My experience.

22 days.

it’s so odd. The days keep shrinking…

I would like to think it’s the whole “Ground Hog Day” storyline, where maybe I just keep living the same day over and over and over again. But then each day the numbers keep changing from bigger to smaller,
And smaller to smaller,
And from smaller to even more smaller

Till one day, maybe even the smallest of smalls won’t exist anymore. And then all I will have are the journals that contain my memories. But I guess that’s something beautiful.

this last bit is from Saint Paul, (the most ADORABLE little village/town in the mountains i have seen in my life) It looks like it’s from a fairytale.

in this bunch, it contains Monte Carlo, Provence (where we stayed), and Nice

All in all we went to: Provence, Monte Carlo, Nice, Cannes, Saint Paul, etc.

I went to France the beginning of May. Here is the beginning of my trip in Monte Carlo. Enjoy!

P.S. I realized how much of my French I forgot…but also noticed how much of it I understand. Contradicting much?

I Don’t Like Assholes…A Short Story
Middle of March:It’s the first family lunch at my last and final host family. We were gathered around the table, and had just finished eating. Everyone was laughing and enjoying each others fine company as they were asking me some general questions. (i.e. what do you like to do? do you play sports? etc. etc.) I answered them quite well, and was happy with myself that such a general conversation to me was now so easy to have without any type of struggle….and then they asked me this question:

Host mom: So, is there any type of food that you don’t like?
I thought for a moment. Searching for some type of food that didn’t strike my fancy. Oh yeah! I thought I should probably tell them that I don’t like rabbit. So, i said just that:
Me: Yeah, I don’t like assholes.
Everyone goes quiet, and then looks at me with blank eyes. Panic strikes because I thought I mispronounced the word. For all I had known, I said Rabbit. So I said it again, and this time much more louder and pronounced.
Me: You know, assholes?
There’s a sort of glimmer in everyone’s eyes, a crack of a smile appearing on their faces. My face at this point is boiling red, my heart beating violently fast. the amount of awkward in that room, i can not even begin to describe/don’t even want to remember. I decide to drop my pride and say it in english:
me: I don’t like rabbit.
Everyone: OH!!
then we all bursted in a roar of laughter, and it was a cute family moment.
The end!
Now I know the difference between assholes and rabbit.
Coniglio-Rabbit Coglione-Asshole (See? It’s so close!! Anyone could mix that up.) — I Don’t Like Assholes…A Short Story

Middle of March:
It’s the first family lunch at my last and final host family. We were gathered around the table, and had just finished eating. Everyone was laughing and enjoying each others fine company as they were asking me some general questions. (i.e. what do you like to do? do you play sports? etc. etc.) I answered them quite well, and was happy with myself that such a general conversation to me was now so easy to have without any type of struggle….and then they asked me this question:
Host mom: So, is there any type of food that you don’t like?

I thought for a moment. Searching for some type of food that didn’t strike my fancy. Oh yeah! I thought *I should probably tell them that I don’t like rabbit.* So, i said just that:

Me: Yeah, I don’t like assholes.

Everyone goes quiet, and then looks at me with blank eyes. Panic strikes because I thought I mispronounced the word. For all I had known, I said Rabbit. So I said it again, and this time much more louder and pronounced.

Me: You know, assholes?

There’s a sort of glimmer in everyone’s eyes, a crack of a smile appearing on their faces. My face at this point is boiling red, my heart beating violently fast. the amount of awkward in that room, i can not even begin to describe/don’t even want to remember. I decide to drop my pride and say it in english:

me: I don’t like rabbit.

Everyone: OH!!

then we all bursted in a roar of laughter, and it was a cute family moment.

The end!

Now I know the difference between assholes and rabbit.

Coniglio-Rabbit Coglione-Asshole (See? It’s so close!! Anyone could mix that up.)

my newest favorite love.

and also my love song to Italy. tacky, i know. but does anyone read this blog anyway? so might as well let myself have these sentimental moments.

the beginning part of my week with my parents. this is when we went i showed them around my city, Milan, and then the beginning part of Rome. more to come.

Lately life here has gotten so incredibly sweet—just like these cupcakes that i made for my classmates. (Can you believe they don’t exist here?!) Thinking about coming home makes tears come to my eyes and my heart starts to beat really fast. My days are limited…too much. I’m really just trying to enjoy my remaining two months while I have them left.
Ti voglio bene, Italia. — Lately life here has gotten so incredibly sweet—just like these cupcakes that i made for my classmates. (Can you believe they don’t exist here?!) Thinking about coming home makes tears come to my eyes and my heart starts to beat really fast. My days are limited…too much. I’m really just trying to enjoy my remaining two months while I have them left.

Ti voglio bene, Italia.

Two months into my exchange I wrote in my journal*, “although I’ve only been here for such a short time, I feel as if I my independence has been stripped away. I feel like a kid again, not only because of the new atmosphere, people and place, but also because im clueless, fragile, and helpless. I miss the feeling of being able to take care of myself and know I will be okay. I just don’t know if I will have that feeling whenever I’m here.”
Now I’m looking at the opposite direction. I have more days here, than I have days left. 73 days. But now that I’m looking on this side, I see the independence I’ve gained. When I wrote that, I meant in reference to my helplessness of transportation, desire to move and do things, want to feel like I knew what I was doing. And I’ve gained that. But I’ve also gained so much more, probably something I didn’t have in mind.
So here I am. On the other side.
It’s prettier here too. I like it(:

I’ll have a post about my trip with my parents up soon.
That’s all for now.

*I’ve gone through three more since then.