The 2016 Adventure

What adventures I had this year. Especially the first 8 months of this year. Wow.

January was a weekend in Paris by myself with nothing but the Louvre to guide me on my way.

February was a day in Paris by myself, sitting in front of Notre Dame for hours before Shakespeare and Company opened.

March was a different adventure, but it got me to Vichy.

April was skiing and Star Wars and Napoleon III. And the storming of a castle with Kylo Ren and Darth Vader.

May was medieval.

June was the endless month before summer, filled with dance and a fair and a fabulous birthday.

July was bittersweet, filled with weeks of adventures around town and in new places. And familiar ones as well.

August was coming home and finding a job I love that lets me keep my love of France so near.

September and October were pretty nice, but mostly just filled with fun weekends with friends.

November was a new job and Universal.

December was fun. I met some great people and caught up with old friends and got to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in concert. Not complaining there.

The one weekend I spent in Paris in January was nice. I decided early in the day that I wanted to take a day to explore Paris by myself. So, I did. I started out in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris at Le Camion Qui Fume. I had my breakfast of a burger, fries, and a coke there before wandering over to the Louvre, where I decided to find the Mona Lisa and to try to understand her importance. I ended up in an exhibit on Islamic art, which taught me a lot about the history of the religion as well as introduced me to poetry I never would have discovered anywhere else. I also saw how Napoleon III lived and was blown away by how much money he had. I should have prepared myself for Vichy that day, but I didn’t know that I would be there so soon.

I saw the Mona Lisa and took a selfie with it. What a change from the ten years before when I had been allowed to see the painting up close because I was so small. I got lost in an exhibit about Star Wars. Voldemort was there, too, since it was really an exhibit about villains, but most of it belonged to Star Wars and Darth Vader. Upon leaving that exhibit, I found myself in a room that seemingly had no exit, circling white statues again and again until I found a sign pointing to the exhibit about the Louvre in medieval times. I walked through, enthralled by the change in temperature going underground brought, along with the way the entire floor was lit dimly, so as to transport me back in time.

When I finally made my way out of the Louvre, I don’t remember much about what I did besides buying myself a birthday present of A Moveable Feast and sitting in front of Notre Dame, where I made friends with a Polish girl who was in France for the first time. We took pictures of each other in front of the cathedral, then we talked for a minute, just two strangers sharing a moment in Paris. That was what January brought to me this year.

In February, I left Blois a few days earlier than my host family and spent another day in Paris. This time, I arrived at seven in the morning with a giant backpack on my back, weighing at least 20 pounds. I carried it around Paris proudly that day, spending most of it hidden away in Shakespeare and Company, where I read a book of poetry in the Children’s Room on the second floor, watching the people as they passed me by. I spent the afternoon in the Luxembourg Gardens enjoying the sunshine before wandering the streets to the Pompidou Center, where I came across Gertrude Stein’s apartment. It was interesting to see what happened when I stopped trying to be a tourist and began to just wander the city as an inhabitant. I found something I would never have found otherwise. I had a nice day in Paris, even if I was ready to rip my backpack off by 6 that night.

March was burning hot (pun intended). I got to see the inside of a French Emergency room. And my host mom saw my boobs and still used “vous”. What an adventure. I don’t know if I will ever have an experience like it again, but I’m glad to have experienced it since it gave me the push I needed to leave Vernon. March was such a challenging month that forced me to grow up and really find out who I am. I am glad to have had the support from the people I did (looking at you Rouen ward. You guys rock. Also my parents. You rock.), and I am glad for the Febvre family. Thanks for taking me in on such short notice. I’m glad I got to stay with you guys for my last four months in France. You made it incredible.

April was a month of nonstop adventure. I got to go skiing in Avoriaz, which is a ski resort in the Alps that doesn’t allow cars. Basically, you get to take horse-drawn carriages everywhere that you either can’t walk or ski to. I got to take my girls to an ice skating party where we ate a lot of gummy bears and laughed our heads off. I tried skiing down a 100 yard slope on skis that were gigantic and really enjoyed it. I got to read a book while sitting in the snow because I could. I ate tartiflette in the ALPS. WHAT.

Then, I went to a huge festival celebrating Napoleon III. I should have taken more pictures or even spent more time admiring everything that was there, even though I spent a whole day from dawn to dusk in Vichy, being transported back to the 1890s and getting to watch an actual Imperial ball. That was absolutely incredible. But dang, those Bonapartes really had a thing for Julius Caesar. It’s almost like they didn’t realize what had happened to him.

The next weekend, I went to the huge Star Wars convention in Cusset and that is the time I walked past George Lucas without even realizing that it was him. It was super cool to see everyone all dressed up, and my favorite moment was when Indiana Jones and Han Solo were talking to each other. I just really loved that convention.

The next Sunday, R had a birthday party to go to and we took the whole family since we had been invited to eat at a friend’s house. So we did that and then later, I got to pretend to storm a castle with my little Kylo Ren and his buddy Darth Vader and it was really fun to do that. That was April for me. A huge burst of fun and adventure with my brand new family.

May went by pretty uneventfully until the last weekend. But I also went to Lyon and fell in love with how beautiful of a city it is. I didn’t get to do much because of the weather and because I was with students who lived there, but I really liked the city and I want to go back as soon as I can.

Anyway, Cusset had a HUGE medieval festival and it was so so cool to walk through the town in the way it was originally constructed. I got to visit a medieval spa, market, and I got to shoot a crossbow. May was cool and I am really hoping I can go back to Cusset for that festival again in 2017.

June was absolutely endless. It was filled with evenings of rehearsals that I would dutifully take my girls to. They had a beautiful performance, and soon after, they had their school fair, where we played games and talked to friends and just enjoyed our time before school got out. At the end of June was R’s birthday. We went to a ropes course by her grandma’s house and I had a lot of fun walking the kids through. When we finished, we ate cake and then watched a movie together.

July was really rough on me. I was leaving France soon and I honestly felt like I didn’t have enough time to do what I wanted. It sucked, but I did my best to enjoy whatever time I had left. I got to ride a horse. I got to explore Clermont-Ferrand. I went to Correze. And I got to see my sister before she went on her giant adventure. July was hard, but it was filled with incredible things.

In August, I found myself back in Utah, trying to find a job. That was really stressful to me for some reason, but I ended up at a French Immersion Elementary school where I assist in fourth grade and often substitute in the French classes. It is really awesome. The students are really kind and never fail to make me smile, even if I’m having a bad day. I really like the sixth graders in the French class. I like subbing their class and getting to have good, academic discussions with them in French. They’re great kids and I’m glad I get to be in their school every day.

September and October were pretty fun. I hung out with my coworkers on weekends and got to do things I never would normally do. We also made pizza for the neighborhood, which was really fun.

In November, I picked up a new job at a catering company where I’ve made some awesome new friends and have had some great laughs. I also went to Orlando to visit my best friend and I fell in love with the magic of Harry Potter all over again in Universal. What a cool place to be. I got to eat half a chicken, drank butterbeer and pumpkin juice, and I found out that I am a Slytherin. Universal was super cool and I’m glad I got to go.

This month was a whirlwind of work and play. For the first three weeks of the month, I did nothing but go to work, then go to work, and then sleep. I felt like I had no time to study for my class, but I pulled through with a B+ so that’s all that matters. I met some new people who I really hope I can hang out with more and I also got to catch up with some old friends, which was really fun. I went to ZooLights with coworkers for a work party (catering company) and became an honorary fourth grade teacher. I think. I hang out with the fourth grade teachers all the time, so I think that’s what happened at our luncheon. I think I’m an honorary fourth grade teacher. We’ll see what happens when I get my degree, but for right now, I like fourth graders.

Also, last Friday was the BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE because I got to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone while the symphony played the score. It was FABULOUS. Like, I got to do a Harry Potter-ish thing two months in a row! WOW! And I absolutely loved it. Then, Christmas was a little rough since I wasn’t in France. I was happy to be home, but the one thing I really wanted most this Christmas was to be in France and to be in a place that is very familiar to me. Basically, I miss France and I’m not sorry about it. Tonight, I’m going to a friend’s so we can go to a party at the U to ring in the New Year!

I hope you all have a great new year and that you all have fun celebrating!

Bises,
Marley