None of us can deny the fact that being thousands of miles away from your family and friends changes you. I'd like to think that for most of us, it's for the better.
There is something about having to learn how to travel on your own, cook for yourself and just get yourself to sleep at night without any help that makes you grow. I know that most of those things sound minimal, but doing normal every day activities without the comfort of being able to go home for help if a need ever arises is different.
I mean learning how to make things from scratch and washing up everything after, and putting the food away. Even that to me was new. Obviously, I've cooked before, I've cleaned before, and I've put things away before. But usually you have help, or some back up help if it accidentally doesn't get done. Plus, generally I'm a queen at breakfast but making dinner foods is just more difficult. You realize that all the time you spent watching your parents cook and handle all the minimal chores, it was important that you were paying attention. I'm pretty sure it's the only reason I knew how to cook spanish rice without a recipe, and knew how to defrost chicken.
My sisters lovingly make fun of the fact that I have no sense of direction. But know I know that I do. Navigating myself around a foreign city where I don't speak the language and can't use my phone. It was quite an interesting experience. But I learned how to ask for help even when its difficult, to think about large landmarks and to keep going off your intuition or the map.
Even laundry is a little different here because I never have the option to just bring it home and do it there where all supplies are readily available, and for the most part its free. And occasionally if I'm lucky my mom will do it all for me.
But it's more than just the minimal activities. It's the experience of making new friends in a place where you barely know anyone, and learning to adjust to a new educational experience. This year I have been blessed enough to make the friends that I have back at home, and the ones here. Knowing that there are people who will support you, or that there is always someone to spend time with, makes everything else a little easier. But while being here, you also realize how independent you can be (for the most part). I mean, I'm still lucky enough to have parents who will help me if a problem arises, but for the most part you learn to deal with all the small things on your own.
Sometimes I wish I could just crawl in my moms lap when I'm worried or nervous, or call my dad to help solve a problem. But at least I know that there is a lot I can deal with on my own. My parents were right when they said that this was a once in a lifetime experience. I was scared that it wouldn't change anything about me, that I would be too homesick to enjoy anything, or maybe just might not like being in England. In reality though, after being here for more than a month, it's already easy to see the point of being here.
Each weekend I explore places of beauty, or history and it makes you see how large the world is around you. But also how small you can make it, and that there are similarities in every culture.
Of course, everyone learns that when you are far away you learn who really does care about you. Those who continue to respond to texts, or ask you about your trips. I really have yet to have a phone call from many of my friends, but texting has become our way of communication. Being far away takes away the convenience of a relationship of any kind, and maybe that's why you see who cares.
Each day I have something to look forward to and sometimes I worry if I won't be happy to come back home. But then I remember dinners and weekends with my parents and I still miss it all. I can't wait though to show my new friends my family at home. My nephews will be happy because there will be more people willing to run around and play games with them. I'm not sure how much my youngest nephew has progressed from when I left, but I hear he's crawling and I can't wait to see it. And then in the fall I always have my Kappa Delta sisters to look forward to seeing. It'll be interesting to see what shenanigans Bach five, and my new roomy and I will have together. I'm looking forward to the sunny beach and my moms cooking.
Here, it's easy to remind myself, that no matter what I will be okay. And that there are always things in life to look forward to. Sure, it's difficult to develop more responsibilities but at the same time each new step brings joys as well.
I love and miss you all (to those who are my friends and family).
And to those who I don't know personally, It makes me so happy to know that you enjoy reading about my thoughts and experiences here in Europe.
Most likely..Until next weekend....,
Nicolie
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Paris With the Cousin
This weekend I took the train and went to Paris by myself. I was a bit nervous since I was coming into Gare du Nord, which is notorious for pick pocketing. But everything worked out smoothly enough.
That night, one of my friends from the summer program I'm participating in was in Paris, so we decided to see the nightlife. Unfortunately, the city was pretty empty since all the Parisians were off traveling in order to avoid the tourists. Also, because it isn't a big college area people don't go out on Thursday. Needless to say, we didn't really see much of anything that night.
The next day my cousin had her last day of work so I explored Paris by myself. I started the day off with brunch at a cafe near my cousin's apartment. I realized early, that it would be difficult to communicate in Paris. Even just getting a table was kind of comical. After brunch I took a nap, I think all the cheese and bread made me a little sleepy from my croque de madam (I have a feeling this is spelled incorrectly). Then decided what to do with the rest of the day. Of course I decided to plan a trip in order to find Berthillion Ice Cream. I was told it was the only ice cream worthwhile when in Paris. I used an actual map to plan out how to get there which was new for me. But on my way to ice cream I passed lock bridge and Notre Dame. All in all, it was a pretty successful day.
Once my cousin got home we got ready for dinner and then headed out. That night I had crepes, and they are seriously way better in Paris than anywhere else. I had a savory crepe with egg, cheese and ham and a sweet one with butter and sugar. After dinner we walked around the town and ran into the Louvre. I don't think I've ever seen such a massive museum. It would take weeks in order to see the entire inside. I settled on taking a picture with the glass dome.
The next day my cousin went to pick up her other cousin while I went to see the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-
Once my cousin and her cousin were back, we all went to see the Palace at Versailles. From seeing it in person, it becomes easier to understand why the French people started a revolution. It was more than opulent. It was unfortunate that we couldn't see the gardens but the room of mirrors was amazing in itself.
After that we went to Montmartre to have dinner. We met some of my cousins friends and one was originally from Paris. They were both lovely and entertaining. And afterwards we saw the Basilica of Sacre- Cour (a large white church on a hill). Then we all went to see the twinkle lights on the Eiffel Tower. It was my favorite experience, and a picture just couldn't capture the beauty. It's crazy to think that they were just going to tear it down after the World's Fair.
It was an amazing intro to Paris and I'm really glad I got to go. It was nice to spend time with my cousin and have her show me the city she loves. Here's to hoping she can just stay there after the year is up.
Time is flying by.
Love,
Nicole
That night, one of my friends from the summer program I'm participating in was in Paris, so we decided to see the nightlife. Unfortunately, the city was pretty empty since all the Parisians were off traveling in order to avoid the tourists. Also, because it isn't a big college area people don't go out on Thursday. Needless to say, we didn't really see much of anything that night.
The next day my cousin had her last day of work so I explored Paris by myself. I started the day off with brunch at a cafe near my cousin's apartment. I realized early, that it would be difficult to communicate in Paris. Even just getting a table was kind of comical. After brunch I took a nap, I think all the cheese and bread made me a little sleepy from my croque de madam (I have a feeling this is spelled incorrectly). Then decided what to do with the rest of the day. Of course I decided to plan a trip in order to find Berthillion Ice Cream. I was told it was the only ice cream worthwhile when in Paris. I used an actual map to plan out how to get there which was new for me. But on my way to ice cream I passed lock bridge and Notre Dame. All in all, it was a pretty successful day.
Once my cousin got home we got ready for dinner and then headed out. That night I had crepes, and they are seriously way better in Paris than anywhere else. I had a savory crepe with egg, cheese and ham and a sweet one with butter and sugar. After dinner we walked around the town and ran into the Louvre. I don't think I've ever seen such a massive museum. It would take weeks in order to see the entire inside. I settled on taking a picture with the glass dome.
The next day my cousin went to pick up her other cousin while I went to see the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-
The next day my cousin went to pick up her other cousin while I went to see the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-
Once my cousin and her cousin were back, we all went to see the Palace at Versailles. From seeing it in person, it becomes easier to understand why the French people started a revolution. It was more than opulent. It was unfortunate that we couldn't see the gardens but the room of mirrors was amazing in itself.
After that we went to Montmartre to have dinner. We met some of my cousins friends and one was originally from Paris. They were both lovely and entertaining. And afterwards we saw the Basilica of Sacre- Cour (a large white church on a hill). Then we all went to see the twinkle lights on the Eiffel Tower. It was my favorite experience, and a picture just couldn't capture the beauty. It's crazy to think that they were just going to tear it down after the World's Fair.
It was an amazing intro to Paris and I'm really glad I got to go. It was nice to spend time with my cousin and have her show me the city she loves. Here's to hoping she can just stay there after the year is up.
Time is flying by.
Love,
Nicole
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| Fountain near my Cousin |
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| Lock Bridge (So much Love) |
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| Arc de Triomphe |
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| Macarons! |
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| Can you believe this garden? |
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| Senate Building now, used to be a Palace |
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| Versailles |
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| Entrance to Room of Mirrors |
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| Twinkle Lights! |
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| All thanks to this Cousin! |
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| One of my markers to find my way home! |
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| "Lady on a Bench" |
Monday, July 22, 2013
Lived the Extravagant Life in Barcelona
In between our two Sessions here, we get four days off. This basically means, everyone will be traveling around Europe. Somehow I was lucky enough to combine two groups of my close friends here into one group. I'm so happy they hit it off well because it was the vacation of a lifetime.
Don't get me wrong, I love traveling with my family, and hope to travel more with them in the future. But traveling with just friends is quite and interesting, different and amazing experience.
Of course, our flight took off an hour late, and we got to our hotel past midnight. Needless to say, no one was in the mood to go out, even for a late night snack. So we spent the night catching up on sleep in the hotel. When we got dropped off, we were immediately awed by our hotel. Once we got to our rooms, I was basically shocked beyond belief. I found the hotel online and we split each room three ways. The reason we booked it was because it was close in price to a nice hostel but it seemed like a pretty decent hotel and we figured it would be more safe and less stressful. I had no idea what would be waiting for us. Our hotel had plenty of room and a gorgeous view, I guess I should have realized a four star hotel would.
Our first day in Barcelona was spent exploring. We started off our day going to The Sagrada Familia which is a masterpiece of Gaudi (the architect). It was dedicated to The Pope and is a gorgeous Cathedral, and even has a small religious church meant for the children who lived in the area. The entrance fee was pricey, but it was completely worth it. After that we went and got our first serving of Paella while in Spain. It was so yummy, we were all pleasantly surprised, mostly because we had no idea what to expect. After lunch, we visited the Chocolate museum which was really cute, and our ticket was a bar of Chocolate so of course we loved it. After that we made our way to Las Ramblas (a famous street in Barcelona) in order to find souvenirs and heels for the night. We had purchased a ticket to see Calvin Harris perform prior to the trip and realized it was at a top club in Barcelona, and we thought that heels were expected. We were mostly correct but, wearing heels until 6am is just not fun for anyone. Before we left to see Calvin Harris, I finally got ahold of both my parents and was able to catch up a bit on my families life at home. I'm pretty sad that I wasn't there for my nephew's first words, and to see him start to crawl but I'm happy to know everyone is safe and everyone seems to be doing great without me there. I can't wait to see my nephews and family. Mom, I miss your food so much, I'm hoping you'll make my favorite meal when I come back.
The second day in Barcelona we went to see Parc Guell. Parc Guell is hard to explain. But basically, it is like a playground of beauty completely thought of by Gaudi. There are pictures on the blog post before this. It took a long time to even walk half of it (3 hours), and by the time we finished half of it we realized we were too tired to complete the other side and they looked somewhat similar to each other. Before Parc Guell we went to have lunch and decided to try the Sangria there for the first time. I quickly decided it wasn't really my thing, and just ate the fruit. But I ended up ordering Spaghetti randomly, and I swear it tasted exactly like the way my babysitter used to make it, delicious. (My moms is amazing too, but is a much different recipe). After Parc Guell we had dinner and decided to try some of the tapas there. We tried the Calamari, potato tortilla (omelet with potato), crochets, and papas britas. It was all really yummy, but probably pretty unhealthy. We stopped at a fruit market on the way home and got some giant delicious fruit. We took a really tiny siesta before going out and then our night began. It was tons of fun, and there are pictures on the previous blog post. It was nice that once again we didn't have to pay any type of entrance fee, I have such gorgeous friends.
The next day we decided to make it a relaxing one. My friends purchased souvenirs from Las Ramblas and then walked to the beach. We had ice cream twice that day, once before the beach and then after dinner. It was so bloody hott in Barcelona, we were melting as quickly as our gelato did. The beach was so nice, we actually all went into the water. And I got my wish, we finally all got hair wraps together (I've never had one before). After the beach we went to a very nice dinner because we all wanted Paella again before we left. I decided to stick with the chicken and vegetable Paella but my friends all ordered the mixed one which has sea food in it. I tried the prawns, mussels and crawfish. It was pretty good, I'm just not a huge fan of too much sea food. I'm kinda spoiled, since my favorite sea food is snow crab or king crab legs. On the way home, we realized again how much fun we were all having, there were plenty of giggles and the ice cream made the night even better. When we got home we were all pretty exhausted by somehow my room could fall asleep until 3 am. Most likely because the two previous nights were so late. This morning we woke up at 6am and left for our flight. None of us wanted to leave Barcelona, but the memories and pictures are priceless.
The trip made me realize how extremely fortunate and lucky I am to have parents able to fund this trip. Thank you dad for being the push to get me here, I will always be grateful. This is a once in a life experience and I don't know if my time can get any better here. But there are still three more trips to come and I can't wait for them. I'm so fortunate to have found such amazing friends here. (I still miss my Bach Five though.) Plus, I'm pretty happy with the grade I'll probably end up with for the first session, and hopefully my grade for my next session will be even better now that we understand the grading system and type of work we are expected to do.
Since we came back we all needed to catch up one some sleep and relax before classes start again tomorrow.
Life is good, I miss you all.
Nicole
Don't get me wrong, I love traveling with my family, and hope to travel more with them in the future. But traveling with just friends is quite and interesting, different and amazing experience.
Of course, our flight took off an hour late, and we got to our hotel past midnight. Needless to say, no one was in the mood to go out, even for a late night snack. So we spent the night catching up on sleep in the hotel. When we got dropped off, we were immediately awed by our hotel. Once we got to our rooms, I was basically shocked beyond belief. I found the hotel online and we split each room three ways. The reason we booked it was because it was close in price to a nice hostel but it seemed like a pretty decent hotel and we figured it would be more safe and less stressful. I had no idea what would be waiting for us. Our hotel had plenty of room and a gorgeous view, I guess I should have realized a four star hotel would.
Our first day in Barcelona was spent exploring. We started off our day going to The Sagrada Familia which is a masterpiece of Gaudi (the architect). It was dedicated to The Pope and is a gorgeous Cathedral, and even has a small religious church meant for the children who lived in the area. The entrance fee was pricey, but it was completely worth it. After that we went and got our first serving of Paella while in Spain. It was so yummy, we were all pleasantly surprised, mostly because we had no idea what to expect. After lunch, we visited the Chocolate museum which was really cute, and our ticket was a bar of Chocolate so of course we loved it. After that we made our way to Las Ramblas (a famous street in Barcelona) in order to find souvenirs and heels for the night. We had purchased a ticket to see Calvin Harris perform prior to the trip and realized it was at a top club in Barcelona, and we thought that heels were expected. We were mostly correct but, wearing heels until 6am is just not fun for anyone. Before we left to see Calvin Harris, I finally got ahold of both my parents and was able to catch up a bit on my families life at home. I'm pretty sad that I wasn't there for my nephew's first words, and to see him start to crawl but I'm happy to know everyone is safe and everyone seems to be doing great without me there. I can't wait to see my nephews and family. Mom, I miss your food so much, I'm hoping you'll make my favorite meal when I come back.
The second day in Barcelona we went to see Parc Guell. Parc Guell is hard to explain. But basically, it is like a playground of beauty completely thought of by Gaudi. There are pictures on the blog post before this. It took a long time to even walk half of it (3 hours), and by the time we finished half of it we realized we were too tired to complete the other side and they looked somewhat similar to each other. Before Parc Guell we went to have lunch and decided to try the Sangria there for the first time. I quickly decided it wasn't really my thing, and just ate the fruit. But I ended up ordering Spaghetti randomly, and I swear it tasted exactly like the way my babysitter used to make it, delicious. (My moms is amazing too, but is a much different recipe). After Parc Guell we had dinner and decided to try some of the tapas there. We tried the Calamari, potato tortilla (omelet with potato), crochets, and papas britas. It was all really yummy, but probably pretty unhealthy. We stopped at a fruit market on the way home and got some giant delicious fruit. We took a really tiny siesta before going out and then our night began. It was tons of fun, and there are pictures on the previous blog post. It was nice that once again we didn't have to pay any type of entrance fee, I have such gorgeous friends.
The next day we decided to make it a relaxing one. My friends purchased souvenirs from Las Ramblas and then walked to the beach. We had ice cream twice that day, once before the beach and then after dinner. It was so bloody hott in Barcelona, we were melting as quickly as our gelato did. The beach was so nice, we actually all went into the water. And I got my wish, we finally all got hair wraps together (I've never had one before). After the beach we went to a very nice dinner because we all wanted Paella again before we left. I decided to stick with the chicken and vegetable Paella but my friends all ordered the mixed one which has sea food in it. I tried the prawns, mussels and crawfish. It was pretty good, I'm just not a huge fan of too much sea food. I'm kinda spoiled, since my favorite sea food is snow crab or king crab legs. On the way home, we realized again how much fun we were all having, there were plenty of giggles and the ice cream made the night even better. When we got home we were all pretty exhausted by somehow my room could fall asleep until 3 am. Most likely because the two previous nights were so late. This morning we woke up at 6am and left for our flight. None of us wanted to leave Barcelona, but the memories and pictures are priceless.
The trip made me realize how extremely fortunate and lucky I am to have parents able to fund this trip. Thank you dad for being the push to get me here, I will always be grateful. This is a once in a life experience and I don't know if my time can get any better here. But there are still three more trips to come and I can't wait for them. I'm so fortunate to have found such amazing friends here. (I still miss my Bach Five though.) Plus, I'm pretty happy with the grade I'll probably end up with for the first session, and hopefully my grade for my next session will be even better now that we understand the grading system and type of work we are expected to do.
Since we came back we all needed to catch up one some sleep and relax before classes start again tomorrow.
Life is good, I miss you all.
Nicole
Pictures from Barcelona!
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| Add caption |
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| Greek Life |
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| America's Next Top Model had a Runway here. |
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| About to see Calvin Harris |
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| The Sagrada Familia-Designed by Gaudi |
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| Of course our entrance to the VIP was granted by an NFL Defensive lineman |
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| A Peak of Parc Guell- Designed by Gaudi |
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| With all the geometrical Dimensions it was hard to get up there. (Not for Caiti though, our gymnast). |
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| Stained glass in the Sagrada Familia |
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| At the Xocholate Museum (Chocolate, hope I spelled the Catalan right) |
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| Parc Guell |
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| Don Quixote |
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| First Paella of the Trip :) |
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| Bridge to "El Centro Comercial" |
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| Barcelona Roomies |
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| So Amazed |
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| Tried to emulate the shape? |
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| Wanted to actually climb it |
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| View from a top part of Parc Guell |
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| Greek Life. |
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| Too bad Tamara is afraid of heights :/ |
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| Fancy dinner in our beach attire |
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| The hotel that made our trip even more amazing. |
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