So, here I am. I finally made it. I'm sitting in Charles de Gaulle airport with my excess amount of luggage, debating whether or not I'm ready for what's about to happen. I know that I've been homesick for a large portion of my stay in France, but the thought of it all being over is quite saddening.
Yesterday, I put the final touches on packing up my room, and after the grouch of a French man checked my room, I was officially homeless in France. It was quite sad to close the door of the apartment, which was most times my safe haven and the closest thing to a home that I've had in almost half a year. After the solemn moment, I went upstairs to enjoy a Finnish dinner prepared by Anna where all of my closest friends were present. After that, we moved to a bar in the center of town, where everyone came out to spend a few minutes with me and have a beer. It was truly astonishing that amongst finals week, everyone took a few hours out of their hectic schedule to see me off. After a few "Let me know when you're in the US"'s and "It was great meeting you"'s, I realized that I had spent the past 5 months with the same group of people day in and day out. What I never knew before coming here, was how much I'd learn about myself through other people. Truly beautiful.
After a few tears and a few beers (quite the poet, I know), the group dispersed. It's really hard to say goodbye to someone never really knowing if you'll see them again. Sure, it's easy to say, but the reality of seeing everyone is sadly farfetched. I cried the most saying goodbye to Zuzy, of course. She was so sick, but she stayed out the entire night until I went home. What a true friend. She already committed to buying a blackberry so that we can chat whenever :) My Brazilian friends saw me off with lots of hugs, chocolate, brazilian money (to make sure I actually visit), and a beautiful locket with a picture of my two girlfriends from Brazil. Daniele, my Italian friend, bought me an odd turban/hat that matches headbands of my closest friends. That way, we're all a group. I didn't really get it, but the thought was certainly understood.
This morning, I woke up numb. Anna brought me to the train, and as we waited, friends showed up one by one. I told them not to come, but they helped me get my luggage on the train and waved goodbye. So dramatic. Luckily, a nice Canadian comrade of mine was going to the airport to get her mother, so she helped me with my bags until we parted ways.
A few hours I'll be on the plane, and although this journey in France is over, it only has started something new for me. What will be next? To be continued...
xoxo,
Amanda
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
The Home Stretch
Hey all. So, here we are, the home stretch. I have really been feeling mixed emotions these past few days concerning going home. I'm completely stressed with schoolwork, but aside from that, I've realized just how far I've really come here in France. Granted, I can't speak fluently and don't really feel integrated with the French, I can say that I have done a lot more than I expected. There is something truly amazing about being out of your comfort zone for the first time in one's life. I'm not just talking about the first semester away at college, although at the time, it felt like that was as bad as it would ever get. Boy, was that a walk in the park comparing to this.
I spent this past weekend in Compiègne after a pretty jam packed week of schoolwork. Friday, Zuzana and I went to Paris to shop. We both decided that we needed retail therapy and decided to take the day off. Well, looking at my receipts, I guess I really needed it (haha). It's nice that Zuzy and I were able to take the day to walk around, shop, get some coffee (STARBUCKS OF COURSE) and talk about how much we've changed since we arrived here. After that, we met up with Anna and her brother who was visiting from Finland for a late lunch.
The rest of the weekend was spent in Compiègne. My friend Luca from Italy had a lunch at his apartment to celebrate his birthday. Delicious Italian food, yum. Gotta love authentic cuisine from every corner of the world. I am so spoiled. My Mexican friend is cooking tomorrow night, yes! Saturday night I fell down the stairs in my apartment and limped out to a party. Sunday, feeling like a granny, I hung around all day and Hansen came over to work on our dreaded philosophy project. We've definitely built it up a lot, my poor roommate has heard me complain about it for 3 months, and she keeps asking me if I've had the presentation yet. That's how you know you've been worrying too much about something! Well, I'm also blogging about it so I guess it's pretty obvious that we're scared. It'll all be over on Wednesday by lunchtime (wake up time for you guys), so I'll let you know the outcome.
Last night, during one of my procrastination pauses, I looked through my written journal and found a list of things that I have realized or have paid more attention to since I've been here. They're pretty interesting and all correspond to different experiences that I've had here, so I figured I'd share:
-French is really hard
-This is a once in a lifetime kind of thing
-Time heals everything
-It's probably better to sleep on it than to act on it
-I'm blessed
-Food shopping is hard
-Love is an amazing thing
-Give the best of yourself, get the best of others (sometimes exhausting, but worth it...so do it!)
-Weather and cleanliness, or lack there of, can really affect my mood
-I'm really proud to be an American
-I made the right choice
-Time goes by fast, even faster when you don't want it to go by
-You can make a home for yourself anywhere. Whether or not it's better than your real home is debatable
-It's possible to feel distance
-If you let things in, they will come in
-People impact every experience (doesn't matter what you do, it's who you're with)
-You can't judge a book by its over, really
-I miss iced coffee or any coffee that is larger than the size of a shot for that matter
Just some things to think about. I know when I think about some of these things, it helps me make sense of what's going on!
Miss and love,
Amanda
I spent this past weekend in Compiègne after a pretty jam packed week of schoolwork. Friday, Zuzana and I went to Paris to shop. We both decided that we needed retail therapy and decided to take the day off. Well, looking at my receipts, I guess I really needed it (haha). It's nice that Zuzy and I were able to take the day to walk around, shop, get some coffee (STARBUCKS OF COURSE) and talk about how much we've changed since we arrived here. After that, we met up with Anna and her brother who was visiting from Finland for a late lunch.
The rest of the weekend was spent in Compiègne. My friend Luca from Italy had a lunch at his apartment to celebrate his birthday. Delicious Italian food, yum. Gotta love authentic cuisine from every corner of the world. I am so spoiled. My Mexican friend is cooking tomorrow night, yes! Saturday night I fell down the stairs in my apartment and limped out to a party. Sunday, feeling like a granny, I hung around all day and Hansen came over to work on our dreaded philosophy project. We've definitely built it up a lot, my poor roommate has heard me complain about it for 3 months, and she keeps asking me if I've had the presentation yet. That's how you know you've been worrying too much about something! Well, I'm also blogging about it so I guess it's pretty obvious that we're scared. It'll all be over on Wednesday by lunchtime (wake up time for you guys), so I'll let you know the outcome.
Last night, during one of my procrastination pauses, I looked through my written journal and found a list of things that I have realized or have paid more attention to since I've been here. They're pretty interesting and all correspond to different experiences that I've had here, so I figured I'd share:
-French is really hard
-This is a once in a lifetime kind of thing
-Time heals everything
-It's probably better to sleep on it than to act on it
-I'm blessed
-Food shopping is hard
-Love is an amazing thing
-Give the best of yourself, get the best of others (sometimes exhausting, but worth it...so do it!)
-Weather and cleanliness, or lack there of, can really affect my mood
-I'm really proud to be an American
-I made the right choice
-Time goes by fast, even faster when you don't want it to go by
-You can make a home for yourself anywhere. Whether or not it's better than your real home is debatable
-It's possible to feel distance
-If you let things in, they will come in
-People impact every experience (doesn't matter what you do, it's who you're with)
-You can't judge a book by its over, really
-I miss iced coffee or any coffee that is larger than the size of a shot for that matter
Just some things to think about. I know when I think about some of these things, it helps me make sense of what's going on!
Miss and love,
Amanda
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Here, there & everywhere
Hi all. So yeah, there's really no excuse for me not writing for this long of a time. On the other hand, a lot has gone on in the past month and a half, so I'm going to go easy on myself.
So the last time I wrote, it was right after Kelsey came! After that lovely week, it was back to reality. School is really hard and stressful. It's easy to get discouraged and flustered by the end of the week here, and I already have the tendency to do that as is. It was a hard two and a half weeks to get through, and I think that that had to do with the fact that I knew my parents were coming, so I got even more excited.
My parents arrived on the 21st and we had a great voyage to Swizterland, Amsterdam, and Paris. My Dad then had to leave us on the 1st, when my Mom and I continued on to London, Barcelona, then Compiègne and Paris again. A great time was had by all, but I would be lying if I said I felt like I when on vacation after all was done. I am still exhausted, and I bet my mom will tell you the same thing!
My Mom left on the 9th of May after spending Mother's Day in Paris. Such a dramatic exit, Mom. I left her at the airport and was in a very off mood for about two days after that. It was probably the fact that I was exhausted, sad, and still in shock that I had seen my family in the first place. It was really nice to see my family, and at that point when my Mom left me, we said "see you in 5 weeks" and that felt nice.
Then, I went back to reality, once again. This past week, I did so much work for my classes. A few conflicts arose, like uh, I don't know, the fact that my professor changed my final to the day after I leave. Note, he changed the date after three months of it being on the syllabus. Now, I am uncertain that I will be accommodated, but I have decided that I will not change my plane ticket. Whatsoever. I'm also getting anxiety about my upcoming presentations, but when those are done, I have a nice week left here in Compiègne to hang out with friends and get ready to go home.
This past weekend, I went to Lyon to visit Caitlin. She is currently living there doing an internship. I was weary about going at first, because I was still so tired, but I had such a great time. I went there Thursday night, and then spent the day in Starbucks doing my research project while Cait worked. I was there for 5.5 hours, wrote 10 pages, and was asked "parlez-vous anglais" 3 times by tourists during that time period. I don't know if there is a sign on my forehead that says "AMERICAN" or what, maybe it was the fact that I was sitting in a Starbucks, but I ended up having my own tourism desk where I helped people look up things on my computer. Haha. After that fun time (note: any time spent in Starbucks is a fun time), I walked around Lyon, did some shopping and then met up with Cait. Later that night, we went to drinks and dinner with her FRENCH boyfriend and his friend. It was a really nice time, and it was nice to see how nice of a life Cait has made for herself there. After dinner, we met up with the other URI chicka, Raena, and other French girls.
Saturday, we went to Geneva. It was definitely a good idea to do a day trip and see another city/country for 24E round trip. Only thing, it rained. So, we saw the sights, ate lunch, and passed some time in stores. Geneva is a very pretty city, I'm sure a lot prettier without rain, but definitely a one-dayer. Cait and I were glad that we didn't spend more than the day there.
After that, we went back to Lyon and had dinner, drinks and dancing with Raena and another girl from UTC that had come down to visit, Maria. The four of us had a great time, some laughs, and ended the night at a place called "Boston Club," modeled after a typical irish bar, very similar to Mulcahy's, which wasn't anything but amazing. So funny.
Today, I made my way back, slowly but surely. I missed my train from Paris to Compiègne by 3 minutes, so I had to wait for 2 hours. But, I got some more work done and planned some things, so it was productive.
Next weekend, I'm going to the Baie de Somme, on the beach on the northern coast with Esperanto (exchange student group). I missed the first one, so I'm excited to go to this one. It's a great way for everyone to get to travel together and it's really well planned. Plus, I'll be putting my feet in the sand, something I haven't done in a while! Well, I have to go get so much work done; I have a presentation on images of technology in cinema tomorrow, which I have yet to start. PLUS, I want to finish all of my work before the weekend. Keep your fingers crossed!
Hope all is well with you!
Love,
Amanda
So the last time I wrote, it was right after Kelsey came! After that lovely week, it was back to reality. School is really hard and stressful. It's easy to get discouraged and flustered by the end of the week here, and I already have the tendency to do that as is. It was a hard two and a half weeks to get through, and I think that that had to do with the fact that I knew my parents were coming, so I got even more excited.
My parents arrived on the 21st and we had a great voyage to Swizterland, Amsterdam, and Paris. My Dad then had to leave us on the 1st, when my Mom and I continued on to London, Barcelona, then Compiègne and Paris again. A great time was had by all, but I would be lying if I said I felt like I when on vacation after all was done. I am still exhausted, and I bet my mom will tell you the same thing!
 |
| Luzern, Switzerland |
My Mom left on the 9th of May after spending Mother's Day in Paris. Such a dramatic exit, Mom. I left her at the airport and was in a very off mood for about two days after that. It was probably the fact that I was exhausted, sad, and still in shock that I had seen my family in the first place. It was really nice to see my family, and at that point when my Mom left me, we said "see you in 5 weeks" and that felt nice.
Then, I went back to reality, once again. This past week, I did so much work for my classes. A few conflicts arose, like uh, I don't know, the fact that my professor changed my final to the day after I leave. Note, he changed the date after three months of it being on the syllabus. Now, I am uncertain that I will be accommodated, but I have decided that I will not change my plane ticket. Whatsoever. I'm also getting anxiety about my upcoming presentations, but when those are done, I have a nice week left here in Compiègne to hang out with friends and get ready to go home.
This past weekend, I went to Lyon to visit Caitlin. She is currently living there doing an internship. I was weary about going at first, because I was still so tired, but I had such a great time. I went there Thursday night, and then spent the day in Starbucks doing my research project while Cait worked. I was there for 5.5 hours, wrote 10 pages, and was asked "parlez-vous anglais" 3 times by tourists during that time period. I don't know if there is a sign on my forehead that says "AMERICAN" or what, maybe it was the fact that I was sitting in a Starbucks, but I ended up having my own tourism desk where I helped people look up things on my computer. Haha. After that fun time (note: any time spent in Starbucks is a fun time), I walked around Lyon, did some shopping and then met up with Cait. Later that night, we went to drinks and dinner with her FRENCH boyfriend and his friend. It was a really nice time, and it was nice to see how nice of a life Cait has made for herself there. After dinner, we met up with the other URI chicka, Raena, and other French girls.
Saturday, we went to Geneva. It was definitely a good idea to do a day trip and see another city/country for 24E round trip. Only thing, it rained. So, we saw the sights, ate lunch, and passed some time in stores. Geneva is a very pretty city, I'm sure a lot prettier without rain, but definitely a one-dayer. Cait and I were glad that we didn't spend more than the day there.
 |
| Cait and I! |
 |
| Le jet d'eau à Genève |
After that, we went back to Lyon and had dinner, drinks and dancing with Raena and another girl from UTC that had come down to visit, Maria. The four of us had a great time, some laughs, and ended the night at a place called "Boston Club," modeled after a typical irish bar, very similar to Mulcahy's, which wasn't anything but amazing. So funny.
Today, I made my way back, slowly but surely. I missed my train from Paris to Compiègne by 3 minutes, so I had to wait for 2 hours. But, I got some more work done and planned some things, so it was productive.
Next weekend, I'm going to the Baie de Somme, on the beach on the northern coast with Esperanto (exchange student group). I missed the first one, so I'm excited to go to this one. It's a great way for everyone to get to travel together and it's really well planned. Plus, I'll be putting my feet in the sand, something I haven't done in a while! Well, I have to go get so much work done; I have a presentation on images of technology in cinema tomorrow, which I have yet to start. PLUS, I want to finish all of my work before the weekend. Keep your fingers crossed!
Hope all is well with you!
Love,
Amanda
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Une Visite Américaine!
Hey everyone! It's been quite some time since I've checked in! A lot has happened in the past two weeks or so; good things...
Kelsey came for a visit from the 26th of March to April 3rd! It was amazing. Although the two days before she got here I had a violent stomach virus that manifested itself for the first time in a nightclub in Paris. Not very fun. Kelsey proceeded to get some sort of stomach thing, as well. I'm not sure if we had the same thing, but the voyage got off to a rough start. Saturday I got up to get her and I was so excited. I took the train to Paris, then another train, then a bus to get her, because of train track construction. I was afraid I'd be late, but I was able to get there on time and hold up my "TWINNIE" sign at the airport. I couldn't help but tear up (with joy, of course) when I saw her and hugged her. It was definitely refreshing to have her here. My two lives came together for the first time in almost three months, so it was good to have a good friend to bitch with about whatever is going on, and I got to share what I've been experiencing with someone, finally. Plus she brought me a water bottle, allergy medicine, lipton soup mix, and arnold palmer :)
We stayed two nights in Compiègne and then moved on to Paris on Monday after my mandatory x-ray for my immigration papers here, odd right? We saw all of the sights in Paris, did some shopping, and before I knew it, it was already Thursday and time to go to London! We took the train there, which took about 2.5 hours, not bad. We got to our less than desirable hostel, and then went back into downtown London. It was about a 30 minute subway ride to the center of London, which was kind of annoying, but wasn't bad. We did the bus sightseeing tour and killed some time before Cait came to meet us. The highlight of the trip, if I can even say it, was on our way back from downtown on the tube. We were so tired and worn out, sitting on the tube and some guy was listening to Rihanna's "Unfaithful" so loud on his ipod and lipsyncing the words and looking at himself in the reflection of the door. After holding back laughter for ten minutes, the guy finally gets up to leave the subway, but before he was fully out, he turned back into the car, gagged himself, threw up, and left. Kelsey and I haven't stopped talking about it/ acting it out. Gosh, people are weird.
Anyway, the rest of the trip was great. Cait got to us later that evening and we braved the horrible conditions of the hostel all together for that weekend. We got all around London: the London and Tower Bridges, Buckingham Palace, Abbey Road, Trafaglar Square, the National Gallery, and much more.
It was so sad to leave the both of them, but the next time I see Kelsey, I'll be home for summer and I'll be seeing Cait in about a month or so when I go to visit her in Lyon! Being back in Compiègne was truly rough after a week of vacation and having a visitor, and now it's time to work work work. I have a lot of projects and reading to do before my parents come...in TWO weeks. I can't believe I'm going to be seeing them so soon. I feel like I haven't seen them in years :(
Kelsey came for a visit from the 26th of March to April 3rd! It was amazing. Although the two days before she got here I had a violent stomach virus that manifested itself for the first time in a nightclub in Paris. Not very fun. Kelsey proceeded to get some sort of stomach thing, as well. I'm not sure if we had the same thing, but the voyage got off to a rough start. Saturday I got up to get her and I was so excited. I took the train to Paris, then another train, then a bus to get her, because of train track construction. I was afraid I'd be late, but I was able to get there on time and hold up my "TWINNIE" sign at the airport. I couldn't help but tear up (with joy, of course) when I saw her and hugged her. It was definitely refreshing to have her here. My two lives came together for the first time in almost three months, so it was good to have a good friend to bitch with about whatever is going on, and I got to share what I've been experiencing with someone, finally. Plus she brought me a water bottle, allergy medicine, lipton soup mix, and arnold palmer :)
We stayed two nights in Compiègne and then moved on to Paris on Monday after my mandatory x-ray for my immigration papers here, odd right? We saw all of the sights in Paris, did some shopping, and before I knew it, it was already Thursday and time to go to London! We took the train there, which took about 2.5 hours, not bad. We got to our less than desirable hostel, and then went back into downtown London. It was about a 30 minute subway ride to the center of London, which was kind of annoying, but wasn't bad. We did the bus sightseeing tour and killed some time before Cait came to meet us. The highlight of the trip, if I can even say it, was on our way back from downtown on the tube. We were so tired and worn out, sitting on the tube and some guy was listening to Rihanna's "Unfaithful" so loud on his ipod and lipsyncing the words and looking at himself in the reflection of the door. After holding back laughter for ten minutes, the guy finally gets up to leave the subway, but before he was fully out, he turned back into the car, gagged himself, threw up, and left. Kelsey and I haven't stopped talking about it/ acting it out. Gosh, people are weird.
Anyway, the rest of the trip was great. Cait got to us later that evening and we braved the horrible conditions of the hostel all together for that weekend. We got all around London: the London and Tower Bridges, Buckingham Palace, Abbey Road, Trafaglar Square, the National Gallery, and much more.
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| Myself, Kelsey, and Cait |
With upcoming visits and such, I realized that not only do I need to get a lot of work done, but I need to plan out the rest of my time here; part of that being when I'm going home. My mom and I talked the other day and booked a flight for June 16th! I can't believe I know when I'm coming home. That's been bothering me for a while. It's a little early in relation to when I finish school and whatnot, but I think it's best. It's going to come so quickly, too.
Everything is good here, though. My French has gotten so much better (thank God) and the weather is nice. Can't complain! I hope that everyone is doing well at home. I hear it's still pretty cold. I'll send some good weather vibes your way.
XO,
A
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Le Printemps
Hello everyone! Feels like forever since I've written, so I figured it was about time that I checked in. I have to write an essay before I go class today, but in true Amanda fashion, I decided to focus on other things. Since Rome, I've been kickin' it in Compiègne, which is something I can honestly say that I'm happy about.
It's finally spring here; we've had about a week and a half of consecutively beautiful days. Since I'm so accustomed to Rhode Island weather, I am still not fully convinced that the weather will be like this from here on out. I guess I'm holding a bit of a grudge against mother nature, but I heard that there's snow in NY today, so no hard feelings :)
This past week was good. I'm still lost in some classes, but all is going well and there is nothing major to complain about. Towards the end of the week, I went to a soirée in Compiègne for St. Patrick's Day with a few of my friends, which was fun. The next day, the other American, Liam, and myself had an "American" party for some friends. Liam had it at his place, and we took the day on Friday to go and get supplies. Some of which were: American beer, chips, dip, ingredients for PB&J, ingredients for jungle juice, a funnel, solo cup-like cups, ping pong balls, and more. Everyone really had a blast, and I felt like I was home for the first time since I've been here, which was nice. I spent Saturday and Sunday pretty worn down; a mixture of a hangover and my allergies. Sunday, I rolled out of bed and went to the park by the Château with some friends for a picnic, which was a good time. It helped me to get some fresh air and tired me out a bit.
Then began another week at UTC. I figured that with the Mon-Wed class schedule, that weeks would seem long, but they all really are blending together. This week sparked the realization that I need to study more French in my free time. With a sore throat and congestion, French has been hard to speak, but I need to put in a more conscious effort to learn and stop expecting it to fall into my lap. I especially need to put in the effort here, because when I go home my French will only deteriorate, let's be real. Anyway, now I'm finished for the week! Kelsey is coming on Saturday!
Can you believe it? She's arriving Saturday morning, so we will spend the weekend in Compi and go to Paris on Monday until Thursday. Thursday afternoon, we are going to London to meet up with our friend, Cait, and will stay here until Sunday and Kels will fly out of London. Crazy!! After that it's only back to the grind for 2.5 weeks until my parents come. I knew that once the semester hit this point, it would start flying, and it certainly has.
Almost everything here has become habitual, and another thing that I've noticed, is my will and automatic reaction to speak French in certain situations. I've raised my hand in class a few times. Yeah that's right. OH and I can't believe I forgot to mention that my bank card works!!!!! SUCK IT FRENCH BANK. I'm now official. Finally, and I have to close my account in like, what, 10 weeks? Haha, still feels good at any rate.
Hope that you are all well and that spring comes and STAYS for you guys! Lots of love!
-Amanda
It's finally spring here; we've had about a week and a half of consecutively beautiful days. Since I'm so accustomed to Rhode Island weather, I am still not fully convinced that the weather will be like this from here on out. I guess I'm holding a bit of a grudge against mother nature, but I heard that there's snow in NY today, so no hard feelings :)
This past week was good. I'm still lost in some classes, but all is going well and there is nothing major to complain about. Towards the end of the week, I went to a soirée in Compiègne for St. Patrick's Day with a few of my friends, which was fun. The next day, the other American, Liam, and myself had an "American" party for some friends. Liam had it at his place, and we took the day on Friday to go and get supplies. Some of which were: American beer, chips, dip, ingredients for PB&J, ingredients for jungle juice, a funnel, solo cup-like cups, ping pong balls, and more. Everyone really had a blast, and I felt like I was home for the first time since I've been here, which was nice. I spent Saturday and Sunday pretty worn down; a mixture of a hangover and my allergies. Sunday, I rolled out of bed and went to the park by the Château with some friends for a picnic, which was a good time. It helped me to get some fresh air and tired me out a bit.
 |
| Jungle juice! |
Then began another week at UTC. I figured that with the Mon-Wed class schedule, that weeks would seem long, but they all really are blending together. This week sparked the realization that I need to study more French in my free time. With a sore throat and congestion, French has been hard to speak, but I need to put in a more conscious effort to learn and stop expecting it to fall into my lap. I especially need to put in the effort here, because when I go home my French will only deteriorate, let's be real. Anyway, now I'm finished for the week! Kelsey is coming on Saturday!
 |
| TWINNIE SOON! EUROPE=soon to be backdrop! |
Can you believe it? She's arriving Saturday morning, so we will spend the weekend in Compi and go to Paris on Monday until Thursday. Thursday afternoon, we are going to London to meet up with our friend, Cait, and will stay here until Sunday and Kels will fly out of London. Crazy!! After that it's only back to the grind for 2.5 weeks until my parents come. I knew that once the semester hit this point, it would start flying, and it certainly has.
Almost everything here has become habitual, and another thing that I've noticed, is my will and automatic reaction to speak French in certain situations. I've raised my hand in class a few times. Yeah that's right. OH and I can't believe I forgot to mention that my bank card works!!!!! SUCK IT FRENCH BANK. I'm now official. Finally, and I have to close my account in like, what, 10 weeks? Haha, still feels good at any rate.
Hope that you are all well and that spring comes and STAYS for you guys! Lots of love!
-Amanda
Monday, March 14, 2011
Un "Petit" Voyage
Hello all! Today is my first full day back in France after my lovely long weekend in Rome. I had been one time before, but man, do I love it even more now. It was a great trip, but I'm really happy to be back in Compiègne! I've been in Europe for 2 months as of yesterday! Can't believe it.
This past week of class was a little stressful. The first three days of the school week are the only days that I have class, so all of the stress is compacted into the first part of the week. Like I have amnesia, I forget about it until late Saturday, then begin to worry again. I have to start making some decisions and taking some action. By the way, I'm conducting a research project for the construction of an eco friendly neighborhood in Barcelona. Did I sign up for that? Nope, don't think so. Anyway, the week was fine, and then the perfect end to a week by relaxing a bit in Italy ;)
We got to Rome at around lunch time on Thursday after an early morning walk to the Compiègne station, followed by an hour long bus ride to the airport, followed by a two hour flight, then another bus ride to the station in Rome. Despite all of the little legs of the trip, we were ready go upon arrival! We saw the Trevi fountain (including a gelato stop), Piazza Navona, Pantheon, and more. Friday, we spent all day at the Colosseum and the surrounding Forum and Palatine Hill. BEAUTIFUL.
Throughout the trip, I had noticed a couple of bites on my hands and arms. I immediately thought of spider bites, until I was proven wrong by some bed bugs in the hostel. Horrible, couldn't sleep, but we realized it on Saturday (late) and were leaving Sunday morning. Not much we could do. Sunday, in between scratching our bodies, we were able to get to the Vatican to see St. Peter's and stroll around before coming back to Compi. We did so much in such a short amount of time, it was amazing.
Now, back in good 'ol Compiègne. Had a great day today; ran around and got some things done, and am heading to bed early because I have class tomorrow at 10:15, but am going to the bank tomorrow to get my card (ROUND 2). This weekend, I will probably hang around here in Compiègne, because the weekend after, Kels will be here. What??? I can't wait! Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and I miss you.
xAmanda
This past week of class was a little stressful. The first three days of the school week are the only days that I have class, so all of the stress is compacted into the first part of the week. Like I have amnesia, I forget about it until late Saturday, then begin to worry again. I have to start making some decisions and taking some action. By the way, I'm conducting a research project for the construction of an eco friendly neighborhood in Barcelona. Did I sign up for that? Nope, don't think so. Anyway, the week was fine, and then the perfect end to a week by relaxing a bit in Italy ;)
We got to Rome at around lunch time on Thursday after an early morning walk to the Compiègne station, followed by an hour long bus ride to the airport, followed by a two hour flight, then another bus ride to the station in Rome. Despite all of the little legs of the trip, we were ready go upon arrival! We saw the Trevi fountain (including a gelato stop), Piazza Navona, Pantheon, and more. Friday, we spent all day at the Colosseum and the surrounding Forum and Palatine Hill. BEAUTIFUL.
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| Gelato time! |
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| Trevi Fountain |
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| Chillin' at the Pantheon |
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| Colosseum with friends |
That night, Anna's friend that lives in Rome took us to the original Peroni brewery, where there is now a restaurant in its place; super cheap and super good. And Saturday, after much thought and consideration, we made a voyage to Naples followed by a metro ride to Pompei. Want to see something absolutely amazing? GO THERE. One of the most amazing places I have ever been in my life. Wow. We didn't do a tour or anything, and the loose train schedule gave us the whole day there to soak up the sun and take our time walking around. I even had time for a little nap in the middle of the "town square" where tourists asked my friends if I was alive. Narcoleptic much?
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| Dinner at the Peroni restaurant |
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| Pompei |
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| Quick snooze |
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| Before leaving |
Now, back in good 'ol Compiègne. Had a great day today; ran around and got some things done, and am heading to bed early because I have class tomorrow at 10:15, but am going to the bank tomorrow to get my card (ROUND 2). This weekend, I will probably hang around here in Compiègne, because the weekend after, Kels will be here. What??? I can't wait! Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and I miss you.
xAmanda
Monday, March 7, 2011
La Vie Quotidien
Bonjour à tous! So, here we are in the month of March. Can you believe it? I know I can't. I know I keep saying it, but everything is really starting to blur here. I thought I was in a routine a few weeks ago, but now I have a true routine; feels great.
Class is good here, although it is very different from the USA, as expected. Besides the fact that everything is taught in French, I spend a lot of time in class per week, but I have like no homework. Maybe there is something that I'm missing, I don't know. I'll probably get slapped in the face come first exam. All of that aside, I like class, although I'm a little intimidated. I will also say that four hours of philosophy in one day, regardless of what language it's being taught in, is a little much. Integrating with French students is a little rough, but it is just as I anticipated. Everyone is nice, it is just about being outgoing and not being afraid to make mistakes.
SO, after my lovely, short week of classes, I decided to join my group of friends at a club in Paris, where Thursday nights are dedicated to ERASMUS (exchange) students. I knew before going that the last train from Compiègne was at 8:50 pm, and the first one to come back in the morning was at 6:37 am. Being as I am in France, and my experience is all about trying new things (right?), I decided to go because I would be the first person to say "no thanks" in the US. The night was fun, I even got an American flag sticker to wear, which made me extremely happy.
Although, after a few hours, the fun started to die down. Let's be honest, no one wants to spend 6-7 hours in a discotheque, especially with aching feet. Haha. Anyway, I DID IT! And I slept until 3pm the next day. So not Amanda. I don't know if and/or when I may be going again, but that was certainly an event for the scrapbook.
Tomorrow, I have class the entire day, then I'm going to the UTC professor's house to talk in English with his daughters, finally! They are so cute and I'm so excited to be doing some sort of "extracurricular." After that, there is a Carnaval celebration for Mardi Gras at a bar in Compiègne, so Tuesday is certainly full.
Thursday, I am going to Rome with Anna and Hansen. I can't believe it is happening already. That means, after this weekend, there is only one weekend until Kelsey comes! WHAT? I cannot believe that. It is going to be amazing! It'd be even better if I had a French card to pay for things. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that the second passcode didn't work, so now they are giving me an entirely new card and code altogether. Should be ready in about 10 days. Not cool. Anyway, another great week here in Compiègne, no complaints.
I hope everyone is nice and warm at home. Spring seems to be arriving quickly here in Compi City. Miss and love you all.
-Amanda
Class is good here, although it is very different from the USA, as expected. Besides the fact that everything is taught in French, I spend a lot of time in class per week, but I have like no homework. Maybe there is something that I'm missing, I don't know. I'll probably get slapped in the face come first exam. All of that aside, I like class, although I'm a little intimidated. I will also say that four hours of philosophy in one day, regardless of what language it's being taught in, is a little much. Integrating with French students is a little rough, but it is just as I anticipated. Everyone is nice, it is just about being outgoing and not being afraid to make mistakes.
SO, after my lovely, short week of classes, I decided to join my group of friends at a club in Paris, where Thursday nights are dedicated to ERASMUS (exchange) students. I knew before going that the last train from Compiègne was at 8:50 pm, and the first one to come back in the morning was at 6:37 am. Being as I am in France, and my experience is all about trying new things (right?), I decided to go because I would be the first person to say "no thanks" in the US. The night was fun, I even got an American flag sticker to wear, which made me extremely happy.
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| La Groupe |
Tomorrow, I have class the entire day, then I'm going to the UTC professor's house to talk in English with his daughters, finally! They are so cute and I'm so excited to be doing some sort of "extracurricular." After that, there is a Carnaval celebration for Mardi Gras at a bar in Compiègne, so Tuesday is certainly full.
Thursday, I am going to Rome with Anna and Hansen. I can't believe it is happening already. That means, after this weekend, there is only one weekend until Kelsey comes! WHAT? I cannot believe that. It is going to be amazing! It'd be even better if I had a French card to pay for things. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that the second passcode didn't work, so now they are giving me an entirely new card and code altogether. Should be ready in about 10 days. Not cool. Anyway, another great week here in Compiègne, no complaints.
I hope everyone is nice and warm at home. Spring seems to be arriving quickly here in Compi City. Miss and love you all.
-Amanda
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