wow...i fail at blogging

hey all! long time!
so i did a ton in the last week and a half or so! the friday after i got back from Marseilles IES took us to Giverny, Monet's old house/gardens, and it was absolutely stunning. the waterlillies are still there and the huge gardens. the house is still there too...we couldn't take pictures inside, but it is exactly how one would picture monet's house to look like. the colors on the walls were all super vibrant yellows and blues and it was just adorable. so we hung out there for a few hours and just walked around the gardens. it was relaxing :-)

then that weekend we stayed in Paris and tore it up a bit. went out to an awesome Irish pub and the singer was making eyes at me all night--it even went so far as to him dedicating "Just the Two of Us" to me. Unfortunately he didn't talk to me after he was done with his set and I'm not about to go around chasing boys but it was still fun! So mostly last weekend was just a lot of touristy things. I went to the Louvre, Sacre Coeur, Montmartre again (I like it there), Walked around Paris for a bit, went out dancing a couple times. Oh yeah! My friends Meaghan and Emma and I went out with the son of their host mom, Mathis, and his friends on Thursday night to this thing called an "After Work Party" which was a pay at the door thing but then you get free champagne, food, and, most importantly, water all night. Then dancing started at 9pm. It was a good deal and was super fun and cool to hang out with some real French people for a change. We've been hanging out with them more and more since and they are really nice and chill AND they like to dance. Points for them.

So I was sitting in the gardens at the Musee Rodin this past Friday and decided then and there that I wouldn't mind living in Paris for a couple years. I don't know what it was about being there and that moment. I was alone, the gardens were beautiful, the weather was perfect, and I just fell in love. It was a really nice feeling that didn't give me excess anxiety--so that's a good sign! I know I'm leaving a bunch of stuff out cause really I can't remember all the things I do and see everyday. However, for the 4th of July Jessica and I went up to Normandy to see the beaches and the American cemetery. It was extremely beautiful and moving to see all the graves and then the beaches that are gorgeous on their own but they just have so much meaning. Some of the German bunkers are still there on the hill which was pretty surreal to see. It's hard to imagine why people would fight in general, but why they would choose such a beautiful place to do it in is beyond me. Anyways...it's another place in France that is a must see on top of Strasbourg and Marseilles/Cassis.

So my plans for Ireland fell through because a plane ticket to Ireland from Paris and back was 300 Euros. No way. So instead I'm using my train pass and am going to Switzerland (Zurich and Geneva), for 4 days. Literally I was like "where should i go?", looked at a picture of Zurich and said "I'm going there". It looks absolutely beautiful and I feel like it will be relaxing and nice before I head back to Paris to hang out with Miranda before we come home. My host dad said that we could stay in my room while she is visiting so we have a free place to stay which is SUPER awesome of him. Then I fly out on the 16th! I can't believe school is over (took both my finals today already), and that I come home in a little over a week. It seems so surreal and just...nuts that these past 2 months have flown by so quickly.

Most importantly, I feel like I've learned a ton from being here.
1. Don't let money be the reason you don't do something.
Yes, money is important and vital to travel and school and living, etc. but if I had let everyone that told me I shouldn't study abroad because of money win, I never would have done this and it has been such a wonderful experience.
2. Life doesn't have to move super fast
The French aren't even done with college until their late 20s and they don't get married and start having kids til their 30s. I like that.
3. Take a vacation when you feel too stressed
I still have problems with this one...but I fully intend on following up on it when I go home because as I've been here I've felt the stress of life and work just slowly melt away and I know that I can have the same feeling back at home even though I like to keep myself busy and productive, etc.

More to come! Love you all :-)