I am officially one year older than I was when I wrote my last blog post. This Friday I celebrated my 20th birthday in France! Turning 20 in France was an amazing, yet sad experience, but I am sure it is a birthday I will never forget.
A common motif that has popped up throughout my blogs is how amazing my host family is, and here it is again. As a birthday gift to me, my host family threw a dinner party for all 12 of my American friends and one German friend. The pulled out all the stops. There were little snack bowls, a fondue dinner with delicious cheese, potatoes and assorted cured meats, wine, cider, and of course cake for dessert. I can't express to them how grateful I am (not just due to the language barrier) because they really make me feel like a member of the family. Everyone had an amazing time.
On my actual birthday I went to a creperie with some friends for lunch and came home to some AMAZING gifts. I did not expect to cry on my birthday, but cry I did. My family gave me such sweet and thoughtful gifts with beautiful cards. Some of my favorite DVDs, a poster of a quote signed by my favorite author John Green, a tea set and one of my favorite teas. Not to mention a recording of them singing happy birthday with my dogs barking in the background. It was amazing, but I so wish I could have heard it in person. It is crazy how much I miss them in such a short period of time. I also received a package from my dear friend Deanna filled with fall themed homey goodies (she knows how much I love an American fall), a few gifts from friends her and a beautiful memory book made by my friend Natalie.
That evening I went out with some friends to finish off my birthday together and I had an amazing time. It is crazy because I know you are not supposed to be doing this until you are much much older, but I always get a little sad on my birthday. My old friend posted on my Facebook "I still remember when you turned 16 and cried at the HFII Homecoming game because you were growing up." I still tend to do that. And it is silly because every year things just keep getting better and better and I'm just afraid of when that incline is going to stop. But I only let that kind of thinking distract me for a brief moment on my birthday and other than that it really was one of the best birthdays I have had. It is hard to grow up. It is hard to watch people you love grow up. But it is something we all have to do so might as well enjoy it.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
4 Days in Normandy
Last Thursday my friends and I left for a four day weekend in Normandy. It is a place I have always wanted to visit and getting the chance to go was all that I hoped it would be.
To say the weekend was busy would be an understatement. In the short period of time we spent in Normandy we saw 3 Cathedrals, 2 Abbeys, William the Conqueror's grave, the Tapestry de Bayeux, a Botanical garden, Monet's garden, Monet's house, 3 museums and a decent amount of the countryside as we biked about 30km to Omaha beach. In between there was wonderful food and even better company.
I couldn't help but spend a lot of time thinking about my family this weekend. As great as it is that I have this opportunity to travel, it doesn't feel completely right without them. I thought a lot about my dad. Not only because he is a history buff, especially when it comes to World War II since his dad fought in the war, but because there were a couple moments when I had an opportunity to do what he would have done and I did.
One thing I love about my dad is how respectful and passionate he is. My whole life, no matter where we are or what we are doing, if my dad sees someone dressed in uniform or wearing something that indicates their service, he will go up to them, offer his hand and say thank you for your service. It used to embarrass me
, but now I admire it. When I was at Omaha beach, after hearing about all the young men who lost their lives, men who were only as old as I am now, and after seeing grave after grave of unidentifiable soldiers, I saw a Veteran walking with his wife. Although I usually am too nervous to do something like this, I thought about my dad and decided to shake his hand and thank him for his service. The reaction I got was completely unexpected. His wife became emotional. He looked completely shocked. He thanked me so much and I could see how much it meant to him. And at that moment I thought about how much my dad means to me. On the train back to the city we were staying in, I heard some Americans speaking and I wondered where they were from. I had another chance to be like my dad and introduce myself and ask where they were from, so I did. They were so happy I came up to them they invited me to sit down on the train and have a beer with them as we discussed the impact we had all felt from the unbelievable thing we had just seen.
All in all it was a fantastic weekend. Normandy is beautiful and the history is so rich. It was somber but beautiful, and on the train ride home, my heart was very full.
To say the weekend was busy would be an understatement. In the short period of time we spent in Normandy we saw 3 Cathedrals, 2 Abbeys, William the Conqueror's grave, the Tapestry de Bayeux, a Botanical garden, Monet's garden, Monet's house, 3 museums and a decent amount of the countryside as we biked about 30km to Omaha beach. In between there was wonderful food and even better company.
I couldn't help but spend a lot of time thinking about my family this weekend. As great as it is that I have this opportunity to travel, it doesn't feel completely right without them. I thought a lot about my dad. Not only because he is a history buff, especially when it comes to World War II since his dad fought in the war, but because there were a couple moments when I had an opportunity to do what he would have done and I did.
One thing I love about my dad is how respectful and passionate he is. My whole life, no matter where we are or what we are doing, if my dad sees someone dressed in uniform or wearing something that indicates their service, he will go up to them, offer his hand and say thank you for your service. It used to embarrass me
, but now I admire it. When I was at Omaha beach, after hearing about all the young men who lost their lives, men who were only as old as I am now, and after seeing grave after grave of unidentifiable soldiers, I saw a Veteran walking with his wife. Although I usually am too nervous to do something like this, I thought about my dad and decided to shake his hand and thank him for his service. The reaction I got was completely unexpected. His wife became emotional. He looked completely shocked. He thanked me so much and I could see how much it meant to him. And at that moment I thought about how much my dad means to me. On the train back to the city we were staying in, I heard some Americans speaking and I wondered where they were from. I had another chance to be like my dad and introduce myself and ask where they were from, so I did. They were so happy I came up to them they invited me to sit down on the train and have a beer with them as we discussed the impact we had all felt from the unbelievable thing we had just seen.
All in all it was a fantastic weekend. Normandy is beautiful and the history is so rich. It was somber but beautiful, and on the train ride home, my heart was very full.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Strike Two
So that thing I said in a previous blog post about my bad luck being out of the way...yeah. I guess I was wrong. For some reason unbeknownst to me, my bank, and my host dad who works at a bank my credit card does not work. The past week has been a bit stressful trying to plan a trip to Normandy for the next four days and figuring out how I'm going to pay for it when my money is unreachable. But luckily, my host family has gone above and beyond again and offered to help me out until we figure out this situation.
For the past 24 hours I let myself get away with throwing myself a little pity party, but that ends now. It will all work itself out. I may have encountered a few technical difficulties on this trip but it has been absolutely wonderful in terms of the people and experiences. I grow closer to my host family by the day and each day I get to experience a new adventure in France. This past weekend my host dad took me and my friends to the source of water for the company Volvic. After we went to some cute cities and hiked to a beautiful mountain overlooking Clermont. The next day, Natalie's family took us and some friends to the highest point in the region of Auvergne where we had a picnic and climbed down the mountain. Tomorrow morning I leave for my first excursion: 4 days in Normandy with a few close friends. Each day has been filled with adventures and discovery, despite a few bumps in the road.
For the past 24 hours I let myself get away with throwing myself a little pity party, but that ends now. It will all work itself out. I may have encountered a few technical difficulties on this trip but it has been absolutely wonderful in terms of the people and experiences. I grow closer to my host family by the day and each day I get to experience a new adventure in France. This past weekend my host dad took me and my friends to the source of water for the company Volvic. After we went to some cute cities and hiked to a beautiful mountain overlooking Clermont. The next day, Natalie's family took us and some friends to the highest point in the region of Auvergne where we had a picnic and climbed down the mountain. Tomorrow morning I leave for my first excursion: 4 days in Normandy with a few close friends. Each day has been filled with adventures and discovery, despite a few bumps in the road.
Monday, September 8, 2014
New Home, New Me
It is no secret that I am not one to enjoy outdoor activities. What with my allergies to most things green and general dislike of moving, I tend to prefer indoor, relaxing activities. But I have decided that that is not the way to enjoy this once in a lifetime trip to France and have therefor been on the move since the day I arrived.
This past weekend I did something extremely rare for me: trekking through the woods. We took a trip to this lake that was created due to an explosion of one of the volcanoes. It is crazy to think that what once created destruction and death brought about new life and pure beauty. The symbolic resonances are endless. I thought about that as we made our way to the absolutely gorgeous lake which had clear water and was surrounded by beautiful woods and even a castle.
After spending sometime on the beach, we decided we would walk around the entire lake. We restored our energy with some crepes (in France they don't have burger and fries at the beach like we do in the states, they have crepes...) and began our trek. To be fair, the lake was really quite small and the path was not a difficult one to follow, but I was still pretty happy with myself for staring my allergies in the face and continuing on. Sidenote: this may be the nerdiest blog post ever written...
The path was absolutely gorgeous. The temperature was just right, and there were even blackberries the entire way in case you needed a snack. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. And while this outdoor experience was not nearly as difficult as I thought it might be, it has encouraged me even more to go out and explore! Next thing on my list of things to do: climb one of the volcanoes!
This past weekend I did something extremely rare for me: trekking through the woods. We took a trip to this lake that was created due to an explosion of one of the volcanoes. It is crazy to think that what once created destruction and death brought about new life and pure beauty. The symbolic resonances are endless. I thought about that as we made our way to the absolutely gorgeous lake which had clear water and was surrounded by beautiful woods and even a castle.
After spending sometime on the beach, we decided we would walk around the entire lake. We restored our energy with some crepes (in France they don't have burger and fries at the beach like we do in the states, they have crepes...) and began our trek. To be fair, the lake was really quite small and the path was not a difficult one to follow, but I was still pretty happy with myself for staring my allergies in the face and continuing on. Sidenote: this may be the nerdiest blog post ever written...
The path was absolutely gorgeous. The temperature was just right, and there were even blackberries the entire way in case you needed a snack. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. And while this outdoor experience was not nearly as difficult as I thought it might be, it has encouraged me even more to go out and explore! Next thing on my list of things to do: climb one of the volcanoes!
Friday, September 5, 2014
Weekiversary
A week ago, I was waking up in America for the last time in 6 months. A week ago, I was crying and giving hugs before I hopped on a plane. Now, just one week later, I am already beginning to adjust to day to day life in France. One part of that day to day life is lunch in the park. Every day, my friends and I go to the market, buy some bread, fruit, cheese and maybe some wine and walk to the park where we catch up and relax. On one of our trips to the park, we all said a rose, a thorn and a rosebud for our experience thusfar. So after one week here in France, here's mine:
My rose: Although everything has been wonderful, I'd say my rose has been getting to know my host family. I (of course) was terrified I wouldn't like my host family or they wouldn't like me, and it turns out I had no reason to worry. They are all so kind and loud and goofy, just like my family at home. I love jumping on the trampoline or picking raspberries in the garden with my host siblings Alyette and Edmond. I love having conversations with my extremely kind host parents and I love eating delicious meals with all 8 members of my huge family. Not only do I get to learn and improve my French everyday, I get to do so with wonderful people.
My thorn: My actual family. Though its been great to continue being in a family atmosphere, I of course miss my family every day. I feel so blessed to be having these great experiences, I just wish they could share them with me.
My rosebud: So far, I haven't done to much in terms of adventuring. Just adjusting to a host family and the city and school has been overwhelming. But my rosebud is that pretty soon I will be taking some amazing trips with awesome people and I will get to see even more of this beautiful continent! Tomorrow I am going with Natalie's host family to a volcanic lake (?) and next week (I think) I am going to Normandie for the four day weekend! It would be easy to spend 6 months just exploring the beautiful city of Clermont, but I CAN'T WAIT to see and do even more.
My rose: Although everything has been wonderful, I'd say my rose has been getting to know my host family. I (of course) was terrified I wouldn't like my host family or they wouldn't like me, and it turns out I had no reason to worry. They are all so kind and loud and goofy, just like my family at home. I love jumping on the trampoline or picking raspberries in the garden with my host siblings Alyette and Edmond. I love having conversations with my extremely kind host parents and I love eating delicious meals with all 8 members of my huge family. Not only do I get to learn and improve my French everyday, I get to do so with wonderful people.
My thorn: My actual family. Though its been great to continue being in a family atmosphere, I of course miss my family every day. I feel so blessed to be having these great experiences, I just wish they could share them with me.
My rosebud: So far, I haven't done to much in terms of adventuring. Just adjusting to a host family and the city and school has been overwhelming. But my rosebud is that pretty soon I will be taking some amazing trips with awesome people and I will get to see even more of this beautiful continent! Tomorrow I am going with Natalie's host family to a volcanic lake (?) and next week (I think) I am going to Normandie for the four day weekend! It would be easy to spend 6 months just exploring the beautiful city of Clermont, but I CAN'T WAIT to see and do even more.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
La France, c'est bizarre!
As soon as I posted my last blog my host parents told me that my luggage was at the airport! Dieu Merci! I think I was correct in hoping that I got the bad event out of the way because it has been nothing short of fantastic ever since. I have a loud, friendly, loving family just like my real family. The city is beautiful. But although France has been great, there have been some things I've found a bit...odd.
There are fountains in the middle of the street you can drink from. Actual fountains...not drinking fountains. Today, I went to the bathroom in a little room in the middle of the square that cleans itself after each use...the floors, the toilet seat, everything! It all takes a bit of getting used to but the process of adapting is not only nerve-wrecking. It is exciting! France is different, but not in a bad way.
There are fountains in the middle of the street you can drink from. Actual fountains...not drinking fountains. Today, I went to the bathroom in a little room in the middle of the square that cleans itself after each use...the floors, the toilet seat, everything! It all takes a bit of getting used to but the process of adapting is not only nerve-wrecking. It is exciting! France is different, but not in a bad way.
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