Well, I've been in Europe for about a month now, and it's about time I've updated the blog.
What a crazy adventure! Landing after a terribly long flight, greetings from familiar faces was the most comforting thing I have ever experienced. I spent my first week spoiled rotten in Zürich, Switzerland by family friends. We went shopping on the Bahnhoffstrasse, spent a day at the Europa Park, rode horses on their farm in Germany, and spent nights roaming their cornfields in search of wild boar. When the time came to say goodbye, I didn't realize how many extra things I had collected until there was no one left to help me with my bags.
I overpacked with about eighty pounds of stuff that I really don't need. My excuses were: "It's hard to pack for a year!" "You never know what you'll need!" "I don't have enough money to just buy everything!" "I'm strong enough to carry all this, don't worry!" Stupid. When the time finally came to leave for France I realized a little too late, just how heavy eighty pounds really is and how much it would slow me down. Confused, sweaty, and on the verge of tears, I climbed aboard my last train, heaving those devilish bags on just a the train began to creep out of the station. Then a man on the intercom announced that we were arriving into Aix-en-Provence 15 minutes late, and I could swear the passengers in my car gave me a disapproving glance as he said this.
Standing at the platform, I waited for an IAU representative to pick me up. Fifteen minutes went by, then 20, 30, 40... Crap, I must have turned in my train schedule too late. Then an older lady with an IAU sign approached me. The sign didn't have my name on it, but a kid named Jeff who had fallen asleep on his train and was late too. So, we waited for Jeff and then I did the one thing I promised I would not do: go home with a stranger. My thought process was: she has an official looking sign, I can outrun her, there is another American with me, and I'm tired of traveling. So I went home with her, and she put me in the oven and ate me for dinner. No. She was very sweet to me, feeding and watering me like a stray cat, even though my appearance and odor had to be offensive. There had been a mix up with times and my host mother had waited for over an hour at the train station and then left.
I live with a British woman named Claire and her 19 year old daughter Nina. At first I was mildly disappointed that I wouldn't be staying with an actual French family, but I don't think I could have picked a better family! After lugging those awful bags up five flights of stairs, there waited an oasis that reminds me quite a lot of home. Horses and trophies decorate the walls here. I'm living with one of England's National Dressage Champions! Right off the bat, Nina and I had something to chat about while I settled in.
Despite all of that, the first night was definitely a hard one. It was difficult to get to sleep and nine months suddenly seemed dauntingly long. The following morning, however, all was right with the world once again.
So now, for a brief summary of the past few weeks:
After my arrival in Aix, school began in a flurry of French words.
The first weekend here, we went on a school trip! Saturday we roamed around Nice and played at the beach, soaking up as much salt water and sunshine as we could in our limited hours. Sunday we went to Marseille and saw Le Notre Dame de la Garde!
The weekend after that, some friends and I took a bus to Cassis for a day trip to the beach. After hiking up slippery rock slopes too close to the cliff's edge for my taste, we came to the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The waters were breathtakingly green-blue, so cold that it literally did steal your breath, surrounded by red earth shooting straight up from the water.
Then, last weekend we climbed Mt. Saint Victoire! It was quite a long way to the top, especially without a lunch and extra water, but nobody got lost, fell off of a cliff, or shot by a hunter. So all in all, it was a great day and we took our time at the top, soaking in the peace of the monastery and taking copious pictures.
Finalement, most events have been recorded! Hopefully I can stay more up-to-date with my blogs and then you guys don't have to read novels every time.
A bientôt!
Oh, I almost forgot! I had my very first beer in Freiburg, Germany!
What a crazy adventure! Landing after a terribly long flight, greetings from familiar faces was the most comforting thing I have ever experienced. I spent my first week spoiled rotten in Zürich, Switzerland by family friends. We went shopping on the Bahnhoffstrasse, spent a day at the Europa Park, rode horses on their farm in Germany, and spent nights roaming their cornfields in search of wild boar. When the time came to say goodbye, I didn't realize how many extra things I had collected until there was no one left to help me with my bags.
I overpacked with about eighty pounds of stuff that I really don't need. My excuses were: "It's hard to pack for a year!" "You never know what you'll need!" "I don't have enough money to just buy everything!" "I'm strong enough to carry all this, don't worry!" Stupid. When the time finally came to leave for France I realized a little too late, just how heavy eighty pounds really is and how much it would slow me down. Confused, sweaty, and on the verge of tears, I climbed aboard my last train, heaving those devilish bags on just a the train began to creep out of the station. Then a man on the intercom announced that we were arriving into Aix-en-Provence 15 minutes late, and I could swear the passengers in my car gave me a disapproving glance as he said this.
Standing at the platform, I waited for an IAU representative to pick me up. Fifteen minutes went by, then 20, 30, 40... Crap, I must have turned in my train schedule too late. Then an older lady with an IAU sign approached me. The sign didn't have my name on it, but a kid named Jeff who had fallen asleep on his train and was late too. So, we waited for Jeff and then I did the one thing I promised I would not do: go home with a stranger. My thought process was: she has an official looking sign, I can outrun her, there is another American with me, and I'm tired of traveling. So I went home with her, and she put me in the oven and ate me for dinner. No. She was very sweet to me, feeding and watering me like a stray cat, even though my appearance and odor had to be offensive. There had been a mix up with times and my host mother had waited for over an hour at the train station and then left.
I live with a British woman named Claire and her 19 year old daughter Nina. At first I was mildly disappointed that I wouldn't be staying with an actual French family, but I don't think I could have picked a better family! After lugging those awful bags up five flights of stairs, there waited an oasis that reminds me quite a lot of home. Horses and trophies decorate the walls here. I'm living with one of England's National Dressage Champions! Right off the bat, Nina and I had something to chat about while I settled in.
Despite all of that, the first night was definitely a hard one. It was difficult to get to sleep and nine months suddenly seemed dauntingly long. The following morning, however, all was right with the world once again.
So now, for a brief summary of the past few weeks:
After my arrival in Aix, school began in a flurry of French words.
The first weekend here, we went on a school trip! Saturday we roamed around Nice and played at the beach, soaking up as much salt water and sunshine as we could in our limited hours. Sunday we went to Marseille and saw Le Notre Dame de la Garde!
The weekend after that, some friends and I took a bus to Cassis for a day trip to the beach. After hiking up slippery rock slopes too close to the cliff's edge for my taste, we came to the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The waters were breathtakingly green-blue, so cold that it literally did steal your breath, surrounded by red earth shooting straight up from the water.
Then, last weekend we climbed Mt. Saint Victoire! It was quite a long way to the top, especially without a lunch and extra water, but nobody got lost, fell off of a cliff, or shot by a hunter. So all in all, it was a great day and we took our time at the top, soaking in the peace of the monastery and taking copious pictures.
Finalement, most events have been recorded! Hopefully I can stay more up-to-date with my blogs and then you guys don't have to read novels every time.
A bientôt!
Oh, I almost forgot! I had my very first beer in Freiburg, Germany!