Making it public...

So this started as a way to keep my friends updated with my life as I made the big move to France.  I invited only a few close friends to read because I've always been that kind of person...shy, private and not very open.  I've been trying to change some of that lately.  And this all comes with the whole 'taking a step back and getting to know myself better' program.

First step is realizing who I am now.

Next is figuring out what steps to take to be a better person. Still trying to map all of this out, but one thing (amongst many) that I know now is that I want to say what I feel, when I feel it, and to whomever cares to hear.  One of the many ways to achieve that is by making this blog public.  

So hello world...Je m'appelle Dami, bienvenue dans mon monde!

Live from Prague

Its been a week now, and I can prematurely say I might fall in love with this city.  Its beautiful, has history, is rapidly modernizing and relatively small so its easy to get around.  Basically all the ingredients for an outstanding city.  I haven't had a camera since I moved to France, so I've basically been bumming pictures from friends.  So I really really really really need to get one soonest...yeah I need to get a camera!  Highlights from the past week, in words, since I do not have pictures yet:

I can count the number of black folk I've seen...not more than ten. Lol.  So I pretty much get stared at all the time, getting quite used to it.  

The other day I was taking a passport picture in the photo booth in the metro, then these two dogs came up to me, sniffed me and kept going.  I come out the booth, and I see their owner, this young homeless looking girl pulling up her jeans, right there in the corner.  OkKKk? 

Whats going on here, I'm thinking?  I quickly look away just incase she's crazy and doesn't like ppl invading her privacy, you know, while she's dressing up in public (ppl can be strange like that, lol). She walks away, and I'm still there waiting for my photos to print.  And what do I see?  On the floor, a puddle of pee!!!  She had just done no.1 right there on the floor, in the metro, in the full glare of everyone.  WTF.

I went to a vegetarian restaurant with two new friends, and it was great! I wasn't impressed when they said we were going there cos I was mighty hungryyy and I didn't think a vegetarian meal would do my hunger justice.   But two hours later I was a convert. That's right.  Now I know I probably won't become a card-carrying member of the vegetarian movement.  But I def started thinking of eating more organic.  It was good tasty food (and the portions were healthy too), but I didn't get that tired, sleepy feeling you get after eating a lot of food.  It was amazing.  The restaurant is called Clear Head (Czech translation) and I definitely had a full stomach, and a clear head afterwards.  I had a cheddar quesadilla that was just amazingly tasty, will be going back there for more more more.

On the same day that we went to this restaurant, there was the Prague marathon.  We watched a few of the runners and I got inspired.  I WILL run a marathon sometime in my life. 

A new friend who's french took me to a french cafe here, and we had some cakes.  I wanted to try this one that I thought was red velvet.  The cafe owner only got a chance to explain that it wasn't after I had ordered.  I tried it anyway and didn't particularly like it.  And now, I'm not an alcoholic but she came around to ask how we were doing and I told her I didn't really like it.  and she goes "Yeah, it has rum in it so if you like rum...". Now tell me why I liked this cake better after hearing it had rum in it.  Haha.

That's it for now folks.  By the way, I craving for some cool naija friends in these parts...they have to be here somewhere.

School Project - Best Hotels in Eragny.

Please permit me to use this as a plug for a class project.  It is for my e-commerce class, and we created a website to promote hotels in Eragny, a town close to Cergy where I live.

The objective of the project is to get our website ranked as highly as possible in an organic google search.  So we are optimizing our websites with all the right keywords, etc.  In addition, the more links pointing to your website, the higher the site ranks in google.  

So here I am creating a link to best hotels in eragny.  Check it out and link if you can.  Thanks much. 

Bisous.

Praha here I come!

Finally, a resolution to this internship ordeal.  I have been searching for an internship in hotel development since last October, and to say its been a harrowing experience is an understatement.  Basically it has been a combination of the tanking economy, immigration issues, language barriers, etc.  I contacted so many people and sent so many resumes only to hear sorry but the present situation of the economy prevents us from hiring.  I don't know how I managed to keep my sanity and not break down, but I was truly frustrated.  

But eventually God made a way and I ended up getting responses from Accor hotel group - one of the largest hotel companies (read Sofitel, Novotel, etc.) and a Real Estate development group in Prague.  I have just accepted an offer from Prague and I'm so happy about it.  I was hoping Accor would be my calling because they were proposing to send me to Lagos and work solo doing market studies, but I think I'm getting more at peace with my decision to go with Prague.

Anyway they say the city is beautiful, and these people really seemed to want me so I guess its good.  So in about 2 weeks, I will be reporting to you live from Praha, and I'm getting more and more excited about this!

Back from Vacation

We got a week-long break last week, and I went on an impromptu trip to the South of France.

Actually, the south-west so it wasn't Nice or Cannes, etc.  But it was still blissful.  Biarritz and St Jean de Luz in France and San Sebastian in Spain...all places you probably never heard of :).

I loved it.  Highlights of the trip:  

Getting stared at by everyone in Biarritz - they probably were wondering what the hell a black girl was doing strolling around like she owned the damn place, or that I was some celebrity person. I don't know, but it's a bit much. I mean, really, sometimes I feel like some kind of 'alien-being' when there are millions of people who look like me on this planet...surely folks must be aware of this.

Being propositioned in Spain - this old man started to follow me when I got to Spain, and he proceeded to talk to me in spanish...finally he asked if i worked in Spain and when I didn't seem to comprehend fully he began making a gesture with his fingers...basically a finger going into a hole! Hopefully by now you know what this means, he was asking if I was a prostitute! His face really wanted an encounter with my hands, but I resisted (perhaps this is what the stares are about?) 

Realizing I can't travel solo - luckily I was only there myself the first couple of days before my friend and fellow 'Citizen W' came to join me

I love San Sebastien (even if some residents might take me for a prostitute)! I absolutely loved the vibe and shopping in Spain is absolutely glorious

I had a great relaxing time away from school, internship worries, and even some heartbreak issues.  But I got back two days ago and its raining heavily with all the work I have to do, sigh.

I want to run away again!

This is where I stayed in Biarritz...Hotel du Palais (I kid, I kid...not with my student's budget). This used to be a palace built for Empress Eugenie, Napoleon's wife...now its a hotel. Ahhh the luxury


Lucking into such great weather in february was just priceless


San Sebastian is hands down my fave city in Spain...well at least...so far



Mi casa es su casa


Meet 'Citizen Ws' (W = World)