The (visa) Struggle is Real

Coucou tout le monde ! Hello everyone -


In a classic scene from my life movie - I took a small journey to get my visa and (as always) hit a few bumps in the road.

My first visa experience when I studied abroad in Paris was much worse (phone dying because it was negative degrees plus windchill, calling my mom in a panic and having her track me and direct me to the consulate while I hid my phone in my hood to keep it warm ... ). So when I heard I would only have to drive 5 hours to Boston, I was pretty pumped. Youpi !
I left at 5:00 am, just as the sun was starting to peek through the Maine trees and I ended up on a bridge in Boston traffic a few hours (and a bunch of songs) later. I found parking pretty easily and took the elevator up to the 18th floor of the new outsourced visa office. I ended up being a little early for my appointment but it was ok as I was brought to the office a few minutes early.

That's definitely when my good luck ran out. I was in a small office with one tiny rotating fan in the 90 degree heat. (A very big change from the freezing temps of last visit - quelle ironie!). About 45 minutes later my name was called and I handed the official my folder with 4 copies of every single document I thought they would or could ask for. Everything was being checked off smoothly until he asked if I had any other passport photos. Apparently, the biometric scanner wouldn't accept my photos so I got some very choppy directions to the nearest post office to take some new ones. Luckily it was only a 10 minute walk away through (the very cute) Kendall Square. I basically ran into the post office and kind of shouted (sorry @the super nice post office lady who helped me) and asked if they took passport photos.

Flash forward another half hour and my photos were approved, and my fingerprints were taken (again!) and I had a receipt for a submitted long-stay visa! (And again, in classic Leah fashion I decided to move my car to a different parking lot because it was cheaper -- and ended up paying two-times the parking fees). I blame it on my stressed visa brain and the heat and the excitement of being in a town with more than 2,000 people.

The rest of my day was lovely! The second I walked out of my appointment I decided I needed une bière ASAP - because it was so hot and I was so happy to be done. So I walked into Boston and met my friend for lunch in the Finance District. She actually was another student when I studied abroad in Paris and we had the same host family! The rest of my day was spent wandering (and sweating) to the waterfront and then sitting by the river and watching the sailboats and windsurfers. Then it was off to Boston Logan to pick up my sister and road-trip back to Maine (after getting caught in a crazy storm - nothing like some more excitement after a long 20 - hour day.

Comme d'habitude / As per usual - enjoy a picture of my view!

Merci for following on and reading (Je vous promets / I promise the blog posts will get more interesting once I actually leave!) I'm sure there will be a fun post about the struggles of finding an apartment/opening a bank account/getting a French phone number - things to look forward too!


Bises et bières pour tous (Kisses and beers for all),

Xx,

Lele

Pre-departure Panic

Bonjour! We're t-minus 90 (!!!) days until my flight to Nice and believe me when I say its been quite the ride!

So to update le monde (the world) I got my placement for my actual school in mid-June ...

~ I'll side note here and add some information about the TAPIF program. I applied after Winter Break and heard back in the spring that I was accepted! The program is through the French Education Department and I'll be the language assistant to a middle/high school for 12-15 hours a week. You get to pick your top 3 regions to be placed in and I was super lucky to get my top pick! The only region I didn't get to when I was abroad was the South of France, so it seemed like a great place to spend 7 months. The program doesn't aid with housing or anything like that so I'll be doing the whole adulting thing solo, but in a foreign country and language! ~

[its gonna be a NICE 8 months *the puns start early*]

I knew I was going to be in the Nice region, but it was unclear where. I was hoping (and expecting tbh) to be placed in a town on the water ... but when the email with my arrete de nomination came and I frantically googled the name of the town and high school, I found myself staring at a Google Maps image of a small village (800 people total!) tucked away in a valley, surrounded by the Alps, and an extensive bus trip to the nearest airport or city. So definitely not a town on the beach. *cue the freaking out and numerous hours googling*

little town, it's a quiet village ... 
(also are you kidding me with this view??)

It's always good to take a step back (and a breath or two) and more importantly - text your friends and fam. Everyone made a veeeery good point that no matter where I am placed, I am still living in France and can travel! So I looked at the school again and stumbled upon the website which had some very inviting photos of a cute school with picturesque mountain views. Everyone is joking that I am basically Belle from Beauty and the Beast (no complaints - she's my favorite princess). I even emailed the head teacher after I got my arrete and she emailed back super quick with some great info about the school and town and answered my (slightly neurotic) questions. Turns out she's originally from California too. Small world! She also gave me the email of the last English language assistant from the school to contact. The past assistant was super helpful and very nice to answer my email and she even gave me the email of her friend from California who was also an assistant last year! So I reached out to him as well and he also was more than happy to answer my questions (and also told me that French people seem to love Californians!)  After all this good info, I'm definitely feeling better and more prepared for this wild adventure. I also reached out to our family friend's uncle who lives there and he was also super helpful!

The next step was to book a flight and since Norweigan Air was having a sale (and I just got my new credit card) I decided to book one! My mom and I found out on a travel website that prices are cheaper if you book in Norweigan, so we had a small adventure translating and buying tickets in a different language that neither of us spoke - but it ended up being worth the hassle since I saved money.

I booked my visa appointment today so I'm all ready to try the new visa system and pretty excited since you don't have to go to the consulate in your jurisdiction akaI don't have to change my residence to Maine or shell out money for a flight back home to LA aka I'll gladly take the 5 hour drive to Boston. Things are looking up!

On my list of things to do before my flight takes off ...
- continue making as much money as I can so I can travel around Europe again
- make it to the visa appt (hopefully without any drama like last time)
- research some apartments/roommates in Nice **
** Even though I'm going to be in the mountains for school, the head teacher said that last year the assistants commuted from Nice and lived at school for 3 days since there's more to do (and places to live!) in the city. As our family friend's uncle put it "[the village] is where you go to see the wildlife, not live the wild life"
- pack for 8 months into a suitcase under 32 kg and one carry on (#yikes)


Bisous from your fave assistante de langue to-be and follow along on the rest of mes aventures !
xx, Leah <3

~~~~~~

PS - shoutout to Amanda for being super pumped about the return of the blog! now you can check it and actually see something posted lol

I'm baaaaaaack !

... did ya miss me? <3 Never really ended this blog as things got crazy busy at the end of the semester but Paris treated me super well and I was so so sad to leave at the end of April and come back to the States. The summer flew by with my sister's graduation from high school and waitressing most weekends! Then back to Skidmore for senior year!

I applied for a TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program In France) job after winter break where I could potentially teach English to French kids for a year and as per usual there were a few bumps in the road (missed the initial deadline, deadline got extended, letters of recommendation were taking too long, missed the deadline again ...) but thankfully everything managed to work out! After months of waiting, I heard back in April that I had gotten in and was placed in l'Académie de Nice, which was my first choice!! I thought about it and did some research and 4 days later decided to accept!

I'm on to my next adventure and will keep everyone posted about my actual school placement and pre-departure adventures (as I am sure there will be some)

Bises en retard,
Leah

PS - enjoy my aptly decorated graduation cap !

Pals came to Paris!

Bonjour again! It's been a while ... the fam has been here (and I'm pretty sure they are the only ones who read this)

But Saturday morning, the fam left and I headed off to Giverny to see some of Monet's flower gardens.

Mo' Monet, Mo' Problems

Saturday night we drank by the Seine (which we haven't actually done in a while) and then headed over to a rooftop bar, which was a super cool place to see Hotel de Ville (city hall) and the Eiffel Tower, in all her glory.

'twas lit 

Sunday was 75 and sunny so we met for a pique-nique to take advantage of the beautiful weather. I got pretty sunburnt but it was worth it.

Buttes Chaumant was blindé (crowded)

My next stop was to run over to meet my friend at her bus stop (she got in an hour early) but ended up waiting for her in the metro - which worked out perfectly (except for the mec throwing up on the platform). We dropped her stuff off at my homestay and then walked around Paris, down the Champs-Elysees, my fave bridge - Pont Alexandre III and then ended up at the Eiffel Tower for the sunset and some catching up.

Never gets old 

Dinner was at a classic French bar - a croque monsieur for her, some onion soup for me, and wine for les deux! 

The next morning we got up and went to Musée de l'Orangerie in the Tuileries before I had class. It was actually perfect timing because I got to see Monet's final paintings after just seeing the lilies in real life. Then I dropped her off at the Louvre while I ran to class.

tbt to 2 days before

Our other friend was also in Paris for the beginning of the week (amazing timing) and we all got an apéro before we went to Ober Momma for some good Italian food. Dessert was a classic - a crepe by the Notre-Dame aka the perfect way to end the night.

Tuesday, I had early class so I went with my roomie-for-the-week to get a croissant and coffee by my school. Luckily when I got to school, my class was cancelled so I showed my friend to the Catacombs and sat at a café and got some work done.

We met back up again for lunch (crepes, of course) and then I went to my last class of the day before meeting my friend after she hit up Musée Rodin. Then, another apéro before we headed to Le Marais to grab falafel when ..... our go-to fave (and also Lenny Kravitz's) falafel place was closed for Passover! So sadly, I had to cheat on my one true falafel love. But we went to grab some drinks and a crepe to end our chill Tuesday night.

Wine not?

Wednesday we snuck to a quick breakfast at HolyBelly before I dropped my friend off at the airport to head on to her next stop on her spring break trip! That night I got together one last time with my other friend (and her fam) at a cute little cafe for dinner.

HolyBelly aka Holy Crap

Little pillows of heaven aka you would Gno(cchi)t believe how good this was 

Thursday was Mojito Night at the Mazet and then some wine and Thai food by the Seine for a perfect night.

Thai-ed some Thai again

Friday we pique-niqued again and then had Mexican by the Canal for another fun night.

You can never have too much cheese 

Sadly our little streak had to end on the gray and gloomy Saturday. We were all feeling the weather but went to Angelina's for a pastry and chocolat chaud and then some ramen for dinner. But the night turned foul fast as we tried to drink by the Seine and were accosted by some mecs for a not-so-great end to the night.

Thank god for Sunday-recap sessions and Pret à Mangers being open on Easter Sunday. Even when all else fails, Paud is there through it all and I am super grateful. Also, shout out to the fam for taking me on a (virtual) Easter egg hunt and to pals who are there for me no matter which country they are in.

Thanks to M for sleeping on the floor and letting me drag you around Paris and to I for always beng down to grab drinks and food and balancing us with your fam!

Starting the countdown,
Bises Xxxx,
L

Leah takes Lille // Vacay in Versailles

It's spring break y'all!! The Paud split up to take on different parts of Europe (or stay in Paris) and me and two other girls in the program took a little day trip to Lille. I got to take the train (possibly the highlight of the day??) which was a lot of fun. It was super fast and we got to Lille in about an hour.

Our first stop was to find something to eat and we walked through Vieux Lille or Old Lille on our way to find food.

I Lille-y loved Old Lille!

We had plenty of options for lunch (all of which involved burgers ... is this a Lille delicacy?) and we decided on a cute little American-themed diner.

We split these two burgers because we avo-couldn't decide on just one!

Then, we walked (and took loads of photos) of the cute little Lille-ian houses and their cute colors! It was no Madrid, but lovely nonetheless.

It felt like something out of a fairy tale!

Our destination was the zoo, but we walked through the park and found that it was closed until April! I was really looking forward to the zoo, but the weather was beautiful so we walked around the park a bit more (saw lots of dogs!) and then walked back to Vieux Lille.

The most we saw for animals were these ducks in the pond and some dogs on the rue 

Une petite promenade in a petit parc !

We stopped for a coffee and I ordered an espresso with whipped cream - my new drink of choice? Pourquoi pas, peut-être! (Why not, maybe!)

We flâner-ed (strolled, aka my new favorite french verb) in the rues until we came to Aux Merveilleux - a pastry shop I found while researching things to do in Lille. Their specialty are these meringue-type pastries that are so light and delicious!

So light and airy! I already want more(engue) 

We popped by another Notre-Dame cathedral (this is number 4 folks!) and then did a little shopping.

I think I'm officially out of cathedral puns .. (Notre) Damn it! 

We ended our little day in Lille with a mojito from a mojito bar (I found one with passion fruit so I was v contente). We sat on the steps in the center of town and listened to a band play some songs before hopping back on the train to Paris.

Can never say mojit-no to a mojito! 

That night was also Mojito Night at the Mazet (a bar) so I met the other Paud members (and the bf of one who lived on my floor freshman year - reunion!) at the bar for a mojito ... or two before heading back home for a much-needed sleep! (even a day trip is tiring!!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday was a relaxing morning, lounging around until I called my sister at around 2 on my walk. After, I heard back from my friend and we were all set to have an afternoon picnic, or pique nique!

I wish I could take every call on a bridge in Paris!

We got our baguettes and cheeses and wines and strawberries and eclaires (phew!) and set out for a cute park in the north end of Paris.

Picnic perfection in a pic

Let me tell you it was perfection! I couldn't have asked for a nicer afternoon with good food and good friends! I'm so ready for the nice spring weather in Paris so we can have picnics all the time.

That night was St. Patricks day, so naturally, we had to celebrate - and found a place that put green dye in the drinks. The night ended with a crêpe in the rain (as it should!)

Excuse the blurry photo - but not to worry, it was green cider! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday, my friend and I took another little trip to Versailles! Sadly it was a little gray and cloudy, but we still had a blast. We took so many pictures in the castle and in the gardens and did a speedy walkthrough of the castle - note there are a ton of crowded tours on Saturday afternoons!

King Louis XVI really liked his gold 

Hall of mirrors - a girl needs to be able to check her 'do every moment of the day! 

A giant garden is going to def be on my bucket-list when I buy my future castle!

Dinner was ramen with my friend and then grabbed some drinks at our go to bar - Everest! (5 euro cocktails - what more could you ask for?!) Grabbed a street crepe and then headed out to Bastille for a little night on the town!

We raved about this ramen 

Nutella and Ore-oh no! What am I going to do when crepes aren't on every block?

Sunday is going to be a chill day I think, I am going to take a little walk to scope out the fam's Air BnB area and maybe go to a café to do some work. This weekend in Paris was a little cloudy and drizzly, but I wouldn't have it any other way - the true Parisian lifestyle.

Gotta rest up this week before the fam hits Paris on Thursday and then I quickly jet off to Florence for a much-needed Batch weekend ! <3

Bises,
Xxxx
Leelah

Vamos a Madrid!

What better way to celebrate Midterms being over than a trip to Spain! And let me tell you - midterms are hard enough without the added bonus of the exams and papers being in French. So Thursday after our last class, we set out on our petit voyage (little journey) just to get to the airport. I took 2 metros and then met up with everyone to take the RER (which is basically a bigger metro that also goes to the suburbs of Paris). Our friend picked up dinner for us - always down for Rice Noodle! We classily ate our noodles on the train and then buzzed through security at Charles de Gualle. 

last sunset in Paris for a few days!

The flight was super quick and before we knew it we were in Spain! We checked into our Air BnB (thanks to our friend's friends who is in Spain for the year and is fluent - no habla espagnol! Then we cracked open the bottle of wine our Air BnB hosts left and went out! I also successfully ordered a vodka-cranberry at the club (vodka arrandaño - in case anyone is wondering) which was the highlight of my night. 

The next morning we woke up to beautiful Madrid sunlight on our balcony! The weather was perfect for our weekend - 77 degrees on Friday! My friend who is studying abroad in Madrid from Skidmore came and met us at the apartment and then we were off into the city. 

our balcony was maybe one of my favorite parts of the trip!

Our first stop (after breakfast, of course!) was El Retiro which is a beautiful garden. It was so beautiful with the pond in the middle and everyone enjoying the nice weather. We laid in the grass for a little while we waited for our friend's friend to come meet us. 

blue sky, blue water, what more could we ask for?

Spring has sprung in Spain!

The nice thing about Madrid (or at least where our Air BnB was) is that everything was no more than a 25 minute walk from each other! What better way to see the city and soak in the Spanish sun? We walked to lunch which was paella! We also got sangria like real Spaniards and it is on my list of drinks I could chug all day, not to get drunk, but because it was so delicious! 

paell-yas! 

(sadly not pictured, the sangria)

Nex stop was a street with lots of shops and stores on it - just like Rue de Rivioli in Paris! So we stopped for a quick shopping break (your resident blogger found some jeans to replace the ripped ones!). Then we had another nice little 20-minute walk to the Palazzo Royal - or Spain's royal palace. 

Feeling like a princess in every country ... 

We got there just as the sun was setting so after another petite repose (little rest) in the sun, we snapped some pictures of the sunset. 

Spain knows how to set the sun!

The palace is right near my friend's homestay so she took us to a little churro stand by the Metro station by her house!

low quality pic of some high quality churros

We Metro-ed home and stopped at a little grocery store for supplies for a little dinner and drinks. The plan was to find supplies to make our own mojitos but we couldn't find either limes or mint ... We tackled our microwave/oven combo (kind of - I really just think we ended up microwaving the pizza) and then got ready to go out!

enjoy this picture of a puerto because I forgot to take pictures when we went out ... who am I?

We went to a cool club (with more sangria) and danced the night away ... literally because it was 5 am before we were home and in bed! Everything in Madrid happens 2 hours later, waking up, lunch, going out ...

The next morning, after sleeping in, we rallied and went to Prado - a museum. Sadly, pictures were not allowed (a Spanish museum guard came and yelled at me) but I did manage to snap one picture! 

illegal photo!!

Lunch was tacos at this little taco restaurant - it was 4 pm and we were starving. But it was most definitely worth the wait! Delicious mini tacos, a quesadilla, and a margarita mañacuya (passionfruit margarita?! si!!) was just what we needed. 

will never say tac-no!

After lunch, we walked through Puerto del Sol -another plaza. [side note - a huge Davy Jones character ran at us and grabbed my shoulder, so lots of screaming ensued...I was not a fan!!] 

Then we walked through Plaza Mayor - another famous plaza (sensing a theme here?) 

I'm a ma(y)jor fan of the plazas

Our next stop was the Mercado San Miguel - a food market. It was fun to walk around and see all the different food (and take pictures obviously)!

I didn't have a mojito all weekend, but I did snap a pic of some

My friend studying abroad had told us about brownies she ate before, so we set off in search of the brownies, definitely enjoying our walk on the way! The Spanish calles (or rues) (or streets) are so cute! 

After a struggle at the brownie bakery, (the woman taking orders kept skipping me!) we took our brownie and free slice of cake and sat on a bench to rest and eat. 

I wish i had a picture of the brownie/cake but we devoured them entirely too quickly sadly.

My two freshman year roommates are also studying abroad in Madrid so after an all-day planning group text, we met up for tacos and margaritas! (and yes, I went back to the taco place again - pourquoi pas?/pourque no?) (and no, both margaritas were not for me)

 the only man i need in my life is mañacuya

That night we went out to another club and ran into a bunch of other Skid Kids which was fun to see familiar faces! 

Sunday, we checked out of our Air BnB and then walked around El Rastro which is an outdoor market. Lunch was a quick stop in a recommended restaurant and then we took the Madrid train to the airport terminal bus to the plane to the Beauvais bus to the metro back home! So much transportation! 

not entirely sure what this delish sandwich was, but i loved every bite

Madrid was amazing - my words and pictures definitely don't even begin to cover it! The weather was definitely a huge plus and I can't wait for it to warm up in Paris now! The nice thing is, everytime we travel, I get a little bit more excited to come back to Paris - it's comforting but also scary to think that in less than 2 months I will leave for the last time! :( But that's a job for future Leah to deal with ... 

Bises/Besos

L