And so the adventure comes to an end.

At long last, I have returned home to San Jose.

When my program ended in mid-December, I embarked on an almost month-long post-program travel. I finally returned home on January 10, 2013.

It's crazy how quickly and slowly time flies. And how exhausting and rewarding traveling is.

Although I definitely recognize and appreciate my ability to travel and the travels themselves, I have to admit, at some point in the post-travels, I was just so terribly exhausted and homesick. Traveling and jumping from country and city, hostel and hotel room, time zone to time zone, really begins to wear down the body. I stopped enjoying each following city as much as the one preceding it. Explorations began to feel like a chore (which sounds terrible, I know).

I was also battling a terrible respiratory infection, which I blame for a good chunk of my misery. On New Year's Eve, I actually went to the hospital in London because of how miserable I was, haha.

Speaking of which, it's now 2013! Yay!!!! See my original blog (cleanandsunny.blogspot.com) for my 2013 update.

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As my travels have now officially come to a close, I will be saying goodbye to this blog and this will serve as my final farewell post. Although I would have liked to have blogged more frequently on this blog, time and explorations caught me in a bind. I hope reading this blog has been informative and interesting. As I upload pictures and videos on to my computer, there is a chance certain ones will make their way on to this blog and if there are topics of interest or relevance, I may post them on this blog.

All in all, my semester in Paris and the ensuing travels was just a whirl of food and adventures, mind-boggling and life-changing experiences, cherished memories, and hopefully, lifelong friends.

Thank you again to the Gilman Scholarship for helping fund my experience abroad, as well as all my loved ones who provided constant support and love! 

Budapest and Christmas in Prague!

After spending two days-ish in Budapet -- walking tour, Hungarian food, beautiful sights, Christmas markets, and freezing temperatures, we took a bus to Prague.

Along the way, we stopped in Slovakia and experienced a nice snow!

Ironically, we all really wanted a white Christmas but the only place it didn't snow was Prague. Lolz.

Oh wells! Prague is absolutely one of my cities ever..... Ridiculously gorgeous, amazing architecture and sights, delicious food, tasty beers... the possibilities seem endless here.

Christmas was lovely! Not only are Christmas markets big here but with my sister having joined me on my travels, we woke up early on Christmas day and enjoyed an amazing breakfast, following our family tradition.

Also, we stayed at Madhouse Prague which i highly highly recommend. Such friendly and amazing staff.

Can't spend too much time blogging... Next up, Zurich then London!

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas everyone!

Pre-Paris Traveling and Update!

Even though my study abroad program in Paris ended on the 15th, I will continue to use this blog until I return back to the States.

T-minus 20 days until I return home! I just returned from an amazing, unrealistic 5 day vacation in Marrakech, Morroco. In just a few hours, I'll be back on a plane to Budapest for 3 days! Then Prague, Zurich, and London.

Traveling is ever so wonderful but also stressful. An endless stream of travel money would be ideal.

And a life with no complications would be even more ideal.

My song for the time being:

***

Marrakech in summary: Amazing hostel with amazing staff and free shisha, camel riding across the Sahara (a lot more painful than I thought), food for dayyyyyyys (so much couscous and chicken tangine), souvenirs and earrings and new boots! (My rainboots have lasted me quite an adventure, but our time together has come to an end).


It's almost Christmas! Happy holidays!

Last week of UC Paris

In all honesty, I'm not sure what happened these past few months. Where did they all go? How did time fly so fast?

I still have many things I wish I had done but there's no point in dwelling in regrets. I still have a few days to go and a few more adventures left in Paris: souvenir shopping, the Hobbit premier, the Pantheon, perhaps the Catacombs?

This week is the last week of the fall UC Paris program and it is hectic as any other finals week chalk full of last-minute studying, study groups, in-class exams, essays, but also, with a side of fun.

Even if I am stressed out as ever, I need to check myself because HELLO, I'M IN PARIS!

During finals week, there is nothing as re-assuring to me as reading the following love letter:

Remember: It is a book. It is a test. It is a paper. That’s it. That’s all.

 Breathe in, breathe out.

Returned home from my last adventure!

This past weekend, I ventured first to Brussels, Belgium for a class trip -- we had a neat tour of the European Commission and the European Council... pretty neat and very informative.

The city itself was pure loveliness -- it was rather pricey for the housing, but it was the cheapest available (22 euros/night -- I highly recommend Grand Palace Hostel). We were able to catch the Christmas markets which were full of goodies and the beautiful Christmas light show. (Pics and video to be uploaded later).

I also had quite a bit of Belgium beer, chocolates, and fries... and 1 waffle. Unfortunately, my appetite was not too great this weekend so I missed out on some eating opportunities, but overall, the trip was a pure delight!

We saw Manneken Pi, the famous peeing cherub fountain/ statue... much much smaller than I thought it would be...  The city itself was rather small so Amy and I were able to travel quite well by just walking. We met a much older couple who were adamant on walking from where we were at our second hostel to the city centre (roughly 20 minutes?)

We wanted to take advantage of the weekend to travel elsewhere so we then hopped onto the train to Luxembourg on Saturday afternoon. We were lucky enough to be hosted (I recommend checking out couchsurfing.org if you haven't heard of it before). Our host, Marthe, was just beyond amazing. Not only did she give us a lovely tour of the city, she also pointed out all the best spots to visit.

Again, we explored the Christmas markets but boy was I not prepared for the weather. Even though it was lovely, Saturday night was by far one of the coldest nights of my life (zero degrees celsius maybe?) In any case, I was so cold I thought my ears would fall off.

Sunday morning, we visited the Bazar which happens once a year in Luxembourg. It was delightful! There were several stands, each one representing a different country and their famous foods and snacks. It was clearly the place to be.

I also experienced my first snow this year in Luxembourg! It was amazinggggggg.

Perhaps I will elaborate further tomorrow and post pictures. For now, I have much sleep to catch and homework to complete.

&&&

My program ends on December 15th.... Two weeks. That's just pure insanity.

Update: Nearing the month long mark!

Interesting... I found this post I made a while back (probably September 20th or so) that I never posted... so here it is!

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Clearly, as I already foresaw, my posts became less and less frequent. It's been a hectic time since my last post (2 weeks ago?!!!).

I have settled quite nicely in my homestay. We have dinner once a week and breakfast is provided, but because nobody has the same schedule, everyone eats separately. The typical French breakfast is milk/coffee/tea, bread, confiture (jam), and butter. Although I was expecting a homestay like the ones in the movies, where you become extremely close to the other members of the household, I don't think this will be the case for me.

Let me describe my homestay:
I'm currently living with Madame and Monsieur who have two children (in their 20s, both of whom do not live here) and another exchange student, Sarah (who is studying at Science Po). The townhouse/house has 4 floors: the bottom floor (the zero floor) is the neighbors; the floor above that, known as the first floor is where Sarah and I live (each of us have our own rooms) with a kitchen, dining area, and restroom; the 2nd floor is where the main living room and the dining room and kitchen; and the 3rd floor is where Madame and Monsieur's bedroom is. So basically, Sarah and I have our own space and freedom -- a studio apartment-like situation.
Unfortunately, I rarely see Monsieur and Madame except for our once a week dinner... a lot less interaction than I imagined.
But on the good side, Sarah and I have become quite close and it's nice to have another person my age right next door.

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What else has happened you ask?
Some bad bad ravioli... combined with some questionable canned tuna... I was sick for 2-3 days... What a bad mess of a time...

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Ah! Disneyland Paris!!!
Disneyland Paris is celebrating it's 20th Anniversary so there was a promotion this month for a reduced ticket which allowed you to visit twice!
Awesome, of course, I hopped on the deal and my friends and I went both last last Sunday and just this previous Sunday.

"Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind -- even if your voice shakes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Politics aside, I still enjoy celebrating Thanksgiving... so...

Although I'm millions of miles away, Happy Thanksgiving to all my loved ones, friends and family who have always supported and encouraged me. I'm really thankful for having you all in my life and for all the love and support. I'm thankful for the blessings I've had in life and for being so lucky as to have all I have.


Excited for a semi-feast.





Even in Paris, I gotta live it up! A mix-up of food.