April and May were amazing because I spent the entire time traveling! April 11-22 with the Rotary Bus Trip and April 22-May 9 with my family who came to visit me. With the Rotary we went from Strasbourg (the cathedral is beautiful). To Nuremberg where we ended up at a little carnival fair where we ate some delicious sausages and we danced and rode some rides. In Prague to we took a tour of one of the most beautiful castles in my life and enjoyed some delicious food...I had a great lunch with Hope Nelson. It was so nice to share the experience with Hope...as we started the journey together. After we drove the the hills of Austria and stopped over in Vienna...it was so clean and regal and a little bit different from other European cities that I had experienced. I loved driving through Austria though. The weather was beautiful and it literally was like being in side "The Sound of Music." Next stop was Venice! My favorite next to Prague. It was a definite check off the bucket list and it was HOT HOT HOT. We ate pizza and took a gondola ride, and of course finished the day with some Gelato. Our hotel was right on the beach so we got some beach time as well. The next day in Milan we took a tour of the cities fortress and the high street shops, followed by a dinner of what else? PASTA!!!! The next day after driving through some snow covered alps we reached Geneva and got a tour of the United Nations Building, which was cool to share with people from around the world. The next day we road up an old train to a peak in Chamonix and had lunch. We couldn't see much due to the weather but since it was our last day together we didn't mind. In Paris I met my family at the train station. There were some tears but it was so nice to show my family around the culture that has become mine in the past year. We visited the Louvre, the Musee D'Orsay, the Notre Dame, and we even got to have a moment in the Sacre Coeur when the choir was practicing. It was breathtaking. We then went to the alps to visit some friends, another tour of Italy, Switzerland, and back to my house. My host parents made a tradition french dinner called Raclette for my parents (a cheese and meat dish sooo good yet sooo bad). After we headed to London where everyone got a nice language break. We checked out the Tower and walked down the River Thymes. Last stop was Brussels where we enjoyed some Mussels and Fries, a favorite of the Belgians. The funny thing is, I didn't cry leaving the US but saying goodbye to my parents was a lot harder the second time around. I definatly agree with the rule where your parents have to wait to come visit. I was in a strong emotional place after being in France for a while and it was still hard going back home without my family. However, being with my family has made me realize just how far I have come...I have changed a lot. It really flips everything around coming on exchange....at the beginning you second guess who you are, second guess your world views, pretty much you second guess everything you knew about yourself and the world...and through the experience you build up a stronger sense of the world and yourself. It is not something easy to describe.
With only two months left I have been doing a lot of appreciating and reflecting. I want to thank the Rotary for this experience and what it has taught me, I want to thank my family, and all my exchange student friends who I will always stay in contact with...and especially I want to say to Nissa....good luck girl...study Italian before you get there, don't stress out, and above all enjoy every minute leading up to your exchange and every day after.
Plaza in Prague
Gondola in Venice
Lake Como North Italy with Mom and Sister
Bisous
Mallory
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