Today, I officially have 1.5 weeks of school left and approximately 21 days left in Paris. Admitting this is honestly breaking a piece of me already, and I'm still here. It seems as though my life has been a series of countdowns for the entirety of my semester. Countdowns for visitors, countdowns for trips, countdowns for assignments. I'm constantly wishing time away instead of relishing in the moment, and I'm beginning to regret it. As I began to reflect on the amazing experience I have had so far, I started to compile a list of all my random thoughts I have yet to blog. So here ya go,
Kailey's Random List of Random Thoughts:
1. I have fallen head over heels in love with this city and I'm surprised. I never thought I would love a big city. I've never really liked New York City and I thought driving around was one of my favorite hobbies. But I quickly learned that it was easy to love public transportation and all of the little things that come with a big city. Every time I leave Paris to explore a new city, I get SO excited to discover new places and learn about different cultures. By the end of my trips, I always long to go back to Paris. Maybe it's the familiarity I have grown accustomed to, but I truly think this is the best city in the world (or that I have experience so far). I can't tell you exactly what it is, but this place is magical and my heart breaks when I think about leaving it indefinitely. Many of my friends are excited to go home, and I share the sentiment to some degree. I miss people, friends and family, but I'm not homesick. I don't think I've really been homesick this entire time. I don't long for the comfort of American culture. And truly, I'm nowhere ready to leave.
2. The biggest thing I miss about the US - I know this is going to sound ridiculous - is when people get out of your way when you run. I love running around my suburb, but the sidewalks are fairly skinny and French people clearly don't care to let you get by. One time I was running on the sidewalk and attempted to squeeze over to the far side when a man heading in the opposite direction did not reciprocate. Suddenly he started yelling something at me in French so thank goodness I was wearing my head phones. This just confuses me.
3. Speaking of running, I have a newfound love of running in the dark. (Rant dedicated to my love and dedicated feminist, Mackenzie McDermott) I find it absolutely terrible that a woman can't run in the dark (around 6 PM when it is already extremely dark) without the fear of something happening. My neighborhood is completely safe, well lit with plenty of people bustling around. But if their is a moment of dim light or an absence of people, you can't help but run a little faster out of fear for who might be watching. I always run with my small french cellphone in case of emergencies. I wish we lived in a world where this wasn't a concern, but this is the struggle we face as women. Not being able to do the simplest things like be outside in the dark at 6 PM, without being concerned for our safety. It's completely devastating.
4. I've been thinking a lot about languages and how they have developed. First, it blows my mind that similar human interactions have made it possible to translate between different languages. Languages weren't created to be translated, but yet we have the same symbols for the same things. Take the phrase "I'm sorry". Whether it's french, spanish, or german, they all have a phrase that represents that sentiment. And it wasn't created because it existed in the other language, it just represents a common interaction among humans. I. Love. That. Second, why do we have translations for proper nouns? Lets look at the country of Germany. In America, we call it "Germany". In french it is "Allemand". In German it is "Deutschland". I don't understand why the rest of the world doesn't just refer to the country by it's REAL name: Deutschland. Sure you could argue that it is difficult to say, maybe some have different vocabulary and symbols. But if we were taught from the very beginning the original name I think we could handle it.
Kailey's Random List of Random Thoughts:
1. I have fallen head over heels in love with this city and I'm surprised. I never thought I would love a big city. I've never really liked New York City and I thought driving around was one of my favorite hobbies. But I quickly learned that it was easy to love public transportation and all of the little things that come with a big city. Every time I leave Paris to explore a new city, I get SO excited to discover new places and learn about different cultures. By the end of my trips, I always long to go back to Paris. Maybe it's the familiarity I have grown accustomed to, but I truly think this is the best city in the world (or that I have experience so far). I can't tell you exactly what it is, but this place is magical and my heart breaks when I think about leaving it indefinitely. Many of my friends are excited to go home, and I share the sentiment to some degree. I miss people, friends and family, but I'm not homesick. I don't think I've really been homesick this entire time. I don't long for the comfort of American culture. And truly, I'm nowhere ready to leave.
2. The biggest thing I miss about the US - I know this is going to sound ridiculous - is when people get out of your way when you run. I love running around my suburb, but the sidewalks are fairly skinny and French people clearly don't care to let you get by. One time I was running on the sidewalk and attempted to squeeze over to the far side when a man heading in the opposite direction did not reciprocate. Suddenly he started yelling something at me in French so thank goodness I was wearing my head phones. This just confuses me.
3. Speaking of running, I have a newfound love of running in the dark. (Rant dedicated to my love and dedicated feminist, Mackenzie McDermott) I find it absolutely terrible that a woman can't run in the dark (around 6 PM when it is already extremely dark) without the fear of something happening. My neighborhood is completely safe, well lit with plenty of people bustling around. But if their is a moment of dim light or an absence of people, you can't help but run a little faster out of fear for who might be watching. I always run with my small french cellphone in case of emergencies. I wish we lived in a world where this wasn't a concern, but this is the struggle we face as women. Not being able to do the simplest things like be outside in the dark at 6 PM, without being concerned for our safety. It's completely devastating.
4. I've been thinking a lot about languages and how they have developed. First, it blows my mind that similar human interactions have made it possible to translate between different languages. Languages weren't created to be translated, but yet we have the same symbols for the same things. Take the phrase "I'm sorry". Whether it's french, spanish, or german, they all have a phrase that represents that sentiment. And it wasn't created because it existed in the other language, it just represents a common interaction among humans. I. Love. That. Second, why do we have translations for proper nouns? Lets look at the country of Germany. In America, we call it "Germany". In french it is "Allemand". In German it is "Deutschland". I don't understand why the rest of the world doesn't just refer to the country by it's REAL name: Deutschland. Sure you could argue that it is difficult to say, maybe some have different vocabulary and symbols. But if we were taught from the very beginning the original name I think we could handle it.
Dublin, Ireland
Last weekend I had the awesome opportunity to visit my love, Lily Fagan, in Dublin! I had my first experience with Ryanair and it went a lot better than I expected with stories from friends. It was a very relaxing weekend because I had no plans. I have to admit, I'm definitely a planner. When I know I'm going to be in a new place for a limited amount of time I always want to make the most of it by planning every detail. This time, I left the schedule up to Lily (also failed to do any research ahead of time). Luckily, she was an amazing tour guide and took me to all of the beautiful parts of Dublin including St. Stephens Green, Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Grafton Street, the River Liffey, Temple Bar, and Trinity College. I got very lucky and the sun even came out while we walked around the adorable city. We ate a traditional Irish breakfast at Bewley's and it was absolutely delicious, until I found out that the black pudding I had a bite of was made with blood. Don't worry I might be gagging as I'm typing this, you don't have to do it for me. We also had the chance to check out the Christmas Market that had just opened up. There were tons of fun holiday gifts and delicious smells of more food. Lily and I got sucked in by a sweater shop where Lily bought a hat and a scarf - with free socks added in, and I bought a cloth ear warmer/headband. After that, we stopped and got a cup of belgian hot chocolate that was heavenly. We wandered around exploring and enjoying the city until we happened upon a place called the "Irish Whiskey Museum." We found out the place had only been open a week and offered a tour of the history of whiskey along with samples and a free shot glass, so we decided to go for it. We had a small group and the tour guides knew how to have a good time while still providing a lot of knowledgable information about Irish whiskey. When we finished the tour and went to the tasting, we had 4 glasses of nearly a shot of whiskey each. Now... let me make this clear...I do not like whiskey. OKAY SUE ME. I refuse to believe that there is a person in this world who TRULY thinks the stuff TASTES good. Sorry but you can eat a scoop of ice cream and say "dang that tastes good" BUT THAT IS JUST NOT TRUE FOR WHISKEY. Anyyyyyway, the bartender instructed us to first take long, good sniffs of the whiskey (which the smell alone could knock out a squirrel), then to take a tiny bit of whiskey and hold it on your tongue to get a really good feel for the flavor. Finally, take a long sip of the whiskey. After the first two, I thought I was going to have to leave the room, but luckily I sucked it up and finished the 4th glass (skipping the third...). Lily was a CHAMP and finished all 4. Regardless of the fact that I could barely drink the whiskey, it was still a really awesome experience that I would recommend for anyone visiting the area.
The second day, Lily and I ventured to Howth, a small city about a 15 or 20 minute train ride from Dublin. It was right on the coastline and gave a nice feel for a small Irish town. Lily and I ate some delicious seafood (FISH & CHIPS SOOOO GOOOOOD) and took a leisurely afternoon walk around the city, also checking out the local market. When we had had enough, we took the train back to Dublin where we met up with 2 other people from program who were also in Dublin for the weekend. We ended the trip with a light dinner at The Church that featured live music and Irish dancing. This was also where I ordered my very first GUINNESS!!!! (half-pint y'all I'm clearly not hardcore) Surprisingly, I actually liked it - probably because it's supposed to have some chocolate flavors mixed in.
It was a really fun weekend and I'm so glad I got to spend some more time with Lily. She has been the best traveling partner and I can't thank her enough for her energetic spirit, laid-back and go with the flow attitude, and pleasant company. I love you so much!!
The second day, Lily and I ventured to Howth, a small city about a 15 or 20 minute train ride from Dublin. It was right on the coastline and gave a nice feel for a small Irish town. Lily and I ate some delicious seafood (FISH & CHIPS SOOOO GOOOOOD) and took a leisurely afternoon walk around the city, also checking out the local market. When we had had enough, we took the train back to Dublin where we met up with 2 other people from program who were also in Dublin for the weekend. We ended the trip with a light dinner at The Church that featured live music and Irish dancing. This was also where I ordered my very first GUINNESS!!!! (half-pint y'all I'm clearly not hardcore) Surprisingly, I actually liked it - probably because it's supposed to have some chocolate flavors mixed in.
It was a really fun weekend and I'm so glad I got to spend some more time with Lily. She has been the best traveling partner and I can't thank her enough for her energetic spirit, laid-back and go with the flow attitude, and pleasant company. I love you so much!!
So what's next?
These next few weeks are going to be tough in terms of school. I did not study nearly enough as I should have this semester and it's definitely going to come back to haunt me. I also was just assigned our last writing assignment in French Cinema which will also be the most difficult with the least amount of time to prepare. My paper is due next thursday, my French Grammar written final exam is a week from Saturday, my French oral final exam is Dec 2nd and my cinema final exam is Dec 3rd. Say a prayer for me everyone.
In other news... in just TWO DAYS I will be reunited with my long lost dutch friends of 5 YEARS!!! This is probably the trip I've been looking forward to the most. Five years ago, I hosted 5 dutch exchange students for 10 days. Although 10 days sounds like a very short amount of time, we still became very good friends and I've been looking forward to the day when I would see them again. I can't wait to reunite and explore everything Holland has to offer with them.
More exciting news, I just booked my first and only solo trip! My parents weren't too keen on the idea, but I finally convinced them to let me travel alone on a day trip. I will be spending the day in Bruges, Belgium and I can't wait to have my own little adventure. If you have been and have any suggestions on what to do, definitely let me know!
I guess that wraps it up! Thanks for putting up with this scatterbrained post and until next time...AR!
In other news... in just TWO DAYS I will be reunited with my long lost dutch friends of 5 YEARS!!! This is probably the trip I've been looking forward to the most. Five years ago, I hosted 5 dutch exchange students for 10 days. Although 10 days sounds like a very short amount of time, we still became very good friends and I've been looking forward to the day when I would see them again. I can't wait to reunite and explore everything Holland has to offer with them.
More exciting news, I just booked my first and only solo trip! My parents weren't too keen on the idea, but I finally convinced them to let me travel alone on a day trip. I will be spending the day in Bruges, Belgium and I can't wait to have my own little adventure. If you have been and have any suggestions on what to do, definitely let me know!
I guess that wraps it up! Thanks for putting up with this scatterbrained post and until next time...AR!