Switzerland 09

Schilthorn

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Christmas 09

Paris 09

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So it's about 5.30 am here in France and I've been touring around Paris for the last two days with my sister Jessica. I have had a jam packed couple of days of everything you can imagine, all the sites, all the food, all the drink. Needless to say I'm a bit proud of myself and my ability to communicate for two, as I've kindof gotten accustomed to having my better speaking French friends around and I usually let them do all the work, this time it was my turn, and I have to say I surprised myself. So jess and I are off to Switzerland this morning (yes I know you feel really bad for us) but being the genius I am, I booked at 6.30 am flight out of Paris to an airport that doesn't have mass transport that early in the morning, so Jess and I have been chilling in the Orly airport for the last 9 hours...our home for the evening. Finally on the other side of the boarding zone I have found a comfy lounge with carpet and reclining chairs, unlike the tile floors and wooden stools of yesteryear that they had on the previous side of security. We're heading off to Geneva for two days and then up to Interlaken for another four nights. It's been an amazing and beautiful trip so far in Paris, the snow has really added to our experience, the highlight of which was touring Versailles in the snow storm...absolutely breathtaking.

So anyway, the title of this blog (Reconnaissant) means thankful...as I've been sitting here these nine hours in the airport I've had lots of time to chill, surf the net, talk to old friends, browse through pictures and what I've come to realize is just how lucky I am, and I wanted to take a moment to send out my thoughts of thanks to you (all of you who follow me) and to the universe slash divine creator in general. Sometimes, even in Europe, it's easy to get down on ourselves, the holidays (when not traveling home) can become fairly lonely, but I have been so blessed by such happy memories and happy people in my life that I can't really do much accept sit here with a smile on my face as I reflect back through all I've done, everyone I've been and who I'm becoming. The beautiful part about having someone like Jess around is that someone who has been in your life for that long (going on 11 years now) serves as the best thing for us, a mirror, because they carry with them all their reflections of our experiences that we've had together. Sometimes when you're trying on new skin and a new place, it's nice to look back on all that you've been, and being with jess just these last two days has been so wonderful. Laughter, love and friendship really are the best gifts; and this holiday season I am most thankful for those. I am thankful for my wonderful family, both genetic, old friends, and new found souls in Europe. I am thankful for all the love in my life, and I am thankful to each and every one of you for how you contribute, or have contributed to me in the past...even just reading my blog gives me a little lift when I know your'e there. So in the spirit of the season I send to all of you, the very best of what you have given to me, my love, my thoughts, my prayers; sometimes feeling at home has nothing to do with where we are, but who we're with. For all of you that I've ever been able to find a home in, thank you, I love you.

Happy Happy Holidays and Much Much Love to All,

Sarah

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Ahhhh, I've been such a terrible blogger lately, I know I KNOW, I've fallen off the face of the NorthWestern Hemisphere. But I am back, and here to report that I am so close to the finish line I can taste it. This last month in France has been the most fantastic ever. I don't even know where to begin. Last I left off I was about to head to Germany for the weekend, which I did indeed do. I went and stayed with my lovely friends Gus and his husband Justin. I was welcomed to Germany with open arms, lots of beer and my favorite food on the planet, SAUSAGES!! I went to Gus's opera on friday night, it was so wonderful to see such a dear friend doing it and living his dream in Germany! Proof that you to, can do it. I spent the majority of the weekend consuming as much food as possible. I got to go hang out in the super uber cool mansion owned by the music school in Müchen and got to sing opera for the first time in ages; it was seriously liker regaining part of my soul! I bid farewell to my friends (bags packed full of authentic german Haribo gummy bears...those of you who really know me, understand the importance of this)!

I've spent the last two weekends solid (for a change since I've been bopping all over lately) in Tours with my new friends:) All the christmas festivities have begun here, complete with a Marché de Nöel (stands, mulled wine, crafts and roasted chestnuts oh my!). I've mostly been trucking along at school. This week begins exams finally! I am officially done teaching as of the end of this afternoon. I have taken slight joy in making exams for my pain in the ass classes very hard. You should've seen the distraught faces of my students in law this morning...I hate to admit it, but part of me really enjoyed zinging them for being such brats all semester, ha! Actually yesterday at fac (that means uni) all of the other professors and I compared our exams and laughed about how only like five of our students would actually be abel to answer the questions...seriously, when I said half of the first years flunk out, I wasn't kidding.

Well since being paid this month, my girly side has taken over, and my bank account has sufficiently been depleted these last two weeks as I am finally splurging on some French fashion (well I don't know if it's exactly fashion, but by the time I get back I'm definitely going to look like a transplant, complete with skinny tapered jeans...that's right ladies, I even bought tights!) :) I am looking forward to this being my last week of classes and in celebration I decided to buy myself some new nice treats. I also am impatiently awaiting the arrival of my "sister" in 10 days! Jessica lands in France and we are straight off for Christmas in Switzerland! (Sidenote: I'm having the hardest time typing right now since I have finally made the habit of typing on a French keyboard...also I find myself speaking in franglais more and more often since the majority of my friends that I spend my time with now don't speak any English). It leads to me feeling a lot like a mute clown at the end of the day when I have to resort to hand gestures to be able to explain myself because I can't find words in either language to express myself.

When I get back to France I am excited because I get two Christmases this year, I got invited to spend Christmas with my Russian friends (since they're Greek Orthodox) who celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January. Score! I was originally so worried about being sad and lonely here at the holidays, but all of the new friends I have made have really afforded me a new family. Last weekend i went to my first "raclette" (like a fondue, but not quite and too complicated to explain on a blog, so fondue will have to suffice) for my friend Ben's birthday. Little did I know it would be me and 9 Frenchies for the entire evening...I did okay at the beginning, but after so many bottles of wine and what they apparently call «eau de vie» (literally water of life) a drink I will never endure ever again because it tastes like shit and burns like fire so badly that even chugging another glass of white wine and choking down cold cheese while all the frenchies laugh at you doesn't help. Needless to say by the end of the evening the frenchies were in full force banter and i was just sitting at the end of the table trying to decipher anything comprehensible out of what they were saying. I had a blast:) The next day of course we had our "French Thanksgiving" with myself and a mélange (mix) of french and anglophone friends. It was seriously the most food I think I have ever eaten in a two day period of time. Shani and I went running the following week and did 5 miles instead of the usual 4...:)

I hope all the preparations for the holidays are going well in the states, I miss all of you so much. I am always around and I always love hearing from everyone, because as in any location, life can sometimes be lonely and get the best of you. But lately it seems I am getting the best of it:)

Much much love,

Sarah:)

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Just got back from a fantastic weekend with some of the greatest human beings I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile, it's been a pretty intense couple of weeks here. I seem to be in a constant state of motion these days with all of my travel. Such an exciting adventure this experience continues to be, the people you meet the things you find yourself doing and then in fact imagine yourself doing afterwards. I've been working really hard lately on just living in the moment, trying to exist for one day at a time instead of always a week or months in advance, I think I'm actually getting better at it last night; as I found myself trying to explain this concept to a friend who is about to leave france and is worried about everything that is going to happen and can't seem to get satisfied with the fact that they're about to embark on their own adventure. Not that I can't relate to that at all, it's just I find the best way to keep my sanity these days (especially as the end of the semester rapidly approaches and I find myself constantly in a state of panic because I think I've forgotten to do yet another thing).

I spent a lot of time this weekend laughing my ass off, which really was wonderful, as laughter really is the best medicine. I've come to the conclusion that it really does take a certain kind of person to get motivated enough to throw themselves into this mess head first and I happened to find some really good friends along the way who share that same kind of energy. My green tortoise adventure (the bus trip Graham and I took across the country two summers ago) landed me with the happy opportunity to meet and stay in touch with some very fantastic friends and this weekend 12 of the original gang made it over to cheery England to have a lovely relaxing weekend filled with laughter and waaaay too much beer. I always find myself intimidated by a new public transport system in a new city, and somehow still seem to feel a bit inadequate even though I speak English, my English seems kind of like a less classy version of British English. Something perhaps linguists get the best laugh out of is the intercultural differences and language barriers...I found more than my share of them this weekend within my fellow English speaking group of friends. It was so cool to be hanging out with people that I only knew for such a brief period of time in my life, but somehow still seem to know me better than some people that have been around for ages. Maybe it has something to do with the fact of sharing a small bus space together that eliminates all forms of "politesse" as the French call it, because even with people that to some may seems strangers I was able to let myself go and just have a great time.

The end of the weekend was met with tears by all as it's always so difficult to take yourself away from a family atmosphere that was so easily created and only shared by a few special people. 2 americans, 1 belgian, 1 irish lasse, and lots of british friends all crammed into cars and teeny tiny apartments and trekked all over the great United Kingdom just for the sake of smiles and creating new memories. I am still shocked at how easily I am attached not only to those people but the wonderful ones I have had the chance of meeting over here in europe as well. I can't believe how much I find myself changed after just a few short months, but this is definitely an experience I wouldn't change for anything in the world. It feels like I've almost found my place, like where I've been desperately searching for during these last few years. THere's something so special about realizing that you are in fact living the dream; and I can't believe the sadness that overwhelms me when I realize that we're already halfway through November and I find myself realizing that not soon, but eventually someday I'll have to say goodbye. Life is at the moment shall we say, very real, but I am really finding it the best place to be. Unguarded, daunted and exhilarated by everything that I am being offered and the new opportunities I am forging for myself. I've never felt so self sufficient before, and it's strange to start measuring my worth by who I can create out of myself instead of how much I can or can't do. This probably all sounds pretty fruity, but it's like even across all the cultural gaps and barriers no matter who I meet in this walk, we can all at some level manage to speak the same language. (How poetic:) If there's anything that I've learned so far it's that you really should invest in everyone and everything you come across, instead of always being focused on what is coming next. I've had the best experiences and moments of my life so far once I've finally figured that out. I wish there was some way to articulate everything that I'm feeling right now, because be it happiness or sadness, it just feels so damn good to be alive with all that (good or bad) thriving and pulsating through me.

So if you're reading this, thanks for sticking with me this far, and thanks for being a part of my life and enriching it in all the ways that you do. Right now I'm just going to sit right here and be, because god damn it feels good.

I miss you, I love you,

Sarah

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Go Team Porto!

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