2014: The Year of Travel

When you study abroad in Europe, one of the advantages is the ability to travel to several countries in a short amount of time. However, while flipping through pictures on my phone from the past year, I realized how much I traveled even before coming abroad!

I went to Hawaii in March for spring break with my mom and aunt to visit our family friends who live in Maui:

Then, in July, I was lucky enough to be invited on a trip to Washington and Oregon with Mike and his family! I fell in love with the upper Northwest:

Only a few days after we got back from Oregon, Mike and I had to take a road trip to Chicago to get our visas. That was an extremely short trip (20 hours of driving in two days), but we hope to visit Chicago and take more time to appreciate the cool city.

By the time 2014 ends, I will have visited 12 cities from four different countries. That’s a lot in one year! (I totally understand if you hate me.) I’m a lucky girl, and not only because I got to visit all these different places, but because I got to experience them with people I love. I’ve found that makes a difference. Living abroad toute seule has made me more confident and independent, but most of all it’s made me realize how much I love being surrounded by my friends and loved ones.

After I’m done with my finals on Thursday, I will spend the weekend with my friends in Nantes, then spend the week cleaning my dorm and packing for Madrid! I leave on December 18th to meet up with Mike, then his family comes the 21st! I AM SO EXCITED. Yes, caps lock is necessary, because this has been one stressful *beep*ing semester and it will be time to celebrate.

My finals will all be in French (obviously), so wish me luck. Je peux le faire!

The Importance of Being Alone

When you move to a foreign country alone, you should expect that you’re going to be spending a lot of time by yourself. Not only is that okay; it’s also good for you.

For some people, this poses a challenge because they’re not used to being by themselves. For me, the adjustment was easier because I’m used to spending time alone. I shop, workout, and sometimes, go out to eat alone (it’s amazing, you should try it). Coming to France only amped up the challenges. I had to navigate through different airports, ask for help in a different language, and learn my way around a new city. No one was there holding my hand. Since I live in a single dorm room, I also had to make an effort to find friends.

Being alone is important because it helps you build confidence. I am much more confident in asking for directions or figuring out cities on my own. And since I had to do so with (imperfect) French, speaking English will only make it easier back home. I have no excuses now.

However, just because I am independent doesn’t mean I don’t get lonely. Being lonely in a foreign country is horrible. One weekend, my friends were away, so I no longer had the option of hanging out alone or not. That’s the difference: when you choose to be alone, it’s nice, because it’s voluntary. When it’s not, the loneliness can be unbearable. I didn’t know what “lonely” meant until I had to spend five days alone during fall break before I went to Spain. I realized that while it’s nice to do some things alone, it’s also nice to do certain things with other people, like taking day trips. I tried to keep myself busy, but the more I tried, the deeper I fell into the dark hole of homesickness.

Those few days were hard on me because I missed my boyfriend, my family, and my friends, and they were all so far away. However, I learned about myself, like “Don’t leave Chelsey alone for five days, with no one keeping her company besides a bottle of wine and Skype.” (Things get ugly – just ask my boyfriend.) Turns out this independent little tart does, in fact, get lonely. It just takes a little longer than some people.

I’m glad I did this experience because I learned how to be more independent, but I also learned that it’s important to be around people, too. Make friends that you can message and say, “Hey, I need to get out of my room, wanna get a beer?” Sometimes that’s all you need, then you can go home, put on your jammies, and watch a movie alone, guilt free. (All you introverts out there will know exactly what I’m talking about.) 🙂

Mike’s Birthday Weekend in Ireland

I like many things in life. Some of these things include a good IPA, cute bearded guys who also like me, baby elephants, speaking English, and Irish pubs. I was lucky enough to experience all of these things last weekend in Dublin, Ireland for Mike’s birthday weekend!

I started my journey to Dublin on Friday afternoon after my classes were over. After two short flights from Nantes to Paris to Dublin, I finally arrived. I cannot tell you how refreshing it was to be in an English speaking country. I hopped on a bus toward our hotel in the Temple Bar area, and Mike met me at the bus station. We went to a restaurant close to our hotel and had oysters, Shepherd’s Pie, and Irish stew. I literally teared up because I missed mashed potatoes so much. Eating them in Ireland with Mike made me the happiest I’ve been since coming to Europe.

We got up early on Saturday, had an AMAZING Irish breakfast (it was the first time I’ve had fried eggs since I left home), and headed out to explore Dublin. I could sit here and write about how charming the city is (I mean, it’s Ireland), but I’ll let you decide for yourself:

After walking around for nearly three hours, we took a break, then headed toward the Jameson Whiskey Distillery in the heart of the city. We took a guided tour of the history of the brand, how it is made, and then we volunteered to do a whiskey tasting. We compared Jameson (triple distilled) to two other whiskeys, scotch (double distilled), and American whiskey (single distilled), which turned out to simply be Jack Daniel’s. I preferred the Jameson, like most of the volunteers, but Mike was the brave soul who chose the scotch as his favorite. At the end of the tasting, we got nifty certificates to prove we were qualified and a free drink!

On Saturday night we went out to find a place for dinner, but it was so packed that we had difficulty finding a restaurant that wasn’t overflowing with people. We finally found a place that could squeeze us in (literally) and had dinner. Afterward we decided to check out the bar next to our hotel, which had cheap beer and a dance floor blaring 80’s mashups, so you can probably guess how the rest of the evening went (for those of you who know us, that answer is obvious). We had a blast!

Sunday was a bit more laid back. We got oysters (again) and then went to the movie Interstellar. I’ve been pretty bad about staying up to date on movies lately, so I didn’t know what to expect, but Mike and I were absolutely blown away. Christopher Nolan, man. That guy knows how to make a damn movie. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.

After the movie ended, we got some hot beverages and walked around the city to talk about the movie. We came across a cool pub in a quieter, less touristy part of town. We got some fish and chips and drank some amazing IPA. Damn, we missed good beer.

Finally, Monday, Mike’s 22nd birthday! We got some coffees and hopped on the tram to the Dublin Zoo, which is home to not one, not two, but THREE baby elephants! I thought my heart was going to explode. We saw almost every single animal that was available to see.

After the zoo, we walked to the Guinness Storehouse, where we toured the building and learned how to properly pour a pint of Guinness. The best part was drinking it afterward on the rooftop bar, which had the best view of Dublin!


Once we were done at the Guinness Storehouse, we started heading back to the hotel. We decided to get some sushi to go for a light lunch before having dinner later. We went back to the pub we went on Sunday night and spent the rest of Mike’s birthday drinking beer and talking about life. That’s a pretty dang good birthday, if you ask me.

Unfortunately, the sushi betrayed us. We got food poisoning early Tuesday morning, so we spent the morning of our last day in bed, which was a disappointment. At least it was at the end of the trip. The hotel was kind enough to give us a late check out. We were feeling better by the time we headed to the airport.

Despite the food poisoning, the weekend was the best weekend I’ve had since coming to Europe, hands down. I got to spend a weekend in Ireland with my bearded babe, drink good beer, eat good food, see baby elephants, speak ENGLISH… Sigh. Neither of us wanted to go back to our respective countries. Our flights were not too far apart, so I got to sit with Mike until he boarded the plane back to Madrid.

Now, one more month until school is over. Once classes are done, it’s travel and family time for us, and then we get to go home. One… more… month.

Trying New Things

The most important part of this experience is “trying new things.” Usually people assume that means skydiving out of a plane or eating an iguana, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be that extreme.

So, this weekend my friend and I went to a produce market in the town center. You haven’t experienced the French culture until you’ve attended a produce market on a Saturday morning. French people want fresh, local, organic food, and every possible food was available that day. Fish, red meat, fruit, vegetables, eggs, pastries, bread, macaroons… And all very fresh. Some of the fish was still moving! There were also inedible items too, like hats and mattresses. I could feel the energy flowing through the market, smell all the different scents… The experience was incredibly French.

Later that evening, my friend taught me how to make a Swiss meal called “Rosti mit Zurigschnatzletem.” Say that five times fast! It sounds fancy, but it’s quite simple: roasted potatoes with a creamy paprika sauce over chicken and caramelized carrots. Sooo good. I can’t wait to try it at home (if I can even read my instructions; we also drank wine while cooking ;)).

Yesterday we went to a Turkish bath, which is essentially a large sauna to “cleanse your pores.” When you arrive, you receive a towel, robe, and shoes. After rinsing yourself off, you step into a room where the steam is so thick you can hardly see anything. The room we went into was only for women, so there were some women who “set the girls free” if you know what I mean (I kept mine contained). Some women brought mud and exfoliants for their skin, which I think I will do when I go back. There is a room that’s even hotter, which makes you sweat like crazy, with a cold pool in the middle. It’s essentially the opposite of being in a hot tub in the winter.

Afterwards, we put on our robes and went into the relaxing room where we received hot mint tea. The experience was incredibly relaxing… We lost track of time and ended up being there for three hours! It was exactly what I needed, though. Lately I’ve been feeling stressed and homesick, so not only was it good to try something new, but also do something to calm me down. I miss my family and friends more each day, but I keep trying to remind myself this experience will end soon, and to make the most of it.

Ireland in three days!

Long Weekend in Madrid

Bonsoir, tout le monde! Or maybe “hola” would be more appropriate for this post?

Last week was fall break for French students, so I had the opportunity to go to Spain to visit Mike for a long weekend! We hadn’t seen each other (in person) since he visited me in Nantes, so we were extremely happy to be reunited (and in SPAIN, no less)!

After checking into our hotel Thursday evening – a small “hostal” in Getafe – I got to meet Mike’s friends over tapas and beer. Tapas, for those of you who aren’t familiar, are small dishes of food, typically served with drinks at a bar. They are quite delicious. I was happy to finally meet the friends Mike has made in Madrid. Most of them are international students as well! It’s always fun to sit with international students and compare cultures and ideas.

Friday was “Sight Seeing Day.” Mike took me on a walking tour of Madrid after we had some tasty paella. By the end of the tour, my feet were killing me (we probably walked close to two miles), but the beauty and energy of the city was worth it!

Since Friday was also Halloween, we went to a couple parties in Mike’s dorm. We flip flopped with the idea to dress up, but ended up going as “homesick exchange students” instead (a.k.a. ourselves). Since no one goes to the clubs until midnight in Madrid, we caught the last train into the city and went to a bar. We were out until 4am, which is about four hours past my bedtime! I’m such a morning person, so living in a culture where everyone stays out late wouldn’t be for me. But, hey, I was on vacation, so why not embrace it for a little while?

Since we were out so late on Friday, we slept in on Saturday until noon. We spent the afternoon lounging in the sun on the roof of his dorm and talking about life. Later that evening, we dressed up and went out for a four course dinner in Madrid with a few of Mike’s friends. Both the food and the company was fabulous! After that, we made our way to a trendy rooftop bar with the best view of Madrid.

Sunday we “got our culture on” and went to the Prado, the biggest art museum in Madrid. When we first started dating, we made a rule that every time we visited a new city together, we had to go to the art museum. So far, we’ve been to the art museums in Fargo, Winnipeg, Minneapolis, and now, Madrid. We tried to go to the art museum in Nantes, but unfortunately it was closed for restoration. Good thing we have the Louvre to look forward to! Since I couldn’t take pictures in the museum, I took some pictures on our walk back to the train station. I fell in love with the architecture in Madrid!

The rest of the trip was spent enjoying each other’s company. We designated Monday as our “lazy day” since it was my last full day in Spain. We hiked a good mile and a half to Carrefour, a supermarket chain in France and Spain. On our way back, we noticed there was a grocery store literally 100 meters from our hotel. Of course. Oh well, judging from the “food” we bought, it was good we got some exercise beforehand.

Overall, the trip was awesome. Mike could be studying abroad in a garbage dump and I still would go see him, but thankfully, Madrid is a cool city! I can’t wait to spend Christmas there with him and his family.

Ireland in nine days. Needless to say, Mike and I are seriously pumped! Bring on the good beer!

Doctor Visit

Yesterday I was having minor abdominal pain and debated calling the doctor to get it checked out. I’m the type of person that HATES going to the doctor, so the thought of going and also having to do it in French was horrifying. After debating with myself for two hours, I finally called and made an appointment for the afternoon. I’m leaving for Spain tomorrow and I wanted to make sure I caught whatever it was before I left the country. I spent the afternoon typing sentences into Google translate (heaven bless) to explain my symptoms to the doctor in French.

Most doctor offices in France are not located in a hospital; some doctors rent a space in a home or even have people come to their own houses. The building I went to had simple secretary desk, a separate waiting room with tiny, squeaky chairs that you would find in a church basement, and simple offices. Since I paid for the universal health care, I give my receipts to my health insurance agency and they reimburse me. Not too shabby.

Anyway, the doctor called me in and sat me down. I had to try my best to explain my symptoms and try to understand the questions she was asking me. One of them I couldn’t quite understand, so she said, “Warmth? Hot?” and pointed outside. So, thinking she was talking about the weather, I said, “Oh, yes, it’s beautiful outside! I’m from North Dakota, so this is warm for me.”

She asked me if I had a fever.


The worst part is I just realized this, sitting in my dorm room, fourteen hours later.

She gave me an antibiotic that I had to take later in the evening two hours after a meal. So, I go to the pharmacy, get the goods, and go home. I take out the package and open it, expecting a pill, but it was a packet of powder that I had to dissolve and drink in a glass of water. Ew! I felt some side effects last night, but I woke up this morning feeling much better.

Living in a different culture is a whirlwind experience, and while I make a fool of myself sometimes (the weather? REALLY?), I am constantly learning.

I leave tomorrow for Spain to visit Mike! Next blog post will be about my adventure. Let’s hope all goes well!

“What do you want to do with your life?”

As an American, it is engrained in my head that I need to get an education, get a good job, make money, and then, I die (or that’s how it feels to me, anyway). Work ethic is important in the United States, but sometimes I fear we prioritize making money over anything else.

One thing I envy about French culture is that their lives don’t revolve around work. They have a 35 hour work week, so they have more time to enjoy themselves. Most people also get a long vacation in the summer because their economy can afford it, thanks to the tourism industry (any French people reading this, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong). French people in general are more laid back than Americans, which took me a while to get used to, but now I’m realizing how wonderful it is.

When an American is asked by another American, “What do you want to do with your life?”, the answer is assumed to be followed by a career path. I, like most people, loathe this question for this reason. I have no idea what I want to do, as far as a career. I’m pursuing Public Relations and International Studies in school, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what I’ll be doing. For French students, the classes they take in high school and college are specific to their career path, and normally that is the career they will have. In America, it’s not so black and white.

It always comes down to one thing: money. No matter how much I wish it wasn’t, the American culture is obsessed with making money. Big cars! Big houses! A pool full of kool aid! … But why?

When I think about “what I want to do with my life”, I think about traveling, cuddling with my husband, having dance parties in the kitchen with our babies, enjoying time with my friends and family, eating delicious food, and drinking good wine. That’s it! That is all I want to do with my life! Sometimes I fear that is too much to ask.

As far as taking time to enjoy themselves, the French know what they’re doing.

Midwest Is Best

Today after classes, my friend and I went to the city center for lunch. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant we’ve been wanting to go to and ordered some pho, which is a Vietnamese soup with beef, noodles, and vegetables. Needless to say it was… phonomenal.

Anyway, a woman approached our table and asked (in English) if I was American. It turns out she was not only American as well, but also from Minnesota! She said she has been living in France for “many, many years – probably more years than you’ve been alive!”

It’s funny how you can bond with strangers over the smallest of details, like where you’re from. Even though she’s been living in France for many years, she still exuded that wonderful Midwest warmth. You can take the person out of the Midwest, but you can’t take the Midwest out of the person!

I think the best people come from the upper Midwest of America, although I may be biased. 😉

Free Time

I’m lucky enough to not have class on Mondays, so every weekend is a long weekend for me. Therefore, I have a lot of time on my hands. I’m not used to having so much free time since my weekends at home are spent working. So, to keep myself from going insane, I crochet, draw, and paint (usually while watching movies at the same time). I feel less like bump on a log when I’ve done something productive. It’s also incredibly relaxing.

Here are some of my works from the past few weeks.

Self portrait

Mike. Those of you who know him will know the “meh” in the background captures him perfectly.

Elephant, before paint

Elephant, finished product

Butterflies and Unicorns

Ever since I went to Europe for the first time, I have had a serious case of wanderlust. I’ve been fascinated by languages, cultures, and foods that are different than my own. I wanted to travel everywhere I can, meet new people, and try new things… I still feel that way. However, studying abroad isn’t always rainbow sparkles. I’m making the best of the experience while I’m here, but that doesn’t mean I’m constantly having fun. There are some days where it’s really, really hard to be here.

I’m an independent person (hence the whole being able to live in a foreign country alone thing). I always have been. When I was little, I preferred to play by myself instead of with other children. Mops were my dance partners. Spatulas were my swords. I wore dress up clothes every day in the summer. I always preferred to be by myself, and that is something that has never changed. I’m realizing it more now that I’m living in a foreign country. I have days where I sit in my dorm room, crochet, and watch movies online because I don’t feel like socializing… and I feel guilty about it. I’m living in a foreign country, which is not something most people get to do. Shouldn’t I be out every night, living it up? Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do? No, because that isn’t who I am. I’m not a person who goes out and rages every night. Why would I change myself just because I’m living somewhere else where that’s the norm? I’ve had to adjust many things about my routine since coming to France, but that doesn’t mean I need to adjust who I am. Sometimes I’m super lame! And I’m proud of it!

While studying abroad is by far the best decision I’ve made, it hasn’t always been easy. I always miss my family, friends, and boyfriend, but some days are harder than others. I cry a lot. More than I thought I would. I miss home a lot more than I thought I would.

I miss eating burgers the size of my face. I miss the ease of my native language. I miss my bed. I miss the unending wifi, my smoke free campus, better administration (don’t even get me started on that). France does have its positive points, like recycling, better public transport, and universal health care, but it isn’t my home.

Being home means being surrounded by people you love, and who love you. It’s comfortable, it’s familiar… It’s where you belong.

I’m a realistic person, so I’m going to be realistic when I say that while studying abroad is fun, it’s also incredibly difficult, more than I thought it would be… but that’s the freakin’ point. If it was easy, what would I learn? For those of you planning to study abroad (which you absolutely, positively should if you are able), don’t expect butterflies and unicorns all the time. Life isn’t a postcard, but as long as you appreciate the lessons you’re learning, you’ll be fine.