As I sit here in Switzerland reading people's posts about 2007, I feel obligated to make my own post about how I think 2007 went. I think that I learned lots about myself this year; though not easy, I think that I have spent most of this year reflecting on life and what I want.
Lots of firsts happened this year. My first college degree. My first 40 hour per week job. The first death that really affected me. The first time I have decided to do something slightly against norms (ie, go abroad and do something that most people would see as "wasting time"). But I did it, and have never been happier.
Other things happened besides just firsts. I lost lots of weight for the first time and have managed to keep it off. I have gone through extreme pain and extreme happiness. I have moved abroad and had a successful time thus far.
So, here is a list of things that happened this year.
+-First job. Not bad at first, but horrible at the end. I learned alot about myself from the job, the most important thing being that I am not meant to sit in front of a computer in an office all day. Never trust co workers too much, either.
--My Grandpa's death. Those of you who know me well know how much of a profond effect this had on me. It was horrible, but like everything else in my life caused me to reflect on things. It was because of his death that I realised I needed to do something new with my life.
++Moving abroad to be an assistant.
Those are the three things that have affected me the most this year. Though it has not all been fun, it has shaped me and I have learned so much about myself.
I really have to thank some people, even though I know few of them will read this blog.
First and foremost, my parents. We used to always argue, but for the first time, I think we are all starting to understand each other better. We may still disagree about a lot of things, and probably always will, but we have definately begun getting closer and agreeing to disagree really has helped. Thanks for your support and help, especially when I moved abroad.
Next, my best friends. You guys are far away but you are still in my thoughts. Kelly, Flo, Judith, Tariq, Ashley, Fernando, Kim, Sabina... I am truly lucky to have friends like you guys. I only hope that I am as a good of a friend to you as you guys all are to me. Kelly, thank you for always making me laugh and talking to me when I am homesick in Chalon. Flo, merci de ton aide quand mon grand-pere est mort, le fait que tu étais là pour moi m'a beaucoup aidée. Judith, merci de m'avoir supporté et d'être mon shopping partner cette année et bien sûr pour ton amitié. Tariq, merci pour tout le fun à DeKalb quand je suis venue rendre visite aux FLRPies. Ashley, thanks for just being you and for being an awesome coffee partner, and listening to all of my problems. Fernando, thank you for all of your advice when I needed it. Kim, I am so glad we got close this year, thank you for all of the cards and facebook messages while I have been abroad. They really made me happy. Finally, Sabina...you are awesome friend and I hope to see you in Europe sometime. Thanks just for simply being there.
Finally, thanks to everyone in France who has made my stay fab this far: the teachers at my school (Simone, "Rambling Ray", Brigitte), and all of my fellow Chalon assistants. Also, thanks to Nadia and Fiona up in Dijon.
As I write this post, I realize that people are what make life worth living. Not possessions, not money, nothing else. I knew this before and it is constantly reinforced, especially when I have been homesick and had a flu for the last few days. Many of you have written to ask how I am, and I am really glad that so many people care so much about me. I still feel sick, but mentally I feel as sharp as a knife. I am ready to enjoy the next leg of my traveling: London!
As I look into 2008, I see exciting things. I may get my European citizenship, and be able to stay in Europe. If not, I will go home and get my masters. Personally, I think both options are exciting ones.
This post is turning really sappy, so I am going to end it here. I have to prepare for tomorrow's trip anyway. I will update again in London.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Sick in Lucerne
Hey guys, only got 2 mins left here but just a quick note to say that i am here in Lucerne, Switzerland now...however, I have spent the entire time here in bed, since I have the flu and tonsilitus (sp?). I went to a doc yesterday and already feel better now that i have meds. Today I take the train to Basel and then on the 27th, I am off to England. I hope to feel 100% by then.
Well thats it. happy holidays everyone!
Well thats it. happy holidays everyone!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
vacay
hey guys! i am writing to you from a webcafe in beautiful Strasbourg, France, home of awesome xmas markets, great food, nice people, and french-germans! Strasbourg has been German 3 times in its history; I knew it was a German city before, but I never knew it was German so many times! The German influence is definately felt here. People speak more German and Alsatian here then French! And I understand most everything, which makes me happy.
I arrived here late Thursday night. The travel was supposed to take a bit under 4 hours; it took 5. There was a train accident in Bourg-en-Bresse, which delayed the entire train réseau (=network), and I had nearly a 2 hour layover in Besançon. I originally was meant to have an hour only, so I wasn't going to venture into downtown. When I got there, I saw that the previous Strasbourg train hadn't even left yet; I should have known at that point that it was going to be a long layover. Had I known, I would have ventured into downtown. But that's ok, Besançon is definitely close enough to Chalon to do in one weekend (2 hour travel)...so maybe a future weekend trip for next semester?
Anyway, it was just after 8 when I got here, so I was just going to go to one of the alimentation generales (=corner store), to buy some bread and an orange for dinner. Instead, I decided to venture out to centre ville and eat a proper dinner, since I was exhausted from the 5 hour journey. Usually, I am "wise" and stay in once it gets dark, but I was so hungry, and it felt safe enough, so I decided to do that instead. I found a really nice place in the center where I ate an Alsacian speciality which consisted of some steak wrapped inside of noodles. It's not lasagne; the noodles are round and in side of each layer of noodles is meat. I am not describing it well and I can't remember the name because it was in Alsacian, which I do not speak. I think it was Baekoffe? It was really good; my description does not do it justice.
Besides good food, I also had (unexpected) good company. The couple next to me was from Luxembourg, and I spoke with them and an Alsacian couple while all of us had our respective meals. We sat there until 11:30 at night just talking! It was so awesome, that would never happen at home because we would have certainly been kicked out of the place. Originally, the Luxembourgians (is that how we call them in English?) thought I was German, which actually happens to me often. I guess the way I look has to do with it. I asked them why they thought I was German; they said it was because of the way I speak French? Interesting. I guess it's because of the strong Chalonnais "r" I now use when I speak French.
So my second day in Strasbourg was basically spent running all over. I started my day by exploring some of the markets; then had lunch at a cute cafe in the center. I had another Alsacian speciality called tarte flambée, or flammekueche in German. I had mine with Munster on top, and it was amazing. I also had créme brûlée for dessert. Yummy stuff. Then, I visited two museums: the Alsatian Musuem and another one about the city's history (musée de l'histoire de la ville). After that I had a tour of the cathedral and of the Petite France neighborhood. Also cool stuff; lots of photos were taken.
One remarkable thing that happened to me was that I must of had about 6 people come up to me asking where such-and-such thing was...do I really blend in that well here? Actually, I noticed that I really look like a lot of the people here in Alsace. In Burgundy, you can tell I am not from the region just by looking at me, but I do indeed blend in well here. Everyone here looks German, since the border is less than an hour away from here. I guess that is why.
Anyway, I got a bit tired of being a tourist after that, so I went to the mall. I know, I know, stop laughing at me. Most people don't go to a mall when they are visiting a city, but I just wanted to chill out and maybe have a coffee, so that's where I went. I enjoyed watching the people in the mall go about their shopping. People in Alsace are more fast paced then us Burgundy folk. I like it. The pace here is in between that of Chicago and Burgundy; it suits me really well. I think if I ever live in Europe that I would live here. In fact, I put Strasbourg as my first choice on my assistantship app, and Burgundy second. I have been thinking the whole weekend that I wish I had been placed here, even though Burgundy is lovely also...
Anyway, I went home from the mall around 8; when I got back to the hotel, I watched Star Academy on TV, which I admit I have become addicted to. I watch it every evening! It is France's version of American Idol, and definately my secret guilty pleasure. It is so cute, and sometimes they have French singers on the program. I really like it!
So, after Star Ac was over, I listened to some music, and feel asleep. I overslept this morning, but still managed to get into town by 10. Today, I just walked around and sort of took things in a bit more. I did so much touristy type stuff yesterday that I kinda just wanted to chill out today. I took the tram out to the Planetarium, which was closed today. This was outside of the center and in the neighborhood right next to the German border. The transport system in Strasbourg actually goes into Germany, so I originally was gonna take the tram into Kehl, the German border city, but I chickened out/got lazy at the last minute and decided against it. I am going to Germany in February, so I figured I would get my German dose at that point. I went to the weekly market, which was bigger than the Chalon one and much too crowded for my liking. I enjoy small markets better than big ones; however, it was still neat because everything was in German!! I thought I was already in Germany!
After that, I had Cordon Bleu for lunch. Actually, cordon bleu is another Alsacian speciality, which I did not know before. It was alright. After that, I was really tired, so I went back to the hotel and napped for a bit. By the time I woke up, it was dark, so I ventured back out into the center of the city, and took in the Christmas markets. I do not have words to describe the beauty of these markets. I will just post pictures when I get back to Chalon, because words would not suffice to explain how beautiful they are.
My parents called me when I was walking around, so I talked to them for a bit. Always nice to hear a familiar voice from home. After that, I walked around a bit more, and now I am here at the internet cafe right near my hotel. My plans for the rest of the evening are to basically relax, have dinner in my room, and shower. I have another 4 hour travel tomorrow as I make my way to Switzerland, so I need to rest up because I can feel myself getting very tired. I take the train to Lucerne tomorrow; hopefully, I will be able to find another internet cafe within the next couple of days so I can update. Otherwise, the next update will come to you guys next week from London.
I'm off now. Hope everyone is enjoying their time off and happy holidays to everyone! I sent some of you New Years cards, which you should be receiving in the next few days...if you read this blog, please leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by!
Hasta la vista!
I arrived here late Thursday night. The travel was supposed to take a bit under 4 hours; it took 5. There was a train accident in Bourg-en-Bresse, which delayed the entire train réseau (=network), and I had nearly a 2 hour layover in Besançon. I originally was meant to have an hour only, so I wasn't going to venture into downtown. When I got there, I saw that the previous Strasbourg train hadn't even left yet; I should have known at that point that it was going to be a long layover. Had I known, I would have ventured into downtown. But that's ok, Besançon is definitely close enough to Chalon to do in one weekend (2 hour travel)...so maybe a future weekend trip for next semester?
Anyway, it was just after 8 when I got here, so I was just going to go to one of the alimentation generales (=corner store), to buy some bread and an orange for dinner. Instead, I decided to venture out to centre ville and eat a proper dinner, since I was exhausted from the 5 hour journey. Usually, I am "wise" and stay in once it gets dark, but I was so hungry, and it felt safe enough, so I decided to do that instead. I found a really nice place in the center where I ate an Alsacian speciality which consisted of some steak wrapped inside of noodles. It's not lasagne; the noodles are round and in side of each layer of noodles is meat. I am not describing it well and I can't remember the name because it was in Alsacian, which I do not speak. I think it was Baekoffe? It was really good; my description does not do it justice.
Besides good food, I also had (unexpected) good company. The couple next to me was from Luxembourg, and I spoke with them and an Alsacian couple while all of us had our respective meals. We sat there until 11:30 at night just talking! It was so awesome, that would never happen at home because we would have certainly been kicked out of the place. Originally, the Luxembourgians (is that how we call them in English?) thought I was German, which actually happens to me often. I guess the way I look has to do with it. I asked them why they thought I was German; they said it was because of the way I speak French? Interesting. I guess it's because of the strong Chalonnais "r" I now use when I speak French.
So my second day in Strasbourg was basically spent running all over. I started my day by exploring some of the markets; then had lunch at a cute cafe in the center. I had another Alsacian speciality called tarte flambée, or flammekueche in German. I had mine with Munster on top, and it was amazing. I also had créme brûlée for dessert. Yummy stuff. Then, I visited two museums: the Alsatian Musuem and another one about the city's history (musée de l'histoire de la ville). After that I had a tour of the cathedral and of the Petite France neighborhood. Also cool stuff; lots of photos were taken.
One remarkable thing that happened to me was that I must of had about 6 people come up to me asking where such-and-such thing was...do I really blend in that well here? Actually, I noticed that I really look like a lot of the people here in Alsace. In Burgundy, you can tell I am not from the region just by looking at me, but I do indeed blend in well here. Everyone here looks German, since the border is less than an hour away from here. I guess that is why.
Anyway, I got a bit tired of being a tourist after that, so I went to the mall. I know, I know, stop laughing at me. Most people don't go to a mall when they are visiting a city, but I just wanted to chill out and maybe have a coffee, so that's where I went. I enjoyed watching the people in the mall go about their shopping. People in Alsace are more fast paced then us Burgundy folk. I like it. The pace here is in between that of Chicago and Burgundy; it suits me really well. I think if I ever live in Europe that I would live here. In fact, I put Strasbourg as my first choice on my assistantship app, and Burgundy second. I have been thinking the whole weekend that I wish I had been placed here, even though Burgundy is lovely also...
Anyway, I went home from the mall around 8; when I got back to the hotel, I watched Star Academy on TV, which I admit I have become addicted to. I watch it every evening! It is France's version of American Idol, and definately my secret guilty pleasure. It is so cute, and sometimes they have French singers on the program. I really like it!
So, after Star Ac was over, I listened to some music, and feel asleep. I overslept this morning, but still managed to get into town by 10. Today, I just walked around and sort of took things in a bit more. I did so much touristy type stuff yesterday that I kinda just wanted to chill out today. I took the tram out to the Planetarium, which was closed today. This was outside of the center and in the neighborhood right next to the German border. The transport system in Strasbourg actually goes into Germany, so I originally was gonna take the tram into Kehl, the German border city, but I chickened out/got lazy at the last minute and decided against it. I am going to Germany in February, so I figured I would get my German dose at that point. I went to the weekly market, which was bigger than the Chalon one and much too crowded for my liking. I enjoy small markets better than big ones; however, it was still neat because everything was in German!! I thought I was already in Germany!
After that, I had Cordon Bleu for lunch. Actually, cordon bleu is another Alsacian speciality, which I did not know before. It was alright. After that, I was really tired, so I went back to the hotel and napped for a bit. By the time I woke up, it was dark, so I ventured back out into the center of the city, and took in the Christmas markets. I do not have words to describe the beauty of these markets. I will just post pictures when I get back to Chalon, because words would not suffice to explain how beautiful they are.
My parents called me when I was walking around, so I talked to them for a bit. Always nice to hear a familiar voice from home. After that, I walked around a bit more, and now I am here at the internet cafe right near my hotel. My plans for the rest of the evening are to basically relax, have dinner in my room, and shower. I have another 4 hour travel tomorrow as I make my way to Switzerland, so I need to rest up because I can feel myself getting very tired. I take the train to Lucerne tomorrow; hopefully, I will be able to find another internet cafe within the next couple of days so I can update. Otherwise, the next update will come to you guys next week from London.
I'm off now. Hope everyone is enjoying their time off and happy holidays to everyone! I sent some of you New Years cards, which you should be receiving in the next few days...if you read this blog, please leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by!
Hasta la vista!
Monday, December 10, 2007
I strongly dislike Mondays
Paris was great this weekend...except for the Parisians that is. No offense to any Parisians who may be reading this blog, but my gosh, they are such snobs up there. I am so glad to be placed in Burgundy where people are much more calm. Anyway, the GRE went about the same as before, although I studied lots more this time. I refuse to take it again. It costs too much money, and it is obviously impossible to study for. And I got a better score in Math than in the Verbal section, so that just proves that this test is inaccurate - I suck at math!
On the upside, it was great hanging out with Katrina, a friend of mine from home who is studying abroad up there. I also got to meet up with another friend from study abroad. It was great seeing them both. I also got some new shoes, two pair for 80 euro. Pas mal de tout, especially in Paris!
When I came back to Chalon, I had dinner with one of my good friends and then went to have tea with another friend. Then I talked to my mom on the phone for an hour, and went to bed. I had to be up this morning at 7, because I went the professional high school to do a presentation for some of the BTS students there. It was a two hour presentation; the first part in English and the second part in French. The first part was hard but the second part went much better, because their English was not very good. Then I had an hour break, then two classes, another hour break, and two more classes. I felt like I was in America today with the amount I worked!
I am really tired right now but I need to go to the store - my fridge is empty! I also want to go see our Christmas market in town but I don't really have the energy. I will probably save that for another day.
Is anyone reading this thing? Leave me comments!!
On the upside, it was great hanging out with Katrina, a friend of mine from home who is studying abroad up there. I also got to meet up with another friend from study abroad. It was great seeing them both. I also got some new shoes, two pair for 80 euro. Pas mal de tout, especially in Paris!
When I came back to Chalon, I had dinner with one of my good friends and then went to have tea with another friend. Then I talked to my mom on the phone for an hour, and went to bed. I had to be up this morning at 7, because I went the professional high school to do a presentation for some of the BTS students there. It was a two hour presentation; the first part in English and the second part in French. The first part was hard but the second part went much better, because their English was not very good. Then I had an hour break, then two classes, another hour break, and two more classes. I felt like I was in America today with the amount I worked!
I am really tired right now but I need to go to the store - my fridge is empty! I also want to go see our Christmas market in town but I don't really have the energy. I will probably save that for another day.
Is anyone reading this thing? Leave me comments!!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
...
So, I have a bit of time to waste before I need to gather up my things and make my way to the train station. I am off to Paris for the weekend. I have to take the GRE tomorrow, so that is the purpose of the visit. I will be staying with my friend Katrina from home and also meeting up with my friend Karen who I studied abroad with in Avignon. Funtimes!!
I went to Grenoble last weekend. It was so great to get out of Burgundy. Burgundy is indeed a charming region, but sometimes it is just too boring to live somewhere small. It was nice to get out and see something else.
I have just heard that there is to be a strike on the 20th of December, so I have (once again) needed to change my plans. I swear, someone is trying to get me to stay in Chalon all of break, which would suck. So now, I will be spending 3 or 4 days in Strasbourg, then travel around Switzerland with some friends. Then up to London. Good stuff fun times.
We had our Thanksgiving meal in Chalon as well. It was pretty good, thought not quite as good as at home. Still, it was nice to celebrate a holiday from home and be surrounded by so many lovely people. :)
That's about it for now. Catch you later!!
I went to Grenoble last weekend. It was so great to get out of Burgundy. Burgundy is indeed a charming region, but sometimes it is just too boring to live somewhere small. It was nice to get out and see something else.
I have just heard that there is to be a strike on the 20th of December, so I have (once again) needed to change my plans. I swear, someone is trying to get me to stay in Chalon all of break, which would suck. So now, I will be spending 3 or 4 days in Strasbourg, then travel around Switzerland with some friends. Then up to London. Good stuff fun times.
We had our Thanksgiving meal in Chalon as well. It was pretty good, thought not quite as good as at home. Still, it was nice to celebrate a holiday from home and be surrounded by so many lovely people. :)
That's about it for now. Catch you later!!
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