It seems fitting that I post this a year after the day I left for France. I have been through a lot of changes in the last year. I didn’t realize how much until I started thinking about all these changes lately and how blessed I am. I am really happy with the last year of my life. I hope this upcoming year can be just as amazing, with new challenges, new faces, and a whole lot of fun! Taking nothing for granted and being thankful for my blessings every step of the way.
Here’s what I came up with:
4 months at home in Sacramento.
8 months living in France.
4 plane rides across the Atlantic Ocean.
8 flights altogether (majority of the mileage over Europe).
1 contract that was incredibly late.
1 trip to the French Consulate in San Francisco.
Too many trains to count.
5 consecutive months of not driving (and being okay with that).
Trying beets for the first time (and liking them, a lot!)
1 month (scattered throughout the year) with my best friend.
12 classes of French students between the ages of 10-26.
1 class who threw paper airplanes at me out the window as I was leaving my very last day.
>10 times watching the Eiffel Tower light up at night.
1 amazing castle covered in snow.
3 amazing friends who made my 23rd birthday truly unforgettable.
5 language barriers (6 if count the unrecognizable Scottish English).
2 thoughtful couples who shared a little piece of their day and their life with me in Rome.
5 BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL cities of the Cinque Terre.
1000000 times I asked myself “Is this my life right now?”
15 other assistants who quickly became my friends.
1 Papal Blessing in Vatican City.
1 very important football game watched at 2:30 in the morning on a 10 inch screen with headphones.
1 ferry ride across the English Channel.
3 weeks of constant strikes from the French.
6 other people I shared a home with for 8 months.
3 days I have played all-out volleyball.
1 month coaching volleyball camps and teams.
4 passport stamps I would have liked but no one cared whether or not I entered the country.
20 days spent in Oregon.
Multiple quiches.
1 trip to the Champs-Elysees Christmas Fair in the snow.
>50 metro rides.
2 beautiful weddings celebrated with good friends.
3 times I have driven from Eugene to Bend.
1 very fun tour of the Deschutes Brewery with my dad.
100 Nutella waffles at the Caen Christmas Fair in just 3 weeks.
3 trips to Angers to see my friends and family.
1 time staying out all night in Paris, waiting for the metro to re-open in the morning.
1 chateau I passed or walked-through on a daily basis.
1 sleepover with some of my best friends.
1 night going out in San Francisco.
4 amazing friends meeting up in Santa Cruz for a much needed reunion.
7 baseball games with the Bend Elks.
1 inspiring café where the life of a boy wizard was created.
2 jobs in two very different fields.
There’s so much more but here are some highlights. It’s been an amazing year and I’m looking forward to the next one!
C’est la belle vie!
