We arrived home in the United States this past weekend. Flying from Charles de Gaulle to JFK to Indianapolis and then driving two hours to my house made for quite a day – 24 hours in fact. To make matters more interesting, my suitcase disappeared when we arrived in New York. It was quite the ordeal and I would have been a mess had it not been for some of my supportive classmates. They helped me figure out what to do and who to talk to. And they stuck with me when we found out a girl from Manhattan accidentally picked it up and took it home with her.
It took a couple days and a lot of hassle, but my suitcase finally showed up on our doorstep yesterday afternoon. After much celebration, I was able to unpack and get settled at home again. I had a lot of fun presenting my family with their gifts too. My sister received a purse from London, my dad a coffee mug from Paris, and my mom a pair of earrings from Kensington Palace in London.
When I had a chance, I transferred my photos to my computer and discovered a grand total of 1,798 photos. And that doesn’t include the ones I often took with Ashley’s camera when mine was inaccessible. Needless to say, it is going to take awhile to sort through and upload the best of the best. I will update past blogs with photos soon!
Another part of coming home is finishing our projects. As I said before, each of us has an individual project to work on for our study abroad class. One of my classmates, Austin Hostetter, kept a blog throughout our trip as part of his project - check it out here! Now that we are back in the U.S. we are responsible for finishing those, as well as other assignments, in the next month. Aside from recovering from jet lag, I am going to be a busy bee!
I finally realized the other day that summer has officially arrived for me. Hooray! This also means I need to be finding a job. My luck up until this point has not been so good, but I think that had a lot to do with the fact that I would be gone for two weeks. Now that I am super available, perhaps my luck will improve! The next month will also be exciting because one of my best friends from high school is getting married, and I’m a bridesmaid! Now that I’m home, I can help more with the wedding plans. So exciting!
I hope your days are going well as you wrap up the end of your school year or high school career. I wish you all the best of luck, and as always, feel free to ask me any questions you have about Ball State!
Cheers!
Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Better Than Christmas
Our European adventures finally led us to Paris, France. This was the city I had been waiting two weeks to see. Actually, I had been waiting five years to visit Paris. Seeing the beautiful City of Light and speaking the language I’d been learning was something I had dreamed of since high school. The night before we left for Paris was so exciting – I called it Christmas Eve.
We took the train from London to Paris and arrived in time to meet with the headquarters of the Michelin tire company. From there, we checked into our hotel and explored the city. A small group of us decided to wait until dark to go on our walk. It took us four hours to see everything, but we have some amazing photos of the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower at nighttime. They were truly beautiful sights. For me, standing under the glow of Eiffel Tower was even better than Christmas.
One of the must-dos on my list for Paris was “go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.” However, the day we left for Paris, I found out there had been a mishap with our tickets. A company visit had been scheduled for the same time as our tickets to the top and no others could be purchased. I couldn’t even find more available online. The stunning realization hit me – I wasn’t going to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I was heartbroken.
I kind of felt numb, going through the motions of our company visit when I was supposed to be fulfilling a long-held dream. Our French guide who led the tour of the city understood this was something many of us really wanted to do. She made contact with the travel company, who agreed to pay for new tickets, and she worked her magic with the employees she knew at the Tower and somehow returned with tickets for all of us to the top! It was amazing – she’s my new hero.
Reaching the top of the Eiffel Tower was everything I dreamed it would be, and more. The day we were there was truly beautiful. We could see everything a mile away. I can still remember the feeling of awe as I stood gazing at such an incredible city. Even the sky is more blue and beautiful after a moment like that.
Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any better, I turned the corner of the top of the Eiffel Tower and there stood one of my dance choreography idols – Tyce DiOrio! I gasped and slowly backed up around the corner, “oh my gosh!” Then I peeked again, getting my camera ready to sneak a photo. My day was made.
I loved Paris. Ashley and I spent our free day visiting the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and Notre Dame. We saw works of art we could have only dreamed of seeing before – the Mona Lisa, Monet’s Water Lilies, Degas’ ballerina paintings, and so much more. We shopped along the Ile de la Cite, conversing in French with shop owners and customers. For me, Paris was a city of dreams come true.
The Arc de Triomphe
Luxembourg Palace and Gardens
L'institut de France
The Louvre
Musee d'Orsay
Notre Dame
We took the train from London to Paris and arrived in time to meet with the headquarters of the Michelin tire company. From there, we checked into our hotel and explored the city. A small group of us decided to wait until dark to go on our walk. It took us four hours to see everything, but we have some amazing photos of the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower at nighttime. They were truly beautiful sights. For me, standing under the glow of Eiffel Tower was even better than Christmas.
One of the must-dos on my list for Paris was “go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.” However, the day we left for Paris, I found out there had been a mishap with our tickets. A company visit had been scheduled for the same time as our tickets to the top and no others could be purchased. I couldn’t even find more available online. The stunning realization hit me – I wasn’t going to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I was heartbroken.
I kind of felt numb, going through the motions of our company visit when I was supposed to be fulfilling a long-held dream. Our French guide who led the tour of the city understood this was something many of us really wanted to do. She made contact with the travel company, who agreed to pay for new tickets, and she worked her magic with the employees she knew at the Tower and somehow returned with tickets for all of us to the top! It was amazing – she’s my new hero.
Reaching the top of the Eiffel Tower was everything I dreamed it would be, and more. The day we were there was truly beautiful. We could see everything a mile away. I can still remember the feeling of awe as I stood gazing at such an incredible city. Even the sky is more blue and beautiful after a moment like that.
Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any better, I turned the corner of the top of the Eiffel Tower and there stood one of my dance choreography idols – Tyce DiOrio! I gasped and slowly backed up around the corner, “oh my gosh!” Then I peeked again, getting my camera ready to sneak a photo. My day was made.
I loved Paris. Ashley and I spent our free day visiting the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and Notre Dame. We saw works of art we could have only dreamed of seeing before – the Mona Lisa, Monet’s Water Lilies, Degas’ ballerina paintings, and so much more. We shopped along the Ile de la Cite, conversing in French with shop owners and customers. For me, Paris was a city of dreams come true.
The Arc de Triomphe
Luxembourg Palace and Gardens
L'institut de France
The Louvre
Musee d'Orsay
Notre Dame
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