Hello there! So, I finally made it back from my 10 day fall break adventure through Italia! The trip was a bit exhausting (due to all of the training, flying, and hostel switching), but absolutely worth it. Experiencing the people, food, and landscaping was incredible. Cathryn and I started off in Rome, trained 4 ½ hours to Florence, then to (the oh, so beautiful) Cinque Terre, and finally to our last destination; Pisa. All of the cities were quite different and had their own little styles and charm. Although Cathryn and I don’t know a lick of Italian, we made it through with hand gestures, translators (mostly Melissa while in Rome), and a lot of pointing (and smiling!). I tried my best to cut down my photos into a few collages so you can get a small glimpse of where I spent the past 10 days…

WARNING: these pictures do not even BEGIN to grasp the beauty that is apparent within these cities. 

Roma

       Every time you turned your head in Rome, there were some type of ruins surrounding you. It was definitely unlike any other city I have seen (…and I say Paris has a lot of history). Luckily, we stayed with Melissa (my friend from DePaul) and she acted as our translator & full-on tour guide. This was an easier transition than just being thrown to the lions as soon as we got there. On our last day, Cathryn and I spent the day ALL OVER the city. We went from the Roman Forum to the Coliseum to St. Peters Square and everywhere in between. Thankfully we had our Rick Steeve's tour guide book on hand to help us out while our former tour guide, Melissa, was in class. Even though Europe isn't TOO big on celebrating Halloween...our little American souls couldn't help but come up with a last minute costume (a cat was the easiest way to go) and head out in the city for a celebration.

Florence

       Florence was a nice change of pace. Even though it is just as popular as Rome (especially to study abroad students), it was much easier to navigate. We got around everywhere by foot, which I personally think is the best way to travel (you never miss a site!). Our hostel was a 5 minute walk to the biggest open air market filled with small gifts and a LOT of Italian leather (extremely tempting). I couldn't help but purchase a few small things to tuck away until Christmas! The river was gorgeous and we had enough gelato to last us the ENTIRE trip (complete accident). I got to meet up witch Chelsea Coppola (a family friend) the evening before I left- it's always nice to see a familiar face.
 

Cinque Terre

       This was (hands down) my favorite place we went to in Italy. This stunning place is made up of five small villages linked together by the coast and hiking trails. Even though we were only there for two nights...and half of the cities were closed (due to major floods and landslides the week prior)- we still had a great time. By the end of our stay, we created friendships with the locals and the only two tourist families traveling in the towns (there seem to be a total of 25 people there…and we met all of them). The warning I posted above (about the photographs not doing justice) was directed towards THESE photographs. I can honestly say this was one of the most astonishing places I have ever been and I would recommend it to anyone (and everyone). Even though all of the trails were closed the second day we were there and we got stuck in one of the cities for 4 extra hours (the train was delayed due to extreme weather conditions)...we made the best of it and had a GREAT time in Cinque Terre. 

Pisa

      If you can't tell by looking at the photos, there is not much to do in Pisa besides take touristy pictures in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa (which is EXACTLY what we did). We took photos holding the tower up, pushing it over, leaning WITH the tower, and I even have a few photos of tourists TAKING touristy photos (which I personally thought was hilarious). I was told that there was not much to do there besides the tower by a few friends in advance, so luckily- we only stayed there for one night and flew out of the Pisa airport the next morning. It was a very relaxing way to end our trip though Italy.

       ALL IN ALL our trip was absolutely wonderful. I'm sure when I get home I will have multiple stories and tons photographs for you to look though, but for now...this will have to do! Love and miss you all.

xox, mer.

       PS. If you're still keeping up with my travels, I really appreciate it! It means the world to me.
:)

Here are a few more pictures I put in a collage from Ireland that I just couldn't pass up! Mostly, it's because I find these photographs absolutely hilarious. Most of these pictures are of our hiking trip to Howth. If you aren't able to tell, hiking on the cliffs was gorgeous...but VERY cold & VERY windy. Just wanted to share a few more photographs! My update from my fall break will be up shortly! I'm working on the photo collages RIGHT NOW. See you soon! 

xox, mer.

more Ireland!

GOOD NEWS; I am back. BAD NEWS; I will not be back for long. I feel like once I start getting the hang of this thing- I get extremely busy. Yes, this busy-ness I am talking about is school work, traveling throughout Europe, or exploring the streets of Paris…but even if I’m not slaving away writing essays for an art history class, I can still call it “being busy”! Remember when I said I would probably be posting in my blog at wee hours of the morning? …Well, I was right. I am EXHAUSTED. My roommate and I got back last night from a 5-day adventure in Ireland. It was absolutely beautiful and everything I could’ve hoped for. We went hiking on the cliffs and ate seafood in Howth, experienced the beautiful people Dublin has to offer, and made some good friends from all over the world. This tripped marked the beginning of my traveling while I’m abroad. I am almost positive that I have “plans” for every single weekend until I leave this amazing city (which is only SEVEN more weekends). It is absolutely insane to me hearing that come out of my roommate’s mouth (I had to double check after I looked at my calendar because I didn’t believe it). I am definitely planning on making the best of these coming weeks and I cannot wait.

            But enough of my realization freak out, let me tell you what I have been doing since we last talked! I had an amazing time in Brussels with my mom, made a quick overnight trip to Strasbourg and Germany with my school, and I have sat in complete amazement in a room full of Monet and Picasso paintings. I have been to Versailles, the catacombs, and I have paddled (well, I attempted to paddle) in a rowboat on a beautiful lake. I have hiked the cliffs of Ireland, had Kir Royal at Les Deux Magots just as Hemmingway did, and have gotten very little sleep. There are so many other litter adventures I would love to fill you in on, but seeing that it’s now almost 2 in the morning…I should leave that for another time. Of course, I have a few picture collages for you to browse through. I hope you are enjoying Paris (more like Europe) through my eyes.

xox, mer

Brussels

Museum Adventures!

Catacombs and Rowboats

Strasbourg and Germany

Versailles

Ireland

Instead of having the “writers block” problem I self-diagnosed a few weeks ago…I’m begging to have an “excessive-blogging” problem. Hey, I guess I just switched from one extreme to the other (hopefully for the better). Ever since I downloaded Picasa (sorry, photoshop- you’ll still always be my first love) it’s been SO easy to make collages of my trip. All you have to do is select the photos…and then BAM- it’s placed in a visually pleasing order (which I love). Plus, Picasa has this cool “upload to blogger” button that saves an incredible about of time.

…okay, enough of my Picasa ranting. ANYWAY, if you do not know this already, my parents have been visiting me for the past two weeks here is Paris. In all honesty, it’s been like a breath of fresh air having them here. Being able to invest in those little things I usually take for granted (like napping while having TV on in the background, eating home cooked chicken noodle soup when I’m sick, or having someone to talk to about home) has been so incredible. It was wonderful being able to show them a little of Paris through my eyes & show them what I have grown to know and love in this city. Although I am sad about my dad’s depart (tomorrow), my mom is still here for another week! We have planned a trip to Brussels for Thursday and I can’t wait to see what Belgium has to offer (besides waffles and chocolate).

So I know this entry was a short one, but I just wanted to post two more picture collages (I’m hoping you’re not sick of them already). The first is just a FEW of the Eiffel Tower photographs I have taken since I have been here. Like I said, I could fill up an entire computer hard drive with these pictures. I guess that’s what happens when I have an obsession with Ruby (my camera) and Paris (that breathtaking city I live in-it’s still SO weird saying that). The second collection of photos is what I like to call “Patterns of Paris”. I’ve noticed that my eyes are always open (and constantly looking) for creativity in every form possible (I blame my artistic mother and father for that one). I tend to snap pictures every now and again of the patterns I see in ANY thing (bridges, broken down doors, old pillars, in a cemetery, or in a church)…and to my surprise, they kind of became a cool little collage. I’m sure there will be more patterns of Paris coming soon, so don’t you worry. I think it will be a nice project to look back on at the end of my trip and it helps exercise my creative mind each and every day. I hope you enjoy these photos, because I know I do.

Seeing how often I’ve been posting, I’m sure you will hear from me soon. Miss and love you all. Now, it’s time to explore!

Eiffel Tower Obsession

Patterns of Paris

 xox, mer.

Look at this! It’s only been one day since I posted my last entry- this is definitely a new record for me.  I’ve decided to post another entry to fill you guys in with more photographs…because who are we kidding, everyone loves photographs! Below are some pictures I have been taking in my Urban Social Photography class. I absolutely LOVE this class and it is by far my favorite. I hope you all appreciate the beauty of Paris just as much as I do! Thanks for looking. There will be more coming soon!

xox, mer :)

Hello all! Before you become angry at the fact that I haven’t been keeping up with the blog as I promised…let me tell you one thing; I FEEL REALLY GUILTY. I have this problem I will address as “writers block”. I will sit in front of my computer telling myself I NEED to write an entry, just one little entry…and my fingers won’t move. I’ve come to realize (after speaking to my roommate Shilpi about the problem we both share) that I just need to START typing…and the rest will just flow.

            So it’s officially been an entire month since I’ve arrived in Paris. Wait a second…ONE MONTH?! I genuinely tried to listen to everyone when they told me this would be over before I knew it…but honestly-where did the time go? I read over my previous blog posts before I started this one (in case I forgot what a blog was…) and it’s extremely humorous to me how much I’ve adjusted to living here. A month ago, I was a frightened little American in a city I barely knew, dying to get to know the world around me…and now look at me? I truly do believe I have become so comfortable here, and pushing myself into this situation (like I did) was the best route for me. I couldn’t be happier with my time already spent here in Paris.

            Since we last talked, I’ve had SO many experiences. Let me just list a few and try not to bore you; I’ve spent a day on the beaches of Normandy, I’ve climbed up (what felt like) a MILLION stairs of the Arc de Triomphe to witness a beautiful view of the city, I’ve had a picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower with wine, a few baguettes and close friends, I’ve visited the Lourve (for a homework assignment) and Notre Dame, I’ve attempted to make crepes with my roommates (and they weren’t too bad), I’ve taken a field trip to the biggest wine cellar in Europe (and touched a 22,000 euro bottle of wine), I’ve spent hours in Puces de Paris Saint-Ouen (the largest flea market in Paris), we’ve adopted a new roommate (actually, he is a tomato plant) that we named Henri, I’ve been at loss for words when I stepped into the Sainte-Chapelle church, and I have become closer than ever to the people in my program.

            I don’t want to make this blog post extremely long, but I have so much to say. My weekends are already looking really full here, which makes me SO happy. I have already booked my Fall break trip to Italy with my roommate, Cathryn (we will be heading to Rome, Naples, Florence, and then Pisa). We are still in the process of searching for cheap tickets to Dublin and Amsterdam for a few long weekends. I cannot wait until I get to see Emily (even if it’s just for a day) and have Sam be here for 10 days. Being able to show the people who I’m closest to where I’ve disappeared to is going to be absolutely incredible.

            There are still so many places I want to visit, so many things I want to do, and so many experiences that are waiting to be discovered here. I cannot wait to see how the next three months will be. I have put together a few photo collages for you to see, please enjoy! I SWEAR I will do my best at trying to keep blogging my little heart out. Even though I am having the time of my life in Paris, I do miss home at times. Sending love from the city of light!

Sainte-Chapelle

Puces de Paris Saint-Ouen

The Louvre

Eiffel Tower Picnic

Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Notre Dame

xox, mer :)

Hello everyone!

       I apologize for taking so long to write this third entry. The past week has been hectic, new, beautiful, tiring, shocking, interesting, and most of all, so incredible. The concept of “culture shock” never truly hit me until I was on the airplane, about an hour from touchdown. At that time, the only thing running through my head was, “what have I done?” While getting off the airplane and standing in the customs line, I quickly discovered a friend who was in my program. Despite our jetlag and nervous tendencies, we made it through and found our program leaders.

       As I sit here now (a week into my trip), my nerves have completely worn off and the culture shock has disappeared. Fully submerging yourself in a new culture is truly the best way to become accustomed to it. I have only been here for one week but I’m already noticing that this will be a trip of a lifetime. Although I have been to Europe before, it’s already completely different than what I remember. Then, I was able to use my English-speaking buffer and get away with ordering a “chocolate crepe” from a tourist attracted crêperie. Now, my roommates (thankfully) have pushed me into speaking French when I didn’t believe it was even possible. Every time we eat out for dinner, it’s officially MY job to say “l'addition s'il vous plait” at the end of the meal. I quickly caught on and learned that this useful phrase means, “the check, please”. Living with three roommates who all speak relatively great French (and aren’t afraid to push me) is actually very, very helpful.

        Today was the first time for many things. It was the first day of classes. The first day I had a conversation with an elderly French woman in the elevator. The first day I sat in a park, alone, eating a baguette and reading my French fashion textbook. The first time I encountered the glorious “crêpe au Nutella et bananes”. The first time I took the Metro alone (and didn’t get lost). The first time I realized that men in Paris truly do look like they just stepped off of the runway (thanks to my professor, Jean-Pierre, for that one). I’m starting to realize that everyday I spend in this extraordinary city will be a day of learning, growing, & living.

       Each day has been a day of exploration so far. Instead of being ultimate tourists, my roommates and I find our days filled with wandering around anywhere we see fit. Of course, we will be going to see the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur…but why go there immediately if we are able to see those famous structures from our own balcony? I have learned that the best way to discover new things is by getting completely lost…and believe me, we have. We have walked endless amounts of miles until our feet ached and backs hurt…but at the end of the trek; it’s completely worth it (and so is the warm, delicious, café au lait).

       I have truly been impressed with my bravery since I have been here. I no longer tense up when someone asks me what I would like to drink in French. I can travel the metro with confidence. I have made friends who I believe will stick with me for a long time after our study abroad program has finished. It’s amazing how much I have to say and I’ve only been here for one week. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead of me. Au revoir!

xox, mer

In the first entry, I promised to write a few more words before I “headed over the pond”. Since I was extremely busy the last few days I was in the US, packing, running errands, repacking, and packing some more… I didn’t get around to writing until now. What a great place to type out my second blog entry…while actually flying OVER the pond. It’s hour number 6 on my second flight…only 3 ½ more to go! I (as well as the man sitting next to me) are unable to sleep due to the California time zone my body is stuck on. He is typing away on his computer so I thought; why not type away on mine! I have only 39% battery left on this thing, and usually that doesn’t mean much time…so I will do my best to do this quickly!

                  I spent the last few days in Bakersfield, like I said, packing. Well…to be honest, I waited until the night before I left to start packing. Thanks to my mother who is an expert (not kidding; there are about 10 different clothing items stuffed in each shoe I brought) and my dear friend Krista who cleans to relieve stress (enough said), packing was a cinch! Well, sort of. I tend to bring more than I need and I’m afraid (even though my bag weighs under 50 lbs), that is exactly what I did. I don’t think my luggage fits in the category of “packed lightly” as it should. Oh well!

The final goodbyes were not easy, although I did receive countless blessings & words of advice from friends and family.  I enjoyed reading the emails & texts, listening to the voicemails, and looking into the eyes of those I love as they send me their best wishes. I genuinely take those messages to heart…so, thank you!

                  One thing I’ve noticed since I’ve been on this flight is that my ears are constantly open. Every chance I get to listen to a conversation (in French), I do. I think it’s a beautiful language, really, and I cannot wait to be able to understand and even speak it (lets hope). I watched the French sub titles of the aircraft safety video (yes, the video we all know and love) and tried to translate to the best of my ability. I would be lying if I said that was easy. I think being aware of the language(s) around me is a good start as I head off to a country that speaks something completely than what I am used to...

                  I am a little bummed because I forgot to bring my journal in my carry on bag. Believe it or not, I have already had so many different thoughts and emotions entering my mind worth writing down. I guess I’ll just have to start hoarding the American Airline napkins they give me and begin my journal on those; so far, I have two. That would be something to look back on, wouldn’t it?

                  When I step off of this airplane, I will be in the city I will soon become quite familiar with. I have one full day to relax, settle in, and explore a bit…then, I will have orientation the next three days which I heard can be tiring. I am eager to meet my roommates and everyone in the program. It’s funny knowing that soon enough my friends from Paris may be reading my blog as well.

                  Although I have not been writing for long, my computer is dying quickly (as I knew it would). Please excuse my scattered thoughts and chopped up sentences. This could be from my lack of sleep…or perhaps its from my nerves/excitement. Once I have a little bit of downtime in the coming week, I promise to take a moment to explain the sites I will soon explore. Again, if you’re still reading; thank you. I hope to hear from each and every one of you soon.

                  Written with love,

                                    xox, mer :)

Hello everyone! Or should I say bonjour? Welcome to my blog called “though my eyes” where you will be able to read about the adventures I have while I’m in the beautiful city of Paris. I thought “through my eyes” was a fitting name since I would like my readers to feel as if they are actually viewing Paris through MY eyes. I promise to keep up with this thing to the best of my abilities and write in it at least once a week. I will try my best to include every trip, thought, emotion, experience, picture (well, not EVERY picture), and detail. Lots and lots of details. I can honestly say this will be my first “blogging” experience and I’m not too sure how this whole thing works, so bear with me. I’m hopeful that I will be able to figure it out once I get going…but until then, you’ll have to accept my apologies. Also, I will admit that there will probably be many grammatical and structural errors in my writing. I’m not trying to write a novel here, ladies and gentlemen. I’ll be a busy college student running around, writing papers, eating baguettes, exploring my new home, and writing my blog entries at wee hours of the morning…what else do you expect?! Now that the little introduction is out of the way…let me fill you in on a few of my thoughts so far.

I am currently sitting on my bed at home trying to find the first thing to write about.  I have so many mixed emotions and so many thoughts to talk about at the moment and my trip hasn’t even STARTED yet! I’m anxious, excited, nervous, curious, happy, sad... it’s truly a bittersweet moment. I have a feeling my brain wont get much time to rest as soon as I hop on that plane and start my adventure. I want my ears and eyes to be open constantly and take in everything I possibly can.

As most of you may know already, I’m not the best at saying goodbyes. I’ll often use phrases like “Okay, see ya soon!” or “Want to hang out?” even when I am halfway across the country from the person I’m talking to. It seems like I have been doing that a lot lately. When I left DePaul in June, it really started to sink in how tough these “goodbyes” would be. It was difficult enough having to leave my amazing roommates/bestfriends (Emily & Arielle), Moose (our insane cat), my extremely close friends, Hoops, and the city I now consider home (my mom doesn’t like that part too much). This past week I had a tough time saying my final goodbye to my wonderful boyfriend, Sam, who has listened to my every worry & concern while still supporting me 150%. Also, I had to leave his family and his friends in Minnesota (who I now consider to be good friends of my own). I suppose I only have my family, friends from Bakersfield, and Betsey (my dog) left on the list. Am I almost done with these dreadful goodbyes? I’m getting emotional just THINKING about it! But enough with the upsetting business…I have ONE WEEK left in Bakersfield and so many things to do!

I have been noticing that every chance I get I will surround myself with French books. No, not books written in French…the ones that teach you crucial phrases you must know while visiting France. My mom and I have recently been listening to French phrases on tape in the car every chance we get (or until we get sick of it & want to throw it out the window). The tape she just recently picked up happens to have catchy songs that seem to get stuck in my head more often than I would like. Thanks to Sam’s new obsession with iTunes podcasts, we have tried to find and listen to French language podcasts when we Skype each other at night. I think the only thing that stuck with us was the phrase, “Excuse me, I do not understand”. How fitting, right?  I’m sure if you haven’t guessed already, I know ZERO French. Okay, that’s not true. I know how to say “hello”, “goodbye”, and Arielle taught me how to say “where is the bathroom” one time. Good thing I’ll be taking a French 101 class. Keep your fingers crossed? And you never know, maybe I’ll be writing ALL of my blogs in French soon… (ha!)

I seem to have every little thing I need for my trip. My visa, passport, and travel documents are all set to go. I've filled out enough paperwork to completely empty out a ballpoint pen. Who knew that preparing to live in a different country for 4 months could be so stressful?  I’ve been extremely blessed with a family who has given me every French phrase book imaginable, maps, journals, and most importantly, my new Canon Rebel T1i that I named Ruby. Sam surprised me with my very own copy of “WOODEN: A LIFETIME OF OBSERVATIONS AND REFLECTIONS ON AND OFF THE COURT” (a book I always wanted to take from him…shh) and my very own Duluth Pack (I think it will be a perfect bag for Ruby)! Kendayl, one of my good friends from school and a travel expert, sent me a going away package a few days ago. After finding out it was sent to the wrong address and retrieving it from the neighbors, I had it in my possession and couldn’t be happier with what was inside. She included the traveling necessities that I may have passed up such as travel sized tissues, a small journal, hand sanitizer, a Paris metro map, a baggage tag, a miniature first aid kit, and most importantly; her advice.  Don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful for having these small things I may have otherwise forgotten…but the best going away gift I can receive are words of wisdom. I truly enjoy hearing tips, stories, or things to remember from the people I love. I promise, I listen very carefully and take this advice to heart. You are more than welcome to send your advice my way :)

Well, now that I’ve written far more than anyone would want to read in one sitting, I’m going to finish this up. I promise I will write at LEAST one more entry before I take off. If you are still reading; THANK YOU. It means the world to me knowing that my friends and family are eager to hear about my journey. Can’t wait to write my next entry (this whole blogging business is kind of fun)!

Written With Love,

            xox, mer :)