What follows is a bunch of stuff I typed into the Notes app of my phone at random times during my trip to Ireland. Most of these thoughts are disconnected and nonlinear. It is difficult to describe what I feel here. Back in the States, nowadays, an overzealous interest in Celtic or Viking history is … Continue reading Travel notes →

So I haven't posted in over a week, which I know bothers all two of you. It was spring break so I went to Ireland and I didn't pack my laptop because I knew I would have to lug it for a few thousand miles. This turned out to be the absolute wave because I … Continue reading I went to Ireland →

Today's blog post is all about questions people have asked and things people want me to explain & describe concerning France. Now is a great time to get some writing done anyway, because my roommate just left for a party in town. She begged me to come along, saying that I'm only in France once, … Continue reading Requested information →

I got a really good grade back on a fictional story I wrote for class, so I thought I'd post it here. The prof said I had the best narrative style in the class. You might want to run it through Google Translate, but personally I think that will completely ruin it. Voici une anecdote … Continue reading Old homework →

I turned twenty on Sunday! Some of the other Americans threw me a really nice party and their apartment. Kaylee, a short-haired girl who sews her own clothes, baked two cakes (one chocolate and one vanilla) with my name on them. Everyone sang Bon Anniversaire to me and we split the cakes. There were plenty … Continue reading I am old now →

What a day! Class was so exciting and interesting. I need to write all of it down before I forget. Today we talked about superstitions and local beliefs. We spent the entire three-hour period talking about the particularities of our countries and cultures. We got on this topic by reading a text written by a … Continue reading Really good class session →

Most of the other students are here for international commerce or business or something like that. The pizza here is wack. The music is so sad it's funny. They have an economic balance: healthcare is free, toilets a charge. I have hit my culture shock, physically. Water tastes different and not like how Memphis water … Continue reading A rough collection of thoughts I found in my notebook →

I found a really cool volunteer opportunity in Aix. Every Friday afternoon, I go to the community center on my street and hang out with a bunch of French adults who are learning English. They're already pretty fluent, so mostly it's a cultural exchange. The lady in charge is British. Learning about the assumptions they … Continue reading Meet the locals →

The express purpose of this blog post is to stress out my parents. At 8:45 Saturday, I and fifty other American college students loaded up on a bus and drove an hour out to wine country. It was too early by far for many of us, and the ride there was quiet. We passed acres … Continue reading This is my brain on alcohol →