Jayhawk

Well, I have been home for a week now and conquered my jet lag and reverse culture shock of coming home. Now the annoying part for all those around me has set in: the stories. When I first came home people kept asking me "what was your favorite part about Italy or France? What was your favorite place? What did you do?" I didn't really know how to answer them. I still don't. But now stories from different places come out in conversations. Unfortunately, most people won't hear these but those of you reading this blog will hear them thousands of times and become horribly annoyed with them! Lucky you!

So whenever one of these stories pops into my mind, I'll post them so you can read them. This way I'll know which stories I've told!

Here's my story for today:

Mom and I went to Price Chopper and bought Cherry Coke Zero (my favorite). I decided I wanted one when we were home, but Mom said that it wasn't a good idea because it wouldn't be cold. That reminded me of my plane ride home.
We finally took off from Paris heading to Chicago, and my heart started aching. I had been so excited about going home earlier, but now I was sad that I was leaving Paris. Then the flight attendant came by with drinks. "Would you like something to drink?" She asked with what looked like a genuine smile. That was one thing that pretty much NO ONE in Europe did: smile. I have truly missed people being truly kind to each other and that saying "the customer is always right." While it is annoying to always be nice to people when you are working, it is soooooooo nice that we do. I've really missed it.
Then, the MOST exciting thing happened. The flight attendant gave me a REAL Diet Coke NOT a Coca-Cola Light (while they are good, the Lights just are not Diet Coke). That was when I decided I was okay with going home.

Rock Chalk

The major reason that I do not want to go home: I'm afraid that I'll wake up and it will all be a dream. Someone will just say, "You hit  your head on the steering wheel when that idiot rear-ended you and you had a concussion." I'll be in Kansas and they'll tell me it was all a dream.  At least my reality will be in color.

There is a GREAT youtube video that makes all my friends and I here laugh until we cry.  It's called David after the dentist.  This poor 9-year-old boy had to get his teeth pullled and put on pain medicine.  He's a little loopy.  Our favorite line by far is when he says, "Is this real life?" We've had several moments while we were here when we've busted out that quote.  That's what I feel like these last three months have been: me questioning reality.

I'm know that I have learned so much since I was over here and I'm sure some of it won't even hit me until later. But don't care. I'm just glad I was brave enough to come.

I can't wait to see you all and hope that I don't sit next to another crazy person on this flight!!

If I am Dorothy, can I just tap my heels three times and be home?

Hail to Old KU

A few random stories for you:

Le Musee de l'Orangerie is a museum right near the Louvre that houses the massive Water Lilies by Monet (2 rooms where the walls are covered by them!). We had a site visit there with my art history class. While my teacher went into the Museum to buy our tickets, everyone else was forced to wait outside.  We were all just standing by the door, when the security guard told us that we needed to go further away from the door. We ended up being forced about 20 yards away by a wall.  My Western Civilization professor, Nan, has "never been so offended." Because there was a good view of Place de Concorde from where we were standing, I whipped out my camera and snapped a quick picture.  Our teacher came out and said she had the tickets so we could go inside. On the way in, the security guard (the same one that forced to stand by a wall which I haven't been told to do since 1st grade) asked if he could see my camera. 'Darn it,' I thought 'is he actually going to take my camera away? I won't take any pictures in the museum!! I know how to turn the flash off too!' I reluctantly handed him my baby (AKA my camera).

"May I give you some advice?" He said, "hold your camera like this when you take vertical shots. It makes it easier to adjust the camera." Then he handed my camera back to me. "Merci," I replied completely taken aback. I went through security and found out that you can even use your flash! Jerry (my professor) told me he was standing behind me and that he had never seen anything more odd in all of his travels. A security guard giving photography advice.

I was reluctant to listen to the advice at first because he took my camera! No one does that, but in all honesty, the security guard was completely right. If I remember nothing else that I've learned while over here, I can say that I received a free photography lesson!

P.S. Nan and Jerry invited me and three other students to dinner last night.  Nan is a retired professor of education philosophy: Jerry is an attorney. If our massive family dinners and just our every night dinners has taught me, it is how to properly have a conversation/argument with an attorney. For that I would like to thank everyone in my family! You're the best!