Giving Thanks

This was the first Thanksgiving without my family and at first it was a little hard thinking about that. I tried really hard not to think about that and to make Thanksgiving here in Brighton awesome. Surprisingly, It was Awesome! I mean look at this food...

So we decided to do a little group dinner so there was Me, Araceli, Angela, Karen, and Jessie and we each split the cost of the food and made it together. I made carrots that are sweetened with brown sugar, and we had turkey, stuffing, rolls, mexican rice (which Araceli made), green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, sparkling cider, and cheesecake for dessert. It all tasted a lot better than we were expecting. The stuffing was AMAZING. no joke.
So even though, all of us were not with our families it still turned out to be a perfect Thanksgiving because we have become our own little family here. I hadn't really realized that until yesterday. I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity and to have met these wonderful new friends.
I also got to skype with my family after dinner and that was really nice to hear from them, especially my grandparents and Aunt. I miss everyone at home, but I know that the things I've done and the people I've met have changed me for the better and I'll be home before I know it.
I also skyped with my brother yesterday and it was very interesting to say the least. I'm not exactly sure I had a conversation...but I loved it. He was in his classroom and so all the kids were crowding around the computer saying hi to me and asking me questions. All at once I might add haha. It was really cool to see how all the kids are so interested and how stinkin adorable they are. They made me feel kinda like a superstar. It was also really nice to see Andy in his element and see him smile and be with the kids.
So yes my Thanksgiving was Awesome because I had such good food, my temporary family, my family at home, and my brother. The world was brought together all in one day and I felt EXTREMELY BLESSED with my life and the people in it that God has given me. I don't think my day could've been better.
Love you all :) cheers

Paris is always a good idea

Well, what can I say...

PARIS was more than I ever imagined it would be!
We left on Friday, the 9th of November and we went on the chunnel for the first time. I didn't really know what to expect when it came to the chunnel, but I guess I thought it would be a little more exciting. It literally was just us siiting on a coach, the entire time. It took about 35 minutes for us to get from England to France on the chunnel. When we got to France we made a stop at a market/grocery store and got some snacks or cheap wine if you wanted to. At this point it still didn't feel like France yet. It took us awhile to actually get to Paris.

you can kind of see what it looks like. The coach is just inside of a train and you just stay inside of the coach.

This is one of the first sightings we had of the Eiffel Tower as we were coming into the lovely city of Paris. Safe to say all of our cameras were out and clicking away.

 

 

When we got to our hotel, which was very nice and was a great change to sleep on a comfortable mattress again, we settled in and then we went on a riverboat tour on the Seine river. Oh my gosh, it was so wonderful. I didn't really listen to the tour, I was just taking everything in and enjoying the music that made it feel so much like Paris. That was the moment that made me really feel like I was in Paris. And at the end of the tour they played the can can...that just made my night. haha And did I mention how beautiful the Eiffel Tower looks at night? no? oh, well here you go...

every night on the hour for five minutes the Eiffel sparkles like this. It is so awesome to see and I could look at it forever.

 

 

After the riverboat tour a few of us (Will, Me, Angela, Araceli, Karen, Kelsea, and Jessie) decided to go to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa and a few other things because on Friday nights it's free for students. We just love free things. The Louvre is so big you could literally spend probably a month in there and still not see everything. We ended up seeing the Mona Lisa, which was cool and the Sphynx. I'm not that big of a fan of art, I mean I think it's cool, but it's not a big interest for me, so sorry for no really cool information about it. I took some pictures and put them on facebook. I figured a picture would explain it better than I could.
Anyway... After that we were heading back to the hotel and took a few wrong turns, but we came across some street food. I got a panini and some people got crepes. THE BEST FOOD I've had in about 2 months. So, naturally we went back the next night. haha
Saturday we had our first hotel breakfast, and man do the French eat a lot of carbs. croissants, bread, bread, and more croissants. It was good, but where is the meat? The one thing that was soooooo good was the apple juice. I mean it was beyond delicious. It reminded me of when I used to go over to my grandmas and she would always have apple juice. no matter what. Kind of miss that a little...
We went to the Eiffel Tower to get in line so we could go to the top. As we were walking there we came across some colorful painted bears that represented each country. I loved it.

I had to have a picture with my fellow American.

this is my favorite picture.

Sweden bear to represent my Swedish side.

 

 

 

And then we went to the top! They should have a warning sign saying how windy it is up there. Good thing there was a wire fence around or else I might've been blown right off. The view was extravagant. You could everything. Paris is so big. I don't anyone can say they've seen Paris until they've see it from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

 

After we spent quite a bit of time taking pictures of the bears and the Eiffel Tower. Most were cliche, yes, but I think those are the best.

 

 

 

Then we had a coach tour throughout the city where we saw a lot of things.

 Napoleon's Tomb. Now that's the kind of tomb I want when I die.

 Arc de Triomphe.

 Sacre Coeur. This place was so packed with people it was insane. There were also guys that would try and sell you bracelets by literally just putting them on your wrists. Made sure to avoid them.

Notre Dame. While I was here all I could think about was the songs from Hunchback of Notre Dame, which we coincidentally watched a few weeks earlier. I loved this place, it was just so detailed and i really wanted to go to the top, but we weren't sure how.

 

After that we decided to go back to the hotel and get all dressed up and go out to dinner. We went to a place called Cafe Cambronne. Araceli and Karen ordered snails...all I have to say is EWWWW! I had a really good dessert called Tar Tatin which is some kind of apple deliciousness. It was warm and tasted like applesauce on top of pie with some other kind of syrup, I'm not quite sure.

Then we went back to the hotel. I watched some tv, which was all in French except for the BBC news. So I watched the news and coincidentally was mostly about our election back home. It made me realize how much America is in a little box compared to other countries. We don't really see that much international news in America compared to the UK. I think I'm going to be watching a lot more of the BBC news once I get back home.

The next morning we left the hotel and went to The Palace of Versailles. We stayed there for a few hours and also was able to go to a local farmers market in town. That was pretty cool to see and I bought some good food too. Oh and I bought some wine made in France for someone back home. Can't say who, it'll be a surprise. :) I also bought some other souvenirs in paris for few people, but I was disappointed that I never got a tshirt for myself. Oh well, I have other things to remember my visit.

King Loius

 

 

Paris was an amazing trip and It was probably my favorite place so far. I would go there again, most definitely.

AU REVOIR!