Week 19: Enjoying break - and welcoming the newcomer!

As 2014 has come to a close, I just can’t stop thinking how blessed I am for all the opportunities I’ve had so far. From the foundation of getting to study abroad at all this semester, to getting to study in Europe, to picking Lille and having all these amazing experiences - I am truly so appreciate and so grateful. And so my stay at Amandine’s has ended, with many fun experiences throughout… oh, I must have forgot to mention something. What was it? Certainly I should remember…

Of course! Alex is now here in Lille! I can’t even describe how excited I am that she’s here in words! Story to follow. (Warning: there will be a lot of enthusiasm involved. :))

Monday picked up right where the weekend left off (funny enough), relaxed and fun. Amandine’s friend Marie came over in the early afternoon, and we decided to make an apple cake from a family recipe, and also some Ch’tiramisu, which is just like a regular tiramisu except the layers consist of crumbled Spéculoos, a cookie typical of the north of France, and cream made with chicorée liquide, which is a coffee-flavored syrup that is made from chicory, another typical product of the region. (For the record, I absolutely adore ch’tiramisu, and I hope I can find similar ingredients in the States to make it, so that my family knows how wonderful it is!) After putting the cake in the oven and setting the ch’tiramisu in the fridge, the three of us sat down at the table and played Jour de Paye, the French version of Pay Day. After we had our turns saving up money and whatnot (all in French), we decided to watch Astérix et Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre, which made all of us laugh more than once. The film was very interesting to me because a few times Amandine and Marie were nice enough to pause the movie and explain all the references to French culture in the movie that made it even more comical than what I could already understand. By the end of the movie it was getting pretty late, which wasn’t too much of a problem as Marie was staying the night, but as we all were chatting just before bed, Amandine and I realized that we had both mentioned over the break that we wanted to go ice skating, and that we probably wouldn’t be able to unless we went soon, so we laid down some plans to wake up a little early and try to make it.

In the morning, we actually made our way to the patinoire, and got to take some laps around the ice! (Tragically, my skates were too dull and there were way too many people for me to safely perform any tricks… but such is life. Apparently the ice rink is a popular choice on the second-last day of the year.) For those who don’t know, years ago I took lessons with my sisters in competitive figure skating, and so I relished this opportunity to get out on the ice once again with Amandine, her brother Antoine, and Marie. We had a great time dodging back and forth to avoid people, and I was happy just to have fun with Amandine and her friends.

Having fun at the ice rink!

After we ducked out of the rink a tad early to avoid the rush of people, we ran some errands, such as getting Amandine a phone case so she’d have a nice new one to take to the United States for next semester, and by that time Marie had to make her way to Paris to join her family, and so we dropped her off at the train station to meet her carpool. We then stopped to visit Amandine’s grandparents who live not too far from Amandine and her family to collect some coquilles de Noël, loafs of bread formed in the shape of baby Jesus. We had a lovely chat about Amandine’s impending trip to Shreveport, Louisiana for next semester, and also my experience in France so far, with a few current events sprinkled in. It was a very nice time, and as always, Amandine’s grandparents were very hospitable and kind. We then returned home for the night, where we had another wonderful dinner, and then I watched Rain Man for the first time, en français! What a wonderful day before New Year’s Eve.

Wednesday was a little bit of a blur for me… mostly because for the majority of the day I was focused on getting ready for Alex’s arrival! I packed up my suitcase, or at least tried to organize myself a little bit to have space for all her luggage since she would be staying the next night at Amandine’s house, and so the day passed very fast. (There was probably (hopefully) some work on my blog somewhere in there.) Then, on Thursday, it was finally the day: Alex arrived!

Finally here - yippee!!!

As some of you might have already seen on Facebook, I wanted to perfectly record the moment, and so after getting dropped off at the train station, hopping on a train and making it to the airport, I stood as close as I could to where I would meet Alex, with my phone poised and ready to capture the exact moment she would come through the doors. I was indescribably happy in that moment, and in all that followed. Although I hadn’t been too homesick, I had been missing my family a little bit… and here she was, the closest person to me in this world.

The moment of arrival.

After our grand reunion, we went to go find some chairs to sit in while we waited for our train back to Lille. While we waited, we called our parents, and they were happy to hear that Alex was on the ground in France. Then, we just talked like we hadn’t in so long… even though we had messaged, Skyped, and talked on the phone the whole semester, it felt like I hadn’t done any of that, and that this was the first time I was talking to her in so long. As is natural for us, we did get quite the case of the giggles, which really made it hit home for me that she was here. In France. After waiting through an extra half hour delay for our train, we finally hurried onto the train to the blowing whistle of the conductor, and then Alex caught a little bit of shuteye on the train to be ready to meet Amandine and her family when we got to Lille.

Looking adorable while waiting for the train <3

Amandine, Antoine, and their mom were all waiting for us when we got back to Lille, and so Alex got to meet them all right away. They loaded her big suitcase, carry-on suitcase and backpack into the trunk, and off we went back to Amandine’s house, with one additional VIP passenger. Once we got back to the house, we unloaded Alex’s things, and then we immediately dove into another round of meeting lots of French people! I met even more relatives of Amandine’s that I hadn’t met during Christmas celebrations, and Alex got to try her hand at giving and getting some bises right away in greeting with many new French people. We actually met all these new people as they were on their way out the door, but we did get to chat a little bit before they left, so Alex really did jump right into authentic French family culture.

Once everyone had left, we sat down at the dinner table and as always, ate some delicious food. I could not stop thinking: She’s actually here! Where I’ve been staying for the past few days, meeting the people I’ve been staying with, and starting to make friends with the friend I’ve had for months now! How amazing is this?!! It was a singular moment in my life - I hadn’t seen anyone in my family in so long (at least in person), and here she is. Wow. So, after getting over my initial reactions to Alex finally being here, we all chatted for a while about the similarities between Alex and myself, and then we got to talking about French culture as well. In the holiday spirit, we even toasted with some champagne, both to the new year and to Alex’s arrival. By the time we finished chatting and eating, Alex was just about at the bottom of her energy level, what with the time difference and meeting everyone, and so we chilled on the sofa for a few minutes, and then went right up to bed, where we all fell straight asleep.

The next day, Alex and I wanted to get a jump on things, such as unpacking and getting Alex a French bank account, but before we left, we had a wonderful lunch with Amandine and her family. It took me an hour or two to collect all my things and get all packed up, but I was finally ready to go, and Alex was right behind me. We said goodbye to Antoine and the house, and then we got in the car to get to Alex’s residence. Once we got all of Alex’s bags out of the car (much like the previous day), we bid a heartfelt farewell and lots of good wishes to Amandine and her family, as we wouldn’t be seeing her again before she left to study in the States. Then after we settled all our things into Alex’s room, we both sat down on the bed and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Finally, everything was perfect: Alex had arrived safely, she had even gotten to meet Amandine and her family, and, most importantly, she was all set to go for the semester ahead. I was so happy to have been able to guide Alex through things as simple as getting off her plane and to the train to Lille, and as tiring as starting the process of getting her own French bank account.

Once everything was settled, Alex and I made our way to Vieux Lille, where only a few weeks ago I myself had been living, to meet up with my Belgian friend Fatima at a place called Café Oz Australian Bar. I had wanted Alex to meet Fatima before spending a whole weekend with her, and it turned out to be a great introduction! We chatted about Belgium, the United States, and all the stereotypes in between, as well as the past semester from both my perspective in France and hers back in the States. Alex also compared notes with Fatima and me on what I had told her about the people, travels, and events of last semester. When ordering our drinks, we heard one of the bartenders, who was from Mississippi, claim to have dated Brett Favre’s sister in high school. (Who knows if that’s true or not…) We ended up having a great time, but before we knew it, it was time to go to bed, because we had a very early train the next morning!

At the Australian Bar!

Saturday morning, Alex, Fatima and I hopped on the 6:40AM train to Paris, to introduce Alex to the lovely city that is Paris! I taught Fatima how to play Contract Whist on the way there, with a game to be continued on the train back to Lille the next day. Before we knew it, we arrived. After buying our day passes for the metro, we had a little bit of trouble figuring out where we were going at first, but eventually we made our way through the cold and the rain to our hostel, unfortunately located in the sketchy Montmartre area right around Sacré Coeur. (First and last time booking a hostel before reading the reviews... oh well. We made the most of it.) From our hostel, we got on the metro and made our way to Café Angelina, which, if you’ve read or heard anything that I’ve said about my previous trips to Paris, has been a must for me each time I visit. (World’s best hot chocolate and all that :)) We walked next to the Louvre and through the Jardin des Tuileries to get there, as it’s located right across the street, and we were happy to get into the warmth and out of the rain. Almost nothing is worse than freezing rain when you’re traveling to Paris... almost. We sat down and had some lovely hot beverages and macaroons to split, while trying to take in all the warmth and dryness that we could before we had to venture out into the rain and the cold again.

Twins in the tea room ^_^

Soon enough, we made our way down the street to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. It was still as magical for me as it was the first time, and it was only made better by seeing Alex’s impressions of her very first time there. I relived the same feelings that I had told my friends about after my first time in Paris, seeing them on Alex’s face: we had been waiting for over seven years to experience these moments. We had been learning about all these monuments and sights and all this history in French classes for seven years, and now here we are in France, finally getting to experience everything! In the midst of all this awe and wonder, Fatima, Alex, and I made our way down the famous street. We stopped into an H&M to get Alex some new, dry shoes (yes, the rain was that bad), and then we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe. Fatima and I both had our French student IDs and so we got a reduced rate, and we all made our way under the busy street and up the stairs to the top, to be able to see all of the city. Unfortunately, clouds go hand in hand with rain, and so we didn’t see too much of the city from the top, but what we did see was amazing.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

View of the Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe. Lots of clouds!

A very hazy view of Sacré Coeur.

Then we made our way via metro to the Eiffel Tower! It proved to be a little bit of a difficult journey, not in terms of navigation, but just dealing with the harsh weather, but c’est la vie when you’re in Paris. We climbed all the stairs to the first level, where we admired the view through the rain, and then quickly ducked into the souvenir shop. Alex, Fatima and I picked out a few overpriced souvenirs, and then the three of us prepared ourselves mentally to climb to the next level. It really is a workout - we definitely got our exercise for that day! When we finally reached the second level, huffing and puffing, we danced our way in between the raindrops to get an even better view of Paris and all it has to offer.

After the Eiffel Tower, we trekked across the city to find a grocery store for a cheap (and very late) lunch. We enjoyed a rest for a little bit, chatting about what we would do next while regaining some energy, and then we made our way back across the city on the metro. Our next destination was Sacré-Coeur, but before we made it there, we ran into a sight that Fatima had just been mentioning to us along the way - the Love Wall. All over this one random wall, very near to Sacré Coeur in the Montmarte district, is written “I love you” in a bunch of different languages (and even different dialects of different languages!). We snapped photos of all the “I love you”s we recognized, and then we followed the hill up to the top.

I love you.

When we finally made it to Sacré Coeur, it was just as it had been about a week ago for me - stunning, and amazing. We took a while to just sit and take it all in, and then we walked around the basilica a bit to see all the amazing details up close. After we had taken enough time to let it all sink in, we decided to try to see more of Paris before our day was up. Unfortunately, Alex had overused her feet, and so we took a while to rest in the hostel and have a night in, and ended up going to bed early. We chatted a little bit about our plans for the next day, which for Alex and me included going to Mass in the morning, and then we turned in. The had already been so amazing that it certainly made up for the early evening!

We got up pretty early to be able to make 8:30AM mass at Notre Dame Cathedral, while Fatima took a stroll around the nearby area and took lots of photos. This was another sight that Alex had been waiting to see, and once again, her reaction was similar to my own, but she seemed to be even more awed and excited by the experience. After the quaint mass with a gathering of elderly people, which was another amazing mass in French, Alex and I made our way to the Louvre. Since it was the first Sunday of the month, we got into the museum for free! We saw the history of the Louvre palace, how it used to be the seat of the royal throne, and of course the Mona Lisa, for a couple highlights. It was so amazing to experience such history in the place, and just like last time, it was cool to experience this part of French culture.

The Cathedral itself!

Later in the day, in all its glory.

Just like in "The Davinci Code"!

After the Louvre, Fatima met up with Alex and me just outside the pyramids, and then we walked a little ways down the street to grab some lunch. Then, after making sure we had our plans straight for the rest of the day and learning about the Belgian government from Fatima (6 different Parliaments and all, my goodness), we made our way to the Centre Pompidou, the famous modern art museum with the pipes on the outside. Alex’s feet were once again starting to hurt, and so Fatima and I explored the museum of contemporary art for a few hours. What an experience - just another layer of richness in my French cultural experience. We sat down in a theater-style room to watch an artistic video, and had fun coming up with different interpretations of this man who seemed to be fighting with the air on the screen. I even got to take part in an interactive exhibit with chalk!

Centre Pompidou.

We then decided to find some dinner, since we were all hungry again, and we wandered around for a little while to see what we could find. Alex insisted on having some crêpes while it was still her first time in Paris, and so we found a relatively inexpensive place to have both dinner crêpes and dessert crêpes. We also conveniently got to charge our phones for a while, as mine and Fatima’s batteries had been rapidly running out with all the navigating we had had to do (and the quick Facebook checks every few minutes). Once we finished our French food, we walked over by Notre Dame and the Seine again, and we realized that there were two things we wanted to see before we left: Shakespeare & Company, a tiny little bookstore of considerable fame in Paris, and of course the Eiffel Tower at night. We made our way over to the little cramped bookstore, and we found it charming - it offered a considerable amount of variety within its tiny walls, and even had two different reading rooms on the upper floor.

Last but certainly far from least, we made our way over to the Eiffel Tower for one last look. Alex and I shared some moscato while we took in the light show (and avoided the street vendors), and we all sat on a bench and reminisced on our past semester (two of us in Lille, the other in Wisconsin). After such a wonderful evening, we headed straight back to the Gare du Nord, forgoing a visit to the Moulin Rouge in order to be sure we would make our train, and then we were chugging on our way back to Lille, and Fatima and I wrapped up the game of Contract Whist we had started the morning before. After such an eventful day (and weekend), we collapsed into bed and got lots of sleep before Alex’s first day of classes. What a weekend!

Night at the world's most iconic symbol. Santé!

I have thought so much about this week before it came - how it would be when Alex got here, how I would be moving out of my residence, how my great times with friends in Lille would be ending - but now that it's all here, it’s just such a different and wonderful experience. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it has been such a long time since I had been looking forward to something so much, and now BAM - it’s all here! Getting to see Alex in person for the first time in months, getting the opportunity to stay with Amandine over break… this has just been it for me, in the best way possible. I can’t even really be too sad that my time in France is soon coming to an end - I have had way too many amazing experiences to remember. With that, I’m off to help Alex get everything set up in Lille, and then to Lisbon for the weekend! Until next week - à bientôt!

P.S. You can follow Alex’s account of her adventures in France so far on her blog, Letters from Lille!

Week 18: Christmas in Lille!

Finishing a semester in France, getting to travel to more than a few new places, and making some amazing friends along the way has made this first semester in Europe such an unforgettable experience. Now that the first semester is over (already!), I’m moving into a new phase: transition. I have moved all my clothes, suitcases, and decorations out of my room in Vieux Lille, and I have moved in with Amandine and her family, who have so graciously accepted to let me stay with them over this Christmas break. It has definitely been a great one so far, what with experiencing an authentic French Christmas celebration and getting to hang out with Amandine and her friends!

Monday was a pretty eventful day, what with me saying goodbye to my residence where my friends and I had made such good memories. (FRL, you’ll be forever in my heart!) Since I hadn’t gotten much packing done before I went to Slovakia, I ended up staying up all night making sure everything was neatly folded and organized… or at least that everything fit in my suitcase. In the morning I went to AEU (the housing agency through which I rented my room) and signed off on the final documents saying that I was leaving, and got a nice surprise with all my deposit money back. Then I stopped off nearby at Fatima’s apartment to drop off her small suitcase that I had borrowed to go to Slovakia, and we chatted for a bit. After that, I returned to the AEU office to pick up Alex’s card to enter her building and key for her room. That certainly made her imminent arrival all the more real!

After that, I trekked all the way back to my residence, grabbed all my bags, met up with Amandine, and she and I lugged all my bags from my room to her dad’s car. We zoomed down the street to where Alex would be staying, and we once again lugged everything up to Alex’s room (thankfully, unlike my residence, Alex’s has an elevator). After we set everything down and made some kind of sense of everything, I took my pillows and blankets (and some that my friend from Norbs, Grace, had left) and made up Alex’s bed, and then off we went to Amandine’s house with my small suitcase and backpack (after a few errands). I breathed a sigh of relief once I got everything all set up, and settled in to start what would become one of the best Christmases I have ever had. We settled into bed, shared a little girl talk and talked with enthusiasm of our plans for the break, and then we settled in for the night.

Another morning of sleep was due on Tuesday, and so Amandine and I slowly rolled out of bed later in the morning, and then wandered downstairs to get some breakfast. (One upside of living in Europe - I’ve had some kind of breakfast almost every day!) It was entertaining to see the TV on and showing a variety of American cartoons dubbed in French. Eventually we snuggled in in front of the TV to watch some American Christmas movies again dubbed in French, and I realized that no matter how cheesy those ABC Family movies are, there will always be a soft spot in my heart for them.

Later in the afternoon, we headed to the Christmas market in the nearby town of Arras, and I experienced my third Christmas market of the season (preceded by many visits to the one in Lille proper and a couple to the one in Bratislava). It had much the same merchandise as the Christmas Markets I had already seen, but still, the Christmas lights everywhere and the general atmosphere of Christmas spirit made it a wonderful experience - and especially since I was with Amandine and her family. They all explained to me even more in depth about French culture and history - such as Amandine’s dad showing me a building where Maximilen de Robespierre, an influential figure in the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution (apparently right in Arras!). When we made it back to Amandine’s town, called Fournes-en-Weppes, we stopped at a place called Les 3 Brasseurs (“The 3 Brewers”), which reminded me a lot of Water Street Brewery back in the States, and had some nice flemmekueche for dinner as well as more wonderful conversation. We finally got home after dinner with full stomachs, and we slowly made our way to bed. What a great way to spend the day before Christmas eve!

A giant ornament made of lights at the Arras Christmas Market.

I had been anticipating Christmas Eve for a while, and on Wednesday it was finally upon us! Amandine and I had another luxurious morning of sleeping in (since I had been up until the wee hours of the morning chatting with my family), and then we watched some more cartoons along with breakfast (Totally Spies, anyone? :)). Amandine told me that I had to watch the second Narnia movie (Prince Caspian), since the third one would be on TV later that day, and so I more than happily agreed, and we watched Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia once again.

Soon enough, it was time to get ready for Christmas Eve Mass at 6pm, and then we walked down the street and around the corner to get to the town church. It was wonderful to participate in mass with Amandine and her family, and it was especially nice to see the relationships the people of the town have with each other - everybody seemed to have close friends all over town, and it warmed my heart to see all the catching-up and chatting going on seemingly between everyone. We then made our short way back home, had some dinner, and watched some more French-dubbed movies (Shark Tale and Toy Story 2), and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the French instead of English.

Christmas Eve mass.

Throughout the evening, I got Snapchats from my mom and sisters of our house back home with all its Christmas decorations, and especially the Christmas tree, which made me more than a little homesick, because as I’ve told my family numerous times, my absolute favorite thing to do at Christmas is when night falls, to sit in the living room with the tree all decorated with ornaments, garlands, and lights, and just bask in the Christmas glow. (Side note: my family got a real tree this year for the first time in a while, and I missed it! Oh well… I can’t really do much complaining, as I chose to spend Christmas in Europe - and oh how wonderful it has been!) Just before I went to sleep, I worked on my blog for a little bit (and fought through the slowness that my computer has decided to impose on itself), and then when my eyes started to droop, I snuggled in and fell asleep.

Then came Christmas Day! We actually had to get up earlier in the morning, so Amandine and I reluctantly got dressed and ready for the day, and I got to meet Amandine’s lovely sister, Audrey, who very kindly fixed Amandine’s hair and mine in some adorable curls. Before I knew it, many of Amandine’s relatives were flooding in the door, and I met so many people that day, and I certainly had my share of bises (cheek kisses typical in France for greeting new people)! We all sat down for a grand luncheon at the dining room table, and we shared lots of conversation in French, and I got in some great practice of my own French listening and speaking abilities.

All the members of the family present had their turns asking me all about my family, my studies, and my hobbies, and in turn, I listened to their extensive conversation about various subjects. We had a wonderful meal with many amuses-bouches (hors d’oeuvres) - including the traditional foie gras - along with a wide selection of cheeses, and with a spectacular dessert of another French traditional food: bûche de Noël - a yule log rolled cake. At the end of the meal, presents were distributed, and Amandine and her family were nice enough to even get me a couple of presents! I was touched, and I can’t wait until Alex gets here with a special surprise for Amandine and her family :). The rest of the day was spent finishing interesting conversations with and saying goodbye to relatives, digesting all the wonderful food we had eaten at lunch, and having our own discussions about how Christmas traditions differ between the United States and France. Oh, and I can’t forget - I did Skype into a Christmas celebration with my mom’s side of the family! It was so nice to say hello to everyone from France. I’ll see you all in no time :) Soon enough, I had to get myself to sleep, because early the next morning, I would be making my way to Paris.

 L-R: Amandine's sister Audrey, Amandine, and me.

Just the beginning of our wonderful Christmas Day luncheon!

Bûche de Noël - the traditional French dessert at Christmas.

I had received an email from the Spanish Consulate in Paris saying that they had approved all my paperwork, and they invited me to come back to Paris so that they could place the visa in my passport. Amandine’s dad very nicely woke up early and took me to the train station to catch my train to Paris at 6:40AM, and then before I knew it I was on my way. (At this point, I’m pretty used to traveling to Paris by myself - even navigating the metro!) After the one-hour train ride to the Gare du Nord, I made my way on the metro to the Spanish Consulate (and I finally figured out how to get a day pass on the metro instead of just 10 one-way tickets). Once I got there before 11:00AM, they told me to leave my passport and come back before 1:30PM to pick it up.

Gare du Nord train station in Paris. Such Christmas spirit!

I took advantage of the time I had to make my way to Sacré-Coeur, the famous white basilica on the top of the hill, taking photos all the way up the hill. When I entered the church, I looked and walked around for a few minutes and eventually just sat for a while in a pew, taking in all the mosaics and all the beauty. I actually took advantage of the opportunity to go to confession, since I hadn’t been to Mass in a while (and had purposely skipped it) and hadn’t been to confession in longer. It certainly was interesting trying to go through something as personal and humbling as confession with the added obstacle of speaking in French, but I just used the words I knew, and the priest was very nice, which made it a little less intimidating. Afterwards, I made my way back down the hill, past a whole street packed with tourist shops, and on the metro to the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs-Élysées. On my way down the famous avenue, I saw the Paris Christmas Market, which was unsurprisingly more commercial than any of the three I had seen before, but nonetheless it was still a nice sign of Christmas and the holiday spirit.

The famous basilica on a hill, Sacré Coeur. So beautiful.

Breathtaking views looking out from the basilica.

Arc de Triomphe

Finally, I went back to the Consulate with plenty of time to spare, and got my passport and everything - I finally had my Spanish visa! (It only took a few different times going to Paris to get it right.) I had bought a return ticket for a later time, but it turns out I was ready to leave hours before my ticket, and so I grabbed my ticket and hopped on an earlier train, and got back to Lille with time to spare, where Amandine and her father picked me up to take me home. When we got back, we had dinner, and then we settled in to watch La Reine des Neiges! Unfortunately I was a little too tired to stay awake for the last half, and so once the movie was over we all sleepily made our way up the stairs and into our beds. What a long day - but what a relief, to finally be all set for next semester!

Saturday and Sunday were more relaxed, just as vacation should be. Amandine showed me her Zumba DVDs and we actually did some Zumba a little later (which I was VERY excited for!), and I worked on my blog a little more. And then, at midnight, I Skyped into another Christmas celebration, this time with my dad’s side of the family! It was once again so nice to chat with everyone, and it almost felt like I was there with everyone (as I would have been had I only been abroad for this semester). I had to speak softly, as everyone else where I was was asleep, but I said a quick hi to the many people at the party, and then chatted with my family for a few minutes before making my way up to bed. Then on Sunday, we went to a birthday party for one of Amandine’s cousins, Élisa, and I had a wonderful time meeting even more of Amandine’s family! Once we had lunch and Élisa opened her gifts, we all went up to her room and started on a 3-D puzzle of the Empire State Building that she had just received as a present. It was another great time to practice my French, but more importantly, I felt so welcome as the +1 to Amandine’s family, which was wonderful. We then returned home, where I tried to post pictures from last week, but unfortunately my computer has been acting up lately, and so I was not successful. But overall, the weekend was wonderful, and here I am.

Playing with Élisa's stuffed animals :)

This Christmas break has been magical so far! I’ve gotten to immerse myself in purely authentic French culture, practice my French, and spend time with some of the kindest people I know. I still have at least a few days left here at Amandine’s house, but I’m already so grateful to have had this opportunity. As the days pass, I’m getting more and more excited about Spain next semester, but mostly I can’t wait for Alex to get here! I haven’t really been able to push the concept of the future in my mind past that point - when Alex gets here. Which, by the way, will be New Year’s Day, January 1 - I hope she has the chance to see some fireworks from the plane! Anyways. I’m off to enjoy what I have left of my break, and I will write you all next week. Until then, à bientôt!

P.S. Facebook users, for more pictures click here!

Week 17: Finals, goodbyes, and Slovakia!

The last of my finals have come and gone, and here I sit, relaxed and relieved. I've said some temporary goodbyes to some great friends, and I’ve finally found a moment to sit down and write for this week… which has included a trip to Slovakia!

Monday and Tuesday were the last days of my final exams. On Monday I pounded out lots of paragraphs for Interculturality, History of French Literary Movements, and my French Writing Workshop. They all went better than expected, and the hope is that I finish out the semester with great grades! (I’ll be finding out my exact results toward the end of January, or so I’ve heard.) In the evening, I booked some very cheap transport for a trip to Lisbon with Fatima, to go visit Karla, our Portuguese friend! I cannot WAIT for that weekend. On Tuesday I had my final exam for Intercultural Communications after a brief meeting with the housekeeper of my residence to ensure that I hadn’t broken anything in my room, and then in the evening I hosted a farewell dinner at my residence! It was such a great way to celebrate the great times that we had had during the semester, and we all had such an amazing time. Facebook users, see the photos here!

What a wonderful dinner it was. Great times shared with all. <3

Hijacking the American picture!

Going out after dinner, to celebrate all the good times. 

Then, on Wednesday, I started my big trip to Slovakia! Linda, one of my Slovak friends, was kind enough to agree to put me up for four nights at her home not too far outside Bratislava, and show me around the city. Linda and Milan had already been planning to return home to Slovakia over the break, and when I found out that the flight they had booked worked with my schedule, I immediately pounced on the opportunity - after all, who wouldn’t want to visit the land their ancestors came from years ago? So I packed my little suitcase, went to the bus station to meet up with Linda and Milan to catch a bus to Brussels Charleroi, and from there hopped on a Ryanair plane. When we got to the airport, Linda’s and Milan’s parents were waiting, and I had the pleasure of meeting all of them. After a lovely dinner and trying a little of Linda’s dad’s favorite cognac as well as some authentic slivovica, I made my way up to bed to get my beauty sleep for the next day.

Since I had known that some of my Slovak ancestors at one point lived in Trenčin, I had requested that we go there during my five-day stay, and Linda graciously agreed. So, in the morning, we hopped on the train for around an hour or so, and we stepped out into the city.

Main train station in Bratislava.

Dobry den, Trenčin!

We first just walked around a while to get our bearings, and then we made our way to the Christmas Market. It was about the size of the one in Lille, if a little bigger, but we found some really neat things there. I hand-picked some souvenirs, and we window-shopped around for a while. We got some cigansku for lunch, which was a like a Slovak version of kebab, and before we left I made sure to grab some warm medovina, the best honey wine in the world. Before I knew it (after more than a few stairs), we were on our way up to the castle on top of the hill, taking in the beautiful sights and the ancient history - including the story of a well of love into which many people are said to have wished for their own fairytale ending. It was such a wonderful experience, getting to see where part of my family once lived, long ago.

Trenčin Christmas Market!

Enjoying some mulled wine and the Slovak atmosphere

Almost all the way up to the castle entrance!

Looking up at the main building.

The Well of Love!

Breathtaking views of the whole city.

Soon enough, our time in Trenčin came to an end, and we hopped on the train back to Bratislava. Milan joined us a few stops later, and we made our way to the city center to see the Christmas Market in all its glory. I had seen a picture of the Bratislava Christmas Market on Facebook before arriving, but the photo hardly did it justice - it was such a wonderful experience! It really helped me to get in the Christmas spirit! (Despite the fact that the temperature for the entire weekend frequently reached 60 degrees Fahrenheit, haha.) After a leisurely stroll, we met up with a good friend of Linda’s, and we all made our way to a restaurant aptly named The Slovak Pub, where I got to try some bryndzove halušky, little pasta dumplings with a typical Slovak cheese on top. It was delicious! And a great way to start the night. We made our way over to Bratislava castle, where we enjoyed the views of the city and had one hell of a night (starting with some borovička and Sprite, then a bar chatting with friends, a heart attack over my presumed-lost passport which turned out to be just fine/completely unwarranted in the end, and a drum & bass club into the wee hours of the morning). At the end of the night we caught a cab and crashed back at Linda’s place.

Bratislava Christmas Market. What a cool place!

Zlaty Bažant (Golden Pheasant) beer, brewed in Slovakia. Because, of course. Na zdravie!

Bryndzove halušky. It was delicious!

First taste of borovička :)

It was glorious getting to sleep in in the morning, and we got to relax well into the afternoon, watching Dodgeball. After a nice, sunny, relaxing afternoon, we returned to the city center, this time to meet more of Linda’s friends, and we had a blast exploring the ancient Christmas market. We made our way back to the modern Christmas Market, where I tried some frndžalica, a mix of medovina with a little bit of slivovica, and had some lakša, potato crepes, for dinner. After a few turns around the ice rink (on skates that were almost dangerously dull), we made our way out for another night on the town, filled with tequila, hruškovica (pear spirit), becherovka, and my first taste of Jaeger. And of course, we all danced the night away to more drum & bass! (I learned very fast how much Linda loves that kind of music, and definitely got lots of exposure to it over the weekend. It was a cool experience that definitely opened my ears to new-to-me music!) After a night full of dancing and partying, we crashed at a friend’s place for what was left of the night.

Ancient Christmas Market - right across the highway from the castle.

Christmas Market round 2

In the morning, Linda’s parents came and picked us up, and we were informed of our plans for the day: a day trip to Austria to do some shopping! We went to a gigantic shopping center not too far across the Austrian border, and we spent a few hours in Primark (the best department store in Europe! or at least the cheapest, haha). Linda’s dad informed me that this was a once-a-year kind of occasion, so  after having lunch, we all browsed around, picked out our select clothes items, and made our purchases. After Linda’s parents got a few groceries, we all got back in the car and headed back to Bratislava, where we had an absolutely lovely dinner. Then, thanks to the wonderful wifi, we were actually able to Skype my grandparents! This sounds a little random, but for those of you who don’t know, my mom’s dad is fluent in Slovak, and so I thought it would be cool for him to speak in Slovak with Linda and her parents. It was fun, and they even discussed the association of which my grandpa is President, the Wisconsin Slovak Historical Association! All in all, it was a pretty great way to spend a Saturday, and certainly a great Saturday in Slovakia!

Slovak-Austrian border!

After some discussion the previous day, on Sunday we headed out to see some last sights in and around the city. Our first stop was a very windy one: a priehrada (dam) on a very big river. It was incredibly blustery there, but it was worth it to see the kayak course that they have there. Apparently Slovaks are really good at kayaking, as in they get medals in the Olympics most every time. (You learn something new every day, I guess!) Then we drove by the Rusovce mansion, which will apparently be the residence of the President of the Slovak Republic in the not-too-distant future, and we stopped by and looked around a little bit. We also stopped at another shopping center, this one a little smaller than the Austrian one, and Linda and I set out to find a book for me to learn Slovak, but unfortunately the only such book the store offered was too expensive and not very good quality, and so I passed on it for the moment (but I still do want to learn Slovak!). I did end up getting some Christmas cards for certain Slovak-speaking people in my family, and then we made our way back to Linda’s place, where we had a wonderful lunch, and Linda’s mom was so kind as to give me an early Christmas present! And I tried the last new type of alcohol for the weekend, demänovka. The last event of my trip was to go on a pretty long walk through nature with Anabelle, Linda’s dog, and the family, during which Linda and I discussed the Slovak language, teaching and teachers, and I incessantly asked Linda how to say this and that in Slovak. We eventually made our way back home so I could collect my things, and then it was off to the airport and on my way back to France. Overall, the weekend was an amazing combination of partying and experiencing my heritage as it exists today!

Right by the Rusovce mansion, there was this building that belongs to a Slovak organization that keeps traditions alive in the current community. How cool to see an organization doing something that I've basically been doing for all my life!

The dam. It was quite a windy day!

A nice long walk in the woods.

Overall, I’m both glad and sad to see that my semester in Lille is already over. I have no idea how it passed by so fast! I was told all year long before I left for Europe that my time would fly by, and of course my first two years of college have flown by...but I guess it’s just another taste of reality to keep my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds. But it is good to have a break and get to travel a bit - it just keeps reminding me how much I’m blessed and so lucky to be having this whole experience. It’s definitely a cool experience having been in a country I’m interested in getting to know, but not knowing the language (thank goodness for my wonderful guide, Linda!). It makes me appreciate all the more all my time in France, and gives me motivation to seize the opportunity I still have left in France to speak French. And this trip to Slovakia has definitely renewed my interest in learning the Slovak language! I’ve tried to do so a couple times before on my own, but I hope now to actually realize my goal of having at least a functional knowledge of the Slovak language. And with that, I’m off to pack up all my bags and move to Amandine’s house for the next week and a half or so for Christmas - I can’t wait to see what comes next! Until next week - à bientôt!

P.S. Facebook users, click here for more photos of my Slovakia trip!