The day we found out we had to leave

On March 12th we received news that the CDC would declare France as a level 3 travel advisory. This meant that many of those in the group would be obligated by their home universities to leave. The emails were sent out around 3 a.m. while we were sleeping, so a lot of us woke up to the devastating news. Throughout all of this I thought I would be staying because I had the choice in whether I wanted to stay or not as long as the school and program was still running. I would just not be a part of my host university’s study abroad program. I was completely upset because a lot of my friends would be leaving. We all ended up at the CIEE office, which is in the same building where most of our classes took place.

We were told there would be a meeting held that afternoon, so we went into town to buy last minute souvenirs and gifts to get our minds off everything. I only bought one thing, because I thought I was going to be able to come back to buy gifts for my friends later on. I’m happy I did buy what I did, because it was something I truly wanted to get no matter when I left and I ended up not getting the chance to go back. Outside of the souvenir shop, a girl noticed us and told us how she was buying flowers for her host family. She was in high school studying abroad. A lot of the others decided to do the same and buy flowers for their host families.

At the meeting we found out those who had plane tickets to leave the next day would need to sign forms for a withdrawal. Since the program would still be running (at least during those last few hours), it would be considered a withdrawal if they left. At that point only me, Bri, Claire, and Anri would be staying, so everyone else had to sign the papers. While they got the forms ready, we all decided that we would go buy food somewhere and then meet up at Parc du Thabor. It was pretty nice out and we sat at some benches in between the two fountains. I couldn’t believe it was the last time we would all be together. We were all upset, but we still enjoyed each other’s company.

I hung out with some of them as they actually went back to the area of the souvenir shop and then went home after some of the others got their flowers. When I got home I told my house mother I thought I was staying. It wasn’t until after dinner that I saw the email that CIEE would be shutting down their programs in Europe. I felt like I knew it was coming, but it still completely tore me down. I decided not to go to class the next day because I was trying to figure everything out. President Macron had decided to shut down all of the schools in France that night. At least those who had to withdrawal would no longer need to accept the w and will be continuing classes online. It’s still very uncertain about evaluations and credit transfers, but it should get figured out.

I emailed about changing my ticket, but I had to wait for my travel agent to get into the office on Monday March 16th. I tried to change the ticket myself, but since it was purchased by a third party I had to wait. I wasn’t planning to leave until then anyway, because I had made reservations to stay in Nantes with a friend that weekend and I’m so happy I got to have that last weekend before I left. I don’t know if I would have been mentally prepared if I had to leave the next day like the others.

Hotels Shutting Down

My travel agent got back to me that Monday. I was receiving emails from my school and the scholarships team making sure everything was getting done. My travel agent found a direct flight to Newark on Saturday March 21st, but when I told my house mother she told me everything would be closed down by Wednesday and there wouldn’t be a way for me to get to Paris. I asked my travel agent if she could find any sooner flights. She found two, one on Wednesday to Detroit with a transfer to Newark and one on Thursday to Frankfurt, Germany with a transfer to Newark. I chose the Germany one because it would be a short flight and then the long one. Now thinking about it, I should’ve down the Detroit one.

I left Tuesday at 6:21 a.m on a TGV to CDG airport in Paris. There was only one train available on both Tuesday and Wednesday, but I decided to take the Tuesday train because who knows if the Wednesday one would have been cancelled. Every train after 6 a.m. those days were cancelled. There was a really nice lady on the train who asked if I wanted a mask, because she saw me wrapping my scarf over my mouth and nose. I also got to say goodbye to my friend Anri at the airport, because we took the same train. There was a free shuttle service from the airport to my hotel. This is when things started to get rough…

The hotel I had originally reserved was in the middle of closing down when I got there. They said they would reimburse me for the reservation. I was pretty much in a neighborhood created for hotels for the airport, so I asked the desk receptionist if he knew of any that were open near them. He mentioned the Holiday Inn, but he said it with a strong accent so I needed to ask him to write it out for me. I had to walk about fifteen minutes with all of my stuff to find it. I used google maps, but it lead me through a park when I really only had to walk straight. At least the park was super beautiful.

When I got to the Holiday Inn the receptionist said they weren’t sure if the hotel would be open the next day. She said I could go try across the street, but she’ll be there if I need to make a reservation. The hotel across the street was much more expensive and they lead on at first that they would be open for two nights, but really they had no idea. I called around to the other hotels in the area to make sure there wasn’t a cheaper option, but they were all going to be closed by the next day. Since I was already at the more expensive one with all of my stuff, I tried to reserve a room but my card was denied. My aunt sent me her card as a picture, but they wouldn’t accept it. I went back to the Holiday Inn hoping they would accept it. I talked with the angel of a receptionist again and when my card was denied again she manually put in the numbers from my aunt’s card. I have no idea what I would have done if I had no where to stay. I probably would have had to stay at the airport.

I spent my first night there not knowing whether the hotel was going to shut down the next day. Also, I needed to buy food from a grocery store a few minutes away, since there was no food service provided by the hotel. My emotions kept and keep coming and going in waves. I’m fine at one point and then sadness just comes over me. I distracted myself with Netflix and Youtube. I was definitely not in the mindset to get started on my homework. I was able to get an extension on some of my work due to travel. CIREFE (the international school) was getting organized to officially start classes online.

The next day, I showered and dressed myself in what I thought would be the most comfortable to stay in overnight at an airport. I was so relieved to find out that the hotel would remain open another day. The receptionist let me reserve with my aunt’s card again. I had to change my room, because the side of the hotel I stayed in the first night had closed down. Once I got up to my second room, I contacted my bank through a chat service on their website. I wasn’t able to call them because I didn’t have international calling. They told me they took off the hold on my card after I explained that I needed it to buy food on my way home from France, but later that day when I went to buy my dinner and breakfast for the next day it didn’t work. I only had eleven euros left on me.

I called me aunt, but I wasn’t able to use her card like I did at the hotel. She was able to call a family member she knows that works at the bank and she fixed it after a couple more times of trying my card. I paid for what I could with the eleven euros and then tested my card at the other supermarket across the street. Thank goodness it worked, because then I was able to buy lunch and snacks at the airport before my flight the next day.

Flight Changes

My original flight was 11:15 a.m. so I got there three hours early to check in and get through security. When I got to the check-in area for my flight, the receptionist talked with the lady next to her saying in French how it was impossible for an American to go to Germany right now. She sent me over to another desk, because she couldn’t retrieve my ticket. I was surprised when the other lady said I would be flying to Montreal, Canada and then to Newark instead.

I headed to the Air Canada area to check in and I used a kiosk to get the tag for my suitcase. I was confused where to put my checked bag, so I asked security where I can do that but he wasn’t sure either. The check in area just wasn’t open yet. I got in line like an hour early and thankfully I did, because the line was huge. I ended up meeting a really sweet girl from Ontario, Canada who had been studying in Nantes since September. We talked about how crazy the whole situation is, how fast everything is changing, and how people need to start taking it seriously. Once we got to the desk receptionists, I found out that Canada was also not accepting non-citizens. I was sent to another desk to see what could be done. The girl came over and we said bye to each other after exchanging our information. She seemed so concerned for me when she left, it broke my heart. I made sure to message her right when I found out my flight had changed again. It was then a direct flight to JFK with AirFrance.

I had to lug my stuff all the way to the other side of the terminal again. I did the same thing at a kiosk and put the tag on my suitcase. I sent it onto the conveyor belt and then made a mistake when asking for directions to the gate. The ladies all turned to me and started expressing how I would need to check my carry on. They saw I had a backpack as well. One lady expressed rudely how I would need to check it and I calmly replied, “okay, where can I do that?,” when she probably thought I would argue back with her. I only started breaking down a little bit when I said “I’m just trying to get home.” My card didn’t work in this area, so they sent to me to find where to pay for it around the corner. I was just really frustrated at that point. Checking the bag costed me around $90. I just felt a little defeated, but I finally had a flight home.

After talking with my director on the phone I went and bought my lunch and snacks by the gate. Loading the plane went pretty smoothly. I’m happy I got to choose my seat. It was a window seat and I was next to a really nice older man. He immediately put on a comedy and his laughter made me feel better. I decided to watch the live action version of Aladdin for the first stretch of the flight. I accidentally ate my lunch right before the airline fed us, but I was able to hold onto the food after everyone was done and threw out their stuff. I slept for a couple hours during the middle of the flight and then ended the flight by watching Creed. I liked Creed the best. I feel like I chose it since I was on my way home and it was filmed in the city I was born in and don’t live far from.

When we arrived, we weren’t allowed to leave right away. We were given forms for the CDC to fill out earlier during the flight. We filled out where we had been and whether we had been in contact with someone with the corona virus. We waited for the CDC for like forty minutes and we thought they were going to come onto the plane. Instead, we were told we could leave but on our way out we handed the form to someone and then someone else took our temperature and let us know if we could leave. It was only based on temperature and not what was put on the form. The lady that checked my passport gave me attitude when asking me to put down my scarf and how I spoke quietly about what kind of food I had, but I remained calm and just spoke louder and did what she asked.

I finally made it out of the terminal, connected to WiFi, and called my aunt. I didn’t have to go far to find my aunt and cousin. My cousin waved vigorously, did a jump like “ta-da” with jazz hands, and ran towards me in excitement when he saw me. I was surprised when he gave me hug since that probably wasn’t the safest idea. We got my stuff into the car and then we headed home.

I still have jet lag and wake up at 5 or 6 a.m. sometimes. It’ll go away at some point. Now I’m just trying to get myself organized for online classes and cancel reservations for things I had planned. I’m heart broken, but there is nothing I can do about it and I have to remind my self I will go back.

Taking it one step at a time.

À bientôt

– Nicole