4 years later and a SLIDE SHOW!!! You are welcome.

I've been trying to get this post written for several days now, but the words just haven't been coming to me. Four years ago on Sunday I received the email notifying me of my acceptance into the assistants in France program. Initially my plan for this post was to provide a "translation" of what the letter said. But when I sat down to start writing, instead I found myself just thinking about the past 4 years, thinking about the amazingly wonderful people I'd met, the experiences I'd had, the things I'd seen. I can't believe it's been 4 years since I obsessively checked the Bordeaux assistants Facebook page. It's been 4 years since an oh so awkward email thread was started with some random people who had also been placed in Bordeaux, two of whom became two of my very best friends. Anya and Kate, you should read some of those early email threads. They are SO awkward. It's been 4 years since I spent the whole summer trying to figure out how I could get out of going to France, while still saving face. I obviously came up with nothing and away I went.

I take great pride in my mad cyber stalking skillz, and one of my favorite things to do is find less than acquaintances' blogs. I love blogs, especially travel blogs of strangers or people I don't really know, like friends of friends, or that person I met one time. However, one problem I have with travel blogs is that they are often very pretentious and full of random people's travel trophy stories, the kind of people who travel not because of a genuine love of seeing the world and eating delicious strange food, but more of genuine love of bragging to others about their experiences. Their trips are not complete until the Facebook album is up for the world to see. I've had this blog for nearly 4 years now, and in those 4 years I have tried so hard to make sure it does not fall into the "pretentious travel blog" category. I read and reread what I have written, deleting bits that I feel come across as boastful. I feel as though for the most part I've done a good job of not bragging. Except for that last sentence.
So in 4 years, I think I've earned the right to toot my own horn a bit. If you don't like it, skip this post. Living in France was one of the hardest things I've ever done. So many thing there were an uphill battle, with roadblock after roadblock and the only reason French people would give for these roadblocks was a giant PFFFFFFFF! I got off the train in Bordeaux, completely alone and homeless, trying to find my way to this crappy hostel using a little map I'd printed off the internet, walking with two suitcases, a backpack, a purse and a computer bag on narrow sidewalks past sex shops and places to exchange money/buy calling cards in the ghetto hood around the train station. I felt too numb to even cry myself to sleep. When I woke up the next morning and realized where I was, my first thought was "Oh sh*t"
In Korea, I felt so taken care of. In France, not so much. We had to do everything ourselves, from find housing to opening a bank account to spending all morning at the prefecture waiting for our alien cards, which we needed never. Most days I think I could have not shown up to work and my teachers would never have noticed...not that I ever did that. My parents instilled in me a great work ethic. So I think back to everything I went through, and I did it not once, but twice. Living in France has such a romantic sound to it, so for me to say it was one of the hardest things I've ever done makes me seem like an ungrateful weenie. But it was hard, and I DID IT! I am awesome, because I did it. I did it I did it I did it! I say it was hard, but that doesn't mean it also wasn't one of the best experiences of my life, because it absolutely was. Every day I am thankful that I failed my mission to get out of going. I made fantastic friends that I think about all the time and love so much. I saw things. I ate delicious food. I'd never have gone to Korea if I hadn't gone to France. I've changed so much in the past 4 years, mostly in the amount of confidence I've gained. I lived in France! I can handle (most) anything. Bragging over.
So my "hilarious" post about my acceptance letter never got really written. I had a couple drafts, but I kept becoming overwhelmed by feelings of nostalgia. When that happens it usually leads to me spending way too much time looking at my pictures from my time in France. I originally planned on just posting a few of my favorite pictures, and somehow I selected over 80 pictures.  I narrowed it down a bit, but I still feel like I left out some classics. How can it have been 4 years already??

Beautiful Bordeaux

Consummating their platonic relationship in Porto

Aaron loves Bolton, especially when he's performing in Paris and there are posters everywhere

the American Cemetery in Normandy

Christmastime in beautiful Paris

French people fun

Seville, I think. 

I love Anya

I'll buy whatever they are selling. 

Helsinki

The volcano in Iceland cancelled our vacation flights, so Anya, Kate and I settled for a few days in Biarritz instead. I still have never been to Berlin, but this was a great consolation prize. 

Lisbon

Eliza and Mom on the Eiffel Tower

Mont St. Michel

the Catacombs in Paris

Beautiful, lovely, and always perfect Paris

Birthday party picnic

sunny Sunday afternoon at Chartrons

Our landlady kept giant guns in our dining room cupboard

Salamanca

Randall, Pat, and Anya at our favorite Bordeaux bar, Big Balls 

More French people fun

Porto

Somewhere in the Sahara Dunes. I'd write the name of the town, but I forget. It's in my travel journal, which is all the way downstairs, so meh. I think it's either Erfoud or Merzouga.

Kilkenny

 

Anya and Randall's teamwork, another favorite

Classic France

Uppsala, I think. 

Copenhagen, I think. 

Kate, Anya, and Randall going to our birthday party picnic! 

Thanksgiving, France style= roasting chickens in the toaster oven while mashed potatoes warm on top. 

Bayeux

County Wicklow, I think. 

Some days it seems like it was all a dream, and that couldn't have possibly been real.