Crazy Causeys Come to Europe.

So... my family came to visit! After quite a long day of travelling and almost losing Thomas in the metro, they made it to the hotel in Paris, where I met up with them after class a few hours later. They were so jet lagged! We spent a few days in Paris, saw the Eiffel  Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and did a day trip to the beaches of Normandy again. (It was my second time of course, but I got to see some different things, including the ocean because it wasn't as foggy as the last time).

However, the highlight of Paris was probably our segway tour with Fat Tire Bike Tours. Yes, a segway tour. Haha, I was so skeptical at first, but the combination of our awesome tour guide with a mustache and an Aussie accent, the hilarity and awesomeness of riding segways, and finally getting to see Paris in a wider context made it a wonderful night! I'd been to Paris twice before, but I never felt like I really knew the city; it is hard to get a grip on its vastness, so the tour was really cool. I also learned so much more about the history, like about the German general who, disobeying Hitler, refused to burn Paris and  let the Allies take it without contest.

Then, I got to show my family Nantes! It was so wonderful. I'm so lucky to be able to have this experience, and then even luckier to be able to share with them and show them this place that's been my home this semester. We ate at a crêperie and my favorite pizzeria, saw the Chateau, my home, the university, the IES center, the Jardin des Plantes, the Machines de l'Île. The only downside was that they couldn't meet all my host family, because they were on vacation as well, but in the South of France. They did get to meet one of my host brothers though, and they were very impressed with his English :)

My family said they loved Nantes more than Paris (success!). We had absolutely beautiful weather, and  I think the fact that I  know exactly where all the good pastries, ice cream, and chocolate shops are in Nantes definitely helped :) It was just such a happy time spending the break with them; I couldn't have asked for anything more. They also got to meet two of my best friends here, Rachel la Petite, who stayed with us in Paris, and Jordan, who met us for lunch in N-Ville. We had so much fun, and I think my friends probably understand me so much better now haha :)


When they left me at the train station to return to Paris for the flight back home, they were more than a few tears. Even though I love striking out on my own a bit and having great adventures,  I will always miss my family immensely, no matter where I am. I am so, incredibly, inexplicably, indescribably blessed with them. Seriously. Annnd, I get to see them in only a little bit over a week!




Obviously this post is really late, but I wanted to wait to upload it when I could include pictures. So, yeah...

Profitez-bien. The Final Countdown to 'Merica.

Bonjour à tous and à toutes. Well, today was my last Saturday in Nantes. These last few weeks, even though time has seemed to slow down a bit thankfully, have still been passing quicker than I would like. I'm such a roller coaster of emotions as the dreaded goodbye approaches. I am totally pumped to go back home. I've got my family, my friends (from whom I'm having serious withdrawals), an awesome job (summer camp), and warm weather to return to. But at the same time, I do NOT want this semester to end. Seriously, studying and living in a foreign country is such a thrill, so fun, so amazing, and I just don't want to leave. Sometimes, I even get a bit depressed. But I'm trying to avoid wasting my time with dread, and instead trying to profitez-bien, an awesome verb that means taking advantage of everything and living every day with vigor.

Some of the recent things I've done are: seeing the Hunger Games (amazing even in French), buying the book the Hunger Games (which will be even more amazing even in French), buying the last bit of souvenirs for my lovelies back home, going to Clisson with IES, a beautiful little Italian-inspired village known for its vineyards, playing laser tag with some church friends, going to the seaside with my host family, eating good stuff of course, and unfortunately, writing papers and studying. I still have a few more finals left, but honestly, je m'en fiche.  Haha I do care and I will study and do my best, but I'm not going to spend last few days here stressing and killing myself; I'm just going to focus on spending time with my host family and friends.

Confession: I committed the ultimate sin in writing tonight. I didn't plan before writing. Hence, I don't really know what the purpose of this blog is. Maybe it's something like: I love Nantes, I'm having a great time, but Saturday, May 12th is coming up way too fast. Il faut profiter!!!