I started thinking that I would probably regret not having a written account of my adventures in Paris and Europe. Of course my vlog is able to capture the highlights of my time here, but these anecdotes are not quite enough to get an idea of my vie quotiedienne (daily life).
Granted, starting this at the halfway point between my arrival and departure isn't ideal, but it's better late then never.
At this point, I've spent 4.5 months in Europe, mainly in Paris; I've also had the chance to visit London, Barcelona, and Dublin in addition to some locations in France such as Mont. St. Michel, Saint Malo, Normandy, Reims, and Nantes. I am fortunate enough to have more time to visit more sites overseas; Toulouse in the south of France is planned for February, as well as Sarlat and Colmar in the near future. Outside of France, I want to make my way to Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and anywhere else I might find interesting. I'm always up for suggestions!
Alright, I guess I'll dive in to the point of a blog: what's been going on? I returned to Paris a few days ago after a short stay in Dublin, Ireland with Patricia. It's definitely a pleasant city with a lot to offer, especially when it isn't raining, which was an all-too-common occurrence during my stay. I stayed at the University College of Dublin, a redundantly titled institution that is a quick busride to the city center, or downtown. From there, most things are within walking distance, which is more than I can say for Paris! They had some great places for window shopping and eating along the cobblestone roads. Pat and I started right off with a Guinness beef sandwich with fresh horseradish and a pint of the beer too (not, her. though, she's a vegetarian =P )
Trinity College is a famous university in Ireland as it dates back many years. I overheard a tour guide explaining some bizarre rules of the past: on the date of an exam, a student with a sword and armor could request a meal with the exam and the instructor had to comply. I wouldn't be opposed to eating a cheeseburger during my finals..
The Dublin Castle was a cool sight to see just for the fact that it was a castle within a city. On one side, the walls were painted bright colors, so it took away from some of the appeal but was still generally a cool thing to see. The river that flows through the city allowed for a Venetian looking scene. There is a great area called Temple Bar (not just one big bar as I had imagined) with a lot of unique shops and restaurants that also serves as great nightlife in the later hours.
During a freestyle walking tour of the city, I found the "National Leprechaun Museum." This is obviously made for tourists, but I had to go through it. It was quite amusing, explaining the origins and (mis)representations of the stereotypical character in green. The tour included a room with large furniture to make me feel like I myself was only a few feet tall. Ending with a pot of gold, it proved to be an interesting visit. However, I enjoyed my second tour of the day much more: the Guinness Storehouse where the beer was created and is currently produced. They walked us through the entire history and process behind the entity. I was able to pour my own pint-and drink it too! It has such a unique taste that is hard to get used to, but straight from the source complemented with a 360 degree view of the city the beer proved to be delicious. Stopping for some "famous" fish 'n' chips before heading back to the airport, I felt that I had a pretty good feel for the city given the short period of my stay.
Being the week before courses started at UCD, I was able to meet a lot of international and Irish students. This is my favorite thing about being in Europe. You meet such an interesting crowd of students, travelers, and natives. I find it easier to make friends here-even if only temporary-because everyone is just as excited and open for new experiences as the next person. On the flight home aboard the classy Ryanair, I met a couple from Australia that were my age on their way to Paris for the first time. We started talking right away and held conversation for the entire 4 hours it took to get from Dublin to the center of Paris. I had to help them out because they didn't know where their hotel was and couldn't speak more than 10 words of French!
It was nice to get back to my home away from home. I'm comfortable here now with a good group of friends. I'm back into French-speaking mode-it was a bit difficult during my first attempt to jump back in the language after 7 days hearing English everywhere!
I've essentially been on break since December 17 and I do not resume courses until January 31. So my daily life consists of going to sleep at ridiculous hours, waking up, leaving the house and making the host family aware that I'm finally awake, and babysitting the three kids. They were really happy to see me again. One of the hardest parts about leaving at the end of May will definitely be saying goodbye to them. They are (usually) really well-behaved and great to be around. Their parents are really happy that I'm able to continue the same schedule during the next semester, and they've been asking me to babysit more frequently when they have planned activities. They invited me to the dad's birthday party on Saturday, sans the kids! It'll be a great experience to meet their friends and be a guest instead of an employee! I'm bringing my friend from home as well. Carrie is coming to Paris on Friday before she studies in Grenoble for the semester. I can't wait to see her of course. I love having a fresh familiar face every few weeks!
Aside from babysitting, I spend time online, obviously, but I also have been reading a lot of books lately, namely the Sherlock Holmes series which I am almost finished with. Then of course there are my American TV shows-gotta love NBC comedy night! A lot of people ask me if I'm homesick at all. My answer? yes and no. Yes, I miss my family and my friends so much, as well as the comfort of familiarity. But at the same time, I'm having such a great time meeting new people and seeing new things, all that cheesy stuff. I am definitely glad that I chose the year program because I don't feel like one semester would have been long enough. I just had to say goodbye to one of my best friends here because she wasn't able to stay for 2 semesters, and that was hard enough! I'm glad that I still have about 4.5 months left to continue these experiences. Having the internet certainly helps because I can stay in constant communication with the people I miss!
This post is much longer than I anticipated. And if you've read to this point, thanks so much. If not though, it's still worth writing for my future self!
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