So much has happened...get ready to read a while!

So this is to catch you up, and I will post pictures tomorrow :)

ahem.....(disclaimer. I am at the point where I am sandwiched between two languages, meaning I speak/write english way worse than before so don't get too frustrated reading this...)

lets start with last weekend of the 9th-11th. PAMPLONA!! I am sure you've heard of the running of the bulls, but I dont think you know how crazy it gets here. Out of control. A group of us took a bus up to Pamplona, about an hour away, and arrived around 7. We were all decked out in our red and white outfits, seriously if you didnt wear that you were a weirdo and a target for the drunk people who like to steal stuff! So we were loving the street vendors and performers, and by midnight we needed to go find a place near the street where the bulls run to get a good view in the morning. We felt like we were waiting in line for a harry potter movie or something. But it was a night to remember...both good and bad. We somehow found this perfect ledge that fit all ten of us and it was kind of gated off so none of the borrachos (drunk people) could mess with us. But boy was it chaos! People running around, singing and drinking, pouring their food and drinks on people, yelling at us, and it was absolutely filthy. By one in the morning the streets were so crowded that it took us an hour to go down the street to find a bathroom. And we stayed in our little spot until 8 in the morning....needless to say we didnt sleep. So 8 rolled around, after an eternity and several rounds of "first kiss" stories and "most embarrassing moments", and we were so excited to see the bulls! And we did see them, for the shortest four seconds of my life! They ran by, we got videos and said, well? Lets go home. So yes it was cool to be there, to see the craziness but...I don't think I need to go back:)

The next day was the Final game for futbol. Our group went down to the center of town where we watched all of the games before and little by little, the whole town started to show up. By the last few minutes of the game no one was breathing and the streets were silent. Then, the game was over and SPAIN WON!!! We all jumped around, hugged anyone in sight, and headed straight for the town's giant fountain. The tradition is after a win you jump in the fountain, and we sure did! Jeremy, Seth, Lauren and I climbed up to the top and joined in the song "We are the Champions" with the thousands of others who were singing along. Because, they really are the champions its insane! I can't believe I was so lucky to be in Spain studying while they won the world cup. It just blows my mind every time I think about it! So I have some awesome videos and pics from that night.

(Sorry these aren't very detailed but I have so much to write about still!)

This last week has been really awesome. I have spent a lot of time with my spanish mom, Carmen, and getting to know her more has been such a neat experience. My routine is this: everymorning I wake up to carmen sitting in the kitchen waiting to eat breakfast with me. She makes homemade orange juice and then we chat about the day, our plans and say goodbye. I come back from school and they are ready for lunch so Javier, Maria, Carmen and I eat delicious Spanish food and talk for a good hour before everyone takes a little siesta or goes swimming. (The other day she made stuffed peppers and that might possibly be my new favorite food). At night time I help Carmen put together salad for dinner and it's usually us who are home so we eat and talk and clean up. We have talked about our religions, eating healthy, favorite things to cook and eat, our families, her childhood, my studies...just everything! I have absolutely loved getting to know her and this family. I told her this morning that I was going to leave early (Wednesday for rome instead of friday) and she got all choked up! She said she thinks of me as a daughter and has loved getting to know me. I just love her. I am excited to go to Rome but not to leave Logrono. Here are some of Carmen's favorite things to say: "oi!" "a ver..." "madre mia!" "un beso chica" "se te nota" "claro, pues...." just to name a few. And she laughs everytime I accidently say one of them and says, "aww pareces como una espanola" she thinks I am becoming a little Spain girl. I would love that!! Javier and I have bonded too so thats sweet. Mostly because one day I got really sad because I couldnt speak about something in spanish very well...or something like that so I told him how frustrated I was and got all teary eyed and he and said I was speaking so well and just kept talking to me about my day and was so sweet. Thanks javi, youre the best!

So on to classes. This last week was painnnffulllll.....it was four hours of history of things we had no background information of, with a teacher who liked to use ridiculously hard vocab, who didnt use any expression in her voice, and who really liked showing video clips in black and white with muffled sound. It was rough. But, I got really good at doodling and learned some random vocab. The only thing I would change about this trip would be the last week's classes. I wanted to get into a couple things, like famous artists and poets and focus on that more, and not so much on trying to teach us every single things that happened over the last 200 years.

Cooking class ended today and that was sad. Our teacher, Paco, is the MAN! He is hilarious and really, its just like its a big group of friends hanging out in a giant kitchen learning how to make delicious food, then eating it! Its such a blast, and I cant wait to make all the different food. Today we had a red pepper puree with pork and verduras and un manzana with chocolate in the center with piel de narangja and ohhh man it was so great. Rich but worth it. A couple of us are going to start a "Tortilla de Patata" night in Logan to keep up on our food making skills :)

finger stretches....>

Alright! on to this weekend.

Madrid is so cool! We spent saturday morning at the temple and then went to the palace. It is the third most impressive palaces in Europe, even over Buckingham! It has 2000 rooms and I was so impressed. It was ginormous. We then went to Reina Sofia to see works by Picasso and then to the museo de Prado to see some others by Velasquez, like Las Meninas. So beautiful. The next morning we went to Segovia and saw an Aqueduct that is several centuries old, a massive cathedral, a castle, and another palace with the prettiest gardens I have ever seen. We could have been there for four hours looking at them but ran out of time. It was a very hot couple of days with lots of walking and lots of history!

So there is a little update! I am leaving Wednesday for Rome and will be there for two days, then Seth and I are going up the coast for a 3-day walk along these cute little cities on cliffs. Look it up its so cool! "Cinqueterra" is the name and I am so excited.

I will upload pictures tomorrow and I hope you made it through my horrible writing and the vague details. All in all, I am so lucky to be here, I speak so much better and wouldn't trade this experience for anything! Hasta luego!

I am a SLACKER

I am not very good at this anymore! I am way busier now and don't have tons of time at night. So this one will be brief but I will catch you up as much as I can.

Alrighty...so, my class of El Camino de Santiago finished up and I was ready for it to be over. It was all about the different types of churches and cathedrals in spain and dont get me wrong, it was really interesting...the first 20 churches we talked about. But the last 100 got kind of boring. It has been really cool to actually notice my understanding of spanish increase. I dont have to pay attention with every part of my brain to get something out of it, so that is nice!

This last weekend I had SO MUCH FUN! About eleven of us decided to take a bus (2 hour ride) up to San Sebastian. It was supposed to rain the entire time so I wasn't too excited about it, but we got lucky. Not even exaggerating, the moment we got there it stopped raining, and the minute we left the next night it started up again. Que suerte tenemos! The beach is soooo beautiful. We got there around 7 at night, found our cute little hostel, and ran straight for the beach. We swam out pretty far to use the slides and diving boards and we were literally the only ones out there. (probably because it was late at night and the water is cold to everyone else). Oh but it was hilarious, on the swim back to shore both of my feet cramped up and so my friend Lauren started pushing and pulling me. So, naturally, it looked hilarious to everyone else so they started laughing...then i started laughing..and when i laugh there is no possible way to swim at the same time. So needless to say, I almost drowned! We spent the night in the hostel and woke up bright and early to go on a hike. It lasted about two hours and we were able to make it to the top of a nearby mountain to get a perfect view of the city. We spent the rest of the day exploring and swimming at the beach. There were millions of surfers and it was fun to watch them! There was also a sand soccer tournament going on, I would love to live in San Sebastian.

We caught the late afternoon bus to make it back for the Spain/Paraguay game in downtown Logrono. Holy smokes it is the best thing ever watching the game with everyone!! They scream when we almost get scored on, and start pacing around and biting their nails, it really is their life! I was getting all into to it to, you can't help but yell and scream along with everyone! After they won the game everyone was waving their flags from their cars and honking the horns and singing songs...it was so cool to be there. I just hope they can make it all the way!

Sunday was really cool too, I went to the spanish branch they have here and it is tiny! Us Utah Staters made up half of the ward, but it was really fun to talk to the members. It made me miss the branch back in Oregon. But after, my family here took me to a nearby town and it was beautiful. (I will add pics of that later, they are still on the camera.) And then they made different kinds of pinchos for me to try. A pincho is a piece of hard bread, kind of like brucheta, with different toppings. So for example, I had one with roasted mushrooms, another with goat cheese and melecoton (peach), jamon, y also tortilla de patatas (like a potato omlette). Oh man, everything was so delicious. I am not lying when I say I have loved everything I have eaten, from octopus to sardines, to muscles and goat cheese...I am a believer in the food here in spain! I cant wait to come back and cook different types of food in america. Yummmmm.

My cooking class is so great. Tonight we made a salad with shrimp that melted in your mouth and yummy champinones and then some rice with chicken and pimientos (peppers) and last but not least, a pear that was roasted with butter, almonds and sugar. I took one bite and handed it to Andrew to eat the rest. It was way too rich for me!

Well that's that for now! I have so many more stories and fun things that have happened but I am super tired and still need to review some poems for class tomorrow. And get up and run because eating this good comes with a price :) I will write soon!

Viva España!

I can't believe I am here in Spain! First, I will finish up Barcelona and Sunday:
This was the first Hostel where we actually had a packed room...with no air conditioning...with scary looking irish kids...it was an adventure. Adam and I went to get kebabs and then got ready for about. I woke up every hour because I was suffocating but one hour was a little scarier than the others. I woke up to a figure that I couldnt make out (due to my blindness and it being pitch black) and thought it was adam so I just said, "go back to bed!" and rolled over, I am such a nice friend to not even ask if he was alright. Then I hear in broken english, "hey, i sleep heeer wit you?" I thought it was adam joking around so I stayed rolled over and said "no" and tried to go back to bed. Then I feel an arm and feel the person get closer, and he says it again, "I sleep here?" I look a little closer and soon realized it was a very drunk kid and I said out of panic, "umm no? Im going back to bed!" and then took up as much of the bed as I could! The rest of the night I seriously slept with an eye open because I was so freaked out. That morning I told Adam and he said, "oh yeah I thought I heard something going on." Looks like we are both awesome friends, I didn't care when I thought it was him who needed something and he didn't bother to check on me! Good times.

So we caught the train and after a four hour ride, made it to Logroño!! Adam's mom found him right off the bat and I searched around to find my family. It was such a relief to finally find them! My sister Maria is 22 and a journalist at a nearby news station, Javier is 28 and works as a mechanical engineer and my mom Carmen is around my mom's age. They started asking me question after question, and only the kids know a few words in english. I was officially on my own after saying goodbye to adam! But it was an exciting feeling, like it was finally time to learn some spanish and speak well. We made it to their piso (apartment) and they had cleared out Maria's room for me, so she is with her mom. I felt so bad! But they are so wonderful and try their best to make me feel at home and to make sure I have my own space. Carmen is hilarious...she is always doing something and it makes me feel like I am at home! She talks to me and uses older spanish words that I have never heard, then the kids tell her to speak in more simple spanish, then she tells them to talk slower...meanwhile I am just watching and listening to them argue about how to talk to me, it is pretty entertaining!

My schedule is pretty laid back. I wake up and get ready for school, have breakfast with Javi and Carmen at around 8, I walk to school through the beautiful town of Logroño, attend my classes till 1:30, catch a bus ride back and eat lunch around 2:30. Everyone is home for lunch here, it is more important than dinner. Carmen makes THE BEST food!!! My favorite so far was tortillas de patatas, and its really just eggs and potatoes in a little pie and it is so yummy. Everything is delicious, the fruit...chocolate...icecream...bread...I am in heaven! I then go swimming or meet up friends from school and hit the town or go on little adventures to check out churches and other things like that, but make it back for dinner because, again, it is important to them to have that family time. It's pretty different for me though, usually I am not a huge talker but here they make me be the center of attention to make me practice spanish. It is hard now for me to think and write in english, it is crazy what a few days with nothing but spanish can do for me.

It is so exciting to be here, especially during the world cup! Last night our group went to a local bar and sat outside to watch the game with the ciudadanos of Logroño and it was a blast. They were all singing and dancing and laughing..I took a video and I will add it soon! I went home to watch the last half with the fam and it was hilarious to see Carmen get all into it too! How cool would it be to say that I was in spain when they won the cup?? I hope it happens!

Well, I have learned so much and my little book of new words is already getting pretty full. I have never eaten so well and I think I am going to have pretty dark skin by the time I get back, it's sunny here until dinner time, which is around 10 pm! I am having a blast and will update pics and videos and new fun things very soon. Hasta luego!!!

SPAIN!!

I am currently sitting in the airport in Menningen, absolutely exhausted, We got all packed and checked out and went to the main train station to buy our tickets for the train tomorrow. We are going to be in Logrono at 4 pm! My family is picking me up at the station and I am so excited☺ Also, I had the best food ive had the whole trip, and it was called a honey wafflecone, or a Honigwaffel. It looks like a mini eggo waffle and it is coated in honey mmmmmmm the best thing I had in Germany hands down.
We caught the 1.5 hr bus to the airport and had a good two hour wait until we could check in. I had been dreading this point of the trip since I landed in Paris…my bag had to weigh 15 kilos. Slowly I made my way to the counter, shut my eyes and set the bag on scale…19.7 kilos. Noooooo!!!! So I emptied out the replacables (shaving cream, hair spray, small contact solution) and dear adam let me shift some things into his luggage since, being a guy, naturally he didn’t pack as much. I took it to the counter again…16 kilos. So close! I already had jeans on, a dress, a sweater, running shoes and a scarf but decided to add a little more to my hilarious getup. Keep in mind it is burning hot and there is little if any air conditioning. I put another skirt in adam’s bag and put another skirt over my dress and my jeans. I felt so miserable but hoped my efforts would pay off. It was officially time to check in so I set my bag on the scale, leaning it against the wall to make up for a couple ounces and it was .3 over…bless those Germans they let it through!
Now on to the carry-on station. This station was only a 10 kilo allowance and at this point my backpack weighed more than my checked bag. Laptop, hygiene, liquids, family’s gift, jeans, Spanish book, camera and chords…it was loaded. I approached the counter and handed her my passport, she asked if I had any luggage and I slightly turned and said, “oh just a little backpack!” and she said “ok you are good to go!” I made sure no one watched as I heaved my bag onto the conveyer belt. I am a lucky girl. As soon as I made it to the gate I ripped off the jeans, skirt, sweater and scarf and strapped them to my backpack. I am home-free now!
Safe and sound in Barcelona☺ It ended up taking another two hours to actually leave the airport, we frantically found a bus to Barcelona and were SO happy when we could talk to people and understand everything. After an hour and a half bus ride, and hour metro ride and a half hour walk, we found our hostel! There are way cool people in our dorm this time, from Cali! Its about 11 pm here and we just got back from eating a Kebab down the street. I am dead tired and have a big day tomorrow. I get to meet my familia a las cuatro!
PS. Sorry my pics are always lined up dow the center I have no clue how to change it…

Full day in Germany

This morning as I was writing my blogs, I looked over and saw Adam reading his scriptures. I then realized that he was reading the first book of Nephy outloud in a Sean Connery accent and laughed so hard I almost cried. You should try it sometime its pretty fun!
We found our way back to the train station and took what’s called the S line to Dacau where the extermination camp was built. I must say I am getting quite good at getting around foreign places, my bad sense of direction has been getting lots and lots of practice. Adam might have helped just a little bit…
I had been mentally preparing to go to Dacau because I have studied and read about it before and knew the horrific things that had happened where I would soon be standing. Initially it was built to hold 6,000 people, but they packed in around 32,000. Walking around was surreal and envisioning all those people in such small areas, reading what happened in each of the rooms, reading the personal accounts of people who survived…it made my stomach hurt and my head spin. It is hard to imagine people being so cruel, and then later finding how some were able to forgive them. I don’t think adam or I said more than 4 complete sentences to each other and we took time to see the different memorials on the site. It was a very reverent place.
I decided we should lighten the mood so we walked down to Mariplatz, or the main town square and look around. The buildings were breathtaking! The old churches and clocktowers were enormous and had so much detail. There was a huge farmers market going on, lots of little bands playing in the courtyard and plenty of places to eat dinner! We ended up eating at a very German restaurant, but my stomach was feeling squirmy so I got some bread with ham and cheese and some chicken soup. Adam on the other hand felt very adventurous. He ordered a German item that he assumed was chicken and some potatoes and we waited in suspense to see what it could be. He got his bowl and took off the lid to find two, fat and creamy looking sausages in a bowl of water with a pretzel to follow it down on the side! Again I couldn’t keep in my laughter and just lost it. Two nights in a row Adam got a bigger surprise than he bargained for. I gave him some soup and offered him my meal but he took it like a champ and choked it down (he said he kinda liked it but I thought I heard him sigh before every bite.)

Thursday=Travel Day

Travel day! We went to the grocery store and got some snacks, packed up and checked out! We went an hour early to the station just to be safe and made it on the train to Munich without stress. It was a 6 hour ride with a transfer on the German border, but it went pretty fast! The view was incredible and I was surprised to see so many green rolling hills and beautiful cottages. We got to the station and quickly realized that everything was a lot more fast-paced. People were constantly jetting in front of us and running around us, we just stopped and stared for a while. We had very vague instructions on how to get to our hostel and we had no clue how to get on the right train. After finding someone who barely spoke English and following our gut instinct, we made it on the right train. It had taken almost two hours! We got to the OEZ station in downtown Munich and were lost again. We only had a streetname so we, again, asked for directions. The first set were wrong so we asked someone else and finally showed up at our hostel. It is so nice! Very clean rooms and lots of space, free internet and a lobby. We dropped off our luggage and set out to find dinner since at that point it was around 9:30 and neither of us had eaten since noon.
This whole trip Adam has been wanting to eat pasta, but we honestly never found a place that had it or that had it very cheap. So we walked by this little hole in the wall that said, “Pizza and Pasta” and Adam was sold. He looked at the long list of pasta choices and pointed to one and I ordered a calzone. They boxed up our food and we walked back to the hostel. He excitedly opened his pasta box only to find red rice. I started laughing so hard!! At first he was not happy but then thought it was hilarious. So tomorrow night I get to choose where we eat ☺

Normandy

This morning started a little rough. I had left my bag at the Lyle’s apartment so we had decided beforehand to meet there at 7:30 am so I could grab the bags before they left Paris. We caught up with them, said our goodbyes, and took the metro right back to our Hostel about 20 minutes away. By the time we got back and ate breakfast, we had no time to catch the 8:45 train that was 5 metro stops away so we decided to go for the 10:10 train. So we took our time, bought baguettes and casually made our way over to the train station, thinking that we had all the time in the world!
As a common theme in this trip we should have known that whenever we think we have plenty of time…we don’t. So I get in line at the station to get my Eurorail validated and after seeing the 50 people in front of me, knew that we were going to miss the 10:10 train as well. Once we got up to the ticket counter it was like straight out of a movie. The French kid was being trained so it took us three times as long as the other lines. For those of you who have seen ratrace and remember the part when Whoopi and her daughter are trying to rent a car? It went pretty much the same and that image kept flashing to my mind and I had to control myself to keep from busting up!
So we had about two hours to kill and Adam still hadn’t received his lost luggage so we decided to go shopping! I didn’t end up getting anything because even the thought of carrying anything else in my backpack made me tired. Adam got some sweet striped French shirts and jeans, much better than his plaid tourist shorts and USU shirt! We didn’t feel like classic Americans anymore!
So we made it back to the train station with plenty of time and found our seats. It was like right out of a Harry Potter movie! We had our own little room and everything. We each took a side of the car and fell asleep…
I woke up in complete panic! Who knew how long I had been sleeping! I threw something at Adam and said “did we miss the stop??” We looked out the window and saw the sign “Caen” and realized we woke up seconds before our stop. Finally a stroke of luck. We walked off the train and made our way to a sign that said Normandy and read about the taxi service that would take us to Omaha beach and the American Cemetery. We were really confused as how to contact the taxi service till we walked around the sign and saw 2 taxis ready for us. We pointed to the sign and they said oiu oiu and we were off! On the way to the Cemetery we passed several little castles, and the French driver would point and say “Castillo” which is Spanish for castle. We found it is easier to communicate in Spanish than English. I felt like I was in Ireland because all the streets were cobblestone and the towns were tiny and so cute.
We made it to the memorial and walked around the museum and watched the video. I hadn’t studied much about Normandy before so it was really cool to get the background information and hear about personal stories and letters from the soldiers that sacrificed their lives to stop the war. We walked to the beach and there was such a reverence there, knowing that so many soldiers had died where we were walking. A canon was shot every 15 minutes, the weather was perfect and it was so peaceful. Walking around the cemetery was really overwhelming. Row upon row of tombstones on either side of me, beautiful flowers and statues and American flags waving in the wind. I am so glad I was able to go there
.

Today was one of the most tiring fun days I have ever had. It might be because I had two hours of sleep, or that I have no appetite and haven’t eaten, but towards the end, I actually had to think about putting one foot in front of the other to keep moving. It’s been said that it is impossible to see Paris in one day, but I think we got pretty close.

But first, Adam made it! He rode a sleeper train from Spain to Paris, and took the stop right where the Lyle’s apartment is at in St. Paul. At first the metro system was really confusing but not I think it is the easiest way to get around. I feel so proud of myself when I know when transfer stations and all that jazz are located and which metros go where!

So we said our goodbyes and goodlucks to the Lyles, grabbed a baguette and hit the cobblestone streets. First on the list: Notre Dame. As I was walking around, a youth choir started singing in the middle of the chapel, and the hymns echoed across the walls, it was so beautiful. The stained glass was so detailed and colorful, I wish my pictures could really capture their intricate designs. Walking around there were candles burning and I kept picturing a priest walking around with the incense burning, just like on the movie “hunchback of notre dame.”



Off to the arc de Triomphe! In the center of a HUGE roundabout, this structure stood representing the tomb of the unknown soldier, like that of the tomb in Washington DC. I read about all the different events that had happened there, including the WW1 march, French winning the world cup and other celebrations. We decided to pay a ticket to take the elevator to the top, to save our legs for the Eiffel Tower. Turns out there isn’t an elevator…I don’t even know where we got the idea that there was…so we took the millions (aka 282) of itty bitty stairs to the very top. I the view wasbreathtaking!



On the way to the Tower I ate the best pizza ive ever had. Mmmmmm

It’s crazy to now say that I have been to the top of the Eiffle Tower, every last stair. (1650 steps..no i didnt count but looked it up) And by the top I mean the highest you can go by taking stairs. Slowly but surely we made it, the whole experience was kind of surreal. I have seen that icon in so many movies and heard about it so many times, it was hard to believe I was really there.

You would think this would be a full days agenda, but you are very wrong.

Next, Statue of Liberty! The twin sister! It was in a really random part of town and we got lost a couple times. It was overlooking a quaint little channel and wasn’t as big as I thought it would be. On the way to the metro, we got lost again for another half hour and by this point it was getting late, I was starving and my legs were numb. Oh and my shoulders were bruised from my backpack. Bruised!





So we finally get to a metro in a hidden little area and make several exchanges but finally make it to the sacred heart church, or the basilique de Sacre Coeur. My French is actually coming along quite nicely even after two days! Just kidding, I can’t say much and to guess I just tweak Spanish a little bit. Its pretty funny.

Wow so this is a pretty long post! I will wrap it up since I am pretty much falling asleep after every sentence. Oh but one last thing, we made it to the hostel and it is super ghetto. But awesome! The receptionist, Karim, is the coolest guy every and the rooms are tiny but after today, it will probably be the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in ☺


PS. I think we walked over 4 miles around the city and close to 2500 stairs counting train stations. I treated myself to some delicious chocolate gelatos to make up for my hard work!!

And the adventure begins!

I would like to start out by giving one basic (yet, in my case, overlooked) suggestion before starting your trip overseas - check your flights dates and times. So simple right?? Not exactly. When the stress of buying tickets gets to you, mistakes come easy.

I had started packing about a week before my trip, getting things together little by little because I wanted to have the most organized, carefree, easygoing trip. Ten minutes before my first flight left from Medford to Salt Lake City, I asked if I could just get checked in on my last connecting flight from Paris to Bilbao, Spain just for good measure, you know, since I am so organized...surprise! To my shock and horror, that flight was scheduled for the perfect time, but for the absolute WRONG day. It felt like I literally swallowed panic, it burned all the way down until my face flushed white. My dear mother knew I was going to be late for my first flight so she said "don't worry, I'll take care of it!!" So, dad took me to the airport and I was off.

*Sidenote* I would like to clear up some confusion. The only way my parents were going to let me go on this study abroad was if someone from the group would fly out with me. Luckily Adam Young, a fellow huntsman scholar, spanish ambassador and china traveler, was flying out but was planning on stopping through France and Germany on the way down to La Universidad de La Rioja that I am attending in Spain. So we are getting hostels, (not Hotelllllls Anna), which are large rooms of bunkbeds, a way for students to travel cheaper. I can see people thinking in their minds...oh wow, she is traveling alone with a boy for a week that looks horrible...but to be fair, he has been a wonderful, trusted friend for a long time and come on guys, I have a boyfriend!

I called home upon arriving to Salt Lake and was relieved to hear my mom had successfully found me the same flight from Paris to Bilbao and everything was to be fine. Sadly...there is more to this story.

Adam and I realized there was an hour and a half to get me through customs, to get my luggage, get checked in and make it to the gate a million miles away. This was no medford airport people. Things were looking promising when the stewardess let us sit in business class for the last portion of the flight so we could get off the plane fast, but as my dad would say, at airports you "hurry up and wait." We were the first on the bus to be shuttled to customs and got stuck in airport shuttle traffic; I didn't even know that was possible! One hour left. We got in line for customs. 50 minutes left. I found an agent who took me the front of the fast track. Yes! I walk up to the window...then red lights flashed at me. Closed. WHAAATTTTT???? Yes, I might possibly have the worst luck in the world. They had closed all the passport check windows due to an unattended bag in the luggage pickup area. France was so on top of things that they even brought out all their police to herd everyone back in a mass, mad mess. 30 minutes left. Mom calls, tells me I have five minutes to cancel my ticket and she had called dear Lorie Frodsham to come get me at the aiport. After what seemed like an eternity, they reopened the passport checks. I ran to find my luggage while Adam barely caught his connecting flight to Bilbao. My luggage was lost. Mom thankfully cancelled my ticket successfully and I saw Lorie off in the distance. After 30 more minutes of searching, crying, running...I found my beloved duffle. Lorie and I bought metrotrain tickets and made our way to the Louvre to meet up with the Lyles, who thankfully were visiting Paris the same week as me.

Wow. I was tired, starving and emotionally drained, but I had never been so happy to see those jacksonvillers in my life. We dropped off my luggage at their awesome hippie apartment in the center of Paris, and spent the next three hours walking through the Louvre. It was incredible. Pictures and words don't do it justice, so everyone at some point in their life needs to come experience all the history and artwork. Also, be sure to use the bathroom there that costs 1 euro, you will be pleasantly surprised...

I ate the best baguette everrrrrr, rich cheese and extra sticky honey. Had a banana/nutella crepe and ratatouille for dinner. I was told to take every opportunity to try the delicious food so, I am going to make the most of that suggestion :) I am going running tomorrow morning with Lorie mom, don't worry. We all went out tonight and saw all the little bands on the corners of the streets and took a few pictures and fun videos!

All in all, I just love being here. I am glad I made it and thankful for mom for spending two days with no sleep to make sure everything worked out, Becca for helping her, Lorie for being patient at the airport and for the lyles for making my first day in Paris an unforgettable one.


ps. for those of you who are wondering about poor long lost adam, he made it safely to Bilbao and is currently on a sleeper train back to Paris.