Shall we off?

In a little more than an hour I am off on the next great adventure. Believe you me I am stoked. The last week or so has been much better than the previous three. I was able to have a last meal with a friend I made this semester. While in the end the night was a disaster it was good to see him one last time. I have also been spending a great deal of time with the Nanny Clan. They consist of 3 girls from New Zealand who are working as nannies. I heart them tons! While I was only able to see two of them as the third is gallivanting through Paris. We had what they dubbed a TEXAS week. They hung out with me (a Texan), learned how to play Texas Hold'em, and went to their first Tex-Mex restaurant. We even had a watermelon on the balcony. They took several pictures that when I get copies ill be sure to post. We also as is the case when any group of girls is let loose together went shopping. While it was glorious and wonderful I think that the magnetic strip on all our cards is broken. Basically it was just good to see people. We talked about how excited we are to meet all the new people this fall and are hoping to take some classes together. This would be great as they are fluent in French and I get all tongue tied every time a french person looks at me waiting for me to speak. It is so bad.

While I am thinking about it I wanted to thank Scarlette for commenting on the last blog. I have not heard from her or any of the girls in forever and was worried that I was a bit forgotten. It really meant alot to hear from her and McBrooke. Even after all these months here I miss my Girl Scouts terribly. Okay enough sap.

So this next adventure will be pretty cool. I am taking the train to Belgium to meet up with Silke. On Tuesday we head to Glasgow and will spend the following two weeks working our way south before heading back. There will even be a 2 day trip to Dublin. AND!!!! the queen is not in residence in London so the Palace is open for tours. If we do anything this trip other than of course the Guinness tour I want to go on a palace tour. Would that not be the coolest thing.

All of this of course is given that my gimp leg manages all right. Previous walking experiences with the Nanny Clan and the Goodbye Friend have led to the removal of skin on top of my foot because of the cast rubbing, and yucky swelling. But we shall see. I am taking my crutches and a good attitude. I know Silke will stop and rest and such and besides this can be like a taster trip to decide all the things that I have to go back and see in depth. You know because there is going to be a GIANT Egypt exhibit in London starting in November. I swear if it were not such a patriarchal field I would have gone into ancient history in a heartbeat. But alas I am a girl therefore only relegate to potential successes in late and modern historical fields. Such is life.

I am so giddy about this trip. I guess I will type at you all soon. Maybe on the trip or if not when I am back and begging for the next great adventure.

Be Well
K8e

Canned fruit and pretty perfume

Sometimes I feel like I am living in a TV show. Not in the people are staring sense but in many others. There are new episodes and seasons. Often there are guest stars and every once in a while there are running characters. It is silly is it not that one could think that? Or maybe we all think that every once in a while.

Here I am only 25 years old doing things that people do not even dream about. How lucky am I. I feel like I am stuck in the middle of November sweeps and the writers are not holding anything back at all. Maybe they are trying to positron me for an Emmy or a golden globe or maybe they are looking at establishing a long running show. Either way it is one heck of a ride.

Okay enough of the metaphors for now. I am at the point in my life and school where I have to seriously evaluate what comes next. It is all anyone talks about and it seems that it is all that I can think about. (It does not help that I have been stuck in bed for the last 2.5 weeks with my leg in a cast alone) It is time though for some honest reflection and maybe a few ideas.

Two years ago my path was set and I knew exactly what I was going to do and how I was going to get there. It was simple and clear. I have to confess that the only thing that remains of that girl is her name. Many of my dreams are still similar but in reality one day someone came into my life, turned on the lights to the world and said it is all out there what part of it do you want? How do you react to that. Well I did the typical Katie thing and totally ignored it for as long as I possibly could. Yet it was always there these opportunities and options and I never took the time to look at them carefully.

Now it seems that I have nothing else to do but to look at them. And I have to make some kind of decision. When I was in High School I desperately wanted to write. I wrote on anything about all sorts of things. In the 10th grade I had an English teacher that was wonderful. After class one day we were talking about writers in my grade and she said that there were two who were utterly capable of writing and had a future in it. She went on to tell me that it was not me. I stopped writing on napkins and in spirals and looked for another dream. Down the road I found history. I do not think that I have ever been really in love but i imagine that it feels something like i feel for history. To learn about other people and their choices and how they changed and impacted things gives me a rush i cant explain. The only thing more exciting than that is to be able to help someone else get as excited about it as I can be. To literally see passion and curiosity wake up in a person is amazing. I can only compare it to my high school days as a mascot. One year I had a football father come up to me and get teary. He told me that I made the games worth coming to. I think that moment was the closest to self pride that I have ever been.

Let me get back on track here. I have to come up with a plan, a goal, something to move towards. So I am going to lay out here the options that I see laying before me and some of the input that I have received from family and friends. Feel free to tell me what you think. I know that most of you will not and that is all right too. I bet you are asking yourself why I am writing about all of these things on a blog that my family and friends and even some of my teachers read. I do not have a specific answer. I kept other blogs that held many chapters of my life but I really am kind of over being several different people for everyone. Trick is i really am only one person and that is all ill ever be. You can take me or leave me and do not worry while you can hurt me by leaving you cannot break me. People are good at leaving in part i think its in our genetic makeup, whether it be by choice or not. I will be all right heck I will be better than all right and whatever path i end up on whether it be one i thought of or from a window I have not even seen yet i will be great.

I have a cousin who says that our family is really good at making people above average and under extraordinary. I used to think that he was right but really he is full of crap. We all build a safety net and this was ours...our genetics. Well here are my options throwing out genetics.

1. Finish my masters degree and go on to get my Phd (hopefully at UConn). I would be only the second in my family ever. I could then get a job as a professor and spend my life in academia teaching and researching about the lives and times of people throughout history. I think that this is the option that most people want me to choose. It is safe and is totally capable of keeping me comfortable and content. Maybe someday I could even publish my dissertation.

2. I could finish my masters degree and apply for the Peace Corps. I love to travel and with my background in education, childcare, and AIDS i would be an ideal candidate. I could go to some amazing place and touch the lives of people who have so little. If I could teach one child or prevent one woman from contracting AIDS i would have succeeded more than i ever though possible. This is a difficult option for many reasons. The connections that I have in this world would undoubtedly move on just as they have since I have been here in France. They get married, have babies, and they even die. Most of the people close to me are very against me going away for at least 2 years again. When do you decide where the line between you and them is?

3. I could finish my masters degree and move to Florida. I could live in my house and maybe become a high school teacher or teach at a community college. I would have a relatively easy life. Plenty of time to travel and do new things. But it would be a ceiling a final step, a place that I go to not go any further. Maybe someday someone would come into my life and we could be content there. This is another option that people are fans of.

4. I could finish my time here in France and go back to tech. I could not only finish my masters in History but attain a second in English, perhaps creative writing. Then I could see where the next step took me.

5. I could stay here in Europe forever. I could travel and write and maybe if I stayed somewhere long enough i could start painting again (did you even know i used to paint?). I could lead a terribly fantastical life fraught with adventure and surprise. The next step would always be an anomaly. I have not met anyone yet other than me that thinks this is even remotely a good choice. But something about it entices me.

6. I could finish my masters degree and look for a job in the "real world" Maybe with the government or something. Become a white collar American. Another safe choice albeit a bit rigid. Family really likes this idea ALOT.

So these are just a few of my options that i never really knew I had. I think that you would be overwhelmed too. I feel better putting them out there for the world to see.

On a different note my ankle is doing well...i think..its in this horribly uncomfortable cast that makes it hard to walk. And the stitches feel super weird all the way down there. Cast comes off Sept 7 and then I have some intense physical therapy. Who would have though that i came all the way to France to have my ankle reconstructed.


Be Well,
k8e

Hello all,

Well I guess it is not really all as there are really only two people whom I know read this and one is my mother. PS Thank you Aunt Nancy for calling me just to check up. It really meant a lot.

Lets get started I have absolutely no excuse for taking so long to update. I cannot even say that nothing has happened because so much has. Ill give the readers digest version first for those of you who don't want to read all the way through. I believe that the last time I updated was sometime in Avril. Well since then I finished classes, went to the US for two weeks, Alice came to visit and we went to Prague, Amsterdam, Geneva, and Paris; I moved to a new apartment in the same building, I was given a surgery date for my ankle of July 13 ( yes I am aware that is Friday the 13), and the last of my new found family here in France has returned to their respective homes and countries.

Those of you that are interested in K8E ramblings feel free to continue all others thank you and you are now sufficiently caught up on my goings ons.

It is hard to think of where to even start. The last few months have been overwhelming in so many ways. Interesting thing though is that they are positive overwhelms. The most impacting will seem silly but to me it is a big deal. I am not good at good byes, I never have been. Not since my step dad died when I was a tyke (this whole other story about a glass of milk, perhaps another time). For a great portion of my life I have not had to say goodbye. People simply leave, are not going away for ever, die, or I go away. I don't mean that at all in a feel bad for me way. Lets face is most of the time it is me leaving or me managing to get other people to leave (98% of the time my own darned fault).

But this is different I am in a position now where I am expected to say bye. How weird is that. I mean I know that back home I went out to dinner with friends for my farewell dinner, but really it wasn't bye I will see them again. Yet here I find myself going to these dinners, drinks, group hugs where I am to say goodbye to people whom there is a great likely hood of me never seeing again. To put it simply I just do not know how to do it. Part of me is still that little girl in the back room playing thinking that everyone elses lives just pause or cease to exist when they are not in my life anymore but the rest of me is old enough to know that is not at all the case. It is strange for me to see these people whom I barely know that have well they have accepted me for who I am. Another really new phenomenon. Some people I met for just an evening like the Belgian Dr. Student or the Glorified Pool Boy and others I knew almost the whole time I was here like Silke and Dan. They never once question who I was or what my motives where and for the most part never expected anything from me. I wonder if maybe this is what philosophers are talking about when they say as you get older you make family not friends cause its true they each and every one of them were part of my family even if just for a short time. Is this what it means to feel like you are home?

If it is then moving to France was the smartest thing that I have ever done because I truly have missed out on this feeling and these people who so seamlessly fit into existence. And in the end it makes me appreciate 100000 times more the people that I know are back home. The Collin and Nicole who still take care of my mail even if they are ready to divvy up my things if I decide to stay ( WHICH I HAVE NOT), Amy who gets in touch with me halfway around the world to tell me she is marrying the guy of her dreams, Garrett who wakes up to look up phone numbers for me while I am in Europe (cheaper than info.), Tim who avoids me just as much as I avoid him (yes we are both okay with it), Staci who is up for the impromptu Vegas trip, the people who remember my postcard collection and send me some now and again (thanks Kathryn and Katie), and Alice who flies halfway around the world so we can stay up until 7am at some Bistro in Paris with a bunch of Belgians. I am the luckiest woman in the world because those people whether we are still getting into trouble 30 years from now are with me forever. How cool is that. And as my life continues on this path that I am so uncertain of I get to meet more amazing people who will impact my life in ways that I cannot even begin to acknowledge. WOW!

Okay enough philosophizing you want to see pictures and here about what I was up to :)

I went to an doctor while I was in the USA and he stuck me in this cast. I spent two and a half " wonderful" weeks in it before the French doctor promptly took it off so that I could get strong enough for surgery. Ironic is it not that you have to have a healthy strong ankle in order to repair the fact that you can not walk without hurting it. :)

You can see that Karrie, Ducky and I had a lot of very important bonding time. That blob on my right side is actually Ducky.

These two photos were taken at dinner the night before I left. I was especially grateful for this because I did not get to see most of these people before I left the last time.

Alice came to visit for a few weeks and we had a fabulous time. We were able to meet up with Silke and her friends in Paris. This picture above was from a pub called Wallace here in Lyon.

When we got to Prague we decided to take this car tour of the city from this kid who thinks the fall of communism was the worst thing ever (you can imagine how well we got along). And boy was he in love with this car.

This was also in Prague in front of the original Town hall. Most of it was burned by the Nazi's but this clock that represents the plague managed to survive.

While we were in Amsterdam we managed to fit in a trip to the Anne Frank hous which was far more moving than either of us had anticipated. Everyone should try to go there at least once in their lives.

Here are Alice, Silke and I at Versailles. We spent 9 hours there and still just barely managed to see the orangery. AKA big area with more than 800 orange trees that Louis XIV had because he was jealous of "some other not royal guy".

I don't remember whose idea it was but we ended up renting a canoe on the Canal at Versailles. We probably should have been more prepared for the fact that we would then have to row ourselves. We survived unscathed and surprisingly enough no one ended up in the water although we were a bit wet.

The last night we were in Paris Alice and I went on this awesome outing. It was dinner at the Eiffel Tower, a river cruise, and the night ended with seeing the Moulin Rouge. Each and every peice of it was as wonderful as I could imagine.

I figured I would end this post with an entertaining photo. Leave it to Alice and I to be super silly on the night cruise in Paris. Seriously how could we not be everyone all around us was kissing..

I will do my best to update after i get home from the surgery but I know that I will be out of it for a few days. If you want to email me your phone numbers so I can call when able I will. Otherwise if you just email me at katie.nolde@gmail.com I will just email back so you know everything went alright.

love to you all.

Be Well,

K8E

To quote the fabulous Amy C = I got the mean reds!

Here goes yet another seemingly ridiculous post about my leg. I think that at this point I am not entirely opposed to simply cutting it off and feeding it to the lions. But that might possibly be a little drastic.

So I had yet another scan of my leg where they determined yet again that I had no breaks but some serious tears in the ligaments and a great deal of inflammation. That was on Monday. Tuesday I went back to see the Sports Doc and gave him the results. I told him that the swelling does go down with this orthopedic sock. And it is true that the pain is better when the swelling is down. He really did not give me a chance to tell him that when I take the sock off it swells back up. My goal of the appointment was for them to schedule the surgery so that at least there is a time frame on the end of this whole ordeal.

I am not by any means someone who wants surgery. I am however someone who is familiar with her own ankle and the amount of times that she has injured it. I also remember all the doctors in my past telling me that if I hurt it again I was going to need surgery to re-stabalize my ankle. I ALSO REMEMBER THE SAME MAN TELLING ME THAT JUST A WEEK AGO.

Well he has done an about face on his previous decision and is now saying that after 7 weeks in a boot cast I can just walk like its nothing and that he does not think that I will need surgery. But he will not decide for at least another month. ?!?!?! Which means that if I do end up needing surgery. My ENTIRE summer will be wasted instead of just the beginning. Talk about frustrating.

I have been able thus far to make jokes and find the lighter side of this whole ankle order but at this point I feel like I have wasted two months...IN FRANCE. I was not able to go to class, or to travel, heck I did not really get to spend much time with new friends other than those in the building. My life had to pause in this amazing place because of my leg.

Now the stubborn Katie in me wants to force her leg to be as miraculously better as the doc thinks and get out there and live life in France and her beautiful spring. But the scaredy cat Katie is all to aware of the fact that she hurt her ankle this badly by simply walking. What is to say that it wont happen all over again. Is there a term for having a phobia of walking...other than crazy.

Okay that is all out...I am going to try to stop talking about my ankle and its ensuing dramas unless there are valid..and scheduled for really real updates.

THE OTHER FRONT.

This week is the last week of classes and next week are finals, presentations and turning in of papers. I have to still write a paper and get a hold of the notes for a class that I was only able to attend like three times. Fortunately I can rely on the fact that I already have a degree in Political Science. This should help me to muddle through the final. As for the paper and the presentation we all know too well that i only really function in the ninth inning so I am confident that too will be done. Then I have the French final on Tuesday. That should run rather smoothly.

Once those things are done I will focus on getting my work done for my TTU classes. I am quite lucky that they are being so patient. I also need to figure out about scheduling my trip to the states to get my visa stuff taken care of. I was hoping to make it back for two weeks but at this point that might be hard. I think that it will be weird to be stateside after a few months here in France.

HAPPY SECTION

This past weekend Jane and I went to Paris for the weekend. We did not have much of a plan just a go and relax weekend. I think that I am getting the photos from her tomorrow and I will post them then.

Until then Have a wonderful day :)

Be Well
Katie

CCF = It is France

Well world out there it is official. I have to have surgery on my ankle. Of course though there is a catch. They cannot operate until the pain and the swelling are gone. Yes this basically means that I cannot have the needed surgery to fix my ankle until it is for all intents and purposes better. Then the surgery will be done. My ankle will be in a cast for 6 weeks and then I face 3 months of physical therapy. After that I should be good as new...which is better than it will have been since I was 13.

The doctor was trying to assess old injuries which apparently you can see in my scans. He asked me how many times I have seriously sprained my ankle. My best guess is that I have hurt it 12 times in the last 12 years. Which basically means that I am a gimp. But now I am a gimp who knows what the next few months will be like and strangley that is a bit freeing and empowering.

I have quite a few things that I need to get done in the next two weeks. None of them are particularly overwhelming but necessary nonetheless. My goal is to have the majority of these things done by the 24 of Avril. I know that I wont be able to get all of my TTU stuff done in that time but that is what respit is for. I have to read 11 books for that and write short papers on each. My goal is to have 5 of them done by the 24 of Avril. After that I can work on the others and get the 25 page paper done. As well as all the work for the other class i am taking.

TO DO:
CLT Class Work - 5 pages
CLT Presentation- 10 minutes + Power Point
Paper on the Schengen Treaty - 13 Pages
France into the EU - 5 pages
EU Integration -Final Exam
French- Worksheets
French -Final Exam
Book Review #1 - 2pages
Book Review #2 - 2pages
Book Review #3- 2 pages
Book Review #4 - 2pages
Book Review #5 - 2pages

I guess in reality I totally have my work cut out for me. But it will be a good diversion from the fact that I kinda feel like I moved all the way to France to have surgery. Hopefully next week I will have some kind of a date for the surgery. I have not decided if I will post the date mainly because I do not want people to worry. I do not know yet.

Have a great evening.
k8e

French doctors love their adjectives

While I have not been on any amazing adventures I figured I would give a so far update of the goings on in my life :). I am almost half way through the Avril break. I am trying to make the best of being stranded in Lyon by getting lots of French done and tons of reading for my courses back home.

I have made a new friend at Physical Therapy. His name is Ronny and he is from New Zealand. He plays Rugby for the Lyon team. I know very little about Rugby so I tend to be rather unimpressed but other people think it is pretty cool. He is a nice guy who has been kind enough to drive me around the city and get me out of the apartment once in a while. Last week we went up to the Fourviere and to the International City where the Zoo is. I also got a chance to make a few people in the building hamburgers. I think that they were a hit. I really do enjoy having people to cook for.

I have been kinda laying low this week and just taking a bit of time to reflect on the things that I am truly grateful for. As some of you know 2 Avril was the 1 year anniversary of my father dying. While there are times when I miss him terribly I almost feel that I need not worry because he is always here. Maybe that is my happy spin for it all. But there are so many things to be grateful for. I am here in France doing something that I love and meeting amazing people all the while having these amazing experiences.

There has been one interesting thing that I have learned lately. While the French do not often speak English. They are masters at adjectives. Well the doctors are at least. I had the MRI on my ankle on Lundi as well as the Cortisone injection. The injection was quite painful and you could literally see my foot swell up. I am supposed to be patient because supposedly in a few days it is going to feel loads better. So far 3 days later and I actually think it hurts more. Wait I digress. Once the scan and the shots were done I had to wait for the results. 130 Euros later I was ushered into a room where the oddly white haired doctor came in. In broken English he told me that I had no bone fragments or fractures. But I have HUGE tears in my ligaments and that my ankle is probably unstable. Keep in mind trusty leaders this scan was done almost 6 weeks after the original injury and they are still seeing HUGE (yes that was his word) tears. I have an appointment with the specialist again Mardi and hopefully we will come up with a course of action then. In the meantime I had to see him to get some pain medication to counter the inflatable foot I have since the injection. He looked at my scan and came out and said that I had a BAD BAD BAD BAD (yes he said bad 4 times) Sprain and that I would need a very thorough exam on Mardi.

See what I mean about the overwhelming adjectives. I am trying to remain optimistic and have been going to Physical Therapy, but it just does not seem to be getting much better. In the mornings my foot will look normal but by the evening it is swollen and funny looking again. I have taken a few pictures but I will go ahead and spare you the experience. What I am getting at is that I am coming to terms with the fact that I may well have to have surgery here in France. Maybe if I just embrace it then somehow it wont turn out that way at all. Who woulda thunk all this trouble just from tripping on a street in Prague. So the wait and see method is in full effect.

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter :)

K8E

big black boot

A thousand apologies for taking so long to post a new entry. I am not going to bother making excuses as to why. I am well into my third month here in France and while it has been challenging for reasons I never expected it really has been the time of my life.

The last time we spoke I told you I was headed on a trip of a lifetime across Eastern Europe. I went on the trip and it was...magical. :) These are just a few pictures of the trip. While I am not new to blogging I am to this particular type and it is really hard to upload pictures onto the site. I am certain that there is some simple way to do it that I just have not figured out yet.

Before I explain all the pictures I will remind you..wait you never knew...that three days before we left on this trip Jane (New York by way of the Philippines), Sarah (North Carolina), and Alice (Australia) pressured me into riding a velo (bicycle). Not 15 minutes into the ride I made the most beautiful face plant onto a side walk. I wish there had been a camera because I probably actually flew over the velo. So in many of the pictures you can see the progression of my face from super swollen and red to scabby and gross and eventually just an odd scar on the side of my face.

Here we are setting out on our adventure. This is Jane, Alice, and I. This picture is taken in Geneva right after we left the train station. We left for the trip at 6am so I am not really sure how we are all still awake.
Here is a view from the top of the tower at the Saint-Pierre Cathedral in Geneva. You can see in the distance the Geneva Lake and a geyser type thing spouting from it. We did not make it all the way over to find out exactly why it does that or if it is natural. I will definitely have to find this out on another trip.



A very important lesson in travelling to other countries is to know what days of the week things are closed. We did not do this before we left. While we were in Budapest on a Monday most things were closed. We were however able to see bits and pieces of Hungarian Culture. This is a balcony that we walked past. It stood out from the literally thousands of plain balconies.

Here are Jane, Sarah and I in front of the only exhibit that we were able to get into while in Budapest. It was an amazing exhibit that looked at the life and art of Van Gogh.

It is possible that Vienna is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Not that I have seen many places. The first place that we went after checking into the Hostel was the gigantic cemetery. Alice (Australia) is a giant music fan and was super excited when we found the graves of many of histories most popular composers. This picture is actually of Mozart's grave.
Here is the Castle in Vienna. Inside of it we were able to see some interesting exhibits on the royal silver...yes that means silverware and plates. While that may not have been my favorite we were able to learn about Empress/Queen Elizabeth better known as Sisi. I think that she may be a drastically overlooked monarch in the USA. She is fascinating and has a movie that is considered one of the most famous things to come out of Vienna called Sisi. I have not seen it nor have I been able to find it so if anyone of you have seen it or know where it is please let me know.

Prague was by far my most favorite city on the trip. I left the group when we got there and went on a tour given by an Ex-Pat from the UK named Paul. Turned out I was the only person who signed up for the tour that day so I got a private tour of Prague. This building above is in Old Town. And was the City Hall. You can see on the right how the building just stops. At the end of WWII when the Nazi's were pulling out they set fire to the building but it only burned to that point. Instead of rebuilding it they chose to close it off there as a reminder. On the left side is a fascinating clock. It depicts a story of the plague and every hour the skeleton tells the bad people that they are going to die, yet they never do. If there is one place so far that I recommend going Prague is most definitely it.

Again in Prague this time on the (I believe) King Charles bridge. There are 30odd statues along this crooked bridge. This particular one is of a religious person who had angered the king and was thrown off the bridge. (According to Paul the tour guide, Prague was very consistent in dealing with people they didn't agree. They threw them out a window or off a bridge). Legend has it that the area below it became very lucky and people there were not affected by the Plague. Now people come to this statue and make a wish for luck. A funny little known fact about it is that some time ago people came along and rubbed out the little dog and now people often wish on that rather than the actually "lucky" figure.

Alice has a theory that one of the 8 people we were with must have wished on the dog because not only was I badly hurt in Prague but we ran into some immigration problems getting into Germany. But that is all for later in the entry.

Prague actually has the largest castle in the World. You can see it off in the distance behind me. The Cathedral there is actually built inside of the castle grounds. It was so beautiful. The Current President has a flat inside the palace that he sometimes stays at.

While I was not able to get a good photo of it. There is a bridge that connects the Palace to the Cathedral where the King could travel without mingling with the commoners. Legend has it that when the Cathedral was being built one of the builders looked down and saw his wife with another man. He then threw a brick down and killed one or both of them . He was later executed but the other builders thought that he was such a good worker, they secretly built a statue of him holding a brick he is about to throw. It was hidden so that no one could see it unless they were looking for it.

This road is called the Golden Row and it is actually inside of the palace grounds. This is where the knights, kings men, and goldsmiths lived. Hence the name the Golden Row, It almost looks like a miniature village.

Here is me inside one of the doorways in the Golden Row. If you know me then you know how short I am.

As we were heading to the bus terminal on our way out of Prague I tripped. Yes I was just walking. Well I managed to tear the ligaments and possibly the tendon in my ankle. It has been nearly a month and they are still uncertain if i broke it. On 26 March I have an MRI to try and figure out why it is not healing at all. This is the reason I have not really updated...wait I am getting ahead of myself.

While we were on the bus we were pulled of by the German Authorities because we apparently had the wrong Visas. So after 14 hours of being detained they ended up letting us pass to Berlin anyway. Unfortunately even though they sent me to the hospital my leg was in pretty bad shape.

The only part of Berlin that we saw was through a bus tour because I could not walk. We did take the time to go to a flea market though and it was great fun. I am not including any pictures because I really hope to return someday and include proper photos of an amazingly historical city.

I have been back from this trip for several weeks but unfortunately have not seen much more than the inside of my apartment and the physical therapists office. I have been unable to go to school or really do much of anything. I have been able to get out a few times but not for anything particularly noteworthy. Because of my leg I will be unable to do any travelling during the upcoming break in Avril. I plan to use this time to get some reading done and get caught up on papers for school both here and back at Texas Tech.

I would not say that I have necessarily been homesick but I miss many of the people back home and well am a bit surprised at how few people I have heard from. Oh well.

I hope that you are all well and I will try very hard to be better about updating.

Week 5 already?!?

This week was relatively low key. Okay that may not be true at all it was fairly eventful. Not only have I been out most nights but people have been coming over for meals. It is always great fun to sit around over a decent meal and just get to know each other. This dish below is by far the most popular one that i make. It is Chicken (poulet i think that is spelled right) Curry with Cashews over rice. I think it is quite tasty and there are never any leftovers. Not to mention that my apartment and my hall always have this super nice odor.

I am slowly but surely gettting my apartment in order. As many of you can tell the theme is Orange :) only the best color ever. But look at all the empty room for wonderful postcards :) I kind of like the way it is starting to look. And yes girls I actually make my bed every single day and you should too. :)
A few weeks ago it snowed here in France and I was able to take this neat picture from my balcony. I have a bit of a decent view which is quite nice. The snow however was just simply quite cold. Too cold.

Here is a picture of Jane (New York), Jelena (North Carolina), and I last Sunday at the Tex Mex restraunt. It was so much fun. If any of you make it here we will have to go to this place again..Such an awesome experience.

This weekend I was going to head off to some random city in France but I think that instead I will take it easy. The next month is going to be crazy enough. For our big trip that starts next weekend we have decided to add a day in Vienna, which means that I will be going to 5 Countries in 7 days. WOW! And the week after that there is a Film Festival in Nice that Jane and I are planning on going to. I know I have plans after that but I really cannot remember them all.

Well I guess that is all for now. Hard to believe that I have been here for 5 weeks already. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Be Well
k8e

Please be patient with me.

I think that this is a picture of me at the top of the Arch D'Triumph overlooking the Eiffel Tower..But all I can see in the post area are web numbers.

I am so very sorry about the irregular posting. I am trying to figure the least complicated way to upload pictures for you all to see. Right now that web link in the previous entry seems to be the best bet. But I am certain that there is a better way.

Things here are very good. I hosted a dinner party on Friday evening and almost 40 people showed up. It was an ingredient party where everyone brings something and we see what we end up with. Our dishes were awesome; Eggplant and pesto over angelhair, Pineapple(here it is called Anana)Chicken, and grilled mushrooms and corgettes with crab meat and rice mixed with a cucumber sauce as well as 2 quiches. Those were our main dishes. I guess maybe I forgot just how much I love to cook.

Classes have begun and I have decided to only take three classes here. They are Theories of EU Integration, Comparitive Legal Traditions and Contemporary Indian Society. My French class continues throughout the semester. I am also taking two graduate courses back at home so my work is definately cut out for me. Even though I only have class on Monday Tuesday and Thursday.

The University has paired me up with a French Buddy..although mine is actually from Russia. Her name is Elena and she is quite sweet. She is studying international buisness.

Do not fret though I am managing a few trips. Last weekend I spent a few days in Paris. I cannot tell you the last time I was so cold. In two weeks we are planning a large trip during our first vacation. I will be going to Geneva, Budapest, Prague and Berlin. That should be one wild adventure. In April I plan to go to Germany for a week to meet Sigi and Renata.

It is really so hard to believe that I have been here for a month. At times I miss certain things about home so much that I could cry. Slowly though I am finding things here to do that are equally as wonderful. Today I sat on my patio for a few hours and just chatted. I also have taken to cooking for several people in the building. Which is another thing that I love. It is a great way to get to know new people. I also love that here in France I have to slow down. It can be fustrating at times but in the end I rather like that I can sit in a Cafe and have an espresso and stay for 2 hours. And the dinners here are an event. At least 4 courses and all so wonderful. I have even tried escargo (snails). They were wonderful.While I have been fortunate to meet new people I desprately miss my old friends and my girls. I spoke to them the other day and it really was the highlight of my week. I have also missed hanging out with Garrett and my weekly dinners with Amy not to mention my four day political/religious talks with Joe and being the third wheel in the Collin/Nicole marriage. But there is a british guy named Dan who reminds me so much of Garrett and Stephanie and I have our gossipy lunches/dinners. I know that it is not the same I dont know its so hard to explain. I have this amazing opportunity and it is working out so well. The truth of the matter is that I could not have made it here if it were not for the help and support of all of you. OK enough sappyness.

Tonight we are going to Hotel De Ville (City center) and having dinner at a resteraunt that claims to be tex-mex :) I will reserve judgment until after dinner.

I do have one favor to ask those of you who read this. Some of you already know that I collect postcards from all over the world. I wanted to know if maybe in your free time you could send some from the different places that you are. It would be an interesting addition to my collection not only to have postmarks from all of your homes but also since they will be coming to France. Thank you so much. If you do not have my address it is 42 Rue Des Herideaux Lyon, France 69008.

I hope that you all have a wonderful evening :)

http://picasaweb.google.com/wanderk8

From Paris

Getting into the swing of things.

Here are just three pictures from my trip around the city this weekend. The blogger is acting funny and wont let me put any more up. I just wanted you all to get a chance to see a taste of the city I now call home.


This is just a random wall that is built into the mountain. I think it will be a goal of mine to find out exactly what it is.

One of the many churches in the city. You can see behind it on the right the Cathedral.

This is the Abbey St. Ampere. So beautiful.

Ok well I hope that you are all well. But I guess I am wondering who is reading this. I know that members of my family are but I have not heard from any of the Girl Scouts since I left Lubbock. Oh well i am sure they are quite busy doing exciting things.

Have a wonderful week.

My first days in France

well my travels have hit their skids and I am here in France. It was quite difficult getting the apartment squared away. When I first moved in the heat did not work nor the toilet or the cold water. Talk about overwhelming when you do not know the language at all. But it is all coming together and in a few hours classes will begin for the semester.

I am certain that once classes begin and I am able to meet more people I will be more comfortable here. It is still very hard to believe that I am in France. There are some differences that are constant reminders that i am not in the states any more.

My goal is to put some pictures of my apartment and the area up in the next few days..

Be Well

k8e