It is a bizarre thing to wake up in one country and go to sleep in another.
(Strasbourg exactly as I wish to remember it).
The morning began bright and early at 5:30AM Strasbourg time. I didn't fall asleep until nearly 1AM, so my body is extra confused today between the lack of sleep and changing time zones. The host mom insisted we sit down for a final petit déjeuner of café and cookies. Yes, you read that right. I said I wasn't hungry and she said that I needed to eat before we left. So we split cookies. I can't wait for my detox that starts as soon as I walk in the door of my house.
I digress. So my 1st flight of the 3 I am taking today went from Strasbourg to Paris with no problems. Très bien. The Paris to my current location (which remains undisclosed for safety reasons) flight was a bit delayed because of some crappy weather in Paris.
(Sesame seed bar/cracker combination. Surprisingly sweet.)
The flight was 8 hours and 30 minutes. Needless to say, I am stiff and could really go for a hot yoga class. Anyways, on the flight I sat beside a 23 year old man from Togo, Africa who was immigrating to the US to go to school in Nebraska! How cool is that?! I chatted with him for a bit in French before falling asleep.
(Just juice: Pear, raspberry, and apple.)
When I awoke, I struck up a conversation with a nice old Jewish couple that were flying back that were flying back to the US after spending 2 months on the southern coast (rough life right?)
(10 euro food magazine that I left on the plane. Doh!! I wanted to make a collage of the food pictures, they were stunning!)
So back to the couple. I chatted with them for the last hour of the flight because we had so much in common. We talked about my interests and how I will be graduating in December with no future plans. This led to a conversation about food and politics of course and then he started telling me about his brother who works at a non-profit food policy organization in California!! I was grinning ear to ear throughout our delightful conversation and by the end of the flight I exchanged contact information with him. You never know, maybe he will be a good contact to have in the future? :)
I went through customs and immigration in 15 minutes flat. Good karma at its finest. I was very relieved and excited to see this sign upon my arrival.
All I could think was "Wow. I did it!"
Then I jumped right back into American culture the best way I know how. First stop...
Feeding the man...and my tummy! That was quite possibly the best unsweetened iced coffee with soymilk I have ever had. The French need to learn an appreciation for COLD coffee in the summa time. Granted, Starbucks tastes like butt compared to authentic French café, but I look at it as a give and take. And today, I'll take cold coffee thank you.
Re-energized, I ran around the airport for a bit trying to negotiate my way onto an earlier flight. No luck. So I walked to my gate, settled in, and made myself comfortable.
Check out my new baby! Gorgeous no?!? It makes me feel so classy to carry this bag! I digress...I chalked up $8 for Wi-Fi and then made myself "perfect oatmeal."
(Cranberries, raisins, and mixed nuts.)
So that was about 2 hours ago. I'm still hanging out with a little under 2 hours until I board for Little Rock. I can already tell my body is going to hate me tomorrow and that I will need a lot of sleep to recover from my sweaty, sleepless nights and a 7 hour time zone adjustment. I think my brain is a little confused already because I got the hunger pains again. Oatmeal never fails me, but I suppose today is just an exception. So I did what I do best.
(Au Bon Pain Caprese sandwich: tomato, mozzarella, romaine lettuce, pesto basil spread, whole wheat baguette.)
I find it completely humorous that the only think I wanted to eat after living in France for 6 weeks was another tomato and mozzarella sandwich on a french baguette. Haha, I told y'all I need a detox.
(Strasbourg exactly as I wish to remember it).The morning began bright and early at 5:30AM Strasbourg time. I didn't fall asleep until nearly 1AM, so my body is extra confused today between the lack of sleep and changing time zones. The host mom insisted we sit down for a final petit déjeuner of café and cookies. Yes, you read that right. I said I wasn't hungry and she said that I needed to eat before we left. So we split cookies. I can't wait for my detox that starts as soon as I walk in the door of my house.
I digress. So my 1st flight of the 3 I am taking today went from Strasbourg to Paris with no problems. Très bien. The Paris to my current location (which remains undisclosed for safety reasons) flight was a bit delayed because of some crappy weather in Paris.
(Sesame seed bar/cracker combination. Surprisingly sweet.)The flight was 8 hours and 30 minutes. Needless to say, I am stiff and could really go for a hot yoga class. Anyways, on the flight I sat beside a 23 year old man from Togo, Africa who was immigrating to the US to go to school in Nebraska! How cool is that?! I chatted with him for a bit in French before falling asleep.
(Just juice: Pear, raspberry, and apple.)When I awoke, I struck up a conversation with a nice old Jewish couple that were flying back that were flying back to the US after spending 2 months on the southern coast (rough life right?)
(10 euro food magazine that I left on the plane. Doh!! I wanted to make a collage of the food pictures, they were stunning!)So back to the couple. I chatted with them for the last hour of the flight because we had so much in common. We talked about my interests and how I will be graduating in December with no future plans. This led to a conversation about food and politics of course and then he started telling me about his brother who works at a non-profit food policy organization in California!! I was grinning ear to ear throughout our delightful conversation and by the end of the flight I exchanged contact information with him. You never know, maybe he will be a good contact to have in the future? :)
I went through customs and immigration in 15 minutes flat. Good karma at its finest. I was very relieved and excited to see this sign upon my arrival.
All I could think was "Wow. I did it!"Then I jumped right back into American culture the best way I know how. First stop...
Feeding the man...and my tummy! That was quite possibly the best unsweetened iced coffee with soymilk I have ever had. The French need to learn an appreciation for COLD coffee in the summa time. Granted, Starbucks tastes like butt compared to authentic French café, but I look at it as a give and take. And today, I'll take cold coffee thank you.Re-energized, I ran around the airport for a bit trying to negotiate my way onto an earlier flight. No luck. So I walked to my gate, settled in, and made myself comfortable.
Check out my new baby! Gorgeous no?!? It makes me feel so classy to carry this bag! I digress...I chalked up $8 for Wi-Fi and then made myself "perfect oatmeal."
(Cranberries, raisins, and mixed nuts.) So that was about 2 hours ago. I'm still hanging out with a little under 2 hours until I board for Little Rock. I can already tell my body is going to hate me tomorrow and that I will need a lot of sleep to recover from my sweaty, sleepless nights and a 7 hour time zone adjustment. I think my brain is a little confused already because I got the hunger pains again. Oatmeal never fails me, but I suppose today is just an exception. So I did what I do best.
(Au Bon Pain Caprese sandwich: tomato, mozzarella, romaine lettuce, pesto basil spread, whole wheat baguette.) I find it completely humorous that the only think I wanted to eat after living in France for 6 weeks was another tomato and mozzarella sandwich on a french baguette. Haha, I told y'all I need a detox.
Alright, I'm off to catch up on google reader to pass the time. Next stop...HoMe! :)
Until then,
~Jenn
I mean, tomato and mozzarella sandwiches/paninis are pretty much the best thing ever! Totally don't blame you on craving them still. :)
ReplyDeleteHave a safe rest of the trip home. Sorry you have to leave so soon.