Relapse

Last week I bought a ham sandwich, and was craving a bit of French... so I also got some spray-on I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! to put on it. (Le sandwich jambon est mon favorite de touts les sandwiches!)
I've also found this jar of feta cheese squares in oil and herbs at the supermarket. My French fam used it all the time--Maman would cut up tomatoes and put that over the top. Then, when the cheese would run out, you could dip your baguette in the oil or pour it over pasta noodles.

Nothing beats the food in Europe.

one month.

it has been almost a month since i've been home from France. Every day i think of my group members and leaders and how much i miss them. I've even dreamt about them sometimes. It's so strange to me. I only knew these people for five weeks out of my life, yet through those five weeks, my life has been forever altered.
I look forward to the day where we are reunited with each other in the late night lights of Paris, eating cheese and bread and reminiscing about the good ole days where we first met.
I look forward to the day where I can walk through the front door of my French home and see my maman and papa again, as well as my brother and sisters. I miss the cuisine my maman prepared for us every day. I now know how much i miss European tomatoes and cantaloupe. (It's a lot.)

oh, and another thing...

If you have any questions or if you want to know more about something we did, don't hesitate to email me! I'll return your email or make a blog post about it :)       sobefreshman@gmail.com

So far Gone...

So much has happened since my last post! Of course, I'm home now... I was updating from my iPod most of the time, and then my iPod broke! UGH. So, i was unable to update my dear friends from Moab... But i will try my best to update you as much as I can!

From all our hard work, community service, and everything else in between, we also got to have a little bit of fun! The last 6 days we were in Corsica--an island province that France bought. We spent every day on the beach, in gorgeous little towns with blue skies and blue seas. One of those days we went to Italy, also. (this was our prize from winning enough points from an all-day scavenger hunt we did in Paris. That's another story...) It was another little island, called Sardegna, and it was so beautiful. We had real Italian gelato, and I tasted spaghetti!

It was hard to say goodbye to all my friends. Our last night was full of tears and not much sleep... The final hours of being together, you hardly could.
This part of the trip is hard to explain. It would be difficult to experience so much with these people and walk away without feeling anything. Not a day goes by without a reminder popping out of anything and everything. We had so many inside jokes, so much we knew about each other. 5 weeks hardly seems like enough time to call 13 other people your best friends, but I certainly consider them all to be.

Martine, with her Canadian accent that she rubbed off on me. My friend says I speak so weird now. How 'bout that maple syrup, eh?
Rafael, with his That's what she said's and Who.... cares?! Such a camera-hog with his poor hip-swinging skills. I will forever remember his speech-giving on my birthday...
McKenzie, with her ripped pants and Converse. That blonde could smile sweet and was the cutest little kid ever. And she's surprisingly tan, from someone who came from Alaska.
Camilo, the flirt from Nicaragua with the pink tongue piercing. He walks like a duck but I still love him. If only he knew that he looks better without his hair gel...
Inna, the photographer and hyperactive girl. I love her! We roomed together for the longest time and fought over the shower, but we shared so much... everything from clothes to secrets.
Peter, always upbeat and positive. Complimentary of anything at any time. Rain or shine. I've never seen a more laid-back guy.
Brian... dropping dueces with Coldplay. I enjoyed our chats about how we would fix the low standards of society. He could always make me laugh. And now I have a friend from Kenya!
Leslie, the adventurous girl! We snuck out one night because sleep eluded us that night... okay, and we were craving gelato! Good times exploring in Corsica.
Noah had the most amazing voice. He could shoot any song in the heart and play it on the group guitar with style! I loved how much respect he had for everyone.
Aaron was my drama buddy, and always had a bear hug waiting. I hope he'll come visit me in Moab this fall for our school play! He is the closest to me out of everyone in the group (he's from California). So he should be expecting me very soon!
Marissa was the kindest, most caring girl. She always put others before herself. When she smiled, it was beautiful, and it made you want to laugh along.
Guen was a terrific woman. She made it fun to be around. & She found me henna! :)
Rainbow Breeze was my big brother... I haven't met a guy quite like him. Always watching out for me, making sure I didn't accidentally drink alcohol. He had some crazy stories, but man, that guy's been places!
And we met some wonderful people along the way... Dio, Jeff, John, and not to mention all of our host brothers and sisters.

Every day I wonder if I will see them all together again. Perhaps someday. I just know they all changed my life. The Experiment changed my life. I'll never be the same... I already know that. Some of my Utah friends have already pointed that out to me.
I do believe I have been changed for the better....

__________________________

It's weird.
It's weird to drink good milk.
It's weird that I can't walk down the street and buy a baguette.
It's weird that I can hear and understand everything perfectly.
It's weird that I can't get them off my mind.
It's weird that I can't go to a cafe and order something in French.
It's weird that I can't kiss people on the cheeks if I want to.
It's weird that I have a lot of Euros left over, but I can't spend them.
It's weird that I see my friends from the group update their Facebook stuff... and I wonder if they ever think of me.

It's weird to be home again.

start of the internships

today we started our internships. most of the kids work in restaurants but there is one who works in a flower shop and another in a bakery... I get to work in a clothing boutique! we all got dropped off together. I got dropped off last. it was raining and we were all so soaked. I had no umbrella... but I did buy one later.
anyway, I work in a little boutique called Yaya. the lady is super nice. I didn't really do much. for lunch I visited Aaron and his work at the American restaurant-- he made me a great bagel with some dr. pepper. I missed American food!
after work we had free time in Paris. I went shopping with friends and walked around a lot.
then for dinner we ate at a crepe restaurant and had some baller food. loooove it.
bonne nuit.


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on saturday, we returned to Paris as a group and said goodbye to our host families. I cried when we drove away from our house. I hugged papa goodbye and left Valentin there too. the twins and Maman took me to the station. There was a 40 minute layover in the train. I couldn't talk to my family because I didn't want it to be too hard when I actually left.. but we went into the photobooth there since we were bored and took some pictures together. I also talked to the LDS missionaries that I met on Sunday when I went to church with my family. they are super nice and they've been helpful this past week. but it was totally weird seeing them there. I got their address because they wanted me to write and tell me about my tour in France.

we left Blois to Paris and got there in two hours. we got to our hotel and settled in. then we walked to some awesome crepe place and I had an AMAZING CREPE. it was egg, feta cheese, and tuna. probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. I wanted to cry.

then we went to a park and had group time. we shared good and bad moments we had at our homestay and had one-on-one chats with our leaders to make sure we were comfortable here.
then it started raining and we headed back to the metro to get to the hotel to change into nice clothes for the ballet. but we realized we had like 20 minutes to get there before it started and the doors closed so Breeze (my leader) literally ran to the hotel to get the ballet tickets while we turned around and went back. we walked probably 4 blocks in the pouring rain and got sooo soaked.

it was my first ballet. there were 3 acts. the first act had such a boring setting. no costumes, no nothing. the second act had at least some color lighting change. but the third act had a western background and the guys were dressed as cowboys and the ladies like those dancers you'd find in a bar--

gosh, in the olden days, guys! :)

but seriously, it was super weird. my hometown has real cowboys and hicks.... and when I think of cowboys, the last thing I think of is ballet. but it worked and it was fun and interesting that French people would want to watch a ballet about the place where I'm from.

it also made me miss home a little bit.. I miss the dryness and the hot sun. I miss mountains! you know how much sky there is here?? not in the city, but in the country. when I was in Chailles I could see soo much sky if I turned in a 360 outside.

anyways, after the ballet we rushed to another part of Paris and ate at this amazing restaurant! I ate salmon.. the best fish I have ever tasted in my whole life. really great food. ugh but we all looked at the food bill.. let's just say: très cher.


on Sunday, we went to the Eiffel tower. we planned to climb it but it started to get really windy so they closed the top floor. so we went to a cafe and watched the World Cup for women's soccer. we lost-- ooh la la, but it was still fun. we ate at a Russian cuisine restaurant which was very interesting. Inna spoke Russian and French and English all at once haha. it was actually really great food.


today, we helped in a soup kitchen. for the first half we cut vegetables and sorted some of the packaged foods, then we rode the bus to the kitchen location and served food to people. it was very interesting. most of the people were men, but there were also some families and women and babies. it made me realize how lucky I am to have enough to live.

after the soup kitchen we went to eat at a weird restaurant with crap on the walls and I finally tried escargots. it definitely looks disgusting. but it tasted okay. I only gagged a little. and, well....... that's it. goodnight. :) I start my internship tomorrow at a boutique! gotta get up early.

prise de la Bastille

yesterday I watched a basketball game that was America vs. France... haha. there were some kids from my group playing and their host siblings. and there were some players that switched teams because we didn't have very many. we didn't get beat too bad. we all thought it would be just a laid back pickup game, but it was pretty intense. we didn't lose that bad though.
after that we ate at our parents' friends house.... it made me realize how much I love Maman's food. then we watched the Blois fireworks for Bastille and watched a bit of the Stromae concert, which was really good. I never heard of them but I like them now :)
today, most stores were closed but the big department stores were open, so I went with maman and Juliette to go shopping. then we came back home and hosted a big dinner with some friends and family. it was really good. then we walked a few blocks to watch the fireworks in Chailles. it was really cool. we were really close, they blew up all across the sky! the coolest fireworks I've ever seen. it made me think of Independence Day in America--I missed the Fourth because I was in France. so this fireworks filled me up... I'm satisfied :)
tomorrow is the goodbye party with everyone and their families.. I leave on Saturday morning for Paris again. :(

making churros from scratch! they call them ChiChis. I taught them the ways of cinnamon sugar. they were amazing!



Stromae:



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kayaking and camping on the Loire

On Monday morning, all the group members and their host siblings all came together for a camping trip on the Loire. We kayaked all day in canoes, splashing each other and tipping over boats. When we arrived at the campsite, the night was filled with laughter and games. We had a rap war--girls against boys. It got a little crazy and a tired old man came and got mad at us for being loud. But it was still pretty sweet... Us crazy teenagers talked well into the night. I hardly slept at all. Plus, it rained :[ so in the morning i was soaking wet and feeling gross, but still pushed through another day of kayaking, but without the swimming part because it was super cold. And after lunch we made a fire and cooked s'mores together! It was Rafael's first camping/s'more experience. I'm so proud! ^_^ Even though i pretty much hate camping, it was really fun and I'm glad we had that bonding experience together. I was super careful with my sunscreening, and hardly got burned at all :) I wish I had pictures of the trip but I was too scared to bring my camera along on the water....  The most important thing is that it was a wonderful memory I'll keep with me for forever. EIL is amazing.

le Chateaux de Villelouet

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encore "observements"

•The French like to eat fresh baguettes with their meals, which I like very much.
•They don't have real cheddar cheese. they have the fake stuff. but not the real kind.
•They like packaged foods with lots of preservatives. yuck.
•they take good care of their belongings. (some would call it OCD)



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Fun filled day

After I ate un pamplemousse for breakfast, my mom took Juliette and me shopping at the supermarket. Nothing special... pretty much the same as an American supermarket. Except we were looking for cheddar cheese because i was going to cook dinner, but the French. don't. have. cheddar. Of all the things to not have. It's my favorite cheese :[  burkkkk!

Then the twins helped me stamp some postcards to my sponsors and family.

Then they took me to see the Villelouet Castle in Chailles. It was very pretty. We got a private tour, and were invited back to go swimming in their pool. There was a very beautiful chappel. I loved it.

Then we walked back home, then drove to Blois and went to the mall. There were many department stores. I thought it was very American :) but maybe it's French? We prepared for the kayaking trip we will have with the rest of the group on Monday, and i found some great souvenirs for my family and friends. 

Then we came back home, and all the girls were tired, and papa was hungry. I made them grilled cheese with tuna. (I didn't bother to hold back on the butter.) we also had watermelon. they said they liked it;    yummy!

rainy days

another thing I have noticed about this place is that the weather is very bipolar. one minute it's freezing cold and the next minute it's so hot you just might melt.

but anyways. today I didn't really do anything. I think my host sisters don't know what I want to do. I guess I should help them out a bit, and say hey. let's do something. because today was really boring and I didn't get much done. so from now on I am doing SOMETHING or seeing SOMEONE or getting something ACCOMPLISHED. :) whew.

I just feel weird now because my host brother Valentin broke his hip at work the other day and I can tell they are all really stressed so I hate to be demanding...

this is our dog (le chien). Vanille. soooo cute. he's resting with his stuffed monkey toy.



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things I have noticed while in France:

-there are not very many cute French boys, but many older men are handsome. (I'm not saying I'm digging older guys, it's just something I noticed haha.)
-they drink their water a little bit warmer than Americans.
-EVERYBODY smokes! and they don't try to be courteous about it either. :( c'est disgusting.
-it's very hard to transition between French and English. being at the homestay is like being in a full time French class, no way of turning it off! haha.
-I don't like the French computer keyboard. it takes forever.
-my host sisters are afraid of Mormons. haha.
-French TV is no better than American TV. waste of time.
-stupid people are everywhere and anywhere you go. you just have to get over it.
-France is hot in the summer. go figure.
-the French are nice if they notice you're a stupid American but you're trying to speak French anyway.

shopping in Blois

this morning, I cooked Myrtille and Juliette scrambled eggs for breakfast. they said the French don't have eggs for breakfast.. c'est bizarre. :) but they liked it I guess.
then, for lunch was fish and green beans. Yumm.
after lunch, we met up with Inna and Romane and rode the bus to Blois, where we shopped for about 3 hours. it was fun. every minute I spend with the twins, I learn 10 times more than if I was in a classroom. I wish every French student could experience what I am right now. it's amazing.
Julliette, Myrtille, and I have nicknamed notre frère, Valentin, "Monsieur Grumpy." hahaha.
bonne nuit. it's late.

host family

I am with my amazing host family! my twin sisters are very patient avec moi... because my French est terrible!! =( but we are still having fun together, no matter my lack of speaking skills. Yesterday i got my first French sunburn. ouch! Today, we went to Blois in the city and met up with the whole group and their siblings.. it looks like everyone is loving it. i know i am!! we visited castles en Blois, and went shopping a little bit too.
I'm supposed to send like a bunch of postcards but apparantly it's super expensive. so we'll see =)

au revoir!!

Day 3!

Warning: the following posts may be written in franglais (half English, half French. Sorry for all the non French speakers)

Day one: we were exhausted from the plane ride--I didn't sleep at all on the plane. (by the way, first time flying... I LOVE it). We did a scavenger hunt, walked around, rode around on the metro system, went to a terrific dinner at a restaurant (I kept nodding off), and then a nighttime visit to la tour Eiffel, which was gorgeous! They lit it up with sparkling lights :)

Day two: another scavenger hunt, we lost Leslie and Brian, but they found their way back to the hotel just fine. We visited le Sacre Coeure, which is the most beautiful church I have ever seen in my life!! I couldnt take pictures inside but definitely google it. I gasped out loud because of how beautiful it was.

Today: It's 4 PM in the city of Paris. We are finishing up our lunch of bread, cheese, les
fruits, and wine (but I didn't drink any). They're just passing out dessert. yum!

starting day 2

Paris is so amazing! i didnt sleep a wink on the airplane and was so exhausted yesterday. everyone was. saw La Tour Eiffel yesterday and had an amazing time with my group. these guys are wonderful. i will try to write soon. =)

SLC airport...

just waiting for my flight! I won't be boarding for another 30 minutes or so.
So, of course in this downtime I'm going to blog :) i really really hope I have the chance to blog this much in France. but maybe I'll just ignore you all because I'll be having so much fun! haha-- you know it.
well, you can count on at least a few posts tomorrow. because there will be many, many hours of waiting in the airport.... ALL DAY. haha but it'll be fine--- and totally worth it! I'll just be exhausted.
I'm definitely nervous. I was so lost in the security check-line, it's a good thing I look sort of innocent, otherwise I'd look suspicious because of how jittery I am. but everyone could probably guess I'm a first-timer. =]

too soon

in about an hour, my grandparents will drop me off at the airport! and from there, it'll be up to me to get myself to NY.... I'm very glad I'm getting out of my little Moab for a while. small town, small talk... and I'm getting cabin fever!
another upside to this trip is that I can talk with one of the stewardesses about her job. one of my options as a future career is a flight attendant :) yay.
so I'm very scared but I know I can make it. a little faith and prayers, some courage, and a little common sense can get me there! (I think.)

the last breakfast

I'm just enjoying my last homemade breakfast in America. London grilled up some pancakes. I'm all packed up and ready to go. my grandparents are driving me up today and I'll board my flight late tonight. I think my number one worry is losing my luggage. I really really don't want that to happen. so pray that my stuff will get to the same place as me!

my heart is full with all the people who helped me get to this point. this will be amazing :)

busy packing...

trying to get everything organized, decide what my priorities are, and "what do I REALLY need in France?" It's hard!
I'm probably leaving either tomorrow evening or Tuesday morning. My flight to NY is at 11:35 PM. It'll be my first time on a plane!! hopefully I won't die =} knock on wood.

family!

I got an email saying who my family is! I'll be staying with them for two weeks. My host dad is a mechanic and my host mother is an administrative assistant. they have an 18 year old son, Valentin, and two daughters Juliette and Myrtille (I guess they are both 16?). don't worry about the son, I'm not looking for summer romance! haha :)

The countdown.

Just got home from camp! What a crazy week! It was my last year at girls camp. I've officially graduated. :]

I get another shot on Monday for meningitis, and I probably leave for Salt Lake later that day. I will be leaving behind my best friend Natasha... She leaves on Tuesday for her home in Russia. The past 10 months with her have been just plain wonderful.
I don't like goodbyes.

I think today I decided I can't wait to get there and start experiencing the fun. I want to dive into the culture and the food and the people. I'm a little nervous about the language, but eventually I will get the hang of it.
People say they want to get out of this town because they hate Moab. I love Moab, but I am ready to love somewhere else.

I'll write again later! I have to go unpack... then unpack again!! :p

5 days.....

only about a week left...

Yesterday, I finished up the TB test. I don't have it. yay? haha.
I worked for forever at the Snack Shack and received some more donations in the mail =]

This week's agenda: Girls Camp. Tuesday-Friday.
Next week's agenda: fly to New York. Yes, I'm freaked out.

More preparations..

Yesterday I had to go get poked for a tuberculosis test (yuck!) so I can go out of the country. The nurses didn't even offer me a bandaid! :( Good thing I have some backups in my wallet. I had a yellow crayon shaped bandaid. So cute :)

Getting ready!

With less than 2 weeks until I leave for New York, there are still many things I still have to take care of! Who knew traveling could be so complicated? 


First of all, I've been hard at work trying to get enough money for the program. The program gave me a substantial scholarship, and I have already received several generous donations from businesses and people in the community. I'm almost to my goal. People are amazing. 
I'll be at the Farmer's Market on Saturday selling lemonade and food. I'm excited! Stop by and support the Market, as well as my booth :)


Anyways, I have some errands I have to go do! Stay tuned for more. ^_^ the exciting stuff is yet to come!


Love,
Brooks