Second semester has officially begun, and my life is now a five-day weekend with a quick two days of class. Feels good to know I can focus more on traveling this semester than studying hehehe JUST KIDDING MOM AND DAD I promise to be a good student!
The most exciting thing I've done recently would definitely be swimming in the Mediterranean last weekend with my friend Alex. (no, Lucy, we're not dating. Sorry!) Alex decided he is going to swim in the sea every month and last weekend, with Carbon's yearly "come back to the pool" email, I needed water to soothe my soul, you know? Plus who wouldn't want to say they swam outside in January? So he was nice enough to take me along on this month's swim. It took some (a ton) of courage (and maybe a beer), and the French people that drove by in their boats thought we had completely lost our minds as the water felt like ice. Luckily, I didn't lose any of my fingers or toes or ears and it only took me like an hour to completely dethaw.
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| pics or it didn't happen? |
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| does it get any better? no |
Hmmm what else...oh!! The new kids arrived the same day I came back from Finland so I've been getting to know them/scaring them with information I easily found while stalking them instead of studying/loathing them for not bringing me bagels/loving them because they told me they thought about it so I guess it's the thought that counts, right? I am so quickly transported back into my first couple weeks here and I am able to see more clearly than ever, how much I've adjusted to the French way of life and not just in the superficial "all I drink is wine and eat are baguettes" kind of way. I move at a slower pace--I'm actually late to things! Conversing in French comes almost as easily as conversing in English. Somehow I've ended up with more black and grey sweaters than I can count. I've come to fully embrace the differences between America and France, without resenting most of the things the French do differently (although I still would kill for Culver's and Target. Sue me) I'm sure there's more that's changed about me, but obviously I can't think of all of them/they're probably not even that obvious to me.
Their arrival, coupled with the arrival of the new year and semester, really freaked me out as well. How on earth is it possible that my time here is almost half over? I won't believe it, I can't believe it. I now have two reoccurring nightmares that come up at least twice a week: one, where I'm paying for things with dollars instead of euros and the other where I'm physically trapped in Madison and cannot get out. Oof. Needless to say, I'm thankful that I decided to jump all in and study abroad for a year--sure, I had to miss game days, the many athletic accomplishments of my brother/basically brothers, along with other things, but I got a million new friends and priceless experiences in their place. Culture shock was rough at the beginning, but I can't even begin to imagine what reverse culture shock is like. Maybe I'll just stay here forever so I don't have to experience that.
LAWLZIEZ sorry I'm feeling deep and pensive today. I'm off to Sevilla at the end of the month to see my friend Julia which is the beginning of me actually seeing people I haven't seen since May!!! The semester brought like 425 friends over to me, 417 that are in Rome (literally think it's impossible to know any more people in Rome than I do right now) so the adventures that are on the horizon are unreal. Don't go far!!!
Oh also HUGE shoutout to the Tracy/Messner/Schwabe/Anna Jaye family for the care package that colored my walls and warmed my heart way too much. Yee always WEEEEEE
xoxo,
gossip girl
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