The 2011 UGA Cannes Film Festival Study Abroad Program
OFFICIAL PICTURE
Photographed by yours truly
Off The Duff
unfiltered meanderings of my life and travels
Category Archives: University of Georgia
Ketchup
Today classes begin for the students. From 11-1 they have Dr. Kohn’s Journalism class which focuses on discussing and critiquing the reviews they have written about the movies in the festival. Then from 2-4 they have Dr. Smith’s Telecommunications class which focuses on the business and marketing aspect of the film industry.
I am spending my time:
– sitting in on their classes
– collecting and printing reviews
– posing as the ‘media buying guru’ in Dr. Smith’s class
– continuing preparations for the Cannes Lions program and for those students who are gearing up for their journey to France
– serving as the ever-present “house mom” to 28 college students
– deciding on my own travel plan possibilities for the week I have off between programs
– and, finally, catching up on my blog with all the juicy happenings from the 12-day Cannes Film Festival (better late than never, right?)
So, keep coming back to check for updates — I promise I’m working on them.
The Students Are Coming! The Students Are Coming!
The first batch of students arrived this morning bright-eyed and enthusiastic despite being very sleep-deprived. Eleven boys and girls pulled up in three taxis from Nice airport around 11am this morning and they’ve been going strong all day.
I introduced them all to the “Pan & Cake” crepes across the street and then they went to explore Cannes a little on foot. They are trying their hardest to stay awake until 9pm so they can start adapting to the French sleep schedule. To stall their bedtime they’ve been blogging and tweeting like crazy on their laptops all afternoon — I’ll post some of their blog links on here in the coming days.
Still waiting around here in the lobby (have been for the past 5.5 hours) for a couple more students to get in today…but I’m hearing that lots of people are being rerouted due to the Icelandic volcano erupting again last night. There’s buzz that Nice airport may even be closed tomorrow, so students’ (and professors’) – and celebs’ – travel getting here is going to become more and more interesting over the next 24 hours. And by interesting I mean a giant pain in the ass. Glad over half the students made it here today.
Oh, P.S. – one of the students who got here this evening came over on British Airways and got a picture of all the ash coming out of the volcano as they passed Iceland. It’s an amazing picture. She’s considering sending it to CNN’s iReporter in the name of UGA Cannes Film Fest- you know, to get our name out there… 🙂 I’ll send a link to it later if she posts it.
Student Check-Out Day
Today is the official end to the 2009 Cannes Film Festival Study Abroad Program at UGA. Â It is 8:26AM here in France and I have been checking students out since 4:30AM this morning. Â All but three people have checked out of the residence and made their way to both the Nice airport for long plane rides home and to the train station for many post-program travels.
I am emotionless, but I think that’s only because I’m too tired to “feel” right now.  I’m sure this all will hit me (the students being gone, the fact that I have to leave my life at the beach) later on.  If it doesn’t hit me later today then I’m sure it will tomorrow as I’m on an Air France flight for a 3-day getaway in Paris.  And if it doesn’t hit me then then it’ll for sure hit me come Thursday morning when I’m back in the offices of Fletcher Martin a mere 12-hours after I’ve touched down stateside.  My mind cannot even begin to fathom what that morning will feel like.
For now, I want to soak up the rest of my time in this beautiful, quaint, dreamlike place. Â I hate to leave it, but I can’t WAIT to come back!
I’m adding more pictures to my last post (which can be found below this one) as I wait for the last of the students to turn in their keys. Â After those final goodbyes you can find me passed out from exhaustion on the beaches of JLP for one last day in the Mediterranean sun. Â Okay, I think it’s starting to hit me… Â I better go focus now so I can ditch this laptop and get out to enjoy this lovely, sunny, French life to which I’ve grown so accustomed.
A bientot!
Off The Duff 