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.)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
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.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, July 18, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
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:
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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:
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)