Stranded...

Little did I know that I would be writing again to document yet another adventure that can be included with the "France" chapter of my life.
On Saturday morning, I woke up on time, early even, to catch the TGV train to Paris. Because of the weather, the train ran a little under 1 hour late. My host father assured me that when the trains are delayed,the planes are delayed, so I was counting on the fact that my flight to Chicago would be an hour late. Not so. I arrived 5 minutes too late to check in to the flight. When I found that out, it seemed surreal and I wondered when I could get out of Paris and home. There were several girls in the same situation as well, so we all stood in line to talk to the United Airlines customer service. No one was happy, especially not the workers. When I got to the counter, my entire being was shaking, which resulted in the shaking of my voice when I talked to the man. I was as respectful as possible and he said the soonest he could get me a flight would be on the 24th. Other than that, I would have to be on standby each morning... which includes being there at the crack of dawn to "check-in" and wait until the last minute to see if they had any available slots on the flight. Needless to say, I was determined to the one of the first people on the list, so I stayed overnight in the Charles De Gaulle airport. I hung out with two other students who also had attended the Institute in Tours and we took turns watching the stuff and coming up with ideas to keep ourselves busy. As soon as I found out that we would be stranded the entire night, I began making lists and a schedule of the time, just to provide a distraction and a sense of purpose to the 24 hours of my life that I spent in that place.
I probably slept for about 20 minutes that first day because my nerves were too wired to let me rest enough to even get tired. We shared a computer between the three of us and bought 24 hours of internet. That was the only way I could contact anyone. I used the internet a lot... We camped out in front of the ticket counter around 3:30am with our luggage and our wacky senses of humor. At 6am, we decided to get Starbucks, which only aggravated my nerves, so I was bouncing off the walls. So much so that my friends took my coffee away from me and refused to let me finish it. I ended up sneaking sips anyways.
We all got on the standby lists, most for Washington DC with the belief that getting on that flight was nigh impossible, but it would help our chances for getting on the flight to Chicago. Imagine our surprise when they put over 20 standbys on the DC flight... I was one of them. I asked originally if I could change to Chicago, but the lady said no, so I took the ticket and literally ran to the flight. I almost started crying when I realized that I would not be stuck in the Paris airport for another night.
The flight didn't leave De Gaulle until 3 hours after the initial departure due to the snow in Paris, so it put us later into DC. Apparently, the snow canceled later flights, so it was quite the blessing to have made it out yesterday. The flight was bizarre, but I was very thankful for it. I also realized that Denver is a major hub for United flights, so that helped raise my spirits, along with watching 500 Days of Summer and Up... that was great. What was not great was that United had misplaced my bags that the anxiety returned. I waited for three hours to figure out what had happened to the two pieces of luggage that contained important things that had formed my life the past 3.5 months of my life... thankfully, they were sent to the wrong terminal. Once I had them, I talked to the lady at the counter and, after sharing my story with her, she decided that I needed a flight out and she got me a ticket for Denver that leaves at 8:30am Eastern time. That was an unseen blessing. Everyone here is looking for flights... EVERYONE. I walked up and down the Concourses C and D- the waiting rooms for the standbys were full. Thank you God that I do not have to go through that again.
My family told me when I skyped with them last night that they had driven to the airport last night in order to see if I had gotten on the Chicago flight... I, of course, could not have let them know anything because I had no way to send them the message that I had made the DC flight... Long story short, always bring a cell phone with you... it's just more safe and practical for everyone's sound mind.
The adventure is not quite finished and I didn't even give the entire account of what has happened to me in the past 48 hours... When I get home, I will probably write another blog recounting my joy at finally terminating my voyage home from the semester abroad.

Au revoir, Tours...

It's been grand, it's been awesome, but now the time has come. I'm leaving this morning and my stomach is filled with butterflies... I'm nervous because the traveling situation isn't ideal, but I'm also nervous because my life is changing drastically again. Another chapter is beginning... and beginnings are hard sometimes. At least it's not like I'm starting over from scratch like I was 3 ish months ago. I'm so glad to be going home. I don't think this will be my last blog... I'll probably write another entry or so telling of the journey home and the processing that will happen when I get home. I'm looking forward to that part, seeing what I took away from this time in terms of the big picture. I will miss France, but I hope I will come back in the near future.
I have to finish packing my valise to be able to leave in 15 minutes...

Oh man...

Winter Wonderland... oh, let it snow!

It's true. Things that rarely happen do occur, such as snow in Tours. This opportunity has satisfied my desire for snow and absolutely ruined any academic spirit I might have had in my body. From the first sighting of snow this morning, I've been in such a good mood, loving seeing the white flakes grace the old buildings and watching students, young and old, throw snowballs at each other. It's amazing how snow affects different people. There were quite a few people at the Institute who had never seen snow before... Some people grabbed their umbrellas and stood outside with them, which gave me a good chuckle. Others immediately grabbed the nearest snow, fashioned a projectile and threw it at the nearest unsuspecting victim. Others made the snowballs and offered to give them to the people taking shelter inside. A newly-made Arab friend offered me a snowball to spread on my baguette that I was eating with chocolate. I politely refrained and he went on to ask the nice older Irish lady if she wanted it in her hot chocolate. People really do the silliest things when they see snow. I love it.
The French, or at least the people in Tours, don't really know what to do when it snows. Apparently it doesn't happen often enough to invest in snow tires or chains, so the French just continue to slip and slide their way around town, which can be pretty dangerous... Thankfully, the only thing that would stop trains would be if the top electrical line became frozen, but it looks like that won't happen... It's not cold enough. Don't get me wrong... It's truly cold, but the snow that was on the ground is turning into slush. I hope that doesn't turn into ice tomorrow! Thankfully, I have until 10am to be at class, so hopefully it has time to melt if it does turn deadly. I also live close to the Institute, so that's good.
I bought most of my last minute gifts today and I'm trying to grasp the concept that I only have one day left here... My heart is sad, but it's also jumping for joy in my chest to see friends and family. One of my friends put it very well: I don't want to leave France, but I'm more than ready to be home. Too bad those things can't reside together for the moment. The rest of my time will be consumed with packing and trying to figure out small details. Tonight, Kamal (the real spelling of his name) is coming over for dinner and my host dad is coming home from his business trip to Italy. It will be a great dinner, I think. The conversations are always great when Kamal comes over. I love learning more about Muslim culture.
Last night, we had a gathering of BGSU students/TU students over here at my apartment and it was great. I made apple crumble with my host mom and the 9 of us who came ate it all and played a form of Catch-Phrase. It was a great time of hanging out together because who knows the next time we'll see them... I also got to play hostess, which is really one of my favorite things to do. As I reflect, I become more and more thankful for my host family situation. God is good. He knew what I needed better than I did, like normal, and provided me with great host parents and Alix... What a great semester!

Last Monday in France...

This weekend was spectacular. I got to spend time with friends and I worked on homework in between packing. The weather has gotten brrrrr cold. Thankfully the sun is out though. Don't think I would be as happy with gray skies and 30 degree temperatures...
Yesterday, I finished my last paper and that was such a liberating feeling. I rewarded myself with watching the most recent episode of "The Office" and that successfully put me in the Christmas mood and not in the academic mood. Backfire.
Today held exams. I can truly say that it was a Monday. We get our grades back on Wednesday, so I'll live in suspense for a while, but I hear that builds character. In the meantime, I'll work on packing (still), homework for January, or hang out with friends because the last week seems to be the time to cram in all the social time possible. Especially because I might never see some of these people again. It's a sobering thought. I have always had that reassurance that I would be back to Taylor or back home, so I've never thought about leaving people for good. I mean, I thought about that a little during senior year at high school, but I basically sprinted with my diploma out of there, so I think this situation is a little different.
On Sunday, I went on a walk around Tours and I think running into a marching band and a show on a street corner created a special place in my heart for this town. I've always enjoyed my life here, but seeing families out and enjoying festivities brought a smile to my face. When one of the bands stopped playing, the members jumped on the bike-carriage things and the trumpet player started playing a little ditty which I heard as I walked down the main cobblestone street and it made my heart sing. The "bonheur" of the town has been the most holiday-like experience I've had in a while... well, since last Christmas. My host parents don't decorate for Christmas because they spend that holiday at their country house, so I've been missing some of that holiday cheer... It's nice to know that I could spend the last few days in France freezing outside with a smile on my pink face.
I love France and I know that I will miss it greatly when I return home.

Who decided to speed up the clock?

Seriously. It seems like just yesterday I was counting down the days, like 35 or something, until I could be home and not have to worry about anything, but now it's down to 7 days. One week from today, I will be finishing the last packing rituals and spending the last evening with my host family.
Today, I went to Chateau de Chenonceau, my favorite castle in all of France. It was decorated in the interior for Christmas, which made it all the more beautiful. We hopped on a train after school and visited the great site for about 3 hours then took a train back to Tours. I would say it was a marvelous experience... Most definitely.
This past week has been a little nostalgic, to say the least. I've been taking my camera with me to the Institute, just in case the opportunity presents itself to take photos. I have been taking some of the interior of the building, because it's not every day that one goes to school in an old royal residence.
I feel like there are a lot of disjointed thoughts in my head... So many things I want to say, but words aren't coming. Being in France has been a little bit of a fight for me. This past Wednesday, we all drew a graph for our personal emotional state throughout the semester and it was interesting to see what other people experienced. The general curve is normally a gradual peak, then a rather rapid descent that doesn't start to come back up until around the time the program ends. I would say that, on average, that is pretty correct. You feel like you're out-of-place with the culture and family and school... but then, you finally create those deeper friendships with people and you know where most of the things are, especially your favorite spots and it's time to leave. I've reached the point where I'm joking around with my host family and being myself... I can't help but feel as though it's in vain. I wish I had started feeling more comfortable earlier. I guess there's nothing I can do about it now.
God has been so gracious during this semester. It's been interesting, and eye-opening to say the least, to see the way the world lives outside of Colorado Springs and little Upland, IN. This is hardly the reflective blog that will most likely come when I've spent some time at home, but it's definitely starting to lean that way, isn't it?
Anyways, I got to make Crumble de Courgettes with my host mom last night for dinner and I'm going to miss that. I've been able to help out in the kitchen a lot more and it's done wonders for my mental health, I think. Not only do I get to talk to my host parents more on a deeper level, but I get to learn more things about food, French food. Just another blessing to add to the ever-growing list. Tonight, Fung is making Chinese food, which I'm totally pumped about because I've never really had legit home-cooked Chinese cuisine. After I'm done watching this, I'm going to go invade the kitchen and just watch. I'll try not to get in the way, but I feel like knowing how to make a true Chinese dish is a cool thing. I got to help a little bit last night when Fung marinated the chicken. He massaged oil, white wine, salt, and pepper into it, so I remember that much. It was fun to help with that, even though I was just pouring ingredients onto the chicken.
Tomorrow will be another academic day... finishing touches on the last paper and studying for my finals on Monday and beginning to review for the test on Wednesday. After Wednesday, I'm done. That will be a big weight off of my shoulders, but I won't be completely at ease until I'm on the plane home from Chicago... Apparently the holidays in France mean "STRIKE" to all the transportation workers. There's rumor that the train stations will go on strike soon and I'm praying and hoping that they hold off until I get to where I need to be. I mean, I love France, but when it's time to go home, it's time to go home!
There will probably be one more blog or so, then I'll be home. Wow. What a thought. Maybe I'll have to make another one... I mean, I am going to London...

Officialement, j'adore le mercredi! ( I officially love Wednesday)

This title makes a lot of sense if you were able to experience the last two Wednesdays that I had. For the entire story, you'll have to read a past post about the whole class becoming animals and so on. Today was a little different. Our teacher had every intention of giving us a sheet of paper for us to reformulate and talk about, but we somehow managed to distract her. We started talking about Christmas. I learned so many things. First of all, Columbia doesn't really believe that Santa gives gifts, so instead of children writing letters to St. Nicholas, they write letters to Baby Jesus. That surprised me... The guy from the Netherlands was convinced that Father Christmas/Santa was an American thing, but turns out, he really is world-wide. In France, children write letters to a certain address and there's an organization that answers the letters! I know! Incredible. I want to be a worker that answers children's letters to Santa! How cute would that be? Seriously! Then, when the guy from the Netherlands was talking about his family Christmas traditions, he said they go to church on Christmas Eve and the guy next to him (who's from Belgium) asked, "What do you do at church? Why would you go there?" It was really funny, but sad at the same time.
Then, we (meaning the Americans) started talking about when Christmas begins, which led to a grand explanation of Black Friday. My teacher was astonished and couldn't get enough... She asked us so many questions and couldn't seem to wrap her head around the fact that we get up at 4am in the morning to wait in line in the freezing cold OUTSIDE of the store in order to run in and get the items that we want. That was fun to explain. The Chinese girl sitting next to me asked me what Thanksgiving was, so then we explained the holiday, yet again, and another American girl pulled out stickers. We passed the stickers around the class and when they reached the Belgian boy, he asked, "What's 'gobble gobble'?" To that, they tried explaining the sound a turkey makes and then I piped up and said that I could make that sound. My teacher then asked me to do it in front of the class... So, I cleared my throat and hoped to God that I could still do it after not making that noise for at least 3 months... and I made the turkey noise. I even got a standing ovation from the Americans. Made my day.
Next, after the Japanese girl explained the Christmas traditions in her country, which are very similar to Valentine's Day, by the way, we started talking about relationships. My prof went around to each person and asked us specifics about our significant other. While I was happy to tell people about my story, I was a little envious of those single people who didn't face the interrogation. So, next Wednesday, we have to bring pictures. Ha. This story has an awkward ending though. My prof asked the nice Korean lady (who shyly said a couple weeks ago when Madame asked our ages that she's "more than 30") said she would rather not say. Madame poked and prodded, even though many of us students piped us and reiterated that the lady didn't want to talk about it. We all felt badly for her and it was kind of a sad way to end the class.
What have I learned from this Wednesday? Well, I have learned that other Christmas traditions are really fun to learn about and I love it. I also was able to talk about Black Friday in French. That was a fun feat. Also, I learned that hearing about other people's relationships only makes me more sappy and desirous to to be home. At the same time, I am content and loving the rainy afternoon where I can sit inside, write a blog and ponder the things that have happened here in France. It seems a little early to be so nostalgic, but I am. Oh France. This December is going to go quickly, isn't it?