What a morning!
I woke up early, bought a ticket for the eurostar with the help of the lady who worked at the hotel because it wouldn’t let me print it there or anything, and barely caught the shuttle to airport on time to catch my train. I hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday at noon so I was really hungry. I bought baguette and rushed off to catch the train just in time. On the train there was a lady sitting across from me with a dog. The dog smelled so bad the whole way and I was trying not just start laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation seemed. There was girl next to me who was really nice and I was speaking to her in French for most of the journey. We were looking at a French magazine and laughing at all the adverts in there for “how to” be beautiful. It’s pouring rain today and the countryside looks gorgeous through the country. My train was running 15 min late and which worried me a bit because I only had 30 minutes between trains anyways… Vanessa saw me, ran to me and handed me my passport and then we found my next train and in a matter of minutes I was on my way again. Now, I am sitting in first class on the TGV to Montparnesse in Paris. The ticket was only 1 more euro than second class and I was like heck yes I will take that ticket! First class is SOO much better. This is the first time I have been in first class anything for traveling. I don’t know if I will ever want to go back to the normal way of life now. Oh well…I have to though. Not a lot of choice! When you are a poor student this is how life is. Plus, I like being poor right now because I think it helps you appreciate life more when you get older, graduate and have a real job and everything. Shouldn’t I already have that since I am 25 and all?!! You would think eh! So the good news is now I have my PASSPORT and can travel anywhere I would like…next stop…LONDON please!!
After I arrive in Paris this afternoon I am going to sit down and finally eat a normal meal (I hope) and then I will take the metro to the Paris Nord station where I will catch the EUROSTAR to London. I am really looking forward to going. After today though I am going to be all trained out. Sitting on trains all day isn’t that fun. Good thing the countryside is really beautiful. The guy sitting across from me is taking up the entire floor with his stuff and his legs and I feel like I can’t move my legs without somehow touching him….GREAT… a 2 hr train without moving my legs is going to be great, especially because I just had the dog lady’s bag in my way the entire way on the way to Nantes just 1 hour ago!! My poor little legs won’t have any life left in them. Ha
So I have one week and a half after my courses ends until I go home and I am thinking of traveling. I want to end up in Paris on the 20th, spend the 21st in Versailles, the 22nd in Paris and then the 23rd I board the plane and take the long flight back to CANADA. In between the 11 and the 19, I need a plan. I am thinking Germany with some friends I have there….the south of France….or maybe even Belgium? Anyone got any suggestions?? I could use some suggestions for sure.
As much as I love this adventure in Europe, the culture, the food, the people, the language (most of the time!!) and the beauty, I am really looking forward to returning home where I can chill with my family for Christmas. Then its back to the books in January for me. I think the day will come in January where I just stop and think this was all just a big dream. Sometimes I look back at my mission and feel that it was all just a big dream as well. A nice dream though!
This might be a random thought, but I have been thinking about my family a lot these past few weeks, with Scott and Becca leaving on their missions and all. We are all grown up now. There are no more children at home. Mom and Dad are finished teaching us and raising us and its now up to us to make a life for ourselves. I hate the thought of all my brothers and sisters being “grown ups” because I feel like this means we can’t act like brothers and sisters anymore. It takes away the right to tease and goof off and have our parents sit down and say, “It’s time to put away childish things!” As adults, we now have to be responsible, to think and act like mature human beings. This is of course is possible for us all, ( I know its hard to believe sometimes) but I really enjoy being a kid with my brothers and sisters. It just doesn’t seem like we should have to grow up, move away from home, get married, have kids of our own and then spend our lives apart. Not after all we have been through!! Is this some kind of cruel part of life? Being separated from the people we grow with, cry with, laugh with. The same people we bathe with, the same ones we punch when upset then 15 minutes later are jumping on the trampoline laughing and having a merry time. The same people we tease until we cry, the same people we stay up late with eating whatever we want and not caring what we look like. Nothing matters when you are with your family. Family means every feeling and emotion, every injury, every experience. It’s about becoming best friends with your brothers and sisters. Learning to love and respect your parents because they, afterall, have more life experience than you. It’s about learning and listening to their counsel and watching your olders siblings make stupid mistakes so you don’t have to. It’s about being there for eachother when it’s been a bad day, or when something worries you. It’s about laughter and hugs. It’s about holidays and scrabble games and snowforts. Do I have a choice to grow up?!
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