What I've Learned from Study Abroad

It has now been over a year since I have been to Europe and on my last post I mentioned to watch for my "What I've Learned from Study Abroad" post.  Well...I guess I never got around to it.  Today while I was going through an old notebook of mine, I came across the paper that had what I learned from study abroad.  It brought me back to so many great memories, ones that I will always cherish.  Going on a study abroad was something I needed to do for myself, but now that I have a family I realize that I learned many things that have helped me in my role as a wife and a mother.  Some of it may not make sense but it was all the little experiences I had in Europe that have helped shape who I am today.  So with that said, here is what I learned from my study abroad:

• When you see something you really like and want, don't wait to get it thinking you'll have time to come back and get it.  You need to think of every moment like it's the last (Dress from Joules).
• I love art history. I love learning about the story behind the art and the techniques from different styles.  I love art that has symbols and meaning to it.
• Don't try and take the shorter and faster way out.  Enjoy the journey..The extra few seconds isn't worth the risk of something bad happening (Staircase).
• Be grateful for what you do have.  Don't look at all the things you wish you had.  I'm grateful for shelters, food, clothes (clean), nice bed, clean air, the gospel, my family.
• Try new things (Thai and Japanese food).
• When you are scared sing your favorite church hymn (A Child's Prayer).
• Understand that you may not always know why something happens, but learn to trust in God and later you will realize why.  Learn to take it as a lesson for your future family.
• WiFi is the best.  If we didn't have it I wouldn't have gotten through study abroad (FaceTime, Emails, Blog Posts, etc.).
• Take time to ponder and look around you (Train rides).
• Learn to laugh at the little things (Getting on the wrong bus).
• You don't need a big palace to have a happily ever after.
• When you feel completely alone, don't forget to get on your knees and pray to your Heavenly Father who is always there.
• Learn to look at things at a different angle.  Don't just look up and think you've seen it all (Photography).
• Sometimes you need to get out of your comfort zone to find that there are other comfort zones around you.
• When you think you have it bad, think of all the people starving on the street begging for money and sleeping in metro stations.
• Be grateful for clean clothes (and a mom for always washing them for you).
• Green is good (Salad, broccoli).
• You only need one bottle of Diet Coke to last the whole meal.
• There's a story behind every statue, every painting, every artist.
• Don't turn something down until you've tried it.
• When you feel completely lost, you usually find yourself.

I'm sure I could have thought about many more things that I learned from study abroad, and I think about my experiences often...but what makes this list perfect is that in the moment I was writing them down, they were exactly what I needed to learn in my life.  I have since then learned so many things that remind me of my experiences in Europe and I am so grateful for the opportunity I had.  I hope you enjoyed reading this.  If not, it was something I needed for myself.  I needed to finish my story of my "mini mission"...and I can now finally say that I returned with honor :)

Day 29: My "Day of Death" in Paris...literally ;)

Today has been such a great, and very interesting day.  We started it off by waiting in a two hour line to see the Catacombes.  Isn't it funny how we are seeing them on our last day of Study Abroad?!  Oh and I guess today was polka dot day because everyone was wearing them, even Gustave :)

When we finally got to go down it was crazy! There were bones stacked EVERYWHERE! There were even ones that were designed into hearts, crosses, and lots of other things!  Some even still had teeth! Gross huh?  After an hour of walking in the Catacombes we ended up on the other side of the city.  Here are some of the crazy pictures I took :)  

We spent another hour waiting in the nice hot sun for the other group to come out, and I almost fell asleep haha then by that point we were all starving, so we got on the metro to go to our next stop.  We all had lunch together at a little cafe and I got a ham and cheese toasted sandwich with a huge banana split! Oh and you are never going to guess what I did!  I tried SNAIL! Out of all people, I was shocked that I did it.  I hated the texture and couldn't even manage to chew it, but I did swallow it.  Now I can say I've tried snail in PARIS and now Pete can't give me crap for not trying new things ;)

After lunch we went to Pere Lachaise Cemetery and it was so interesting to see all the burial memorials.  They were like little rooms with glass windows in them.  It was almost like family members could go there to pray?  Whatever they were, they were very cool to look at!

I wasn't too interested in hanging out at a cemetery on my last day in Paris so guess where I went again? Amorino! It was really good! :) They make them into flower designs! Cool huh? :)

We had to be back at 7:00 to say our goodbyes before everyone goes their separate ways tomorrow.  It was a sad moment as I realized that Study Abroad is over.  It has been the best experience and I can't even begin to tell you how much I have learned and grown from it.  Watch for my "What I've Learned from Study Abroad" post coming soon :) 

The rest of the night I got everything packed and ready for tomorrow.  I can't believe I will be home in less than 24 hours!! I am so excited to see everyone at home! :) I finally understand why everyone says a mission is incredibly hard.  I think I've done my work here in Europe and I am sooo ready to come home from my "mini mission" and share all my experiences of the hard times, the scary times, and the good times :)  Thanks to all of you at home who have been such a support system to me while I have been out here! I could not have done it without any of you!  I'll see you all very soon! :)

Day 28: Fontainebleu Palace

It seems like I keep having those days where there is so much to do that I don't have time to write in my blog, so better late than never right?

Yesterday we went out to the Fontainebleu Palace.  When we first got there it seemed completely deserted.  We took a crowded bus into the town, ate at a little pizza place, and then went to the palace.  The palace was gorgeous and seemed like a very mini, but more relaxing Versailles.  We were allowed to do whatever after we walked through the palace and so me and a bunch of girls walked through quickly, but still got some good pictures :)

When we were done walking through we had to wait for our director to get our bags that were in a locker.  As soon as we got them we headed towards the bus to get back to the train station.  The hard part about being in France is that hardly anyone speaks English, and if they do then it's only simple little things.  Lauren had asked the bus driver if the bus was going to the train station and he nodded yes so we all go on.  A couple minutes into the bus ride we all started realizing that we weren't going the right way, just our luck huh?  Luckily there was a girl sitting next to us that kinda understood English so she was helping us out trying to figure out the best way to get home.  The only downfall was that the bus station was another 20 minutes away.  So we enjoyed a nice bus ride through the country and listened to many others on the bus giggle at our stupidity haha

When we got closer to the train station the girl said we didn't have much time and that the train left in 4 minutes and another one didn't get there for another hour and a half.  You should have seen us as soon as the bus stopped.  We ran out and we were all booking it down the street to try and make the train.  When we got there we weren't sure which side to be on, and lucky us a girl from the bus nudged for us to follow her.  We followed, and literally made it just in time for the train to pull up.  It was a blessing in disguise.  We got on and enjoyed a very nice LONG train ride back into Paris.  While I was on the train I worked on a list.  Pete had asked me to write a list of things I have learned from study abroad.  I'll post the list soon, but for now I will just say it was one of those glorious moments of looking out into the world and feeling so grateful for all that I have.

We got back to Paris and decided to go get some gelato at Amorino right across from the Pompidou.  It was amazing! We all ate it so incredibly fast and wanted to go back for more! After that we got back on the metro, stopped at McDonald's (yes I know...but we figured it was ok since we haven't had it for awhile), and then went and got some chocolates to take back home.  When we got back to the hotel we ate and worked on our final for Art History.  It's a 21 page essay with 7 questions, each 3 pages long.  Lets just say I was a little stressed as I was answering the questions and still have a long way to go.

A lot has happened this past few days that I am physically and emotionally drained.  My body couldn't handle one more thing.  There were lots of tears and stomach aches as I stressed about everything tonight.  I finally decided I needed to put everything aside and get some sleep.  I woke up a couple times during the night in tears from how sick I felt.  I know I'm in Paris and that it is a life time experience but to keep it simple, I am beyond ready to come home and get feeling better and to be with my family and Pete.   

Day 27: Sunday, A Day of Rest.

So I woke up this morning feeling like I had a hangover.  Not that I know what that even feels like, but I felt so exhausted from last night and my whole body ached.  I checked iPod to see what time it was and I saw I had an email from my brother Brandon that was titled "SURPRISE!!!!".  I instantly opened up the email and read the news.  I officially have a new sister-in-law! Brandon and Jess eloped yesterday afternoon in Colorado!  Of course the shocking news added to my numb body and I was speechless but I want to congratulate my brother and his new wife Jessica :)  I am so happy for the both of you! I can't wait to come home and hear all about it! :)

After reading the email I fell back asleep and didn't get out of bed till noon.  I always knew Sunday was a day of rest, but today I took full advantage of it! It felt so nice to sleep that long and I think that it was exactly what I needed physically and emotionally.  Lauren and I got ready for the day and went into the city of Paris to explore on our last free day.  We went over by the Eiffel Tower, got some crepes, and enjoyed a nice Sunday walk.  Then we came back to the hotel to relax some more.  I got to FaceTime with the newlyweds Brandon and Jess and hear all about their eloping adventure!  They both seem extremely happy :)  

After that Lauren and I ended up pretty much packing our bags haha and we don't even leave till Wednesday.  Then we decided to go back out and get dinner.  We ate at Subway and then came right back to our hotel room.  We FaceTimed family and I worked on editing pictures most of the night until I became exhausted and started feeling sick.  I called my dad and told him how I was feeling and he thinks my ulcers are coming back :( so I am ready to get home and get everything figured out.  I got to FaceTime Pete and his family tonight and watch him make some yummy rolls! He looks super good cooking ;)  Today hasn't really been too exciting but I'm ready to get some good sleep!

Day 26: How the happiest place on earth changed into one of my worst nightmares...Disneyland in Paris.

I am posting this a day late because of everything that happened last night, so just bare with me as I share one of the scariest things I have ever experienced.

It all started out as a wonderful day.  I woke up early, showered, and I even got to FaceTime Pete before he went to bed!  I was so excited for Disneyland in PARIS! How cool is it to say that you have been to Disneyland in a foreign country? Well I thought it was cool :) I was so excited for a day outside of homework, museums, and photography.  We had a meeting time of 9:00 am to leave for Disneyland.  Like usual not everyone was there on time and so Lauren, another girl Kristen, and I headed down to the metro station to get our train tickets.  We finally figured out which ones to get and then we were going to wait for the others.  They were still running late and one girl had forgotten her tickets at the hotel so she had to go back.  The three of us decided that we just wanted to get out to Disneyland and that we would meet them at 1:00 by the castle.  We left, got on the metro fine, and made it to the train.  It seemed like a long ride but I stayed busy by reading the Book of Mormon.

When we finally got to Disneyland an hour and a half later I was the happiest girl! I felt like a little kid again! I feel like Disneyland does that to a lot of people, no matter what your age is!  We waited in the security line and breathed in lots of smoke :( I was in shock that smoking would be allowed at Disneyland with all the little kids running around.  We finally got through security and then we were on our way to the ticket booth to enter into the happiest place on earth! Lauren and I got in fine and then Kristen had problems with her ticket so she had to go to another booth.  She didn't explain where she was going or what she was doing so we had no idea if we were supposed to wait or not.  We sat on a bench and waited for about ten minutes and then decided to go have some fun and that we would see her at 1:00 at the meeting point.

The first ride we went on was Space Mountain 2 and it was a blast!  Then we went over to Fantasyland and found my mom's favorite ride, It's a Small World :) We of course had to go on it! We actually liked it a lot better than California's one.  It was so cute and so fun to see the London Bridge and Eiffel Tower and be able to say "We've been there!" :) 

After that we met the group at the castle, but Kristen was not there.  We waited around for about 20 minutes and she still wasn't there so we decided to head over to the Walt Disney Studios park.  It was so much fun and the weather was sooo nice!  We went on Tower of Terror, Rock'n'Roller Coaster, and Crush's Coaster.  There wasn't really much to do in the Walt Disney Studios park so we went back over to Disneyland.  We went on Space Mountain again and then ate an early dinner.  After that we ran into Kristen and we were so excited!  We went on so many more rides but probably one of my favorites was Peter Pan :) It made me think of my Peter back at home and how much I miss him! I loved the feeling of being able to "fly" and just enjoy a nice relaxing ride.

We had made another meeting time of 8:00 so we could go get a treat but when we met, everyone wanted to go on more rides so we all ran to Indiana Jones (which is so much better in California) and then after that I started feeling sick to my stomach.  I felt nauseated and I just wanted to sit down and curl in a ball.  Everyone got doughnuts and cookies and then we didn't have much time left so they went into all the shops.  Lauren and I sat on the street and ran into Kristen again.  We told her we only had 15 minutes till we had to meet to leave.  Lauren and I wandered over to the castle and it was packed with people.  Our meeting spot had turned into the busiest spot in the park...I wish we would have thought about that one earlier.  We stood there for a little bit and then more of the group came, but Kristen was still not there.  We had to be leaving by 10 or we could possibly get stuck somewhere because the metros close around midnight.  We waited around for another 20 minutes and decided that we were putting ourselves at risk if we didn't leave.  We walked down main street while trying to keep an eye out for her but she was no where to be found.  We got to the entrance and decided that we needed to say a prayer.  So we all huddled in a corner and said a prayer that Kristen would make it home safe and that we would also make it home safe.  We left the park and headed to the train station feeling good about our prayer and had the faith that everything would be ok.

When we got to the train station the ticket gates weren't taking our tickets.  We all panicked and pushed through the gates.  We were all a little scared but glad we made it on the train.  We had 17 stops till we had to switch to get on the metro so we were all just talking and having so much fun and I didn't feel scared at all.  About halfway through the train ride a drunk guy gets on the train and taps me on the shoulder and was mumbling something in French.  My body froze and I kept my head down as my stomach tied up in a knot.  Everyone said that I looked like a statue.  I felt so sick and scared after that.  I tried to keep it in but with all the emotions I was feeling and how tired I already was I let it out.  My body felt so numb.  I completely shut down at that point and then Lauren nudged me and said he's coming back.  I closed my eyes in fear of what was going to happen.  He walked down the train with his beer bottle in hand and had lit his cigarette (in a non smoking train).  The whole train moved away from him and luckily the next stop was ours.  We got off and hurried up to get to the metro.  Of course there were many guys around that were either drunk, smoking, or just ones that we didn't have a good feeling about.  We ran to our metro and got in one that had more girls in it.  I was clenching my fist around my bag as tight as I could and I just kept looking out the window, I could not relax. I didn't want to look at anyone, I didn't want to speak, I was so scared.  The metro left and at each stop more and more people got on, but I couldn't trust anyone at that point.  We finally got to our stop and I have never walked so fast to get to our hotel.  We got there safely, got our key, went up to our room, and I broke down.  I tried FaceTiming my mom but she wasn't home, then I tried FaceTiming Pete and he wasn't available either.  I text both of them and asked them to please call me when they could.  At this point I had tears streaming down my face, snot coming out of my nose, and I could barely breathe.

Pete had just barely gotten out of the temple and was going to be home in 15 minutes.  I got myself together a little more and then got the FaceTime call from him.  I didn't even know what I was saying, I was still in shock.  I told him everything and he calmed me down so well.  He was so cute about just listening to me cry and just express how scared I felt.  I am so grateful that he was available to help me through this.  After that I FaceTimed my mom and broke down again.  I'm sure everyone that was listening to me could barely understand me and I probably didn't make much sense...but I was so grateful that they were there to talk to.  My mom was so helpful and it was so good to see and hear her.  It was 1:00 am at that point and I was so exhausted.  I haven't been sleeping well so Lauren gave me an Advil PM and I slowly started to get more tired.  I finally fell asleep around 2:00 am.

This may not be very scary for those of you reading this at home, but for me it was one of my worst nightmares.  I hate being alone, I hate being out at night, and my biggest fear is being raped or taken.  That was all that was going through my mind when I was on that train, even though I knew I was safe. After being so emotionally drained from all of this I realize that Heavenly Father gave me this experience for a reason.  I had a similar experience a couple weeks ago in London where no one was there, so I had to turn to my Heavenly Father.  I had to put so much faith and trust in Him and know that everything would be ok.  Pete and my dad gave me a blessing before I left and my dad blessed me that I would be safe, so I knew that I was being watched over but my mind was in a completely different place at the time.  I noticed many little blessings tonight that made it so I was able to get home safely.  I noticed that we made it on the right train just in time for it to leave.  I noticed that I was surrounded by a bunch of girls who are strong in the gospel and had the faith that everything would be ok.  I noticed that my mom was available to help calm me down and remind me that everything was going to be ok.  I noticed so many more blessings, but for some reason I feel like Pete going to the temple is a big part of what kept me safe and I can't even describe how grateful I am for him.  I know this may be too personal to share on this post but I want to share something with everyone, I want to share something that I love about Pete.

Pete is probably one of the most spiritual guys I know.  He is always looking for ways to serve others and apply everything to the gospel.  Throughout our relationship he has been such an example to me.  I have had so many people say that he makes me a better person and they can see it in my face.  I have this glow about me and I know that it is Pete who has shown me who I am and how important I am.  He is so good about sharing a spiritual experience or even a mission experience without making you feel like he is better than you.  Pete has Christlike qualities that I strive for each and every day.  He makes me want to become a better person and I can't wait to be sealed to him for eternity.  I am so grateful for him and for the covenants he has kept to be a worthy priesthood holder.  I truly feel that his desire to serve at the temple yesterday is what kept me protected.  I feel so blessed to be able to be his wife in a couple of months and to raise a family with such an amazing person like Pete as their example!  I love you Pete!

To end this post I would just like to express my gratitude for a loving Heavenly Father who protects me wherever I am.  I have grown so much from this experience and I know that everything I have gone through has been for a reason, whether I know it right now or not.  I am so grateful for Lauren and for the support she has been throughout this journey, she has been one good companion ;)  I am also grateful for all of you at home who have been helping me along the way! I couldn't have done it without you! I'll see you all in a couple of days!

Day 25: Pompidou, Notre Dame Bell Tower and Shakespeare & Co.

Today has been such a busy day and I feel like I can't even remember all of it, plus I don't have much time to blog tonight because I have so much to do before tomorrow.  So I'll quickly tell you the major details of my wonderful day!

I went to the Pompidou museum which is France's modern and contemporary art.  Courtney our teacher gave us a two hour lecture on major styles from the 1900s to the 2000s.  I personally don't like modern and contemporary art so I wasn't really interested in looking around much, but here are some things I saw.

After the Pompidou we were set free to do whatever.  Lauren and I decided to go to the Notre Dame Bell Tower :) We got crepes and then waited in line for about an hour and then we got to go up.  About 600 plus stairs later we made it to the top!  Here is the amazing view and some of the pictures I took.

We were so close to Shakespeare & Co. the book store so we had to go inside :) I got The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and even got the official stamp inside!  We went to Subway for dinner and then headed back to our hotel.

When we got back to the hotel we only had an hour till we had to meet up with the group for a photo excursion.  I have so much homework so I worked on that as much as I could but still didn't finish.  We went over to the Bohemian District, went and saw Moulin Rouge (which I had no idea what it was), and then watched one of the students do a photo shoot which was the funniest thing ever.  My teacher dressed up as a girl! I got some good pictures of it!

We then walked some more up the hill to this huge chapel and the lookout was amazing! There were so many people there and there was also this really cool black guy balancing a soccer ball on a light pole.  He had some serious muscles and it was so cool watching him!

Our "photo excursion" didn't really turn into a photo excursion and we were allowed to do whatever we wanted.  A group of us decided to leave so we went down into the town and did a little wandering around.  Most of the group went to the Arc de Triomphe but Lauren and I came back to the hotel to get things ready for tomorrow and finish our homework.  Well I'm off to finish my homework so I apologize for this short and not very exciting post! I'll be posting about my day tomorrow, I'm going to DISNEYLAND!!

Day 24: The Orsay, The Rodin Museum, and Shopping

Today has been such an amazing day! I know I might say that about every day but it really has been a great day! We went to the Orsay and I absolutely LOVED it! It's like the more and more museums I go to the more I fall in love with Art History.  The one thing I was mostly excited about was to see Degas Little Dancer sculpture :) My mom gave me the book when I was little with a necklace and I will never forget it! So thanks mom for giving me a little piece of art that I now appreciate sooo much! I bought a children's book so that I can read it and give it to my own daughter someday! :)

We wandered through the museum and I was on cloud nine looking at art :) We met back up with the group and then we were set off to do our own thing the rest of the day.  Lauren and I knew exactly where we were headed...The Salad Bar! It was the most amazing meal I have had since I have been here.  It was so fresh and soo delicious!

After lunch Lauren and I wandered around Paris trying to find the Rodin Museum.  It was so windy and cold and was raining a little bit, so you can only imagine how funny it was so watch us try and read the map while holding our umbrellas and walk :)  We finally found it and went to get our assignment done quick but surprisingly really enjoyed it.  It was all sculptures which was different from other museums we've been to but I actually really liked it! Here are some pictures of the famous ones :)

 The Thinker

 The Burghers of Calais

 The Three Shades

The Kiss

After the Rodin Museum we headed down to Champs Avenue and did some shopping, oh and we ran into the Arc de Triomphe as well :) It was like I was in a dream! I still can't believe I am in Paris!

While shopping we went to the Nike store and I got a really cute Paris shirt that I'm excited to wear and work out in!  We also happened to come upon some Abercrombie and Fitch models so of course you have to take a picture ;)  Sorry Pete... :) just remember how much I love you!!

So I also found my new favorite ice cream (and I even like it better than Chocolate Banana Shakes)...Haagen-Dazs CHOCOLATE BANANA BROWNIE ice cream :) It is amazing!!!! :) I can't even describe how happy it made me!!  

After that we headed back to our hotel and it started pouring rain! I feel like Lauren and I have a lot of pictures with our umbrellas because it is always raining here!

We stayed inside and worked on homework and had a personal lecture with my Art History teacher on Versailles! It was an hour filled with sooo much information but I loved it!  Then after that I had the best time FaceTiming Pete :) It literally was the best conversation! He made me laugh, smile, and fall even more in love with him! We even got to play charades because he couldn't hear me at the end :) and that was sure fun!  After that I worked on my blog and got ready for bed.  I have a busy day tomorrow so I hope I can actually get some good sleep tonight.  I didn't eat at McDonald's today so I'm hoping that will make a difference ;)