all packed....leaving tomorrow....*freaks out*

Bonjour from Paris!

Hello all. Hope that you are having a wonderful end of the summer time. We are here in Paris, enjoying all that the city has to offer. We've been walking everywhere, the subway is for losers and lazy people. We've seen the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Sacre Coeur, all the Jardins, the Seine, Notre Dame, Latin Quarter, Musee D'Orsay, and so on. Below is an image of us in front of the Eiffel tower, before climbing it (after walking for 7 miles). So yeah, we're getting exercise and meeting lots of amazing people, and enjoying the food and the wine and our amazingly tiny 4 person room without a light and the attached 'bathroom' with a semi funcitoning toilet and a cold shower. Lots of love,

Rose and Amanda

So today I decided to make a big collage that I could hang up in my room when I'm in London. Conclusion: we all had a lot of fucking fun this year. I laughed more looking through all of my pictures than I have in quite a while. Anyways, here is a glance at my work of art if you're interested...

i'll miss you too rach! here is my address for you (and anyone else who wants to send me love)I'll be there as of next thurs(eek!):

Mollie Reznick
C/O Bada
14 Gloucester Gate
Regents Park
London NW1 4HG
England, UK

Everyone else should post their foreign addresses as well...

Can't wait to see you all when I return!

2429

That number is the number of miles I have driven, and I have only had the car for two months--I think I am making up for all my lost years.

Carolyn and I did our crazy college shopping part I this past Tuesday: a total of 6 and a 1/2 hours (with a lunch break) and to my surprise, not too much stuff at wal-mart. But I am proud to say (and slightly freaked out by my own ocd), that my shower essentials are a nice golden brownish color theme this year, with a touch of pink. Part II of our shopping, the clothes half, is tomorrow with our mothers, hopefully they won't get too tired.

So with all this back to school shopping, of course comes packing, which I am about to embark on, and will consist of me sitting in the attic for a long time sorting through my plastic drawers and reassessing all my crap from the past years. Although I am not going far away and to another country, I am really looking forward to getting back to Conn, I think it should be a pretty great year, despite orgo and various people being gone each semester. I might fufill some of my abroad needs by doing Birthright Israel in December with a few friends, but I have yet to ask the rents and figure out all the details. And I am not sure if it is right for me to take part in it, being that lately I have been unsure in where my religion/faith lies, but that is a whole other topic. I expect you all to to have great new, perhaps eye opening, experiences for me, but really for yourselves.

All in all, the next few days will be packed with...packing, but the summer has treated me really well, and I can not be any happier to start school again. Know that you all will be missed dearly, and if you would like some old fashion snail mail, give me your address, and I will be happy to write you. Enjoy the new cultural differences and live in the moment!

lots of love, Rach

Can you spell... mujeres?

Yeah, so I wrote a post, and then tried to post it, and blogger lost it, so you aren't getting one anymore. I mean, you are, but severely abbreviated.

I'm going to Peru with 12 girls. The Peruvian guys are going to love us.

Amanda

I'm leaving on a jetplane...

hey hey all,

my eyes are drooping, but I can't go to bed yet because I'm too excited and I'll never sleep. Tomorrow I head off to Europe and the funny thing is that I suddenly feel so calm. I've been on and off nervous for the past week and now I'm just so excited and dying to get there. I don't know what it is exactly that I'm expecting from the semester, but I'm excited to push my limits, and meet new people, and hopefully learn SOME czech. Anyways lovelies, I hope you all have had wonderful summers and have even better semesters. Keep posting about everything going on and take care of yourselves. I can't wait to see you all again and hear about all of your adventures.
As the Czechs say...
Ahoy!

Love always,
a

Auf Wiedersehen!

Gutentag meine Lieblings. As I am leaving for the lovely Europa and delightful little city one calls Berlin on Monday, I decided to wish you all a great semester. I hope everyone does something never done before, makes a new friend, finds a new passion, tries a new food (for me it is sauerkraut and wienerschnitzel-ew) and has a lot of fun!! Really, I mean it. I hope that when everyone convenes once more during (gulp) senior year, we will become even more interesting and dynamic than we already are. I will miss you all dearly, and hope everyone uses this blog thingamajiger. And I promise to come back, and be able to look you all in the eye and say proudly, "Ich bin ein Berlinner!"

Love,
Rose

Quick Escape

Movie Recomendations:

National Geographic educational/heart warming story
>>March of the Penguins

Laugh out loud (literally) funny
>>Wedding Crashers

Thriller/drama movie rental (but was good enough to see in theaters)
>>Runaway Jury

Pariah of the Week

Last week at work I was given the most honorable title Star of the Week, which entitled me to a generous cup of dunkin donuts finest and hand soap from bath and body works (but this place isn't cheap, noooo way). I then received a wonderful cold from the sniffly coughing babies that has progressed into a full fledged case of laringitis (however you spell that). Thus, I have called out sick. I don't think that in all my years of working I have yet to call out; I feel like I'm playing hookey. Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there. I have also been exposed to shingles (twice, possibly three times) and have to cancel plans with my aunt (who is pregnant) for a long weekend we were supposed to have together this weekend. Thus, I have adapted my title and renamed myself: Pariah of the Week. Just ask Rose. I got her sick, too.

Luckily, I have been very productive today without using my voice. I even bought a huge picture frame so that I can make the big collage I've always wanted of all our pictures. And other than the recent sickness things have been good. My twelve year old cousin is safe at home, fighting with her mother instead of us. It was a trying three weeks, though the two of us did have some fun.

We also had another cousin (30 years old) and her boyfriend and his friend (both men were German) staying for two eventful nights. We had long dinners and heard all about German food, German healthcare, German welfare, the German job force, Oktoberfest. We debated issues of welfare reform and sweatshop labor. But what was most amusing was the way my little, soft spoken mother treated these men, one in particular. Picture this: Sylvan at least 6'4", big, burly, German guy. My mother 5' and oftentimes overly sweet (though always sincere). She asks Sylvan to chop up basil for our salad, which he does more than willingly. A few minutes later he prouldy presents her with his finished product: a very nicely garnished salad. "Oh Sylvan! Oh honey! That's so beautiful. Everybody, look at what Sylvan did. What a wonderful job." And she went on. So, I don't know what was funnier, some of their antics or my mother babying someone twice her size.

Alas, I should continue to use this speechless day productively, but considering this is probably as vocal as I will get all day, thanks for listening.

Lots of love and adventure--a

You do a line and I'll do a line, Honey

Well, I guess after watching Garden State and reading The Half-Blood Prince, I can finally rest easy as part of our generation. My travels most recently took me out on a farm about an hour and a half southwest of the city. There me and two fellow Butler students tailed a real life semi-retired farmer through a weekend of naps, TV, and potato heavy meals.
We did spend a little time feeding and herding sheep, but overall it wasn't the romantic adventure I had assumed farm life to be. Our caving expedition last week was more engaging, although not quite as comfortable. Sliding off an underground waterfall into darkness and a waiting pool of glacier water is an impressive notch to add to my ego-resume, but conversly is very, very cold.

To date, I still havn't really been able to pin down concrete differences between NZ and "The States", but when I figure it out, you'll be the first to know. By the way, my friends, I made a semi-delicious tuna noodle casserole tonight, although finding out that Seth doesn't have to cook his own food makes it taste like sulfer.
Strange sentance, but you get it. I hope summer is treating everyone well, and you're not taking the warmth for granted.

Rose, I havn't found anyone for the shirt yet, but I'm still looking

Open Sesame,

Drew