Home of the Bretzel: The Alsace

I know what you're thinking..."Heather, you spelled pretzel wrong." Well, YOU are wrong. That is how you spell/say pretzel in French! The weird thing though, is that when you say that to them, they just repeat Pretzel with a P and look at you funny. Oh well.

This past week we took a trip to the Alsace area, which is right on the border of Germany. More specifically, we spent time in Strasbourg, Kaysersberg, and Reims. These towns are really small, but super cute. They are all about pretzels, storks, gingerbread, and all the buildings look like they are straight out of Beauty and the Beast. We didn't actually find that much to do, except look at the cathedrals and go on a boat ride, but it was still a good time. I unfortunately was sick for the trip, so I spent most of the trip in my bed or in the bathroom. Too much information? #sorrynotsorry

We also bought a giant gingerbread heart and shared it between like 10 of us. It was interesting because it was like actual gingerbread, not the crunchy cardboard crap we have in the U.S. It was like bread-like and much softer. It was a little stale, but even their stale stuff is better than ours. I ate literally the best pretzel of my life there, too. It had absolutely nothing on it except for like 3 pieces of salt, but it was amazing. There is also a Christmas market that is apparently pretty famous and goes on there every year, but we missed it by a few days. We were too early. We got to see them setting up for it though, and see some shops that had Christmas stuff.

We visited the Strasbourg cathedral, and the cathedral in Reims which were both very impressive. I have a cool picture pinned on Pinterest of the Reims one so it was really cool seeing yet another thing on my Pinterest board in real life. The one in Strasbourg was enormous, and I really liked that one. Oh, something else fun, it got dark at 5 pm. By the time it was like 9, it felt like midnight. It really messes with you.

It was a very relaxed trip, and exactly what I needed. It was really nice to get away from Paris for just a little bit before we had to come back to classes and exams. Wish us luck!

(Pictures to come...no one has posted any yet. And mine are really terrible.)

Cultural Activity #3: Parc Asterix

Halloween in Paris is a bust. There actually isn't even such a thing, but people attempt to have some festivities mainly because they think it's fun to be like America sometimes. I have to give them credit for trying, but I have so many tips for them on how to improve it and actually make me scared.

Anyway, the reason I'm so critical is because of my Halloween experience. (DISCLAIMER: I had a really fun time. Don't get me wrong.) For one of my cultural activities, and for just a fun Halloween activity, Kayla, Sydney, and I went to Parc Asterix. If you've read my Two Monthiversary post, you know a little bit about how it was. You can read that post, here.

Parc Asterix is an amusement park that is about an hour outside of Paris. You have to take the RER to get there, and then take a shuttle bus. It's very nice that they provide all this transportation, but it is kind of expensive. It wouldn't have been so bad if our metro cards worked out that far, but they didn't. The park is based off of the French comic "Asterix & Obelix".

Asterix is the little one, and Obelix is the big one. 

The comic is about their ancient adventures in Gaul (France before it was called France) and the crazy antics they get into. The park is decorated in this fashion, with columns and cave paintings and giant sculptures of Zeus. It looks really cool. You know what else looked cool? And scary? Their website for "Peur sur le Parc". It was 4 days of what seemed to be a really scary fun experience. What it ended up being was one haunted house that was like 2 seconds long, and a few rides that were open that happened to have fake spiderwebs decorating them.

Here's where they could improve. There was a buggy ride that we went on, and we thought it might be a scary one. Nope. It had scarecrows and fake animatronic witches, but nothing that actually scared us (Except when Syd almost drove us off the road). What they should have done, was have REAL people hiding in the bushes in scary costumes jumping out at us. It would have been terrifying. They also should have had more than one short haunted maze thing. They also should have had more creepy werewolf guys or a chainsaw man running around the park. Basically they should have been more like Knotts Scary Farm. I guess I'm just really spoiled. I must say though, I do give them an A+ for effort, because they could have not had anything at all. I was a little spooked, I went on a roller coaster, and I got a huge barbe a papa (cotton candy en francais) and so it ended up being a pretty fun night after all. :)

cave paintings...Lascaux III?

our ridiculous rollercoaster picture...look at me holding onto Kayla's hat! hahaha

melting cotton candy in the rain with Kayla

Joyeux Thanksgiving!

So, it's 3:30 in the morning here in Paris, but I have to write this post while it's still Thanksgiving, at least at home. I just finished skyping my family, and I may or may not have started crying when I heard how my little brother's voice has changed. (Hint: I did cry.) I was super lucky and got to have an actual Thanksgiving meal today with our whole study abroad group. We didn't get to have dinner because we had an art history class tonight, but we had a huge meal before, hung out and played games, slept, and after class got to hang out some more and eat leftovers. I ate so much food and I have zero regrets. The past two years I have had to be away from my family for Thanksgiving, but I have been so lucky to have such fun experiences with my study abroad family, and Kelsie's family last year. It just proves that you can be thankful and feel the love no matter where you are or who you are with!

My life right now is pretty much amazing, and the best part is that I have finally realized how amazing it has always been. I don't mean to brag at all, I just mean that I have learned how to count all the little blessings in my life, and I truly appreciate all the things I am given; good and bad. I want to make a list of some of the things I am grateful for, just to share a little piece of my happiness with everyone. I obviously can't list everything, but here are some things that come to mind:

-my family
-my friends from home
-my friends from BYU
-my study abroad friends
-America
-sweatpants
-One Direction
-hugs
-Disneyland
-food
-smiles
-technology (so I can "be with" my family all the way across the world!)
-the gospel and the church
-the priesthood
-experiences that help me to grow
-music
-Ellen Degeneres, her show, and her many youtube videos that keep me up too late
-Kelsie and Corbin, individually and together
-Cori
-my host family
-my body
-being healthy
-dancing
-pictures
-birthdays
-princesses
-cough drops
-fuzzy socks
-the beach
-California in general
-temples
-the atonement
-my Heavenly Father
-and last, and most importantly, my savior Jesus Christ

That list could literally go on forever, but I think you get the idea. I don't mean to get really serious or preachy and I kind of hate when people do this, but I have to say it. Honestly, my life wouldn't be so amazing and I wouldn't be able to have any of these things (however small) without my Heavenly Father and Jesus. I know that everything I'm going through is a challenge or a blessing that will help me grow in some way, to help me become the best me that I can be, and that is what I am grateful for most of all.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :)

Paris Walk #14

Date: 11/14/12
La Route des Manifs: Canal Saint-Martin, Republique, Bastille, Viaduc des Arts

Me, Kaitlin, and Olivia were determined to get these walks done, so at maybe too late an hour, we decided to start this walk. The first thing the walk tells you to go see is the Canal Saint-Martin, which kind of just looks like a big dirty river. Apparently this is where people used to like to protest a long long time ago. It reminded me a little bit of Les Miserables, and so we obviously started singing "Can You Hear the People Sing" from it. It really did look like a sewer because it flowed into this creepy tunnel. We crossed over a bridge which was pretty cool, and then continued. We were headed toward the Bastille, but there were a lot of really creepy people around, and I just was really sketched out by that area. Then, Olivia tells us that it says to do the walk during the day; it was about 5pm and getting dark. Seriously, that area is really skeevy. We decided that since we had already seen the Bastille before, we would just read about it and go home. Better safe than sorry, right? I will still write about what I learned. It column at the Bastille was built in 1833 in honor of those who fought in the Revolution of 1830. The statue on top of it is called the Genie of Liberty. There is also a large building there which is the Bastille Opera house, home to many operas and ballets.

Paris Walk #13

Date: 11/14/12
Marchez le nez au vent: Sights and Smells around the Madeleine

I set out today on a mission to get at least two more walks done. I am SO close to being finished! I met up with Kaitlin, Carine, and Olivia for this walk. It started at the Madeleine church and it was so cool. It is nothing like the other churches I've seen, except for maybe Saint Sulpice. It looks a little like that, but still different. It isn't Gothic which I loved. I love Gothic, but after seeing about a million cathedrals and churches that look like that it is a nice change of pace to see something else. The next part of our walk led us right by Laduree, in my opinion the fanciest dessert place/cafe in Paris. I bought two macarons (Rose and Salted Caramel flavored) and we continued. After that, we went to the Fragonard parfumerie. We didn't get a tour of the place, but we did stay and test lots of perfumes. Testing perfumes is actually one of my favorite activities. It was a little awkward though because we were the only ones in there with about the same number of employees as us. We were just tip-toe-ing around and whispering and it was kind of funny. I tried two different perfumes on myself which is what Bro. Olivier suggested, and after wearing them all day, I think I like the combination of the two the best! It was a very nice smelling walk for sure.

My Two Monthiversary with Paris

Two months. I have officially been here for a solid 2 months! (Almost 2 and a half now) Where in the world did the time go? I have exactly 1 month left until I am back on U.S. soil. That is absolutely crazy.

A lot has happened since I last blogged. If you are friends with me on Facebook, you obviously know that, but if not, or I have managed to leave stuff out, I will do my best to update things on here as well. I think the easiest way (to start, anyway) is with a couple lists. We know how I love lists.

The Good Things:
-2 amazing Family Home Evenings: For those who don't know, FHE (for short) is a Mormon thing that we do with our families every week. It's basically just family night, but here we do it with our group. I was so lucky to have had two activities that I will never forget: one, a boat ride on the Seine, and the other, going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Sorry Mom, I don't think you can top those.

on the boat! 

on top of the Eiffel Tower!

-French Week: We had to speak only French for a whole week, and if we did well each day, we got a macaron. Although it was super hard, I think it really helped my French. I may not be fluent, but I can understand so much more than before and I have gotten over my fear of speaking which is the most important part.
-Discovering Chipotle: I miss Mexican food more than any other food, and when it comes to Mexican, Chipotle is the best. I am fully aware that it's not "real" Mexican, but I just don't care. It was a very emotional experience, in a good way. How they can have a Chipotle in Paris but not in Provo is beyond me.

SO HAPPY

-Nuit Blanche: super fun night. You can read more about it here.
-Halloween: There's actually no such thing as Halloween here, but we made our own fun. Sydney, Kayla, and I went to this theme park called Parc Asterix, which is based off of the French comic Asterix and Obelix. It was quite the adventure, with lots of travelling and navigating, and it ended up being kind of ridiculous. The French don't exactly know how to do Halloween. But I had a lot of fun and I loved bonding with those girls :)

sporting our Asterix helmets!

-The "Non-Clique": bonding with these people has been the best. You know who you are. So many fun fun times. I have seriously made some amazing friends here.

The Bad Things:
-Art History: I just can't get into it. I feel like such a snob for saying it, but I am sick to death of the Louvre. Maybe it's just class, but every time I go there I end up feeling sick and getting a headache and feeling too hot. I think I might be art-intolerant. Don't get me wrong, I know how lucky I am to be going there so often, but it doesn't mean I love it...
-Getting my phone stolen: This was the most traumatic experience of my life thus far. Let's hope nothing worse ever happens to me. Especially because of how I reacted to this. Here's what happened. I had just finished babysitting for a family in the ward, and I was heading home at about 11pm. I had been on the metro millions of times at that hour, and I always listen to my iPod. Everyone does. It's just the thing that you do. I normally take a different way home, but I decided to take the easier way. It involved stopping at La Motte-Picquet Grenelle, a pretty big metro stop. I now avoid that place like the plague. Anyway, I was just sitting on the platform, listening to music, and looking at my phone which was in my hands, and a man came up, grabbed it, and started running away. The combination of me not really seeing him, having music blasting in my ears, and just the fact that that kind of thing is not a normal experience, made it really hard for me to quickly process what was happening. It took me way too long to realize, and by the time my brain had figured out to get up and run, my voice and legs had not caught up. Seriously, he was so far ahead of me, and the sounds coming out of my mouth were not human. I couldn't make enough noise, and I did not sound like myself trying to yell at him to stop and tell the other people on the platform to get him. That was the other crazy part- there were other people around! I guess not enough apparently. I followed him all the way outside, only to find my empty case and headphones on the ground. I was like, heaving and dry-sobbing and so scared. A really nice man who spoke English asked me if I was okay, and if I wanted to borrow his phone to call anyone. I didn't have anyone's number so I just went home and cried a lot. After trying to track down my phone and going to the police, there's nothing I can do. The phone is gone. I was really shaken up for a couple days, but I got a blessing from Noah and my director and I felt a lot better. I am now a lot more cautious and maybe a little paranoid, but this experience has been strangely a good one. I'm still including it in the bad list because it was scary, and let's be real. I want my phone. But, I've learned to not be so completely reliant on technology, and so obsessed with being connected to home. It's been slightly liberating. I miss listening to music though.
-Dr. and Sister Hurlbut leaving: Our fantastic director and his wife unexpectedly had to leave us a few weeks ago. We got about a week's notice, and we got to have a last dinner with them which was nice, but we were all still pretty devastated. While this meant we got to blog in English and travel to other places, it was (in my opinion) not worth the exchange. I really really miss them. (P.S. We have a great new director, Dr. Erickson! I just still miss them)
-Being homesick: As much as I love Paris and France and the study abroad and all the great things that come with it, I miss America. I miss my friends and my family, being able to call people on the phone, driving a car, sweatpants being socially acceptable, Reeses peanut butter cups, my bed, and about a hundred other things.

I was worried before I came on this trip that I wouldn't love it, or it wouldn't change my life like every other person to ever study abroad has said it would. I came with completely different expectations, and I don't think one of my preconceptions actually was true. As much as I want to go home right now, I don't regret coming here at all. I think this was absolutely the best thing I could have done for myself, and the right choice. When I applied, this was literally the last thing I thought I would be doing, it was just an option for the upcoming year. If you had told me then, how I would feel about myself and life right now, I would not have believed you for a second. It has only been about 8 months since then, and I feel like in so many ways my life is so different. I may not become fluent in French, I may not make a million French pen pals, and I may not remember every little thing I saw or did, but I have grown more in these 2 months than I have in all my years at BYU, in high school, or any other experience that's supposed to change your life. I cannot even explain how happy I am; to be here, to have the life that I have, and most importantly: to be me. :)

"Our Town!" -Dr. H

Cultural Activity #2: Nuit Blanche

Date: 10/6/12
Location: All around Paris
People who went: Me, Noah, Olivia, Kaitlin, Caitlyn, Mallory, and Lucy

I don't know if this is technically on the list of approved cultural activities, but I am definitely going to count it, as it was probably the most cultural I've felt while here.
Nuit Blanche is basically a free, all-night, cultural party. It feels like the whole city is awake and outside walking around. What happens is pretty much all the museums and monuments stay open almost all night, and let people go on them or in them for free. There are also other spectacles going on, such as a fire show on the Seine (which we sadly missed) or a techno concert at the Pompidou (which is where we spent most of our time). We chose not to go into any of the museums or anything because the lines were ridiculously long, and we can pretty much get into all of them for free with our student ID's. Hooray! Instead, we hung around the Pompidou pretty much the whole time. It's the modern art museum, and it fittingly had a techno concert going on outside. There was a DJ up on a balcony thing with lights going all over the place. There were tons of people just dancing and having a good time. After we had spent some time there, we decided to see what was going on at Notre Dame and Hotel de Ville. Unfortunately, Kaitlin, Noah, and Olivia had to leave because although most metro lines were staying open all night, theirs closed early. Caitlyn, Mallory, Lucy and I got ice cream, and walked over to the Eiffel Tower, and then went home.

This night was seriously so much fun. It was so cool to see SO many people up at a time when Paris would usually be pretty dead. There was something for everyone going on, and the fact that it was all free was an amazing perk. For people other than students, this is one night where they could really experience the museums and things not on a Sunday. I loved the energy and atmosphere of the city, and with the little bit of rain we got, everything really was just so sparkly and exciting. It was quite the nuit.

making some friends?

it was quite the night. this picture just really makes me laugh. oh lucy. 

2am stroll to the Eiffel Tower with Lu :)