Thoughts..

Hey all! I am done finals- Hooray!!- and I will be back in the USA in 2 days!! I cannot believe this chapter in my life is coming to an end, it has been such a fun, crazy ride, and I am going to miss it so much. Here is the list I started about what I will miss when I leave....I'm going to continue to add to it, perhaps even when I get back home....

Things I will miss:
-going to school in a castle
-taking the train to school every morning (I really like this relaxing/socializing/homework doing time each day)
-blogging about all my life experiences and having a written account of what is going on in my life
-Gerard bakery- which is located right across from the chateau and has incredibly delicious chocolates, cappuchinos, and pastries
-walks and runs throughout the gorgeous Lux countryside, especially the bike trail right near my house that I am in love with
-making new friends who have become awesome parts of my life
-meeting up with old friends for fun weekend trips to places like Dublin, Lyon, Nice, and Amsterdam
-putting up facebook albums on time (because we all know I will go back to my old ways when I return)
-going on school field trips in college to begin with, and the fact that these trips are to amazing places like France, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic
-having European professors who have lived through what they are teaching you about
-my two American professors- Dr. Thurston and Peggy- who have been so amazing and helpful and who very likely are responsible for my scholarship. I hope to keep in touch with both of them and they both volunteered to serve as unofficial advisors on my thesis next year
-Zara and Mango- my favorite Euro stores, as well as H&M, which is way better over here
-going away to awesome places everyone weekend!! I can’t even begin to describe how sad I am to stop this awesome traveling adventures that have been the best times of my life.
-bonding with people on trains, planes, automobiles, and buses…basically anything that gets you from here to there. It is true that more fun can be had on the journey than the destination.
-the MUDEC family, which has become SO WONDERFUL I can’t even describe. It is amazing how close everyone has gotten! When my parents came, I told them I had met a lot of great people, but no one who truly compared to my BEST BEST friends back at school and home. I want to take this back now...I have become SO close with some awesome people, and I am so sad to say goodbye!! I hope we can visit each other next year!
-Italian gelato. No explanation needed.
-Das Boot and Bofferding beer. Again, no words needed to describe.
-have so many days off from school its hard to count
-not being anxious about schoolwork.
-abundant and cheap Nutella and Speculous- too of the most delicious spreads ever created


So much more, I just cant write it now...


Ok, another thing I want to mention. As most of you have probably heard, a girl one year older than me, from Cockeysville and who goes to UVA, was brutually killed Monday morning. She, and the suspected murder, are star lax players at UVA, and the story has gained national media attention. I didn't know Yeardley very personally (I think we met one or two times) but we had many mutual friends, and a girl I grew up playing soccer with for many, many years, was her best friend. I am so saddened by this news, and have not been able to stop thinking about it and following the stories since Monday night when I heard. I feel connected to her somehow- we were from the same place, chose the same college, and knew many of the same people. I am so sad for her family and friends and am just praying for them and hoping they can somehow get through this. I read this article online, and thought it shared a lot of my feelings right now. Thought I would share the link
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-katz/dealing-with-a-tragedy-th_b_562946.html

Love you all!

Care

Good Old USA

Things I have missed/am looking forward to in the USA:

-HOT shower and a bathtub!!

-when smiling at people as you pass by is not somehow suggestive

-Mexican food-ah guac I want you so bad!

-SMOKE Free restaurants and bars

-bagels, especially from Bodos in cville

-having my own kitchen so I can cook anything I want and more importantly, BAKE

-when water is never sparkling and always free and I am able to break free from this perpetual state of dehydration I have been in since January

-warm chocolate chip cookies and raw cookie dough

-soup, sandwiches, bagels, and coffee from Panera Bread

-Grauls chicken salad and turkey sandwiches from Take It Away in cville

-grilled chicken and vegetables on the grill that my parents make

-weekends at Sunset Island and finally being able to go to Jamaica, USA (i.e. SEACRETS)

-Starbucks and just the idea of a LARGE cup of coffee

-libraries where I can study, there are lots of English books, and you can buy unlimited coffee (weird, but I have really missed having this type of study space)

-having a top sheet on my bed (for some reason I only have a flat sheet and then a comforter at my host families)

-not having to worry about where my passport is at all times, which hostel I am staying in that weekend, if my bag will fit Ryan Air standards, if flights will be cancelled because of volcanic ash, unpacking and repacking every few days, if I will get pickpocketed etc - and all the other anxieties/worries that come from traveling all the time!

-when things are open late and on Sundays and not closed for a looooong lunch break midday

-the convenience of just getting in the car and driving where I need to go

-Pizza from Christians in Cville and Italian Gardens at home

-Salad bars and salad in general

-access to lots of movies and tv- I have barely watched tv or movies at all while I’m here and I don’t actually miss it that much but I am really excited to just veg and have a movie date night with Kyle when I get home J

-RUNNING on the NCR trail, going to classes at the gym, and just generally getting back into a work out routine and better shape

-reliable wifi

-Archs frozen yogurt and peanut butter sauce (ah cant wait) and TCBY

-the dollar and not having to convert my currency using a very depressing exchange rate!

-being clean and doing laundry more than once a month

-grocery shopping in a store I know that has a huge selection!

-being able to read every

-and of course, what I miss most of all…all the wonderful PEOPLE who make my life great and who I appreciate so much more now that I have been without them for SO LONG particularly: Kyle (so excited to be reunited at the airport in 5 days), my sisters, brother in laws (or soon to be), and adorable niece Gabby, my Mom and Dad, my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins (fake and actual), all my lovely Wedge friends who lived on Page 1^st Right in our first year, all my Tri Sig sisters and friends, and my friends from HS (especially the newly engaged DANA POIST)

AH- I am working on doing the reverse of this, things I will miss when I leave LUX, but I cant write it all down now (it is too long and making me too sad) so I will post when I can. Gotta go study!

Love you,

Care