Flights:
It took three flights to arrive in France. I started from Honolulu and boarded a plane to San Francisco. From San Francisco, I went to Newark. And finally, from Newark, I arrived in Paris, but not before getting some Northeastern/New York-style pizza. All of these flights were on United, and in all, my combined flight time was approximately 18 hours.
I was able to get some shut-eye on the planes, though the experience was hardly ideal. Getting on and off a plane with minimal breaks in between is draining on the body, though the free blankets provided by the airline and an inflatable neck pillow that my Mom got for me at the last minute significantly helped (thanks Mom!). The physical toll is most evident on your legs, and I had to stand up every so often to stretch. This physical pressure compounds with the mental effort of trying to find your way in an unfamiliar environment.
Charles de Gaulle Airport - Paris (CDG):
Although the process of arriving in France was draining, I have no complaints about the process of getting there. There were no delays, information was updated and correct, and I actually arrived ahead of time in San Francisco since we had favorable tailwinds propelling the plane forward. Upon arriving in France, I found the process to get through the border police/customs straightforward and relatively quick. I had heard stories of hostile/rude workers, but I, fortunately, did not have that experience. Despite having to wait in line for 20 minutes or so, the actual process of going through border police was very straightforward. After saying "Bonjour" to the police with a smile, I handed off my passport and visa. After taking it, the police scanned my passport and compared its information to their database. Nothing came up I suppose because, after about 15 seconds, they took a look at me and said "merci", ushering me onward through the gate.
CDG Train Station:
Getting to the CDG train station from Terminal 2A was very straightforward, though I definitely underestimated how BIG the airport is until I came across a map of the airport, and discovered that I had only passed through about a quarter of the terminal (the train station was much further down). Along the way I passed by shops, and checked them out briefly before trudging along, luggage in tow, to CDG train station. I arrived at the station with 3 hours of time to spare, so I checked out the area. There are various food and beverage options at the train station, including self-serve kiosks, and more traditional brick-and-mortar establishments. There are bathrooms as well but they are paid stalls (and cost approximately 1 euro to enter). It is really obvious when your train arrives because it is announced on this large screen above the station and a crowd of people stand up and gather around the "voies" or tracks. When your train arrives, you stand in a line and present your ticket (which is basically a piece of paper with a QR code) and have the attendants scan it. I walked down to the main tracks and boarded.
Trains/le TGV:
The TGV is France's high-speed train system. I bought a ticket in advance online from Rail Europe, which was probably a good call, since I was able to avoid the crowds lined up to purchase the ticket at these kiosks. Since 2017, there is a direct line from Paris to Rennes which saved me the hassle of switching over to a different train. I took the TGV inOui, which was supposed to be a newer and more comfortable model of train. I had a bit of confusion over that, so make sure that you know the route you're going down. The train seats came equipped with phone chargers and the leg room was much more expansive than the airplane seats. Once you get outside of the cities, there are A LOT of farms (at least on the specific route I was taking). Farms of all varieties as far as the eye could see, with only a casual speck of concrete here or there. Here is a quick picture that I snapped while on the train:
Arriving in Rennes 2 minutes ahead of schedule, I was finally ready to start my life in France and meet up with the Well'Come team, a group of student volunteers dedicated to helping incoming international students settle in and get acclimated to France.
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Stay tuned for more first impressions!
Jacob
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