I know.. I know.. I should appreciate my own strength more!!
That's why I write this blog... I love writing (well, not the scientific writing yet, though...). I have a lot of interests that build up my general knowledge, and make me a fun person to talk to.
OK, enough bragging about my own-boring self. <-- contradiction (笑)
Anyway, as the title said, I wanna share about the short less-than-5-hours-madness I had in Paris..
WAIT??!!! I went to Paris???
INDEED I DID.!! Well, sorry, but I still can't believe it my self.
In addition, I went there for FREEEEEEEE!!!!
but HOW ???!!!
OK, let me start with when I got an email from my prof.
So, back in the beginning of July, there was an email from my university (they sent it to student mailing list but they are usually written in complete Japanese), but (as usual) I ignored it <-- sorry, too lazy to translate the whole email.
However, on the next day, my prof resent that email to me with a header, 'Flo, do you think you want to join this event?'
OK... what's going on? Since he never asked me to join anything before, I took a look at the link in the email.. and voila!! It's a link to Nov*rtis Japan Biocamp 2014. The deadline was just about 4 more days.
Hem... this looks interesting, I thought. Well, nothing to lose anyway. Then I applied.. easy.
A day after the deadline, an email from Nov*rtis came and OH WOW!! I got the seat in the camp! Yay!! Free food and nice hotel in Tokyo!! Hahaha, seriously.. that's what I was happy about in the beginning.
By the last weekend of July, I joined the intense 3-days-2-nights Biocamp. Well, I am not going to talk in detail about the content of the camp itself... I don't want to spoil the surprise.. just in case there will be some readers joining the next Biocamp... (COME ON!! I just hide 1 letter.. there is NO WAY you can't guess it!!)
Anyway.. crazily enough... I won one of the 3 personal awards !!!!
AND the prize is... FLYING TO SWISS to join the Nov*rtis International Biocamp.
BLOODY HELL!!!!!!
I was trembling like crazy when they gave me the certificate and couldn't stop grinning.
I mean.. it was crazy!! I never dreamed to go to any European countries for free!! Unless, I get a scholarship and study there, of course.. But, nah... I wanna take a break from school..
So it was mind-blowing!!
They gave the itinerary and tadaaaa... we had to transit in Paris for approx. 5 hours.
1 month passed, and there came the time for us to fly to Swiss!!
Luckily, the other 2 Japanese representative (1 is an MD student at Ryukyu Uni / 琉大 and the other one is a PhD candidate at Waseda Uni) are crazy people.
One of them said, "Hey Flo, Yas said he has never been in Paris before, so at least he would like to see Eiffel and Arch d'Triumph. Do you wanna join us?"
Did he even need to ask? OF COURSE !!!
We landed just before 5 am in Paris.
And honestly... I hate my passport!!! I envy Japanese passport to the root of my heart.
Both of them just showed their passport, less than a minute.. and PASSED!!!
As for me, the immigration check was... well, annoying.
The guy looked at me as if I am a terrorist once he saw my passport.
"So you are not Japanese?" "No."
"But you are living in Japan?" "Yes."
"What for?" "Studying."
"So you are a student?" (Should I answer this?" "Yes."
"So you are going to Swiss?" "Yes, at 8 am. This is the ticket." (Gave him my ticket)
"What for?" "Company's event." (Gave him my event's booklet)
"When will you come back?" "Thursday."
"Through Amsterdam?" ".... (tired) Yes."
"And you are going back to Japan?" "Yes."
"To Narita?" FOR HEAVEN!! "Yes."
He looked at me as if his eyes were X-ray eyes.
BAM!! He finally stamped my passport... I was EXHAUSTED!!!
So there we were, rushing on the first train to the heart of Paris...
Interestingly, even if the train starts so early... we basically don't need to pay until the ticket office opens... which we didn't know exactly at what time hahahaha... Maybe... 6? 7 am?
Pssstttt...don't tell the company (>_< )
We did quite a lot of madness and all my complaints swept away by the peaceful Paris.
Early morning in front of Notre Dame
Stupid pose in front of Eiffel when nobody else was there
Too excited to reach Arc de Triomphe
By the time we finished taking pictures in front of Arch de Triomphe, we literally ran to the train and wildly looking for the train to go back to airport.
Our next flight to Basel boarded at 8.20 am. And there we were, riding the train at 7.40!!!!
Say us CRAZY!! INDEED!!
Luckily, it was a rapid train, so it didn't stop at every station.
BUT!! After living in Japan for quite sometime, I have to admit.. Japanese trains are sooooo d*mn FAST!!! The trains in Paris walk like a turtle!!
We arrived at the airport at 8.03!! Sh*t!!
We ran again to catch a shuttle bus to terminal F... which were soooooo far from the train station.
In the end, we checked in just 5 minute before the final call...
FIUH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And we flew to Basel.. safe and sound.