our plans. 


On Wednesday I should theoretically be learning some more about the status of my grades from last semester, which I am eagerly anticipating because I still don't know how I did on my exams! Right now I am not really sure where my transcript is (who has sent it out, and who has received it) because there are three steps that must be completed in order for me to know my grades:


1. Le Havre collects my grades and sends my transcript to ISEP Washington
2. ISEP Washington verifies that I paid for study abroad, basically, and then sends along my transcript to Miami University
3. Miami University receives my transcript and scans me a copy so that I can see how I did.


I have been in contact with Le Havre but I haven't gotten a definitive response on whether or not they have sent out my grades, but they should have, and I have contacted Miami and my counselor verified that they have not received anything and will speak with the coordinator at ISEP Washington to figure out what is going on at their end. All that will happen Wednesday when the coordinator returns to the office... I am hoping for some good news!! But I'll let you know when I have more information. 


Also, speaking of Miami, David and I are officially registered for our classes this summer. We are taking art and statistics, two lower-level courses that fulfill requirements for both of us. The good news is we are taking the classes together, the bad news is that we get no break between returning to the US and picking up our classes. It will be a tiring summer, but worth it in the end I think. 


Ok well I think I will continue with my day of travel planning and "relaxation". I hope all of your are having fun back in the most wonderful United States of America....