Just the beginning

Today we had our going away lunch at IES. It was weird to say goodbye to all of the friends I have made over the semester, and even more weird to realize that we're all going back to our "normal" lives. So many things have happened over the past four months that I can't even begin to describe how it feels to go home. Definitely bittersweet, but so much more than that.

The People

I feel lucky to have met such wonderful people over the past four months. It was fun to meet other American students from different parts of the county at our French school and I definitely made some life-long friendships. I am glad that I also became friends with my host mom and her family. If it wasn't for them, my experience would have been completely different. It is sad to have to leave them and there are not enough words to express my gratitude towards them. I will remember them forever. Also, thinking about all of the random people I have met brings a smile to my face. The world is filled with interesting, amazing people and each one has something to share. I have learned quite a lot from the people I will never see again.

The City

Paris is unbelievable. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to visit this city, and I cannot believe that I actually lived here for four months. I love its rich history and culture, its people (even though they took a little getting used to), its cobblestone streets and small bakeries, its small cars and even smaller showers, its diversity, and its beauty. I would love to come here again one day in a different context. The time I had here was great, but a major part of that was because it was not real. I did not have to work, I had a mom to make dinners and do my laundry, and I had the luxury of simultaneously being a tourist and a resident. I feel like if I came back, things would be very different but the one thing that wouldn't change would be the city itself. I can see why they call Paris the city of love because you cannot help but fall in love with all it has to offer.

Going Back

Leaving will be bittersweet. I am sad to leave this life, but at the same time I am looking forward to all of the things I miss from home. I cannot wait to see my family again- I have missed them more than they will ever know and cannot wait to feel the warmth of our home and their love. I also am excited to see all of my friends again. I'll be in Michigan for five days and then head right to Chicago to see everyone from school. It is funny because being here has really made me realize the most important people in my life. You never know what is going to happen, and I can't wait to see them again and let them know how much I truly missed them and how much they mean to me. I am also very lucky because my best friends from this trip- Brittany and Katy, will be coming back to Chicago with me. It will definitely be an adjustment to settle back into life in the U.S. so I am glad that I have the girls to do it with. We can help each other get back into the swing of things, but at the same time keep our Paris days fresh in our memories.

Afterthoughts

This has been the hardest thing I have ever done, but also the best. Honestly, when I arrived here in January I thought I had made a big mistake. Everything was difficult at the beginning- speaking and hearing French all of the time, living in someone else's house, getting used to the city, learning the customs and expectations, being away from friends and family, and going to a strange school. At first it was very lonely, but after a few weeks things started to settle into place and I began to feel more comfortable. Once the shock subsided, I was able to see this city for what it really is- one of the most incredible cities in the world. My mom and Mark are coming to visit on Friday and I cannot wait to show them my home away from home. I will go home with them on May 21, which will make the transition much easier.

Having the opportunity to live and study here has meant the world to me. It is really a dream come true and I have appreciated every second. Not only did I have an amazing educational experience, but I also learned a lot about myself. It has been a life-changing adventure that I will remember forever.

Thanks for reading my blog. Happy travels!

Thirteen more days

This week I...

saw a rugby game- two of my French friends play on a team, so they invited us to come watch

ate duck- delicious

walked along the Seine at night- the best time to go to the river is when the buildings are lit up and it sparkles

had a picnic with my class to celebrate the end of the semester- we sat in a park and ate bread and jam, cheese, pan au chocolat, and tarte aux pommes

And Brittany made a video summary of our trip to Italy! http://www.facebook.com/v/605857779211

Winding Down

I can't believe how time flies! There are only two more weeks of school and it is hard to imagine my time in Paris coming to an end. Finals start next week, which is actually a good thing because it is keeping my mind off of the idea of leaving and on the time I have here. This weekend will be about being with friends and enjoying the city. Springtime in Paris is truly beautiful and it is everything I expected and more. The markets are stocked with fresh fruit and beautiful flowers, the streets are filled with people, and the sun is making everything sparkle. Walking down our small cobblestone street towards school has suddenly become a treat and I love soaking in everything the French have to offer. Now that the weather is nice, I have discovered something new to do in the city that has become a real treasure- sitting along the canal in our neighborhood with my French friends talking about life and watching the people and boats pass in front of us. In between last minute sight-seeing and studying for finals I am going to try to enjoy these last days as much as possible.

Italy

We're back from our trip to Italy! After ten days, five trains, three hostels and a heavy backpack full of stuff I am exhausted but the trip was better than I could have ever imagined and I'm already dreaming about going back one day...

Rome
Our first stop was Rome. We took a fifteen hour overnight train from Paris to Rome and got there just before Easter weekend. The city was bustling with tourists and streets were crowded, but we managed to work our way through the city and see all of its amazing attributes.
Highlights:

* St. Peter's Basilica was unbelievable. We had to wait in line for an hour, but once inside we forgot about the wait and were blown away by the architecture. The religious significance of the cathedral definitely sunk in as we stood there in awe of the building. After the Basilica we went to the Sistine Chapel, which was again incredible. It is hard to fathom the work it took to paint the entire thing- literally top to bottom. I loved seeing the images on such a huge scale and we we were able to hear all of the stories by listening in on a nearby tour group.

* The Colosseum was unreal. We've learned about the events that took place there and how all the Romans would come to watch the spectacles, but being there felt odd. We could imagine all of the things we had heard about and we just stood there for what seemed like hours picturing how it used to be in past. Words cannot describe how bizarre/awesome/wonderful it felt to stand in the Colosseum.

* The Trevi Fountain was our favorite spot to sit and watch people. We went there two nights in a row to sit and watch the sunset. The fountain itself was extremely intricate and such an amazing piece of artwork and we loved listening to the water while talking about the day's activities and watching the city transform for the night.

* On Easter morning, we found a hidden gem within the city. It was a huge park filled with ponds, trees, walking paths, and flowers. I've never seen so many lilacs in my life! We loved strolling through the park, completely covered by bright green trees and beautiful natural elements. It was very spiritual and gave us an opportunity to reflect.

Florence

Florence is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. It was very different from Rome and had a much more relaxed vibe. Also, our hostel was owned by a woman named Veronica who was like a mother to us during our stay. She pointed out good places to visit/eat/shop/lounge on the map and made sure our stay was extra special. Our hostel was located right in the center of town and we were able to get everywhere very easily.
Highlights:

* The open-air markets in Florence were huge. They sold everything from fruits and veggies to leather jackets and sunglasses. We loved exploring the markets and bargaining with the local vendors. We had to force ourselves to leave so we didn't spend all of our money!

* The river that ran through the city was beautiful. It had really great old bridges and along the river we found the perfect grassy spot to sit and read. We spent a lot of time next to the river and loved the sound of rushing water compared to the sound of the busy city.

* The pizza in Florence was AMAZING. I love pizza, so I was in heaven eating it for almost every meal. It was easy to find big, cheap slices of pizza to go and we loved the fresh ingredients and the great recipes. Of course I also loved getting meat on my pizza and am definitely not a vegetarian anymore. Ham and pizza were meant to be together =)

Venice

Our last stop was Venice. It was completely different from the other two cities because instead of roads, the city was filled with canals! It was surreal to be surrounded by water everywhere we went and we enjoyed getting lost in all of the passageways that took us to secret places. It was weird to imagine anyone actually living there, but I suppose they just adapt to life and buy a boat instead of a car. How fun!
Highlights:

* Our hostel was in a great location and we had a huge room that was attached to an outdoor terrace. We also had a kitchen in the hostel, so we made a delicious traditional Italian meal for two of the three nights we were in Venice. It was nice to eat a homemade dinner outside on a gorgeous patio.

* The entire city smelled like the sea. I loved being right by the Mediterranean and we took every possible opportunity to sit by the water and soak up the sunlight. Also, the sunsets over the water were gorgeous.

* A huge part of Venice's history is the Carnovale. There are shops all over the city that sold brightly colored masks of all shapes and sizes. It gave the city a fun, lighthearted feel and we loved trying on all the masks and thinking about the times when they actually wore them for parties.

Italy in a nutshell
After visiting three of Italy's major cities, I can definitely say that it is the most beautiful country I have ever been to (not that I've been to a lot, but still...). The cities each had their own distinctive character, yet there was still an overriding "Italian" feeling. The food was excellent [gelatto became a daily, sometimes twice daily, indulgence], the people were friendly, and the landscape was incredible. Plus, all of the historical artifacts and buildings that we saw during our trip made us feel like we were stepping back in time. Our hostel in Venice was 500 years old! Taking trains between cities was a great idea because we were also able to see the Italian countryside and see how it differed from city life. Overall, it was a great trip with great friends. I definitely would love to go back to Italy in the future!

Spring Break

Well, I'm off on my Italian adventure! 10 days, 3 cities, 1 backpack. I'm sure I'll have many stories to write about when I get back. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter- we'll be thinking of you when we're standing in line at the Vatican =)

Two Worlds

Sometimes I feel like I'm in two different worlds. France is very different from the United States and this weekend I really felt the variation. On Friday I visited Giverny and Rouen, two cities outside of Paris, and they were incredible. When I was there I felt separated from the rest of the world. The experience was truly surreal.

Getting away from Paris... and feeling hidden from the world

IES took us on an excursion to Giverny so we could see where Claude Monet lived and did most of his paintings. We toured his house and the gardens that inspired his famous art. The gardens were absolutely gorgeous and it was easy to see how he was able to paint so many pieces of art by looking in his backyard.

After Giverny, we traveled with IES to Rouen, a medieval French town. It was a very small town with medieval remnants everywhere. The buildings were in the original style and the giant cathedrals dominated the city. Rouen is most famous for being Joan of Arc's place of death. After she fought in the Hundred Years War, she was put on trial by the British because she claimed that God spoke to her and told her to fight. They burned her alive in the center of the city. It was very eerie to be at the location, but also very interesting. I love being able to see historical sites and learn about their significance.

Coming back

Today is my 21st birthday! Last night my friends and I celebrated by going out to dinner and going to one of our favorite local bars. I had a great time and felt very lucky to be surrounded by good friends. Last night was a reminder of how two different countries can have extreme variations (Giverny and Rouen) but also have exact similarities. Going out last night made me feel like I was back in Chicago- I had friends celebrating with me, everyone in the bar sang happy birthday, and we were in our favorite place. I actually feel pretty old now that I'm 21. Usually I don't notice the age change on my birthday, but thinking about it I realize that I've hit the last major milestone year until..... 50 I guess? Weird.

Madrid

This weekend I went to Spain with Brittany, Katy and Marilyn! We were in Madrid for three nights and enjoyed sightseeing, eating tapas and the friendliness of the Spanish people. The way of life in Madrid is unlike anything I've ever experienced before and we definitely had to change our normal habits to fit into the culture.

My top five favorite things about Madrid:

1. The food

In Spain they eat a lot of tapas, which means several smaller dishes of food that are meant to be shared between everyone at the table. There are about 20 different options, but in general each restaurant had the same dishes on the menu. Our favorites were potatoes in spicy sauce, a plate of assorted meats and cheeses, potato and cheese omelet, stuffed peppers and salad. The food was so good that I actually ate a lot of meat while I was there. I've been a vegetarian for almost 11 years now, but ever since I've been in Europe I've been trying different kinds of meat. It is DELICIOUS! I started with a few bites of meat from my friends' meals and progressed to eating several types of meat. In Madrid I tried chorizo, ham, salami and chicken. It was sooo good.

2. The "vibe"

Madrid is very different from Paris in terms of the feeling you get when walking down the street. The fashion was a lot of jeans, t-shirts, skirts and comfortable clothes. I loved being able to be more casual in Madrid since in Paris everyone always has perfect outfits. Also, the people were really friendly and smiled much more than Parisians. In general, the Spanish people walked slower on the sidewalks, took their time when in a store or restaurant and were much more loud and boisterous.

3. The nightlife

Everything seemed to revolve around going out at night for people in Madrid. Most people slept in (the streets didn't have anyone on them until about 11 or 12), they take a nap around 6 or 7 and then have dinner around 10 or 11. It was pretty shocking for us to see the city alive and bustling at midnight. People of all ages were out eating or drinking in a bar and we could not believe that they were all awake and ready to start the night! For people our age, the club scene does not even start until 1 or 2am and then you dance all night and go home around 5 or 6 in the morning. We went to Kapital, one of the biggest clubs in the world (7 floors) on Friday night and were there until 5am. After leaving the club, it is popular to go to a chocolateria for churros con chocolate. We didn't return to our hostel until 6 in the morning!

4. The museums

We went to two museums in Madrid- The Rena Sophia and the Prado- and they were both amazing. Rena Sophia had a lot of contemporary art as well as several paintings by Picasso and cubist/surrealist artists. My favorite piece was Picasso's Guernica. It represents the feelings of the people during the Spanish Inquisition on a very large canvas. It is sad and dark but very moving and powerful. It gave me goosebumps. The Prado had older religious artwork that was beautiful. My favorite part about the museum was its special exhibit about fairy tales. It had all different kinds of artwork revolving around the stories we all grew up with as children.

5. The weather

The weather was gorgeous for the first two days that we were in Spain. It was sunny and warm and we enjoyed being able to walk outside without a coat. During the day we loved walking through the city with the sun on our backs and at night it was great to be able to eat dinner outside. Also, I feel like everyone is always in a better mood when it is nice outside. Even on Saturday when it was colder we were still able to be outside without jackets. It was windy, but we walked through the park and strolled through the city all day. It started raining when we were in line for the Prado, but at night it was nice again and we were able to walk to our favorite tapas restaurant without being cold.