paris.

Bonjour. I got much practice in pronouncing this french greeting. put simply, i managed to fully plan a trip to paris, tell everyone i know about it, spend a couple hours packing perfectly, take a stress free non stop train from bangor to london (very rare), walk the few minutes it takes to get down to the eurostar station from euston station (train from london to paris), take my time having lunch, get in line to go through security (giving myself an hour and a half cushion), only to see the person in front of me in what seemed like slow motion pull out their passport in preparation to go through customs. this was the very first time i'd even considered needing my passport to of course get across the country line to france. bullocks. the next series of events involved my talking to official after official person who all very kindly led me to the next individual in charge. in the end i had to make the trip back to bangor and then back again to london in order to obtain my passport. fortunately, the kind people at eurostar allowed me to simply switch seats onto a train leaving the next day. however, i did have to pay an arm and a leg to buy tickets last minute to get to bangor and back. i barely caught a train and began the journey to a place i had so recently come from. this time dissapointed, tired and with a bit of a headache. i walked straight to my room, briefly explained the situation to my flatmates, who couldn't understand why anyone would return from paris so quickly. went straight to sleep, woke up bright and early the next day, and did it all again. this time with a passport.

after the excitement of a now second stamp in my passport, i arrived in paris wearing my cowboy boots in honor of visiting my childhood friend, Jenica. and she in return was wearing a black and white striped shirt, and holding a croissant poignantly welcoming me to this great city she now takes residence in. she is the first familiar face i've seen in almost three months. it was good.

{river seine}

my first night in paris, Jenica introduced me to the brilliance that is crepes. i opted for the traditional egg, cheese, ham, lettuce, and tomato. made to perfection as i watched from the street. we walked as i consumed both the delicious crepe and all that was around me on my first stroll through paris. we talked of the differences in french men and woman, cultural norms, the general feel, all under the thousands of lights that decorate the city. we further had a glass of wine in one of paris's oldest cafe's. for some reason the waiters each looked like classier versions of mario and luigi, sporting white overalls and matching hats.

{overall wearin' french waiters}


the following day i awoke to fresh croissants and espresso. (as i did everyday). the first part of this day would be spent exploring paris on my own as my lovely host had classes to attend. she escorted my to the metro, where we parted and i with a list full of basic french words began my journey through paris. i've explored many a city on my own before, however never have i ventured into a place that's official language is not one that i speak or understand. i managed to make it to the infamous sacre couer. or le steps as i like to call it. after making it up the long secession of stairs to the top, i spent the majority of my time staring out onto the miles and miles i could now see over paris. it was mesmerizing. i thought about how not long ago i thought i might never have a chance to be where i was standing. and yet there i was. i watched as the other newbies, fully embraced the moment in their own individual ways. some with loved ones, some alone, and some in large groups of people all carrying unusually large smiles.

{sacre couer}

positioned all along "le steps" are working african men either with the intent to stop you as you walk by or with a blanket of various typical parisian souvenirs to sell. i dodged my way around the individuals on my journey up to the top. however, coming back down was a bit of a different story. out of nowhere i found my finger being used as a base for what was quickly becoming a braided bracelet in the patriotic colors of france (britain and america as well for that matter). finding myself caught, and slightly embarrassed, as my fellow tourists were flooding passed me with their appendages free to do as they pleased. i began to share with this man that i would not be paying for this bracelet. he assured me that it would be okay by saying "we're friends" and "not to worry about it". he with ease led a conversation about where we were both from, claiming to "love america" and frequently exclaimed "hakuna matata" a phrase from his home country. one that factually can make any person smile, if only to think about timon and pumba. he quickly finished, and tied the bracelet around my wrist before i could mutter a word. clipping the ends with tiny clippers he kept in his pocket. as quickly as he tied the knot his attitude made a complete shift.

he then quite aggressively requested "paper money". in euro's paper money can mean no less than 5 euros. which is translated to about 8 dollars. in that moment i felt a bit of fear, as his mood was quite serious, and such disappointment. i muttered a few phrases of disappointment, trying to trigger some sort of guilt complex in him. attempting to make eye contact, as he looked quickly from side to side as if we were making a drug deal. i managed to walk away with all of my money minus 50 pence. however, i felt so cheated, and quite angry. on my way down i heard another man say, as he held yet another finger captive, "hakuna matata", and somewhat aggressively showed another the new garment that now hangs on my wrist as he approached me with more string, as if my saying "i've already been tricked".

i tell this story not to further the what i would soon learn is a massive amount of racism in france. but because that experience began the mindset and lens by which i would then view paris. not angrily, or dissapointed but through the answers to the series of questions i would then ask myself and my friend jenica who's spent a few years in this country. questions about how quickly i could shift my feelings from almost peacefully floating across the beautiful views of paris, to the realities that exist here even in paris. in no way did my new bracelet ruin the nostalgia of paris, but it did and does still represent the heaviness of inequality and truth that exists between the cracks. or even on the way down from one of the prettiest views in the world. thoughts that began to develop after walking away involved strong feelings of wanting to understand what would make someone have to choose those methods of manipulation to make a living. {if they even make enough to live off of } i guess many choose this path everyday, but it's in less obvious ways through various businesses and politics. how, unfortunately this path has lead many to not only see them in hatred and fear, but view anyone who looks like them the same way. i don't think it's fair that man used fear and manipulation to gain my measly 50 pence. period. but i also have to wonder what his motivation is. i get to walk away, he's probably standing at one of the many tourist attractions in paris as i type holding the finger of another tourist, perhaps wishing he could just walk away. i guess i can't know for sure.

{french kiddos holding hands outside the louvre}

i then walked around the montmartre full of thoughts and wonder. i ended up at the entrance to the louvre, where i for a moment sat with the dozens of art students sitting and sketching as hundreds of people swiftly passed by.

{cafe}

later i met up with Jenica again and we headed to a favorite cafe of hers. it was quaint and almost exactly how i could've imagined it. (mostly because i've seen the many attempts made in the states to mimic it). but it's better in person. we drank espresso. occasionally with my pinky out. ya know, to look like a local. we ate delicious pastries. and talked further of france and people and the world. from the cafe we headed to a pub where jenica and a friend meet with a favorite professor over a few pints. a british professor. we chated a bit about wales, and then were off again, this time to the eiffel tower.

{ze eiffel tower}

other than the odd disco type light show that happened at one point while gazing upon the ze eiffel tower, it was magnificent. i devoured my second crepe in paris. this time filled with nutella and bananas. yum.

{near the modern art museum}

my last full day in paris was spent following Jenica around as she showed some of her favorite parts of paris. it's always best to visit a city with a local. we started by seeing the red light district in paris, complete with running into a vary scantily clad lady of the night (during the day). this wasn't one of her favorite places just happened to be where a store she needed was. ha. other than the french hooker, we saw many other classic french scenery. My favorite being an area of town that is occupied simultaneously with both the jewish population and the gay population. quite the combo. basically a lot of great shops and bakeries. (i know, stereotypes, but also truth).

{inside the notre dame}

i also crossed the bridge over the river seine to the notre dame, passing the hôtel de ville. after taking a slow stroll through the cathedral i then crossed again the river tyne over unto the ile saint louis. next we spent a bit of time inside the infamous bookstore, shakespeare and company. unfortunately, i missed the weekly tea party that is held within it's walls. we ended the night eating the most delicious food at a senegalese restaurant. yum. then briefly watched some television dubbed over in french while snacking on chocolate covered waffles.

{ile saint louis}

{brasserie}


i hope to someday return to paris for a longer visit. if you'd like to get a good picture of life and love in paris i strongly recommend the film paris j'taime. it is a compilation of 12 short films made by different directors from around the world displaying a variety of love. your guaranteed to love at least one.

{the owner of shakespeare and company- green frame}

{shakespeare and company}

one week left in this country. crazy. the next week will be spent, traveling in dublin, having a christmas meal with my flatmates, finishing papers, meticulously packing, spending a couple days in london and trying to bring some closure to my experience here.
until next time.
au revoir.


{for more photos you can go here}

liverpool, thanksgiving, and manchester.

{the liverpool harbor}

once again i got the privilege of tagging along on a class trip. a fellow international student {from finland} and i were able to join our teacher along with another of her classes on a free field trip to liverpool. the day would be spent touring in and out of some of the best museums i've yet to see. after arriving in liverpool we spent the first couple of hours exploring the international slavery museum which in detail and with much opportunities for interaction described the history of slavery around the world. it was very moving. We then ventured to the same museums collection of intricate model ships, including the titanic. i learned of the many connection between the titanic and liverpool, including the fact that many of the staff and passengers were liverpool natives, as was the ship itself.

{international slavery exhibit in liverpool}

{titanic, museum in liverpool}

we then, very excitedly, made our way over to "the beatles story" exhibit. this was truly the coolest exhibit that i've seen. each room gave genuinly mapped out the stages of their lives and success. my favorite rooms include the hall of screaming fans, the trippy yellow submarine, and the replica of the cavern, where the beatles got their start (first performed as the quarrymen). as well as learning the fun random facts along the way. we also went to the museum further down the harbor that in more detail covers the life and death of john lennon. did you know that hey jude was written by paul mccartney for john lennon's son? yep, that's right. he wanted to help him cope with his parents separation.

{the beatles story, liverpool}

{replica of the cavern, inside the beatles story exhibit, liverpool}

{john lennon}

{inside the john lennon exhibit, liverpool}

my friend melanie's sister came to town, just in time to help make thanksgiving in wales happen. she came bearing gifts of canned pumpkin, which are close to impossible to find here. for the most part not many people even knew it was thanksgiving. i woke up in time to go to the first of my five classes as usual. (i did receive a happy thanksgiving day post it on my door, thanks john). the day felt no different than any other, until i pushed play on the first sound of christmas tunes. harry connick jr. instantly, nostalgia came rushing to my soul.(couldn't think of word to not make that sound cheesy) it can be said that i've not felt nearly as homesick as i did in that moment. i hurried over to help with the preparations of thanksgiving with a bit of pep in my step. the next few hours would be spent preparing a feast of turkey, green beans, sweet potatoe casserole, cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, and individually prepared pumpkin pies with homemade whip cream. it was a neat feeling to share thanksgiving with all of melanie's local british flatmates, who've of course never experienced thanksgiving before. we explained that there are still key ingredients missing such as hot apple cider (can't find that here), a comfy couch for taking naps, and perhaps football, or christmas movies. but, we managed to give the best experience that we could including the tradition of going around the table expressing one thing we're thankful for. while very different than any before, it will be well remembered.

{turkey day in wales, yes, i drew that}

{sharing thanksgiving with local british students}

{individual pumpkin pies}

the program i am here with, arcadia, has subsidized many trips throughout the semester to try and give students opportunities to explore the country for a cheaper price. however, this past weekend they offered a completely free trip to manchester for the weekend to participate in a leadership sympsium. even though i generally try to avoid anything with the words leadership or symposium in it, i figured "when in britiain" and "hey a free trip to manchester". i arrived friday morning in time to jump right into the symposium. there were about 20 arcadia study abroad students from all over the uk participating in the weekend. the first session involved gaining further understanding of the results of the personality test we all took prior to arriving. it was the myers briggs type indicator. according to this test i am an infj. this breaks down as introverted (vs. extroverted), intuition (vs. sensing), feeling (vs. thinking), and judging (vs. perceiving). or as it explains introverted intuition with extroverted feeling. we spent the next couple hours participating in active demonstrations further proving our types. the purpose was largely to help us better know ourselves so that we can better lead others.

{the brittania, our hotel in manchester}

of all the things we learned there were a few things about myself that i absolutely agree with. and as part of the process of further knowing and accepting myself, i'm going to share some of them here. i guess this will be more interesting for people who know me well. so no hurt feelings if you want to skip over the next bit.
at my best:
*i have a visionary grasp of human relationships and possibilities, which, when articulated, can elevate and inspire others.
characteristics of infjs:
*i'm loyal to people and institutions that exemplify my values but have little interest in those that don't.
*i prefer to lead persuasively by sharing my vision, and am likely to be sensitive, compassionate, empathetic and deeply committed to my values.
*i want meaning and purpose in my work, relationships, and even in material possessions.
*i'm reserved at first, but once i feel i have nothing to prove i'm able to freely relate and interact with others without hesitation. and can even gain energy from it.
*however, i ultimately gain energy from a certain amount of solitude.
how others view me:
*others may find me difficult to know, because i tend to only share personal things with people i really trust.
*i often express my internal senses metaphorically with complexity.
*i especially value authenticity and commitment in relationships.
*while reserved i don't hesitate to assert myself when my values are violated.
*individualistic
potential area of growth:
*if i'm not able to find some place for my gifts i may feel frustrated and not give others the information i used to arrive at a decision, and thus seem arbitrary. as well as withdraw my energy and insight. and i might fail to check me insights against reason and practicality, and end up following a vision that has little possibility of being realized.
*if unable to give attention to my sensing and thinking parts i will be unable to verbalize my inner insights in a way that others can understand.
*and lastly under stress i become obsessed with data i would normally consider irrelevant such as watching tv, or buying things that have little meaning.

some of these things were hard for me to accept. mostly because i tend to still think of myself within the boundaries that others have put me into (not intentionally). i've often thought that i have to acquire the personality traits that i have been labeled with, thus convincing myself that i truly possess those traits. when in reality they are often not who i am inside. i feel as if i'm getting closer to knowing what the true me is.
it's interesting how knowing these things can really effect the way you see yourself, but also the way that you choose to talk to/ treat others.

{the manchester christmas market}

the following sessions were entitled intercultural communication skills for global leaders and entrepreneurship for leaders. both of which provided more insight into our surroundings. we later had dinner with a group of manchester students who had joined us for the second and third sessions. these students will all be studying abroad in various places all around the world next semester. of them i was able to connect with a british student who will be studying in tennessee next semester. hopefully i'll be able to provide some sort of support for her experience. we then all ventured over to manchester's super crowded christmas market. in addition to the typical christmas items, there were many more traditionally british treats, mulled wine, lots of meats on a stick, nutella and banana pancakes (crepes), trinkets, handmade gifts, and lots of alcohol.

{used books stand in manchester}

the following day we all gathered for a brief walking tour of manchester, which concluded the sympsium. i had planned to try and take advantage of my free train ticket and see what i could of manchester for the last time, on my own. i luckily, and i think with some credit to the symposium focusing so much on each individuals gifts met several fellow students that i was able to genuinely connect with. the rest of the day was spent along with two new friends (studying in aberdeen,scotland), we had quite an adventure around manchester, and headed back late saturday night to bangor with many new stories, and a greater sense of self. how does it always happen that the situations that you have very little expectations for turn out to be some of the best experiences.
until next time.
cheers.

{for more photos click here}

birthdays, protests, and landscapes.

{melanie's birthday cupcakes}

some of my favorite times here in bangor have been celebrating birthdays with friends. a couple weeks ago i got to help a friend of mine celebrate her birthday. the celebration consisted of all international students, drinks, laughs, lots of singing (both in italian and english), and ended with a unique night of dancing at one of the local clubs. last friday night all of us fellow arcadia students helped melanie celebrate her birthday. we hopped in a crowded train to llandudno junction, home of the only theatre for miles. we pre-ordered our movie tickets for the opening night of twilight saga: new moon. got food and drinks at a great pub and then headed back to the theatre to get in line for the teen cult movie, practicing our screams and bursts of excitement to fit in with our surroundings along the way. i will willingly admit that i was very excited for this movie, i had only seen the first one a few months previous and have not read the books, and don't really have a preference for jacob of edward. but, i LOVE going to the movies, i love waiting in long lines for the excitement of finding a good seat, i love previews, i love sitting in a room full of people all experiencing varying emotions, and i love watching the credits until the last name rolls of the screen. and to do that all in wales is just...brilliant. of course the couple hours afterward were spent analyzing the stories faults, but ultimately we all thoroughly enjoyed every part of our experience. we then took an even more packed bus back to bangor around midnight after our train had been mysteriously canceled, and lastly surprised melanie with cupcakes and trick candles.
next adventure: where the wild things are...december 13th. {finally}

{musician performing at the anti-protest}

{a speaker during the celebration, and the djembes ready for the drum circle}

saturday morning i woke up early to catch a mini bus along with several other bangor students, all headed to wrexham. with us we brought signs reading "say no to racism" both in english and welsh. and a welsh flag with the words "this is not a symbol of hatred" written in magic marker. we set off on the hour and a half journey to help the community celebrate diversity, and show an opposing group of anti-islamic protesters that we wont stand for racist actions.

{fellow bangor students}

we arrived to the town without knowing what to expect. what we found were two empty carnival rides and few gathered under a tent near the towns center. we were the first to arrive with signs, and it seemed to begin the passionate yet small in size celebration of diversity and protest of anything conflicting with it. throughout the next few hours there would be poignant speeches from various community leaders, politicians, and other members of both wrexham's community and other surrounding towns in wales. consistently there was the presence of music be it live, through speakers, or through the all inclusive rhythmic drum circle. despite the challenging wind, rain and biting coldness there remained a steady flow of passion, hope, and joy, complete with both a conga line, some interpretive dance, and many exchanged smiles.

things heated up a bit as several attempted to head in the direction of the EDL (english defense league) anti-islamic protestors. after a brief rise of excitement, we were soon slowed down to a halt by surrounding police. after learning that there had already been a "confrontation" between the two groups resulting in some sort of riot, and reaching near to the time we needed to head back to bangor, we decided a peaceful ending would be the most satisfying. all in all it was quite a moving experience, different to any i've yet to have in britain, and was proud to be apart of it. my flatmate thom was chiefly in charge of organizing bangor's participation in the event, and will be writing a piece in our uni's local paper. i will be sharing that, as soon as it's made available.

on sunday i woke up yet again to catch a mini bus, but this time as part of the photography society. each month they sponsor a trip to give its members a chance to take pictures out in the field of the particular theme. this month's theme is landscape. our first destination was to the isle of anglesey. more specifically to newborough beach and forest along the south west coast of anglesey. the winds were tremendous in size, but the scenery was breathtaking. the beach consisted of both rock and sands, and ran along a forest of epically thin and tall trees.

{newborough beach}

{newborough forest}

we then began a brief journey through snowdonia national park, stopping at several ideal places along the way. snowdonia is going to be a place in which i will regret not getting to see more of. it's the one true place in which i can honestly say i've never seen anything like it before, in respects to landscape and scenery. it's some how both distinctly rugged and magically beautiful. it's amazing that it has somewhat still remained such a secret. after such a busy weekend, i'm due for some proper rest. i feel a cold sneaking it's way in. still, it was worth it.
until next time.
cheers.

{snowdonia national park}

{the huge slate quarries in snowdonia national park}

{for more photos go here}