Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours

“At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't really expect it. It's like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it's not so important happy ever after, just that its happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you , and once in a while people may even take your breath away.”

This a blog full of annoucements!


So, for those of you who don't already know, I'm officially a working girl as of July 8th! I'll be moving to Seattle to start working for Boeing! I'm going to be working in the F-22 production facility doing procurement. I'm not sure what exactly I had always imagined for my first job, but I couldn't be happier with my choice. I love Seattle & I'm excited to go back to a great company. I've been really nervous about my decision, and I was talking to someone the other day, and about how I hoped my first real job would be a good experience. And do you know what they said?

They said it doesn't matter!

At first, I was surprised, but then they explained that if it's great, then that's great, but if it's bad, then it's a good experience and I'll know what I don't like doing. There will always be bad jobs - if they happen early in your life, all the better. And that really hit me. If there's one thing I've learned in Orchard Park, and Moscow, and Coeur d'Alene, and Seattle, and now Chambery, it's that I can be happy anywhere I put my mind to it. So this job is just the next step in life. And if it's great, that's great, and if it's not, that's great too, because it will be a learning experience and I'll still be happy.


Also, for those of you who don't know, I have a boyfriend. He's French & he makes me happy & I'm a lucky girl to have him with me on some of my adventures throughout Europe. This past weekend, we went to a concert to see Coeur de Pirate, a great French group in Dijon. They remind me a lot of Vanessa Carlton, so it should've been a pretty calm concert. But then, I fainted. Yep, that's right, I fainted. It was the heat, and all the people in the close space. But, I recovered quickly, thanks to some really nice people who helped me out & got to see the rest of the concert, in a place where there was more air!

We also got to see this 24 hour bike race in his hometown. It's like a carnival for bikes! There are teams of 8 that must fill 2 places on bikes for 24 hours. Except that it's more of a giant party, complete with the whole town, decorations, concerts, and lots of food and drink. It was so cool to see a community come together and joke and laugh and do, well, very much the same thing Americans do when we get together. I'm blessed to have spent time experiencing the "real" French way of life & I hope that in my last days here I can soak up as much of it as I can.

Life is a Beach

"At the beach, life is different. Time doesn't move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides and follow the sun."

So after my failed plans to go to Cote d'Azur in April, I decided I had to fling into one weekend or another. And so, for Pentecost, we headed down South for a long weekend.

It was the first "relaxing" vacation I took here. Although my whole trip here has been a break from the stressors of college, this trip was the first trip where we went with the intent to beach and relax, rather than sightsee. Thankfully, the weather agreed with us and it was complete bliss. Every single beach we went on was absolutely gorgeous - all quiet and serene with clear cool water to swim in and sand to tan on, and read. The Atlantic ain't got nothing on the Mediterranean. I'm sure there is a some difference between oceans and seas, I think oceans are bigger, but regardless, it was fantastic.


We rented a tandem bike one day and beach hopped, which was fabulous, although I have to say, a lot trickier than I imagined. I was in the second seat and I definitely didn't like the feeling of not being able to see what was in front of me, especially when there were lots of tourists around. Still, we managed just fine. Caution - if you want to ride a bicycle built for two, you better trust the other person. One old French man laughingly told us that people that honeymoon and ride a tandem get divorced. He was joking, but seriously, don't say I didn't warn you.

Also, we stayed in a camp site. It was my first time NOT couchsurfing in awhile, and I remember that, that too, has its benefits. You are on your own schedule: can wake up when you want, sleep when you want, go out when you want. And it's your own space: you can be messy or leave your things in the shower. It was great.

The only thing not so great: the sunburn! But you can't win them all, right? Oh, and the silly French trains. We got delayed for two hours on the way home. I can't decide if that's result of my horrible travel luck or not...it's been awhile, so something was bound to happen, right? Or maybe it's the trains. Another word to the wise: the train system in France is delayed, late, or on strike at least a quarter of the time. So always have alternate plans.

For now, onward! Time is slipping away!

Prague

"A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world."

Prague was a trip I was glad I saved for the end of my trip. I was so happy to see Maren & Beth & Sally, and have someone to talk about silly old times in Moscow. & to experience a new city with. We've all changed from studying abroad - but that's our future, and we can all relate to it.

Traveling to visit friends has a different pace than a purely historical trip. We got a chance to relax, and drink amazing, cheap, Czech beer! We talked, a lot, and I got meet all their friends from the semester. I felt comfortable sleeping in if I wanted, or eating peanut butter. Sally & Maren were great tour guides. Prague is a historical city, one where everyone, thankfully, speaks English. There are remanants from WWII, Communism, changes from every time period.

Due to their Czceh history class, Maren & Sally could tell me all about everything we saw! There was the key statue, that spells Revolution, which is the largest collection of keys anywhere in the world, and Kafka's grave, where Jewish people leave stones as a memento, and gorgeous old cemeteries. We went to the John Lennon wall, where Communist revolters used to post places to meet, and now has peace graffiti on it. Sally even took me to the Louvre, a cafe that Einstein used to frequent. Unfortunately, I didn't feel any smarter after being there, but we did get some delicious hot chocolate with ice cream. There's definitely lots to see in Prague, and I wasn't disappointed, but it was all the better because of who I was with.

The Prague study abroad program was wrapping up as I was visiting. Seeing Maren, Beth, & Sally near the end of their journey made me realize how soon I'm going to be saying goodbye to my own European adventure. Some of my close friends from Chambery have already packed up and left. It will be sad to leave, but I'm happy to go. It's been a great experience, and I'm sad that we'll never be in the same place at the same time again, but at the same time I'm ready to come home and see all my friends and family again.

For now, more adventures as my time winds down in Europe!

Vienna

"There is no magic like traveling alone, without friends or colleagues to condition one’s opinions. It is the very loneliness that makes travel worthwhile: to be in isolation with historical forces, with only landscapes and books as guides."

Vienna was my first solo trip, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I'd heard mixed reviews of Vienna - but alone, I was able to make my own impression of the city and it was a positive one.

Vienna is a beautiful city. Everywhere you look there is old architecture, beautiful buildings, picturesque streets. It's a city to get lost in, and for me, that was appealing. I went to gorgeously sculpted French style gardens at Bellvedere palace and Schonnbrun, and saw breathtaking views of the city. I walked along Ring Street and saw old musuems and statues, and St. Stephen's cathedral. The only thing I wasn't impressed with was the Danube river. It's okay to walk along, but nothing compared to the beauty of the Bosphorous, in Istanbul, for example. The only thing I didn't do but wish I had, was go the Central Cemetary, which is actually not so central as it is located an hour from the city, but maybe that can be for my next trip!

I couchsurfed with a great host named Heidi who made me feel instantly comfortable. We shared some great meals together, and went to the opera together. This was by far my best experience in Vienna. The opera in Vienna is a huge part of the culture. We went to see Carmen, which is a classic opera, and there was not a place in the house (standing or sitting), that wasn't occupied. Standing at the opera for three hours, listening to singing in a foreing language may sound uncomfortable, but the music speaks volumes, and it is worth every second! In the performance we saw, Anna Netrebko, who is a legend in Vienna. People were crying when she sang, and they gave her a standing ovation. She was incredible, and it was cool to see such a huge part of their culture.

We also went salsa dancing and took a bike ride through the city at night! I have to say, I accomplished a lot in three days! It was definitely worth the trip & it was a good city to navigate alone, despite the fact that I didn't speak German. I'm glad I went!

Dear Me, How I Love a Library

That’s the thing about a human life-there’s no control group, no way to ever know how any of us would have turned out if any variables had been changed." - Elizabeth Gilbert

I just finished (and by just, I mean several weeks ago) Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love. I was a big fan, partially because her trip to discover herself has some paralells to my own trip to Europe. How long has it been since you've done something for yourself? I'd been so caught up with everything in college, that I hadn't taken a break to let myself go. Here, I can see the world, and figure out what I really want to do with the rest of my life, define myself, and figure what the heck the rules are, who defines them, and if I want to follow them or not.

In the book, Gilbert has a theory that each city has a particular word that everyone in the city is driven by (Rome's is apparently sex), and if your own word doesn't match, you'll never quite fit in. I've been thinking a lot, about all the places I've been and about my own word, and I have to say, I think she has a point.

I think Buffalo's word is pride. Everyone is all about home-town pride, the good-old-boys, "the Bills will win the Superbowl next year." The city has it's own long history, which is now in decay, but evident all over the place, and everybody is intwined in a network of family relations where the latest gossip is about the newest thing your children did, the newest addition to the family, or the latest marriage.

Moscow's word is easily learn. Everyone in the town is there to learn - about school, about life, about each other. Even the teachers and the town are participating, because it's so centered on the University. And Chambery? Well, I'm not quite sure about that one yet.

But I have found my word. It's grow. It's a verb, because I like the physical action of things. And I always want to grow - through acquiring knowledge, by meeting other people, by reaching personal goals, by having new experiences. It's what I want to keep pushing for...throughout my life. And the great thing about growing, is it doesn't have to end, after today, after school, after this trip to Europe. I can grow as long as I'm open and willing. After all, if you're not growing, what are you doing?

Beaune/Dijon

“In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport.” --Julia Child

A weekend spent in wine country, and I can honestly say that basically all I did was eat and drink. Julia Child definitely had it right - the French love their food and their drink. Namely, their cheese & wine.

Four days in a French-speaking home and my mind was on overdrive! When I got on the train, I thought I could do it, but when we got off the train, I had a minor freak-out. Who did I think I was, trying to speak French to this family? It defintely went better than I expected. However, I have never felt so incompetent at expressing my ideas. On the flip side, I've never improved my French-speaking skills so quickly. There's so much to learn. I think even if I spent another six months here, I wouldn't be fluent. I am lucky that everyone I talk to is patient with me!


I went to my first vineyard & winetasting - which was really fun. We saw a great private Picasso collection there, which was cool too! It made me feel very grown up, and very French! Other than that, we ate a lot, talked a lot, and did make a fast stop at the Musee des Beaux Arts in Dijon (not as good as Lyon, has a dark feel, not my favorite museum)

A word on eating in France - it's more about leisure than anything else. When I was in Beaune, we would sometimes sit at the table for several hours just casually eating lunch. It's so different from the US "grab and go" concept, but I like it. It gives you time to spend as a family, to catch up with each other. Not to mention, it was all delicious.

It was a fabulous & relaxing weekend, with great company! Oh France, you spoil me!

Yeesh! (Or What I Learned in Turkey)

10. There needs to be a standardized word for subway/metro/underground, because in Turkey, they all have different meanings.

9. Lonely Planet doesn't know everything.

8. Istanbul is a safe city. Yes, men might stare at you, and yes, you might have to cover your head with a scarf to go in mosques, but it's safe for women.

7. Turkish a beautiful and difficult language! Evet, it is.

6. Sometimes being stranded really messes with your travel plans. But if you keep your attitude positive, you can still have fun!

5. Spending time alone in a foreign country is a different kind of tourism than in a group. It's more reflective.

4. American comforts are the best for bad days. When we got stranded, we went to see the Rebound, a romantic comedy with Catherine Zeta-Jone (which you should all go see), and it instantly calmed me down.

3. Religion is all about kindness - whether you are Muslim, Catholic, Christian, or anything else.

2. Borders shouldn't matter. Why does the color and label on your passport dictate where you can go? Everyone has happiness and tragedies, everyone loves, everyone wakes up and goes to sleep. Turkish people have a hard time getting visas to other places. If I have the opportunity to travel, why shouldn't they?

1. Hospitality - it takes on a whole new meaning after you go to Turkey.