chillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll. my hair looks the exact same. its really not that different.

wes, will you stop doing your search engine optimization on this blog. I don’t need it to be number 1 on google. this is personal. I would rather this be only for my friends and family. I really know you are excited about this new world of blogging. Maybe ill start another one with my little tid bits but I really just want this blog to be a way of correspondence rather than a highly visited site on google. love ya brother!

CHILLL

by the way, just spent the weekend in prague. really cool city. very very different than what I have seen in western europe. i think I am preferring this area of europe a little more than Paris. Paris was great and I had a wonderful time there but there is so much more in europe than just Paris. and apparently, Paris is very unique in France. the rest of France is nothing like Paris.

Budapest has been great so far. I really haven’t seen too much yet but our adventure in Budapest commences tomorrow! WOOOOO WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

OH we DID go to a traditonal turkish bath. It was awesome. I have never felt so refreshed and calm. I really needed someting to ease my nerves after being in Paris for 5 weeks and traveling.

I keep getting sudden bursts of excitement about what I am doing and my life right now. I can’t tell you how extraordinarily blessed I feel. I am 21 doing and seeing all these incredible things. It has been such an eye opener in so many different ways. It has made me realize how limitless my options are. the world is mine if I want it to be.

basically I’m constantly giddy over here.

Hope all is well with you in the states!

much love and hugs from BUDAPEST!! (its INSANE that i am in Budapest right now, I love it!!)

today is my last day in Paris. I woke up early and started some laundry because I still have two more weeks of living out of a suitcase in my future.

Ashley and I are meeting for lunch and then buying our tickets to Nice for when we get back from Budapest. And then we are going to do a little bit of last minute shopping! the big sales in Paris started yesterday! They are getting rid of all of their summer inventory. Which seems a little odd since its not even July yet. Better for us!!

Tonight we are all going out for dinner one last time.

I really didn’t expect to be this sad about leaving. But I have some adventures ahead! I will also be able to bring back all of these experiences.

Last weekend I journeyed to Amsterdam with a friend from Norman. He came from Berlin and I was arriving from Paris on the Thallys, the highspeed train in France. The top speed of the train is 190 mph! I loved being on a train! the country was so beautiful from Paris through Belgium to Holland.

When I arrived in Amsterdam I had about 4 hours to myself until Kenneth arrived. He suggested I go see the Van Gogh museum so I bought a map and headed that way. But while sitting on the tram, by myself far far far away from home I started to get a little stressed out, to the point of becoming nauseous.

I got of the train and stopped in a small shop (reminded me of a Forward Foods) and got the biggest bottle of water. I walked past a library and started to walk inside to rest when kenneth called me. I was SO releived to actually talk to him! I immeditaly felt better. I kept walking until I found a park.  I had given up on the idea of going to the Van Gogh museum. I sat in the park and enjoyed the sunshine. (Paris had been rainy and cold almost the entire time I had been there).

After a while I got up and headed back to the Central Station to meet kenneth. The area of Amsterdam I was in was really nice, not what I expected at all. My intial impression was if Crested Butte was 50 times larger and a major city in a European country. Everyone rides bikes, everyone is SO helpful and cheerful (i would exclude CB on that one). Everything was clean and nice.

When I met kenneth we started to walk around Amsterdam. He wanted to go the park next to the Van Gogh museum. WE picked up some grapes and bananas and some water and started walking in that direction. It turns out the park we went to was the exact same park I was in earlier that day. It was RIGHT next to the Van Gogh musuem! It was right behind me and I had no idea! ha

Amsterdam is not what I expected. I thought it would be a big dirty hippie town. But it isn’t. I thought marijuana would be everywhere but it isn’t. In the touristy areas it is but there isn’t an overabundence of coffeeshops like I imagined. I liked the discretness of this aspect of the city, the entire country, to be more specific

That night, Friday,  we took the train to Utrecht. My FAVORITE city so far. Its a college town comparable to the size of Norman. We wandered around trying to find out hostel for a while until we finally asked a concierege at a hotel. I was little nervous that we would be rude and not helpful. But he was so kind. He looked up our hotel, wrote down the name, directions and number to our hostel.

In the cab to our hostel we got to see a little bit of Utrecht. The city was quiet but lively all at the same time. Every few streets there would be small restraunts bustling with people and music. There were three or four stages set up around town with local bands playing music. When we got to our hostel, which was a Thai restaurant (see end note) on the bottom and rooms above, we freshened up and walked to the closest concert we could find. We showed up at the end but it was still lively.

Utrecht is a city built on several canals so we walked down one of the canals and then headed back home.

The next morning we took our bags to the train station and rented bikes. We rode all over that city for probably 3 hours. We rode around the country for a little bit and bought some cherries from a cherrie farm. They were DELICIOUS! I am not a huge cherrie fan but they hit the spot!

After we couldn’t ride out bikes any longer, due to our sore tooshies, we stopped and walked around Utrecht for a few more hours. We got lost so many times but we didn’t care. We had dinner at a Cuban restaurant and then took a train to Rotterdam.

The flowers in Utrecht were so pretty! They made me think of mom! She would have loved the flowers there. Apparently, April is the time to be in Holland to see all of the Tulips. Street vendors selling peonies lined the streets. Because of all the flowers and the impecaple job keeping the city clean, Utrecht smelled so pretty!

I think Mom and Dad would really like Utrecht if they were to come to Europe some day. Holland is beautiful and clean. Its a small city with cheerful unique charm.

We went into one of the oldest church in Holland. Utrecht was originally a Roman fortification under Claudius.

Because of Holland’s successful economy everything is very clean and nice. Not gaudy, flamboyant, showy, or necessarly expensive, just nice. 

I was shocked at how incredibly friendly everyone was there. In Paris everyone is very reserved and private which comes across as snotty and rude.

Rotterdam is the economic capital of Holland, Kenneth would say its comparable to a Chicago type city in the US.

Rotterdam is a shipping city so we walked down the river and saw all of the boats.

We went to a museum, I can’t remember the name of it right now, But i have its information in my room. 

In the museum I saw Van Gogh, Monet, Rembrant, and Dali.

After the musuem we went walking through a park. it was sunday afternoon and it felt like EVERYONE in the city came out to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather.

The kids in Rotterdam were….. interesting. Their style was a mix between goth, super punk, and emo. They were rowdy and a little intimidating but when I approached one about my missing camera they were extremely respectful and helpful, a nice suprise.

After rotterdam I took the train to Brussels and had a lay over for an hour (I honestly have no idea why I did this, it turned out to be  HORRIBLE idea). I walked around the central station for about 15 minutes before I promptly returned to the station. Apparently the area I was in was a pretty bad part of Brussels. I think It is a lot like D.C. if anyone knows what I am talking about. But I have been told I need to go back to Brussels when I have more than one hour to see it.

So while in Holland I saw three very different sides of the country. Amsterdam is a huge city but very touristy. Maybe a little like San Antonio. Utrecht I would compare to Norman or Austin. and Rotterdam to Houston or Dallas. Just to give you all a little bit of reference.

I am sorry about the choppy writing. I just don’t have much time on this computer and have a lot to talk about so I am just writing things as they come to my head.

I am more than happy to keep rambling on about Holland but my friends are trying to go to dinner!

Hope all is well with everyone! I really like your comments!

Remind me to tell you all about my idea of our Hostel in Utrecht and Hotel ZaZa in Dallas. But now I  have to go!

BISSOUS!

Sunday we went to Versailles.

I was really excited to see it but I didn’t know any of the history (bad on my part). People I was with tried to give me a little bit of background information while I was walking through. I had earphones, which helped.

It was very grand and baroque. But I couldn’t tell what was restored and what was original and we could only go through a very small part of the Chateau, the main castle. A lot of people who knew the history of Versailles and were really excited about seeing the castles were kind of dissapointed. They said the way they restored the castle made it more of a museum….. I am not really sure what they meant by that.

The Hall of Mirrors

The Chapel

It would have been fun to be able to wander around freely in the whole castle, but then you would get idiots like me who would be tempted to sit on the beds. they have those strict rules for a reason. I lightly joked about jumping on the king’s bed and got seriously shunned by one of the history buffs. I don’t think she knew I was kidding, or she just thought my joke was really stupid. in either case, I didn’t jump on the bed But I wanted to!

The chateau was King Louis XIII’s hunting lodge but his son Louie the XIV turned it into his home.

Louie the XIV

the grounds, the gardens were so big and beautiful! we tried to walk to Marie-Antoinette’s house. Every time we thought we were there we were only at a smaller mansion outside of her house.

By the time we got to the actual entrance of Marie’s house it was closed! I was a little disapointed but I know I will be back someday!

On our way to her house we walked through the fields where Marie would go to pretend she was poor! She would put on a “costume” and heard sheep around her house. I think that is hilarious! While she was living in outrageous extravagence the french common people were in extreme poverty. But she would PRETEND to be poor. No wonder the french be-headed here, she was NUTS!

But I think all of the royalty back then were crazy. There was one king who made a rule that he was the only one allowed to wear heels….. seriously.

We stayed on the grounds until a security gaurd told us we had to leave. But being only one of few to be at the gardens was amazing! i could really take in the sights without being distracted by heards of tourists.

All in all Versailles was great.

Today I am trying to get my hair cut and buy my ticket to amsterdam and then tonight we are going to a football (soccer) game! its france versus columbia. I don’t think its a huge game but it will be really interesting to attend.

although i have wireless internet in my room it is very slow and very difficult to upload any of my photos. I have PLENTY of pictures of my neighborhood, room and a few of france.

Last night I met up with Claire and a few of her friends for dinner in central Paris. It was really nice to see a familiar face so far away from home. She and her friends were in town to go to Euro Disney then head to Italy for a small vacation.

This morning we had a mandatory orientation meeting at the Le Catho, Le Institute de Catholique, at 8:45 a.m. It is DIRECTLY across from Luxembourg park. Because I didn’t have any way of communicating with anyone else in my group, I journeyed up to the meeting all by myself this morning. I really underestimated my travel time and also did not allow myself to get lost…. which I did.

I walked up and down the streets of the 6th ( the sections, or neighborhoods, or area codes in Paris) for a while until I asked a newstand, “Parle-vous anglais?” he mumbled and I haneded him my map. He said to go straight for three streets and then cross. After following his directions for a few streets I started to second guess his advice, “that stupid newsstand guy…. he gave me the wrong directions because I was an american” I thought. So I turned around and headed in the other direction until I was so lost I was just walking until I found a street that I could see on my map. I was almost there when I stopped and asked a parking garage attendant for directions. He barely spoke english but got me on my way… The newsstand attendant HAD, in fact, given me accurate directions. silly me!

I arrived at le Catho at 9:30 and asked the front office where my group was but they did not speak a lick of english so they showed me to the international student office. The secretaries in that office also could not speak english (a little ironic to me), but were adamant on helping me find my group. Finally, out of the corner of my eye i saw what I thought was one of our directors leading some students into a classroom. As soon as I could politely excuse myself from their help I bolted after the director. But as I ran down the hallway they were no where to be seen. I finally gave up and called the cell phone of the other director who came and found me by the biblioteque.

The orientation is something to forget but afterwards we had lunch in the school cafeteria, I had tomato and mozzarella sandwich but could barely eat 1/4 of it…. it did come from a school cafeteria. but other than the sandwich from school, all of the food as been VERY tasty.

After the meeting, Ashley from New Jersey and Marissa from Minnesota, and I went walking around the aread near our school. We walked Rue de Vaugirard that runs along Luxembourg park to find a place to exchange USD to euros.

The exchanger was right across the street from the pantheon. We were going to take a tour of it until we realized it cost money and that we could go for free in one of our classes.

As we were walking back to the RER to get home, we had our first glimpse of the Eiffel tower! It was my first ” AHHH!” moment in Paris. We could only see the very top of it, but it was still a reminder that I was in PARIS!

We stopped and had some gelato and looked at some postcards until it started pouring down rain on us so we headed back to the dorms. It has been pretty cold and rainy here so far. Last night as I was checking my email before i went to bed, I saw the Oklahoma weather on my homepage, It was 91 degrees in Norman. that was the first time I have ever missed those hot humid summer nights in Oklahoma.

For dinner we went up to the Latin Quarter, just north of the Seine. The second and biggest “AH” moment was when I walked out of the metro station and saw the Seine River! It looked exactly like I imagined it! I couldn’t believe it!

After wondering around the latin quarter for a while looking for a restaurant. We ate at some generic restaurant after our hopes of eating at a nicer place were dashed when we were blatantly discriminated against because we were american students. A waiter with one of those stereotypical curly french mustaches told us it would be a 25 minute wait for a table of three when there were obviously tables available. That place was too stiff for us anyway.

The place we ended up eating at was ok. The food was average but the service was great. They were so helpful and nice all through out our meal and especially nice to one of the girls who got ill during dinner (not because of the meal. She had been sick earlier in the morning and was still feeling a little jet lagged).

The last trains stop at 12:30, we were out of the restaurant by 12:25 and hustling to the nearest RER stop. Everyone at the station was scrounging around for a few extra euros to get a ticket back home. We were given 30 cents and in turn we gave the guys behind us our extra change.

So far, I have never once felt unsafe in Paris.

There really is a misconception of French people here. I have only encountered one rude waiter so far and even he started to warm up to us at the end. Its true that if you at least TRY to speak a little French they are much more willing to help, and not just willing but more than happy to help. The only times I have ever received the cold shoulder is when I stumbled through ENGLISH trying to ask a question.

I do not have class tomorrow so I think I am going to rent one of the bikes from the side walks and bike ride through my neighborhood until everyone else gets out of class.

We are planning on taking the night train to Barcelona this weekend and spending a day at the beach. and then next weekend I am meeting my friend Kenneth from Norman in Amsterdam.

bonne nuit mes amis!!

I departed OKC yesterday around noon and arrived in Paris a little after 7 AM this morning, Paris time. My first leg of the trip was a 2 and half hour flight to Dulles International Airport in DC. I sat next to a girl who was returning home to Belgium after spending a year abroad in SEMINOLE, OKLAHOMA. She had already graduated high school in Belgium but chose to redo her senior year in the United States. I love oklahoma, its my home, but coming all the way to America to spend 9 months in Seminole….? A lot less glamorous than spending a summer in europe.

although Annelise, the Belgium girl, was understandably upset about her placement in oklahoma while the rest of her friends were studying in major metropolitan cities like Philadelphia, she was extremely gracious and had only positive things to say about the people in Seminole and Oklahoma in general.

However, we did end up having a pretty humorous conversation about fat americans and american television. we both agreed on the absurdity of Law and Order. Really, HOW MANY spin offs can you have of the SAME SHOW. and how can people be so enthralled with every single one of them??

she also had plenty of cracks at the fast food industry as well as the abundance of drive-throughs EVERYTHING is a drive-through. lazy americans.

She also gave me some tips for things to do in Paris and if I make up to Belgium come cities I need to see as well and a famous musical festival, Rock Werchter. Don’t even try to pronounce that, I guarantee you will get it wrong. It sounds NOTHING like it spelled. I found it really interesting that Metallica is one of Belgium’s favorite bands….. when most bands, like radiohead, only get up to 45 minutes to play at this festival, metallica gets 2 hours or more. I may be wrong, but is metallica worth 2 hours of my attention?

The flight from D.C. to Paris was far less interesting. I spoke only a few words to the person sitting next to me and it was mostly her asking me to get out of her way so she could go to the bathroom. She was a lot less approachable than my beligum friend so I kept to myself.

I met a few people in my group in the airport and took a shuttle to our dorms at the University of Paris. The building was opened in 1930 for American students. Like all the buildings in Paris, its full of charm and character. My room reminds me of a dorm room you might see in film about a student in Paris….. maybe, If i really use my imagination. It is charming though. My room is facing this huge park across the street. I am not sure what the name of it is but it reminds me of Central Park quite a bit.

After lunch and our first experience with a rude French waiter, we walked through the garden for a few minutes until we all started to feel the exhaustion from traveling and jet lag, of course. I am trying my hardest to not take a nap but my little twin size bed looks very appealing right now.

When we returned to the dorms I unpacked and set up my room then I took another walk through the park. I ended up in a neighborhood on the other side of the park. I went into a store and bought some bottled water while trying to blend in as a native, or at least NOT an American. I think as soon as i opened my mouth to say bonjour my cover was blown!

Now I am in my room more tired now than ever. Wes and Alison just tried to call me but I could barely hear them. they need to get Skype. I know wes and alison are reading this. So get it! its free and really easy!

Oh i also got greedy with a baguette and gave myself a sour belly. the bread was just so warm and flaky and buttery. I nearly ate all of it. thank goodness it fell out of my bag or else I might gobbled up the WHOLE THING!

I leave for Paris this France this Saturday. Frantically packing and preparing myself for this big adventure.

Today I bought a new Canon Elph digital camera at Best Buy with lots of extra batteries and memories sticks so that I can take plenty of pics and vids over in Europe.

I am very excited about this summer in Paris and will be keeping everyone back home up to date on my new blog.