How I am not alone

Journey as defined by dictionary.com: traveling from one place to another, usually taking a rather long time. In my journey, I am now right here. In this very moment of time, I am sitting on the third floor, by myself, with my lessons and unit planning sprawled around me. I am thinking these thoughts. The ones swimming around in my brain. Some elegantly coast through the water, some race freestyle or butterfly. Some are diving in and out of the pool. And the mountains are sitting there like a friend. The flowers from last night's party quietly exchanging breath with me. But the best part is that there are people around me. Not here in this room with me, but there are people surrounding my life right now. All different distances away, our thoughts are intersecting as I think of them and they think of me. At this point in my journey, I have these people. These people here. And while I sit along in my apartment, I feel surrounded by those I love. Twenty or so miles behind me, a mile or so to my left, hundreds of miles southeast and southwest, and scattered in every other direction are the people who are in the sphere of my life right now. How lucky I am; I must cherish the moment.

France Week 5 aka Belgium

Welcome to Belgium: The waffles are five star, the people are warm and friendly, and the atmosphere is such a mix of people and cultures. Here I am in the Grand Place de Bruxelles (Brussels). The Grand Place is basically just a wide open square in the middle of town where everyone gathers. It feel like the heart of the city. While in Belgium, here is what I noticed:

1. Waffles! Seriously, truly, truelove, so good. I could have only eaten waffles while I was there and been so happy. They are so unreal it is ridiculous - better than any pastry in France any day. Out of all the perishable things I wish I could bring home to my family, this one is top on the list.

2. The architecture was unlike anything I have ever seen. I basically took a ton of pictures that look pretty much all the same because I was so fascinated with what I was seeing. We took a boat ride down the river in Bruges and learned a petit bit about the history. I could just imagine the streets bustling with trade and the people of the past.

3. Brussels is one of the capitals of the European Union. The city is the walking definition of cosmopolitan. We met a guy who spoke 15 languages, and although he is an outlier, just walking around the streets you can hear many languages weaving together. And, we got to tour the European Union Parliament. I absolutely loved learning about European politics. And I might even go as far as to say that foreign politics should be taught in high schools. It was fascinating to see how other governments work and realize that different governments work for different groups of people with different historical backgrounds. The parliament building was designed so that people would have many opportunities to meet and interact with their coworkers just by walking the halls. There really was such an atmosphere of peace there, and it was fascinating to see how all these different countries can all work together so well. I am not saying the European Union is perfect, but it is a pretty amazing system. I was talking to my host mere about it, and she pointed out how difficult it has been for some countries to manage their economies with the euro as their money system. Next spare time activity: learn more about the EU.

4. Tout le monde rides bikes. Which is great. I am a bike advocate. I love bikes. Biking is my favorite way to travel actually. Someone should invent a foldable bike that can fit in a backpack. Someone probably has.

5. I feel like maybe swans are native to Europe. They are everywhere.

6. I got to see a piece of the Berlin wall which was way cool. Another thing to add to my to learn about list: the political implications that accompany the Berlin wall and what exactly doe it symbolize to different groups of people?

Basically, I loved Belgium. But mostly, I loved learning about other cultures, peoples, and politics...and eating waffles.


Loving me some Belgium

The EU Parliament

Some modern art in the EU parliament.
If you touch it in one spot, the entire structure moves
in different ways symbolizing how what happens in
each country affects the rest of Europe.

Belgium is also famous for their fries.

Friendship

The Berlin wall.

France: Week Two

Okay, week two coming right up. This week was full of castles, rain, and missing lots of people aux Etats-Unis. Monday we took a small bite out of the Louvre. Right now they are doing something interesting with modern art, and every once in a while some old clothes would be thrown into the mix. The most interesting was a pile of clothes under a statue of a woman bending over. It looked like she was resting a huge mound of laundry. I am un peu mad that I didn't take a picture.

Other highlights include trying muscles (the food). They were actually way good. Here's a picture of my meal and the crepe I had afterward. And eating this seriously good pastry at a morning market under a bridge. We saw Napoleon's tomb which was pretty cool. It has it's own room and is surrounded my angles. Also, even though Napoleon purposefully broke the state of France away from the Catholic church, the place where he was buried used to be a church. And of course, there are still relics of such. So many buildings in France are just history build upon history.

We went to Sacre Coeur which is a catholic basilica, which I learned via internet is kind of like a cathedral with a badge of honor. That was way cool. We got to walk up all these steps before reaching the actually building, and then once we got inside, there was no talking and a lot of people were actually praying. It was a lot less touristy than the Notre Dame and other cathedrals I have been to.


Thursday, we caught a train to Loire Valley which was the center of France during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. After the renaissance started in Italy, Loire Valley was the first place it started in France. We visited lots of castles, but my favs where the gardens at Le Chateau a Villandry and Le Chateau de Chambord. The former probably had about seven different gardens and a wood for the King to hunt in. They were amazing as you can see. Before Louis the 14th and Versailles, the King had to contend a bit with all the nobles for his power, so he would travel around France staying in different castles. At Chambord, you can explore tones of rooms and floors and stair cases. I feel like CJ would have loved this place. Le Chateau de Chenoneau was also pretty cool because the entire thing is a bridge and the tour included the kitchens. Also, the main big room that was usually used as a ballroom was converted into a hospital for soldiers during WWII which is so crazy amazing.

I cut my hand on a blade of grass when I was trying to sit down to look
at some swans. #hardlyfe

This bed is actually one of the beds we slept on.

Oh I almost forgot. We slept overnight in a for real actual castle. It has been converted into a museum by day and a hotel by night. It was pretty sweet, and the couple who own it were very nice. Can you imagine? Hey honey, let's buy a castle. We can live in it and make it a hotel to make some money. Some people are just living the dream. (Like me, only I am living my own dream.)

Back in Paris we went to a Brocant on Saturday. A Brocant is basically an antique flea market, and it was way awesome. There were so many, like so many old things. My parents would have absolutely loved it. So in memory of them, I bartered in French and got some really great gifts for people, especially for my mom. She is going to be loving her life come Christmas time. The Brocant was definitely one of my favorite things yet, but it also made me really miss my family. There are so many things here that I just wish they could experience with me. Things I know they would love.

That night was the night of the museums where all the museums in all of Europe are free. Since we go to museums all the time for class, we decided to go the the science museum, which is supposed to be the biggest science museum in all Europe. It was cool, but it would have been out of the planet cool if I was in elementary school. I could have written some of these panels. There were a few exhibits for for adults, but I am just going to say, I think the science museum in San Diego might have this one beat.

Now today, is Sunday. We went to church, were I understood a bit more than last week, especially the lesson on the plan of salvation. And we stopped by another cathedral and made some really good tuna sandwiches, which also reminded me of home and made me miss the people there, especially this one kid I know. Tonight we will have dinner with our host mom, and get ready for another week of Frenchy France. Goals for this coming up week: Speak more French, get better at speaking French, talk to more French people, and buy a pastry from the patisserie by our apartment.

Napoleon's Tomb

The wood's of the King aka my wood because we have that genealogy
trail right?

My poor shoes are taking a beating, they are
tearing themselves into pieces. Going to last
four more weeks?

Some real stagecoaches that were never used. They were part of an
inheritance. 

France Week One

Okay so I have been in France for a week now. Sorry about the blogging in French, it is for class. Here goes the English part. So far, I have loved my time here, but I am also realizing how much I love the United States.  I loved smiling at strangers and talking loud, buying cheap food and watching people be themselves in public. These types of things don't really happen in France. I do love the food here though, and the metro is so convenient.

This is me after two days on a plane. #firstfewhouseinparis

My host family consists of one person: our host mom. She is Brazilian, divorced (she was married in Vegas actually), and has two daughters that are studying abroad). She is very nice and speaks slow French, which I am so grateful for. I understand basically everything she says, or I did until I had been here for a week and started to not know how to speak in any language. After speaking and listening to French for a week, my brain is so tired! I think my French is getting worse, or at least it will get worse before it gets better. I need to build up some metal endurance.

Spending time with the members of the church is my favorite. Yesterday we spent the day with the JA (YSA). We had a devotional, ate lunch, and then went around Paris taking a picture in every district (there are 20). It was really cool to talk with them and get to know them. They have such strong testimonies and there are so few of them! Their strength definitely strengthened me. My directors told us to look for the differences in the church between home and here, but really the church is exactly the same. I love it because it feels very much like home. I talked to one girl who is eighteen, and she was very excited to turn nineteen and put in her mission papers. Everyone is going on missions here too; this mission craze isn't just happening in Utah.

Cultural differences that I love: I love how they greet people. They touch each cheek and make a kissing noise. Maybe I like it because it made us feel very welcome, or maybe because it is a good difference between hugging and and shaking hands. BYU culture has made hugging hands into something strange: It gets associated with return missionaries acting weird before they break into normal society again.

I also love how they eat dinner. This is probably my favorite French tradition. Dinners are very long and slow and lots of time is spent just sitting around and talking. First they bring out the salad. The first few times they did this, I thought that was what we were having for dinner and I was worried that I was going to starve. Then, after the salad, they bring out the main course, then dessert, then coffee or tea. We drink herbal tea of course. I love ending dinner just sitting around the table talking and drinking tea. I think I am going to try to implement this tradition in my future family for Sunday dinners. There is no way this would work on every day of the week in the United States. People are too rushed and too busy.

Commercialism and advertisements are interesting. There are so many American flags hanging around and so many English words everywhere. It reminds me of Anthropology (and other stores) where there are lots of French words embroidered on notebooks or shirts.

Mont-Saint-Michel

When we first got here, we got up the next day and took a bus to Normandy and Brittany. It was really cool to see the different regions in France. Each region is very proud of their food and whatever makes them unique. France is a very unified country politically (and culturally even), but it is a compilation of a bunch of different regions that revel in their uniqueness. We spent some times on the Normandy beaches learning about World War II, and in some little towns to experience their regionalisms. One thing I noticed was that people are extremely friendly in Brittany. They just come up and talk to you and are all so nice. My favorite Normandy beach was Pointe du Hoc, which was where the US soldiers had to climb up the cliffs. There were all these huge craters left from bombs and there were old abandoned bunkers you could walk through. In Brittany, we stayed in a beautiful walled town called Saint-Malo. I can't even imagine how much fun a hot summer day would be in Saint-Malo especially is you have a hotel there because all the tourists leave and the city is so peaceful.

A bombed bunker

In Paris, we have visited le Notre Dame and the Cluny Museum which is a museum of the middle ages. It was cool to see their combs and toys, bowls and art. We also went to Versailles  which is so ridiculously gaudy that it kind of makes me sick that Louis the 14th would build such a place. It was interesting though because he forced all the nobles to move there so he could try to unify France. So basically it was a prison for the nobles right? But it is also such a place of political peace. At the end, I watched a quick video that showed a bunch of different presidents from other countries visiting Versailles, and it showed the signings of the treaty of Versailles as well.

Trying to get back home from Versailles was not the easiest thing in the world. My roommate and I live in Neuilly sur Seine, which is a suburb right outside of Paris. We just take the metro everyday, but our Versaille is out of metro bounds, so we have to take the RER, which is basically a bigger underground train system. So we had to jumble in with everyone else in the world speaking French who wanted to come back from their day at Versailles. We were all at the train station trying to buy tickets from these machines that half the time don't work. No one was happy, and neither were we. We were there for about three hours trying to figure it out, just my roommate and I. Finally, we were able to buy tickets, but them mine wouldn't work! I was so frustrated. Then, I think I got it to work without realizing it, but wasn't able to go through, which used up the ticket. Now my roommate, Lauren, was on one side, and I was stuck on the other. There was no one to help us and we didn't know what to do. In a split second, I just squeezed up right behind someone and slipped through when the doors opened for them. They didn't even notice, and I don't even feel bad because I payed for the ticket at this crazy station. It was quite an adventure.

That was week one. Today we went to church, and I just want all foreign speaking missionaries out there to know that I have a new respect for you. Learning a language is so hard! At church, I always knew what we were talking about, but I would miss phrases or explanations or comments, which was so frustrating because I wanted to know what people were talking about! They actually have all of church translated into English, but I am trying to learn French here!

I am learning a lot of French! Like seriously a lot. But I am also realizing there is so much I don't know. Sometimes, I love the experience I am having, and sometimes I miss my family, friends, all the people I love back home, and being able to actually communicate with people. France is pretty great, but then again, I also really love the USA.

So mimes have grammar? I seriously love seeing mimes!
so interesting!

A comb from the Middle Ages.

Statues without heads from the Middle Ages.

The beach around Pont-Sant-Michel was so muddy.
There was actually sinking sand everywhere too!

Candles at Notre Dame

Our group!

Hidden staircase between two shops.

The water is so blue and clear!

Beurre en Bretagne

Madame Sprenger a dit qu’en Bretagne, il y a beaucoup de sorts du beurre.  Alors, j’ai acheté une tarte de la pomme à Saint-Malo. Elle est très délicieuse ! Mais, parce que le beurre est très différent du beurre aux États-Unis, beaucoup de temps, je confonds le beurre pour du formage. Pendant petit-déjeuner, j’ai mangé beaucoup de beurre dans mon pain, parce que je pensais qu’il y a du formage.  Pour me défendre, le beurre en Bretagne n’est pas le même du beurre aux États-Unis.  De plus, j’ai remarqué que Bretagne aime beaucoup leurs régionalismes. C’est probablement le même avec toutes les régions. J’ai vu cette carte postale qui parle du temps. Tout le monde parle de la pluie parce qu’ils sont fiers de Bretagne et ils sont aussi fiers du temps de Bretagne.

Together, we're gonna change the world: one student at a time

Map Animals

I am home for Easter weekend in beautiful warm Vegas City. In our study at my parents house, we have a world map wallpaper plastered up on one side of the room. Don't think that means I know geography very well, but I do know where all the hidden animals are. My brothers and I would sit around looking for all the different types of animals we could see. And now that I am sitting here alone typing away, I really miss those two boys. These animals remind me of them.

Norway, Sweden, Finland, and all those other Northern European countries is a beaver jumping off a rock into Europe.

Italy is a slug.

North and Central America is a jumping kangaroo - Northeast Canada is the head.

There is a upside down dog doing a flip over the Hudson Bay.

Africa is a horses head (it is facing south).

The Obsqaya Guba Bay is a running man without a head.

Iceland is a little guppy fish.

Maybe there are more, but these are just the typical agreed upon map animals in my house. Ask my brother about the diving beaver and he would know what I am talking about. This post goes out to them.

World Running

I am trying to run all the way around the world. Yes, the 24901.55 miles around the world. I started in Utah, and in 2009 I was in Boston (Hiiii Zander!); by the 18th of July, 2011, I was in Rome (always wanted to go there); I made it to Afghanistan on the 16th of August 2012, and to Nepal on the 2nd of December of that same year. So then, I stopped competing for BYU and training with the team. I spent two months just sitting in Nepal, wriggeling my toes around in the grass and lookin' up at Mt. Everest. Then I started running again; I mean, I still had 15571.55 miles to go #notevenhalfway #theworldissobig #run4lyfe

But, here is the catch, since I have started running again, I haven't logged any of my miles. I mean it was oh-way-to-easy to just have my coach keep track, but now, well, it is hard. Out on a run, oh what is that? Well why don't I just hop-skip off the route and see...feel like doing hills over and over again? want to race that random, unassuming person on the other side of the street? want to run around the block ten times? down the street and back? as far as I can see? without a watch? without a plan? Oh, let me tell ya, oh so tempting! and why not? Welp, I am trying to run around the world, that's why.

Check out this up front and personal page of my journal. Sorry it is backwards, I took the picture with the front camera on a tablet, just for kicks, giggles, and ring pops. I drew this map and have been mapping my progress until it halted in 2013. I need a new record keeper to log my miles. Any takers? Anyone?

Also, here is my beautiful team at the beach after a race. They will be my team forever.