Jusqu'ici tout va bien.

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So, sorry I suck. I haven't written in so long, that I forget what has even happened in my life. What has been so fun about keeping this blog is that I get to keep track of the little day-to-day things about my life in France, and now so many days are lost. Mais, pas de souci - on recommence maintanent.

Thinking about the fact that I'm leaving so soon makes me want to shut down and not write, because I won't even know where to begin. So I'm not thinking about it. Don't ask how I feel about leaving France, because I don't have the words, good or bad. All I have to share right now are my experiences. Donc, the highlights of my life as of late:

- Buying awesome gloves from the Rouen Christmas market
- Watching my first Marilyn Monroe movie ever in France: Some Like It Hot (Certains L'Aiment Chaud) with Luc and Tiffany
- Walking to school every day, and either being too hot or too cold the entire time
- Trying to make dinner for myself. It was a disaster involving trying to cook rice and lentils together. At the same time. In the same pot. Which was actually a pressure cooker.
- Taking with my host mom at dinner every night. I always go back up to my room in such a wonderful mood. Words can't express how happy I am to have moved here. (And now impossible it is going to be to leave).
- Spending an entire weekend with my Senegalese family. It's amazing and sad that I'm just getting to know them so well at the end of my trip.

Une petite histoire before I go:
Today, I took the bus coming home because it was late and I didn't feel like walking. I got on the bus, bought a ticket because I don't have a bus pass anymore, and the bus driver made a comment about my gloves, I told him I bought them at the Christmas market in town, and we started talking. He was really nice except for the fact that when I told him I was thinking about studying in Senegal in the future, he told me that I didn't want to do that because that country is really poor and there's nothing going on there. I said that I had, in fact, already been and I loved it. And then he offered up that he was from Algeria. Suddenly, it all made sense. There's this weird thing in France about race. Obviously this is a gross generalization, but here it is, simplified: The French are racist towards people from the Maghreb (c'est à dire, from Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco). They don't seem to have a problem with many from Sub-Saharan Africa (aka Senegalese). The Senegalese don't have a problem with anyone. And immigrants to France form the Maghreb don't like the French because of their racism, but don't like the black Africans just because. Now, this doesn't speak for everyone, but it's just a general sentiment that I've felt since I've been in France. The people I surround myself with obviously aren't blatantly racist, but just from what I've heard, seen, and experienced, there is an underlying racism of France towards immigrants from the Maghreb.

So anyway, we talked, he tried to figure out the name for Chat Roulette (which I couldn't remember until after I got off the bus), and he told be about how much he hated French people because of how racist they were. In his defense, he did have some pretty crazy stories about not being able to rent apartments, or people being hostile to him for no reason other than the fact that he is Algerian. But still - I'm not a fight fire with fire kind of person, so I was a little less than impressed. This is all while he was driving the bus in the darkness from Mont Saint Aignan to Rouen, but no big deal.

But as a bonus, he didn't realize I wasn't French until like half way through the conversation. Which. Is. Awesome. I'm making progrès :)

I promise to write more soon. Now, it's bed time!

Love, Josie

Germany: Un Coup de Foudre.

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Whatever-day-it-was-that-I-left-Germany, November-possibly-December, 2010.

I am completely in love with Germany. My time here went by way too fast, and I wish more than anything that I had more time to spend in this beautiful country. Even the freezing cold added some kind of magic to my experience here. Compared to Rouen (and even Paris) where Christmas is too far away to get excited about it, Köln is all over the Christmas spirit. There are lights, signs, and decorations everywhere, excitedly announcing the arrival of the best holiday of the year. Not to mention the wonderful Christmas markets with people selling the even-more-wonderful glühwein. I can't believe we don't have Christmas markets in America! I was so excited about the German culture, that I even tried bratwurst! One full day in Germany definitely wasn't enough. There is so much to do and so much to see - I really hope I can go back soon (next weekend?). I LOVE GERMANY.

When I first got off the train on Friday at around 7pm, I met up with Simone (so exciting!) and her friend Sandra and we walked around Köln a little bit. I got to walk through two different Christmas markets, both of which were nothing short of magical, before walking through Köln to get to the car.

We got to Schermbeck at about 9:30pm, and it was freezing but adorable. I met Simone's mom, ate some bread with confiture and cheese (actually delicious), and bundled up and fell asleep watching 27 Dresses. Not very eventful maybe, but it was perfect in its own way.

Sidenote: I think that people who try to get babies' attention by waving at them are extremely obnoxious. And usually American. I just feel like if I were a parent trying to get my baby to fall asleep on a train and a bearded, overweight man in a bright red "Starbucks" tshirt were waving and saying "hello" in a voice that sounded like his testicles had been cut off, I would probably want to smack him. I mean, I already kind of want to and I'm just a third-party observer.

In other news, there is snow on the ground and it is beautiful. Was. We just drove through the world's longest tunnel so now it's pitch black, but I'm sure it will be beautiful on the other side too (when we finally get make it through). Wow, and it is. I love the snow.

It snowed on Thanksgiving in Rouen, which was awesome. Sadly though, it didn't really stick at all. Yesterday though, it snowed in Schermbeck during the Christmas market festivities. It was freezing but amazing. Simone and some of her friends from school had a stand to raise money for their school's equivalent of Prom. We sold cookies, coffee, hot chocolate, waffles, and -- of course -- glühwein. All of her friends were so nice. It's always hard hanging out with people who don't speak the same language as you, but everyone made me feel really welcome, and that was really awesome of them. I had a blast at the Christmas market, and I really hope I can come back again next year! If not, I'm definitely bringing the tradition to America -- starting with glühwein. Yesterday, we were outside from 10am - 8pm and those hot drinks kept us going in the cold.

I can't believe I'm already on my way back to Rouen -- I feel like I just got to Germany. That's the problem with weekend trips: they end up being two days of traveling and one day of visiting. Better than nothing though. And now I know that I love Germany and need to come back. ASAP. The warm people, food, and drink more than make up for the freezing temperature. And honestly, I kind of liked the cold. You get used to not being able to feel your toes after a little while. I really can't wait to go back to Germany; it is an amazing country inhabited by wonderful people. Even though I only got a few short days there, I am so glad I decided to go!

Highlights:

-Seeing Simone!!!
-glühwein
-Christmas markets!
-barely making my train this morning
-German chocolate from pedophile Santa
-meeting the German Mr. Buckley
-"tu as envie de faire qqch avec Max?"
-eating a pretzel bigger than my head
-hearing people speak German

Observation: Too many of my highlights have to do with eating and drinking. Time to re-evaluate my lifestyle choices?

Cultural Learnings:
-engagement rings go on the left hand; wedding bands go on the right
-celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6 - shoe with candy
-Christmas markets every year (did I mention the glühwein?)
-hot chocolate with amaretto or rum (or both)
-people are generally pretty open about homosexuality
-you can get your driver's license taken away for jaywalking
-cheese + jelly = normal to eat
-16 to drink beer; 18 for hard liquor; not difficult to evade any/all drinking laws
-license plate tells you where someone's from. ex: K=Köln. WES=Schermbeck. The more the letters, the smaller the city.

I'm sitting in a backward-facing seat on a fast-moving and kind of swerving train. I'm gonna go listen to some music and stop writing now. Hopefully I make it easily on my train to Rouen! Wish me luck. So far my first solo voyage in Europe is almost completed successfully :)

Love, Josie

(Interjection)

More Greece adventure stories to come!

As for my life in France, things are cold and wonderful. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and does not feel like it at all. My teachers have decided to celebrate it with excessive amounts of homework and a grammar exam. Can't wait.

Other than that, things have been pretty uneventful, but in a good way. Every day is something beautiful. Rouen in the winter time is really cute, especially since I'm starting to love the city and think of it as my own home. Living up in Mont-Saint-Aignan before was not nearly as amazing as living in Rouen is.

Today, I kicked an African Studies exam's ass, rode the bus without paying (and without getting caught!) and got told by my Art History teacher that I speak French really well. "Mais vraiment, vous parlez le français très bien - avec une facilité." Donc, I'm saying that overall today was pretty great.

Now it's bed time though. I need my energy so that I can recount my Greek adventures tomorrow before the group Thanksgiving dinner en ville. And then Friday - GERMANY!!!

A demain!
Love, Josie

Greece: Day 6 (18/11/10)

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Finally, I am on vacation. Santorini is the most beautiful place and I can't believe I am here right now.

Yesterday, we got off the ferry around 3pm and immediately got bombarded by hotel/hostel offers. Enter Poppy and 11 Euro/night rooms in a beautiful hotel right outside of Fira. Life is so beautiful. The first day, we moved into our room, chased a sunset, got some dinner where the owner spoke no English but gave us free dessert, and jumped into the icy but gorgeous swimming pool. And I got to shower! Glorious.

This morning, we woke up around 10 and ate breakfast at the hotel. Then half of us rented ATVs from a frustrated Greek man. Exploring an island by ATV is on the the coolest things ever. We drove around, got some delicious fruit at a grocery store, and went to hang out at Perissa, a gorgeous black sand beach on the south of the island.

Oh wait - the Canadians! We randomly met up with the Canadian guys from the hostel in Athens the other day on the ferry to Santorini! So now, we're all staying together and it's awesome. Though, I'm counting down the seconds until they are driven totally insane by our Russian accents.

So the beach was beautiful, the water was cold but amazingly refreshing, and the sunset was magical. Not to mention, we spent the day driving around an incredible island with the wind blowing in our faces on ATVs. Santorini is absolutely stunning. I am so happy to be here.

Tomorrow, we're all hiking to the highest point in Santorini, going to some more beaches, and watching the sun set in Oia (reputedly the most beautiful sunset in the world). Also, we're planning on swimming to the hot springs at some point. This island is incredible.

So, we're currently all sitting in our room lounging around, drinking fruit juice and watching Greek soap operas. I am so exhausted and so wishing that Alec could be here right now. This would be the best place to go on a vacation together. It's so gorgeous and magical here. And it's so hard being around so many incredible things without being able to show them to the people I love. I'm so ready to go home in so many ways. But it's hard because I'm also excited to go back to my host family in Rouen, and to be here in Santorini right now. I just miss having my best friend around.

I'm trying so hard to stay focused here on Greece though. This is my time to be happy, healthy, and relaxed before returning to rainy Rouen. I'm so lucky to be here now. Life is so beautiful!

Love, Josie

Greece: Day 4 (16/11/10)

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En route to Santorini.

We arrived in Athens at 6:30am, and then hopped on the 7:20am ferry to Santorini. Emily, Emily, and I are the group leading the mission to the island, and everyone else is staying in Athens to help Mika figure out her passport situation and then are taking the 7pm ferry to meet us in Santorini.

The ferry last night was actually pretty great. I slept in on the on the air seats (which we were not supposed to be in, by the way. Oops.) on and off the whole time, and it was pretty wonderful. I only got about 4 hours of sleep though, so I just woke up from a nice long nap on the floor of the deck of this ferry :) Comfy.

Currently, I'm drinking a $5 cappuccino and wondering what the shower situation is on this boat. I'm a little concerned about it because this ferry doesn't seem to be nearly as tricked out as the other ones we've been taking.

Wow - I've taken so many kinds of public transportation on this trip: train, plane, bus, metro, ferry. I'm becoming such an expert. It's going to be so weird to be back at SLU going to a normal school, living in one state, doing a normal amount of homework. I'm (shockingly) really excited about it - it's all about the people you're with, and the people I have waiting for me at home are the best in the world. I'm trying to stay focused on myself right now though - I'm almost there. I can't have any regrets when I get home. Raison pour laquelle I really wanted to hop on the early ferry to Santorini this morning. I want to get on this island ASAP so I can spend more time there. I've been to Athens twice now and it's amazing to see, but I don't really feel the need to spend more time there when I can be exploring a Greek island. Now, I'm just praying to Apollo to come through for me - beach vacations are no fun with stormy weather. We've already experienced a few torrential downpours in Crete, and now I'm ready for some sunshine :)

It's amazing taking a morning ferry because I can actually see the ocean, and it is beautiful. Blue as far as the eye can see. And no ominous clouds (yet)!

If nothing else, this trip has shown me that traveling is not impossible. That may sounds obvious, but I always had the attitude that I didn't have a lot of money, so I could never travel. To an extent that's true - you have to have the money for a plane ticket, which can be a bitch, but after that there are options. Hostels, student discounts, and making friends will save you a bundle. Anyone, anytime can travel. And travel doesn't necessarily mean internationally - just doing something in the states or in Canada would be amazing. There will ALWAYS be somewhere you haven't seen yet.

So, starting now, my goal is to do a big trip once a year. I'll just work, set aside enough money for the cheapest plane ticket to somewhere (anywhere) I haven't been yet, and take a backpack and go. I'm living out of my backpack in Greece for 9 days and so far so good. I would have packed a little differently id I had known more about the weather, but I'm getting by just fine. So, once a year, one backpack, one journal, and one plane ticket for a whole bunch of new experiences. Pourquoi pas? Anyone who wants to is more than welcome to join me - I promise you'll never forget it. I also promise that ocean showers feel better than those boring normal ones that everyone else takes.

It's important to just live every once in a while. Easy for me to say maybe, because I'm only 18 and have minimal responsibilities, but maybe that also gives me more time to reflect on the importance of doing things like this. I feel like people don't give me enough credit for my thoughts sometimes because of my age. It's like people think, "Oh, that's nice. But well, you're 18; that'll change when you're older. Just wait." Well, first of all, I challenge you to find another 18-year-old like me. But secondly, why should I wait? Why should anyone? If getting older changes you into being more careful and settled-down, why should I wait around until that happens? I should be taking advantage of these ideas I have and growing from the experiences that follow.

Maybe young people are here to encourage those who have lost hope in their youthful dreams that it's never too late to pursue them. From my perspective, it is never too late. The most important thing in life is being happy. Why would you ever settle for unhappiness when there are so many opportunities for beautiful experiences everywhere? The key is maintaining your sense of adventure enough to see these opportunities. Life comes at you in waves of good and bad, but the thing is that they keep coming. You have to hold on to the people you love and make the changes (tiny as they may be) that you need to be a happier, healthier person. The most important thing is to never give up on yourself. If anything is worth it, you are.

I'm on a ferry to the Greek island of Santorini with absolutely no idea of what it will be like, what kind of people will be there, or where I'm going to sleep tonight, and I'm okay with all of it because I know that I can figure it out. Maybe people need to take more risks, so that they can surprise themselves with how well they can handle their situations. It's really empowering.

Well, $5 coffee is cold and (mostly) gone. It's just foam now. Maybe it's time to scope out the shower situation? It doesn't look promising, but it's worth a shot.

Peace and love,
Josie

Greece: Day 3 (15/11/10)

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On the ferry heading from Crete to Athens.

When we first arrived in Crete, we saw a wall on which someone had written in Sharpie two words: "Greek Hell." Never has there been more accurate foreshadowing. From now on, I will take graffiti warnings into consideration when visiting new places.

We arrived in Crete at 5:30am on Sunday. It was dark and raining. Initial thought: Oh shit - where's the beach? Apparently, we made the rookie mistake of assuming that islands have beaches. And also that they would be there, sunny and wonderful, just awaiting our arrival. Not a good mistake to make. We basically spent out entire day on Crete being homeless. Which is actually funny because we were probably the most homeless people on the island - even homeless people don't want to live on Crete. We walked, took a bus in a very wrong direction, walked around for some more hours, took another bus, met some police officers, hung out on the sidewalk in front of the police station and shaved, drank wine out of plastic bottles, and then walked some more.

Untimately, we ended up in a town by the ocean (finally!) where we all slept in one hotel room for 35 Euro total. Excellent. And the floor was actually extremely comfortable.

So far, I haven't showered, but I have been in the ocean. Twice. Also, we are all slowly but surely becoming Russian.

Last night we drank, ate food, played cards, and crashed on the floor of the hotel room. I left my bullshit pants (the ripped black ones) behind. I hope they will find a happy new home. Doubtful because they are stranded in Greek Hell, but maybe something will work out for them.

I am so tired right now, which will not be helped by the minimal sleep I will be getting on this ferry ride, so I'm sorry for the incoherent writing. Also, why am I writing this like I'm writing in a blog? Ahhhh the internet is taking over my journal!

So basically, Crete was . . . an experience. I'm glad we did it. It was a lot of walking, a lot of receiving false directions, and a lot of eating (as usual), mixed with a minimal amount of showering and sleeping. Yes, we spent about 6 hours lost the first day, but we eventually found somewhere to stay and I actually slept pretty well. Today we went to the Palace of Knossos, where we met a guy from Cape Cod who is in the process of creating a reality show based on bull jumping. The people I meet in my life, I swear. En tout cas, his name was Mike and he was quirky, but very nice, helpful, and fluent in Greek. Score. The best part about traveling is always the crazy random people you meet along the way.

If nothing else, we definitely spent a lot less time being lost on Day 2. We also actually checked out the center of town in Heraklion, and it was pretty sweet. Best graffiti I've ever seen award: "Honey I love u. You buy me chips?" We made friends with a few stray dogs, ate Greek food, ice cream, and coffee and almost got hit by cars, trucks, and mopeds (oh my!), all the while carrying our huge backpacks on our backs.

So far, I have decided that Greece is a very strange combination between France and Senegal. To be elaborated upon later - I'm lying on the floor of the deck now and I'm getting exhausted. I miss Alec and the family so much!

Love, Josie

Greece: Day 1 (13/11/10)

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Tally of Greek people who have asked me if I was Greek: III

I'm on a ferry from Athens to Crete. The plan was to take the midnight ferry from Athens to Santorini. There was no midnight ferry. So now we're on our way to Crete because . . . why not?

The little boy on the floor next to us just came over and took my purple Fray Bans and tried to put them upside down on top of his head. He is precious. So happy and smiley with his big, sparkling, black eyes.

In other (less adorable) news, Mika's passport, camera, and cell phone were all stolen on the Metro in Athens today on our way to the ferry. It 's a traveler's worst nightmare. Hopefully we can get it all figured out before we leave Greece.

The little boy's parents are trying to distract him with Enrique Inglesias music videos on their cell phone. Not working. He wants the Ray Bans. I mean, I don't blame him - they're awesome. Bonus: the guy we bought them from in Athens was Senegalais! Our Wolof came in handy in a bug way - hello 5 Euro sunglasses! I'm very satisfied.

Also, I bought an awesome black and gold dress by the Acropolis today. While not cheap, it wasn't too expensive and it was beautiful and exactly what I needed for going to the Greek islands. Also, the people who worked at the store were so incredibly nice that I just wanted to buy everything. I think that's really the secret strategy of the shop owners here in Greece - kill everyone with kindness. This seriously is the nicest country I've EVER visited though. People will go out of their ways to help you with any and everything. Just today, we had a woman come across the street just to tell us that there was a park nearby if we wanted to eat our sandwiches there instead of on the curb. We also met a guy named Kostas on the Metro who told us how to get to the ferry. Everyone - shop owners, random people, tourists - are happy and kind and open and wonderful. So kind, in fact, that they so badly don't want to disappoint you, so they make up directions on how to get somewhere when they don't know. While sweet, this is not very helpful, and I advise any future travelers to Greece to look out for this. Consult a map, or ask about 10 different people the same question before taking any advice. This country is such a happy and kind place though. I love it already.

So anyway, a man working at a store we visited today looked at me for a couple of seconds and then said, " So which of your parents is Greek?" And so began the series of random Greek people asking me if I was Greek. Later at another store, the man at the cash register got the same look on his face and then asked where in the US I was from. "Washington, DC," came the Europe-friendly answer. "So you're from Maryland or Virginia?" he asked. "Maryland," I said laughing. How cool is that? He used to live in Westminster, apparently. Followup question: "So which of your parents is Greek?" "Italian, actually. My father." "Well Mediterranean - that's still family!" Love it.

So today we woke up at the hostel (awesome hostel by the way where we met the coolest Canadian guys ever) and then headed out into Athens for a touristy day. We visited the Acropolis (again) and walked around the city a little bit. It was absolutely beautiful out - I actually wished I had shorts to wear! Fortunately, my pants were ripped at the seams all the way down the back and no one told me before we left the hostel. But at least Athens for to appreciate my pink Christmas underwear for a good hour today.

In other news, Allie's boyfriend Mark is here and he's awesome. They're precious together and I really love having them around. It can be so hard to see them so happy together in Greece when I miss Alec so much though. Up until now, I've really missed him but I've been dealing with it pretty well, keeping myself busy and focusing on my own situation. But seeing such an amazing, happy couple together on this trip really makes me miss Alec more than I can even think about. I really am glad that they're here though. I love both of them already.

And so now I'm focusing on this: I'm on a ferry on my way to Crete. That's fucking sick.

More on life later - I'm going to go brush my teeth, wash my face, and daydream myself into a daze. We arrive in Crete at 5:30am. Ohhhhh yeah. I love college.

Love, Josie