Je Suis Á Paris!

Once it seemed like everything was going wrong, life handed me a dramatic 180 degree turn for the best!  Because not only did someone find and turn in my wallet, I FINALLY got my luggage, and I lucked out and got the BEST homestay family!  And on top of it all, I am in the City of Lights. So overall I got everything I lost back and now I am ready to enjoy my time in Paris.  

So far, Paris is all about getting espresso, coffee, and wine.  The jet lag hasn't been too much of a problem because I skipped a night of sleep so I got to catch up and wake up ready for the day!  We got to explore around a bit the first day and then were able to meet our host families.  I got lucky and am  paired with another girl in my program so we get to ride the metro and figure out how to communicate with our host family together! We are living with the Astar-Badier's in the 18th arrondissement in a flat on the fourth floor (which to Americans is really the fifth floor).  And the apartment is huge and gorgeous! There are four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two living room areas, a dining room, a foyer and an espresso machine (very important haha). 

My bedroom is so cute and comfortable! I have a big desk, big queen canopy bed and window that opens into the courtyard.  It is absolutely perfect!  But I think my favorite part of the whole apartment building is the stairs leading to the apartment.  It is something straight out of the Phantom of the Opera.  So beautiful!  Also, my host family is so nice!  The mom Christine went out and bought me a toothbrush for the night because mine was still lost with my suitcase.  And the dad Jean-Louis and daughter Eloise (who is 18) had dinner with Jolie (the girl from my program) and I last night together and it was just so cute!

But anyways, we are currently trying to figure out plans for dinner and drinks tonight so I am off!  I will be sure to post more pictures tomorrow, I think we are going to the Eiffel Tower! Au revoir! <3

 

 



When Everything That Could Go Wrong Went Wrong...

 List of what went wrong:
 

1.  The first flight had engine problems and was delayed 2 hours.

2. I had to run 21 terminals to catch my connecting flight while carrying my carry-ons.

3. I made my plane!.... but my luggage did not.

4. Proceeded to watch Pretty Woman and Sleepless In Seattle on the plane; bawled my eyes out.

5. Then saw an old fat bald man also watching Pretty Woman on the plane. 

6. Had someone try to pull a "Taken" and get me to ride his motorcycle instead of a taxi into the city.

7. My luggage was sent to Frankfort, Germany.

8. My seven years of French language study have not prepared me for how "rapidement" the French speak.

9.  My luggage is MIA and will continue to be until tomorrow sometime (ambiguity intended)

10. I lost my wallet, including my money and credit cards. 

 

This would happen to me... UGH.

FINALLY!

I am finally in the airport on my way to Paris!! SO EXCITED! Got a few drinks and some nugs (of the chicken variety) to calm my nerves and am ready to go. The next time I update this blog I will be in Paris! All I know is to go to "sortie 11" once I find my bag to get a cab. I think I have the address of where I need to go...? I feel like it's just going to be an explosion of French language and culture and I am anticipating being overwhelmed haha But ahhh I can't believe it is actually happening!!! I keep expecting something to go wrong... but so far so good!! Wish me bon chance and bon voyage! Xoxo

Last Days In Disney!

 Well I spent my last few days in Disney just enjoying being there and being with my family<3 Awww I know so cute.  But now I get to pack for two months without them!  I mean there's only so much family time I can handle, but two months really is a long time.  Dare I say... I'm going to miss them!

My resort had a pool with a lazy river AND a sand bottom pool so basically I was in heaven and spent a whole day laying there until typical to Florida it started to rain around 3 in the afternoon.  But I got a great tan and shared a daiquiri or two with my mother.  The first drink the waitress brought was definitely virgin... she didn't check my ID and I wrongly assumed that was because I looked 21. I made sure she checked the next time which was slightly awkward. 

 

 So my last morning in Florida after being here for a whole month I spent in Magic Kingdom with the fam.  And I'm so glad I did because we got to explore the new parts of Fantasyland!  And we actually got to eat in the new Beast's castle.  It was so gorgeous inside and really made you feel like you were in a real castle!  We only got to get lunch because dinner reservations are booked for the next 8-10 months...  But lunch was really good! In preparation for France I got a "croque monsieur", which is basically a grilled cheese with ham.  And if you looked out the fake windows in the ballroom of the castle, Disney actually found a way to make it look like it was snowing outside in July. 

And also the new Little Mermaid ride is soooo technologically advanced compared to most of the other "ride through" rides such as Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh it was actually amazing.  The animatronic characters actually looked real and it felt as if you were underwater.  Plus the building the ride is in looks exactly like the castle from the movie! Disney really outdid itself.  Now they just need to add a Hercules ride, a Mulan ride and a Pocahontas ride and I will be satisfied :)

So basically I am now obsessed with castles which is perfect seeing as how my next stop for the summer is Europe!! Now I get to go pack... which is going to be extremely difficult seeing as how my shoes alone are going to put me over the weight limit.  But oh well I have a whopping 24 hours to pack and figure it all out.  Wish me luck! xoxo

How To Drink Around The World At Epcot

And do it successfully!

 

It may have been a costly success, but my mother was financing my little trip and I thought it was worth every penny!  Some people were actually really intense about and even made "Keep Calm and Drink Around the World" shirts for the occasion. 

 

I did some research before, and the biggest thing that the other blogs got wrong was the level of drunk that you will get.  Honestly, if you are a college kid used to drinking a lot you will be fine.  Even without eating a lot along the way (trying to save some money) I had no problem.  There were definitely times I felt tipsy and times I felt a little drunk, but there was never a time where I felt out of control or sick in any way.

 

Here are the countries I "visited" and the drinks I got!
 

Mexico:  Lime flavored frozen margarita

-I actually didn't get carded in Mexico haha but the margarita was delicious.  It tasted pretty tequila-y but I enjoyed it for my first drink. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Norway: A shot of "Linie Aquavit Glacier"

-Ok so this was pretty disgusting.  I had to chase it with my mom's diet coke because it tasted like a mix of jager, peppermint schnapps, and vodka with some spices mixed in.  Ew. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 China: The "Yuan Yang" drink

-Commonly referred to as the "Tipsy Ducks In Love" drink.  It was a mix of chocolate, some other unknown stuff and a generous amount of Jim Beam.  The chocolate and whiskey went really well together much to my surprise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Germany: Oktoberfest beer

-As I've previously stated I really dislike beer, but I felt that I just had to get a beer in Germany!  And as expected it was pretty gross to me but I fought through it... and then poured the rest in the bushes.  Oops!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Italy: A shot of limoncello

-Italy was my favorite place.  It was just beautiful, and had beautiful waiters who recommended the limoncello and a cannoli.  Yummm! "No! Leave the gun! Take the cannoli!" (Godfather reference)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

America: Red Stag Lemonade

-Well this one was very refreshing.  It was like a bourbon flavored slushie with a dash of lemonade.  Very strong haha I think this is the point at which I felt the most drunk.  That's 'merica for ya!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Japan: Green tea with sake

-Ok so I knew that when I went to Japan I had to try sake, but unfortunately they didn't have sake bombs so I had to get a mixed drink.  And yeah it was pretty gross...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morocco: Strawberry daiquiri

-Well I don't think there was too much they could do for "authentic" Moroccan drinks, but as far as daiquiris go this one was just that... a daiquiri. But it is one of my dreams to go to Africa and Morocco would be really nice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

France: Glass of Riesling wine

-Well since I'll be spending 6 weeks in France, I figured a nice glass of wine would suffice here.  It was a nice change up from the liquor.  I do love wine!
 

 

                                    

 

 

The UK: Magner's Hard Cider
  -I've only had Magner's one other place and it was at a little Irish bar in Queens.  But ever since I have spent my life searching for Magner's cider only to be disappointed with Woodchuck and Angry Orchard.  So imagine my delight upon finding Magner's here!  ...And then I found out that they only had Magner's pear cider but whatever I had it anyways and it was perfect.

Canada: "Torontopolitan"

-Ok so this was really just a little mixed slushie vodka drink.  It was really small and only took a few gulps to get down but it was delicious nonetheless!














 

So that completes my journey and how I successfully drank around the world at Epcot!  I can cross that off the bucket list :)

 



Hi From Disneyworld!

Today marks my fourth day in Disneyworld and it is HOT! And humid... But I really do love Disney I'm just a kid at heart<3

We spent the first night with my dad, mom, aunt and uncle getting drinks at our resort.  Then the "adults" went to Downtown Disney leaving me with my 14 year old sister and her friend... and also a credit card with unlimited charging possibilities for food and drinks.  You can bet I took advantage of that!  The kids went to the pool using every trick from tween romantic comedies to "attract" boys, while I sat in the hot tub and read a book.  I just finished "The Fault In Our Stars" which was actually a very good read!  It was one of those books that makes you appreciate your life.  Very heartwarming and thought provoking. 

Magic Kingdom is my favorite park just because it is really classic Disney.  There is a whole new part of the park that was just added within the past year, complete with new rides, castles, and eateries.  According to the guy standing outside of the entrance, MK now boasts the best restaurant in America! (questionable)  This is the Be Our Guest restaurant and it "really immerses you in the movie" and if you're lucky you can get a reservation... in the next 8-10 months.

 Hollywood Studios is where my nerdy side comes out because one of the rides I really look forward to is called "The Great Movie Ride".  It takes you through all of these sound stages of classic movies such as "Singing In The Rain", "Gangster's Paradise", and "The Wizard of Oz".  I blame my father for my love of old movies, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" being my favorite one.  He's always watching them after work with a beer or two... Anyways I also love the Little Mermaid show, Ariel's role, in my opinion, being the cushiest Disney performer job.  She does one show every half hour where she sings like one song and gets to sit on a rock in the air conditioning in a purple sparkly bra for the majority of it.  And she even has an awkward semi-kiss with the guy who plays Eric who has it even better because he is literally on stage for 2 whole minutes. 

And then we have Animal Kingdom, definitely the most forgotten of the Disney parks.  While it does boast a legitimate Safari ride and pretty decent roller coaster... that's about all it has.  But those two attractions alone are worth the trek into the wild!

Finally Feeling Like A Floridian!

          Hi! So before I embark on my next Summer adventure in Disneyworld, I just want to conclude my West Palm Beach one. So on my second to last night we went out for drinks and dinner downtown. I actually got a beer!... (Or 1/4 of one haha the bartender mixed 3/4 hard cider and 1/4 vanilla flavored beer for me) Then we went to Rocco's Tacos which is this famous taco place and it was sooo good! I love Mexican food yum

          Then for my last day at work, I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for some coffee... And apparently in Florida if you order a "large French vanilla coffee" they automatically assume you mean "iced coffee" hahah I mean it makes sense but it just wasn't what I was expecting. Then at the store I managed to sneak a pic of the buttons Victoria's Secret makes that you can wear if you speak Spanish to let the customers know... I don't know why but I find them hilarious! It was sad to leave my new VS friends but they said I'm welcome back anytime! 

          And then for my last West Palm evening, my rockstar cousin and his girlfriend (both vegan mind you) joined my aunt, uncle, and I for dinner. For the occasion, my aunt Patti made a whole entire home-cooked vegan meal from scratch.... And much to my surprise it was actually pretty good! We talked about my cousin's band and their success on iTunes, and the radio. He also showed me a pic of an ad they have playing in Times Square! So cool! But anyways I'm off to the happiest place on Earth! Will update more later!!

Life Post-LSAT & Pre-Paris

So what have I been up to?? 

I know you've all been wondering!

          Well for starters I have been working my butt off at Victoria's Secret!  Knowing my shopping habits, I will need as much extra cash as I can get for Europe.  I'm already expecting my suitcase to be overweight with my shoes alone... Add all the stuff I'm going to buy over there and I am going to have a serious problem!  So the Semi-Annual Sale just started which basically people take to mean as "the two times a year it is acceptable to be an absolutely insane and crazy shopper".  I've been working at least 6 hours a day UGH and let me tell you SAS really brings 'em out. Especially in South Florida where no one seems to "hable Ingles"!    The silver lining is that there is a Chik Fil A in the food court of the mall! Undoubtedly my favorite fast food place, and since I try to avoid fast food this place is a real weakness.

          Don't get me wrong though... I love my job! Did you know that I can tell immediately if someone is wearing the wrong bra size?? Also I can tell what collection and style of bra someone is wearing just by seeing a little bit of the strap.  And I'd say my accuracy for bra measurements is around 97%.  Not even joking!  And this is actually totally normal to me.  Some of my friends think it's weird... but I call it a gift.  I've been extensively trained in bras, literally, I had to take an exam and have lots of extra training sessions and hours.  I even got a certificate! 

Everyone I work with is so nice too. They even invited me to go out with them to Downtown West Palm tonight!  I'm already feeling at home here but I definitely miss all my VS store ladies.  Anyways, I'm off to cool down and relax in the pool after a long day at work!  My cousin is home from touring with his rockstar band so we're going out to dinner later.  No really his band Surferblood had a song on the Vampire Diaries and the band played on the Jimmy Fallon show!  Pretty cool if I do say so myself.  And no they're not taking applications for groupies... I already asked just in case law school doesn't work out haha I'm also catching up on Pretty Little Liars Season 3 (which is now on instant Netflix if you didn't already know!) and Downton Abbey Season 2 because my aunt has it on DVD. 

          And don't even get me started on the Bachelorette!! I am in love with that show and I blame my sorority sisters.  I never used to watch reality TV until I moved into my sorority house.  Now I can't get enough!  My favorite guys by FAR are Brooks and Bryden.  Although Brooks did seem a bit wimpy about his broken finger...  Oh well I'm calling it now Brooks and Bryden in the finale!  And lastly I am absolutely in LOVE with Desiree's car!!  She got a light blue Bentley for going on the show.  If she gets to keep it, having your super dramatic dating life be on national TV is well worth it.

Update: I'm Still Alive! (Barely...)

It's almost 6am and I am getting really tired of studying for this test... Add that to some seriously severe weather, and I am exhausted.  So consider this a much needed mental break!

Sometimes/a lot of the time I get unmotivated and want to give up when something becomes difficult and tedious.  But then I remember the dreams that I have and what I need to do in order to get there. 

Getting what you want isn't easy, but getting what you deserve will happen almost every time.  It's when what you want IS what you deserve that dreams can become reality.  

Tropical Depression

So I've been told that South Florida is experiencing what they call a "Tropical Depression"!  Well I would definitely agree because the past week has just been gloomy and rainy.  Seriously cutting into my tanning... I mean studying... time!  But as far as what a real Tropical Depression is, according to my Weather Channel app it's like a mild hurricane.  Well good thing this storm that's headed for Florida has upgraded from a Tropical Depression to Tropical Storm Andrea!  Which still really means nothing to me, being from Michigan, but again my app says that it's more intense than a Tropical Depression but less than an actual hurricane. 

Well obviously there would be some type of tropical weather emergency while I'm in Florida so to my friends and family, feel free to divide up my things if I don't make it out alive.  If you can find anything of value it's yours to keep!  I guess this is my official tearful goodbye!  But all joking aside, Andrea's not even headed to the east side of Florida so we're just going to get a bunch of rain...  Oh well back to studying!  The LSAT is on Monday so I won't post again until after. Wish me luck!

Rainy Days

Well it has been raining for the past few days here in Florida.  And when it rains it really pours!  The pool is even overflowing.  The good news is that I have been able to avoid the sun so my sunburn could heal but the bad news is that it is getting increasingly hard to study in this gloom. 

To give myself a little inspiration to study I have recently picked up a new addiction and it comes in form of the TV show Scandal.  I normally stay away from shows that are about lawyers because I don't want to give myself unrealistic expectations.  But I watched one episode of Scandal and was immediately hooked!  I watched all of season 1 on Instant Netflix and then got the free week of HuluPlus to watch season 2.  I justify this as my study break instead of being in the pool so it all balances out in the end!

If I can be like Olivia Pope one day then I will definitely make sure to do well on the LSAT hahah maybe this is why I don't watch shows about lawyers...  Oh well I am almost finished with my first LSAT book then I am going to take some practice LSATs.  Its coming up quickly though! I just want to be able to say I did all I could and feel confident about that when I take the actual test.