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.