The morning began with a 10:30 am class – at least that’s what I, along with 50 other students, thought. After 30 minutes waiting for the prof, a call was made to the department to see what the deal was, only to find out that apparently the class had been rescheduled for Monday/Wednesday 1:30-2:45 and not Tuesday/Thursday 10:30-11:45 (which we had all signed up for). Ultimately we got an email later in the afternoon saying that class would stay as we had thought it would be for the sake of all of our schedules.

Class 1: fail.

My second class was the most anticipated course of the semester: Introduction to Yiddish Culture. Yes, it’s as awesome as it sounds. Sol Gittleman – the legendary Tufts professor – promises to be a semester favorite.

Class 2: great success

After running to the grocery store, making dinner, and tidying up my room I decided that since I have no class tomorrow it was probably time to text some friends and get something together for the night. When I got a reply back at 9pm that one of my friends was still in class but would give me a call after I thought to myself: geez! still in class at 9pm! Well I guess it’s not so strange since I have a 6:30-9pm class on Thursdays… wait. What day is it…? s*%^!!! Yup. totally missed it.

Class 3: really really large fail.

I blame it on Tufts for starting classes on a Thursday… I’ll enjoy my class-free Friday, first weekend back at school and then give it all another go next week…

I woke up still upset about my first speeding ticket. I needed to get out of Virginia fast and with a speeding ticket in my hand, there was no way I was the one to do it. Anna got us across the border and once in West Virginia I was ready to give driving another go. Slowly and steadily I eased my way back into it, garnering the courage to reach a maximum speed of 4 mph over the speed limit (and only on occasion)…

Our third day had been relegated to a mere driving monotony with no stopovers to break it up. We did, however, have a slightly unexpected trip onto Manhattan Island – a route that was laid out in our AAA TripTik, and which we certainly did not really intend, particularly had we fully comprehended that while on the map it looked “close” to the heart of the city, it was really a lot closer than we thought. After wading through the traffic and passively dealing with New York drivers, we made it into Connecticut where we managed to go about 20 miles in probably 45 – 50 minutes, thanks to ‘expected delays’ that never really seemed to have ANY sort of cause…. Once we pulled off the highway Wesleyan-bound (where we were to stay with a friend from high school) we made the impromptu decision to drive on to Boston that night. Only 2 hours away at that point, and with the ominous threat of snow in the morning we opted for 2 hours of nighttime driving versus 2+ hours of driving in the snow (particularly since neither of us have any experience driving in the snow). After dinner and coffee in Wesleyan we hit the road again and played non-stop 90′s pop the whole way back to Boston, belting out classic hits such as the entire Backstreet Boys collection, R. Kelly, oldies, and pretty much any other guilty pleasure songs everyone is culpable of listening to (and knowing all the words to).

Once back in Boston we crashed with a friend for the night and the next morning I had my first opportunity to scrape ice off of my car and drive in the snow! And now, after a long, cold journey, my car is safely tucked away in an on-campus garage taking a break & leaving me to fend for myself on the snowy/icy surfaces around campus (the fall count has only reached 1 thus far, but it was epic and involved a 3″ puddle of water, into which I essentially ended up kneeling…)

And thus ends the saga of the halfway cross-country journey. We made it 72 hours straight together without killing each other or even disliking each other (at least, I don’t think we dislike each other….??) and currently we are still weaning ourselves off of our dependence on each other (I still hope Anna will be able to figure out left/right and east/west on her own soon, and that I will be able to do basic math one day).

And now it is back to the harsh reality that my last semester in college is upon me and classes begin for the last time tomorrow morning. Eerily close to the great unknown… but there is still plenty of time to savor all that’s left.

We kicked off the day with some solid nerding out time as we spent 2 hours at The Hermitage – Andrew Jackson’s ‘farm’ (aka: plantation) just outside of Nasvhille. Pulling into the parking lot at 9:01am we were the first to arrive (it opened at 9) and essentially got a private tour of the estate. There is surely a lot to be said about our visit and what all we learned here, but later events in the day have consumed my mind so we’ll just move on….

This stop inspired us to dedicate the rest of the roadtrip to memorizing the order of the presidents – unsure how we both got through our respective AP US History classes without that (shhh don’t tell Wass or Kramer). After a quick stop in the museum store where Anna of course got a souvenir pencil and she also invested in a postcard with all the presidents, we were ready to get out of Tennessee…

Fun fact: both of us seemed to be completely unaware of the existence of our 23rd president, Benjamin Harrison, the filler president between Grover Cleveland’s 2 terms…

We made through 18 presidents before putting on music that was too good to be talked over, and thus the task of memorization is to be resumed tomorrow. We’ll get there.

The day started off so well…. and then….

… and then we got to Virginia. We laughed at the signs indicating that speed was enforced by aircraft – I mean seriously, the mental images that can develop with that concept are comical – we contented ourselves with rocking out to some solid music choices (Anna has taken on the majority of the musical decisions due to my indecisiveness). The sun set. We were in the final stretches to the hotel. We were rockin’ along – and perhaps rockin’ along a bit too much….

Anna took this opportunity to sneak a picture out the back while I awaited my 1st ticket.

As soon as the lights started flashing in my rear-view mirror I let out a string of expletives. And thus a perfectly pleasant day ended in my very first speeding ticket… If only a helicopter with a dangling claw had plucked me off the highway like a toy in a vending machine, I would have had a more thrilling first ticket experience (but seriously, how do you monitor the speed from an aircraft?!) Of course with ~40 miles remaining between the scene of the ‘crime’ and our hotel, I had the pleasure of driving another 45 minutes. I think I hit the speed limit ONCE, and very briefly, during that time period. I was ‘that’ car in the right lane that 18 wheelers were passing…

And so here we are, in Natural Bridge, VA, with about 11 hours of driving (spread out over a day + 2 hours) left between us and an apparently crime-ridden campus (come on Tufts, let’s not have 2 attempted robberies on campus within 2 hours of each other anymore…) Sounds like nothing but good times ahead.

On tap for tomorrow:

• Not getting another speeding ticket. Ever again.
• Excessive amounts of driving – but along scenic routes (and at, or under, the speed limit)
• Wesleyan for the night!

Dallas — Little Rock – Memphis – Nashville

Well on part one of this four-legged journey we managed to accomplish our overzealous plan of stopping over in both Little Rock and Memphis before calling it quits in Nashville for the night. To fit it all in, however, required waking up at 4:15am and being on the road by 5am — and 15 hours later we pulled into the parking lot of our hotel…

(Click below for full post)

The day began as any roadtrip probably should: In utter darkness… & in the rain.

We finally had the luxury of packing a car -- albeit a small one -- for college.

The sun finally came up on the horizon about 3 hours in, as we crossed Texarkana into Arkansas and headed to our first official stop: the Clinton Presidential Library & Museum in Little Rock, AR. This was on Anna’s “must-see” list, and it was really very interesting – though it’s one of those museums where there is too much information to fully process all in one go. Personal favorite, of course: the temporary exhibit on Haiti and all the projects Clinton has been involved in there – both during his presidency and now through the Clinton Foundation.

At the Clinton Presidential Library & Museum in Little Rock, AR

Crossing the Mighty Mississippi as we got into Memphis.

In Memphis we stopped in Graceland – as everyone says you should – and as we pulled up said “that’s it?” – as everyone said we would. Sure it’s not an over-the-top in size, but green shag carpeting on the ceiling of the Jungle Room? Mirrored walls and ceilings in the basement room? And then, of course, there are the incredibly subtle ensembles ‘The King’ was known for…

subtle.... really subtle...

Having been up for nearly 11 hours and on the road for a fair share of that, we finally stopped for our first real meal of the road-trip… For all you fellow carnivores and rib-lovers out there: if you get to Memphis, you have got to go to Neely’s BBQ. Anna & I split the pork rib “slab” which we’re pretty sure means we just ordered a pig…

And we ate it ALL. in true Texas style…

(Note: Our hands still smell like bbq. And we aren’t complaining) We rolled out of Neely’s proud of our accomplishment, but sluggish with an impending food coma… but we fought it off, rolling on into Nashville for the night. Neither of us could even think about another meal for the day. Good thing we made it count!

Fun fact: There are 3 different varieties of “potentially icy bridge” signs between Dallas and Nashville…

1. Straightforward:  ”Watch for ice on bridge” It’s brief. It’s simple. It makes you cautious.
2. General fact: “Bridge ices before road” True. But why do I care?
3. That sign said WHAT?: “Bridge may ice in cold weather” Not only do all the letters get squished smaller on this sign because of the wordiness, but it’s as vague and non-committal as they come. It may ice, and in case you needed reminded, that happens when it’s cold. How cold? Well, cold.

Just your standard road-trip photo of the sunset in the mirror... Somewhere between Memphis and Nashville

And thus the day ended as it should, as well: On the road in utter darkness, yet again. Only now we get to stop, get some shut eye, and hit the road again in the morning (though not quite at 5am…)

Up next for us:

• The Hermitage – Andrew Jackson’s residence
• ‘The minister’s treehouse’ – The world’s largest tree house
• … and whatever else we can find along the way!

• Travel in Europe: good plan.
• Going to Eastern Europe mid-January with temperatures around -20ºF: could definitely have been a better plan...

So here we are, embarking on 2011 and history repeats itself…

• Road-tripping halfway across America with a friend: great idea
• Opting to drive from Dallas to Boston mid-January with blizzards bombarding the East Coast: poor execution…

But as of now,about 50 hours ahead of our planned departure, the road-trip is on. With an emergency kit (compiled by Boy Scout leader Eagle Scout, JJ!), warm clothes, and some maps, there’s nothing left to do but hit the road.

Check back to see our progress as we make our 1800+ mile journey January 15-18!

My feet BEFORE: Ah, the good miserable ole bunion days… To note: the excess bone sticking out below the toe and the “V” created between the big toes, and the fact that my big toe is actually somewhat ‘smushed’ under it’s neighbor, even looking the same length as the second toe….

Before feet.

Now the after feet (a picture taken on my mom’s phone at the “unveiling” at the doctor’s office) are a weeee bit gruesome in that you can see the stitches, some post-op bleeding and bruising etc., so for the benefit of the faint of heart, if you’d like to see the rest of the post click “more” below.

My feet AFTER: This photo was taken just after my bandages came off and before my stitches were taken out, so I really do look like Frankenfeet… Though my feet look tiny for me (seeing them wrapped in layer upon layer of gauze had given me the look of BigFoot…) they actually are still fairly swollen and puffy…

After feet

Already you can see the amount of correction done on the big toes which are now separated from the other toes and stand up straight (and tall!) The doctor has said that they over correct a bit (which is why it looks like there is a bit of a gap between the toes) because over time it will go back a little.

Although they are a tad shocking to look at (I even got a little woozy after they took off my bandages – that’s right, the girl who was in ORs to watch spinal surgeries and brain surgeries couldn’t handle looking at 32 stitches on her feet…) I was just glad to see that all 10 toes were present and accounted for!

The trip served as a 21st Birthday celebration for yours truly, seeing as turning 21 in France was hardly a big to-do… But the trip also served as a gathering together of the family and was a perfect way to celebrate my return to America – after all, nothing says America like over the top luxury and excessive vice!

Sunset at the Rio

In the end, I didn’t turn out to have ANY beginner’s luck – in fact the first table I sat at (a Blackjack table) – the dealer promptly got 3 blackjacks in a row ending up with 4 blackjacks in 6 hands. That pretty much set the gambling mood of my trip… But the fun’s in the playing (though I’m still convinced there’s more fun to be found in winning, or even breaking even…) One of my highlights from the trip was going to see the Beatle’s Love show by Cirque du Soleil which was mesmerizing and basically incredible. Basically: a good time was had by all!

Upon returning to the ‘real world’ after spending four days in adult playland, I went straight into preparation/clean-up mode before having foot surgery 4 days later (no rest for the weary!) This basically consisted of having satellite TV installed in my room, moving a TV in, hooking up my stereo to said TV (my brother isn’t the only one who is technologically capable in our family   !!) and ultimately deciding which things were most important and putting them within reach of my bed.

Life since surgery has been pretty chill… I have thus far spent 12 days laying around with my feet elevated at all times. My mom has been quite the attentive nurse and I don’t know what I’d do without her!  In the past few days, though, I’ve gotten quite independent: I’ve ditched the crutches and have wandered the house clomping about rather slowly in my orthotic boots – after 10 days laying in bed with my feet up, my neck, back and knees appreciate the change, and I’m enjoying the change of scenery – I’ve even made it to the kitchen and had dinner at a table! I’m also off all the pain meds and feeling more and more like a real person although I now have superhuman feet…

X-rays of my new and improved bionic feet!

This Friday I return to the doctor to get stitches taken out and see what the rest of the summer/recovery has in store for me – but at this rate I’ll be out and about in no time. But after 12 days bedridden, I’m stunned to see how fast this summer is starting to fly by – that list of “Things to accomplish during recovery” has yet to even be touched… though I guess now I can cross “update blog” off that list!

Next up: Before and after shots of my feet (once I see them on Friday!) We’ll see just how good this bunion surgery is!

My homemade May countdown calendar of 'to-dos' has become nothing more than a page of X's...

A quick (photographic) recap of the events of late:

As a last weekend getaway with the Tufts Program, we headed up to the northwestern coast of France to Bretagne, Britanny. The two-day extravaganza was a whirlwind tour of Rennes (not on the coast but on the railroad tracks along the way), the Mont St. Michel, and St. Malo. Incredible sights and about 500 photos… (expect more later)

The Mont St. Michel - accessible during low tides ; better get back to your cars before high tide (cars are parked in the wetlands)

Photographing at a scenic view point on the coast en route to St. Malo

The St. Malo beach at 11pm (a rather long exposure...)

A mere few days after our return from the coast, big brother Max came to town for a quick <24hr visit. We hit all the main sites and I can only hope that he’s got the taste of Europe now and will be back for more and can be the tour guide for Mande! It was so great to have one last visitor (just in time!) and especially to share a little bit of my crazy linguistic world with my crazy science bro

Atop the Arc de Triomphe taking in the Parisian sights!

As evidenced by the above photograph, the weather was less than ideal for Max’s short stay – cloudy and COLD. In fact I must say for quite some time I was asking myself just what it was about Paris in Springtime that people seemed to love so much since all I wanted was to retrieve my winter parka that I had already sent home… but then it hit! Just after my birthday (a relaxed affair in preparation for Vegas, baby!) the sun peeked its head out and the HEAT has arrived – and just in time for our group day-trip to Giverny, the home and gardens of Monet.

Monet's water garden with the iconic water lillies - and a perfect blue sunlit sky!

In the water garden and on the Japanese bridge DRIPPING with wisteria!

To top off the day of enjoying France’s beauty, my friend Peter and I went to the notorious and infamous Lido cabaret on the Champs-Elysées : the origin of the Las Vegas-style show with scantily-clad/often topless dancers with extravagant sparkly, glittery, feathery costumes oh-so-strategically placed… It was incredibly tasteful and jaw-droppingly over the top all at once! It was certainly one of the more creative ways I have come up with spending my cultural stipend money (though the wine and chocolate tasting planned for tomorrow may surpass this… we shall see!)

Today, Monday, was a national holiday, because of course, Catholic holiday = national holiday…. (Today is Pentecost…) and so last night, to profit from the extra weekend night 2 of the other Tufts girls, one of their friends from home and I went to a bridge, wine in hand to join the MASSES of our generation that were literally COVERING the Pont des Arts pedestrian bridge (and even those of older generations were there simply hanging about!) Only in Paris do you find people young and old picnicking on a bridge with wine and cheese at 11pm…

Crossing through the Louvre to the Pont des Arts...

And tonight, another Tufts girl and I were treated to a fantastic meal at Le Montparnasse 1900 dating from 1900; a beautiful restaurant from the belle époque that is historic in the neighborhood. Why the treat ? We won the photo contest for next years Tufts-in-Paris guidebooks that will be distributed to next years students! A 33euro meal complete with before dinner drink, appetizer, plate, cheese plate, dessert, 1/2 bottle of wine each, and coffee makes snapping photos that much more rewarding! So here’s a sneak peek at one of the 2010-2011 student guidebook covers:

Indeed, twas a moment of attempting to jump into a posed photo that was captured rather by chance… and needless to say a few (ahem, just the one)  people were less than pleased with this photo being selected for distribution next year. Just one more reason for me to stay behind the camera rather than in front of it!

And thus I am forced back into studying, my procrastination well-worn… Indeed this may be one of the (if not the) last post(s) from Paris, but never fear, for this blog will always be here – many an update to be made upon my return home (tales of readjustment, of partying in Vegas with the fam, of recovery from foot surgery, and eventually of senior year and beyond…) so don’t think that the end of my time in Paris marks the end of my online presence… oh, no… we have only just begun!

As a dollar-toting American in Paris I have to cheer on the fall of the Euro… Then of course, I realize that I’m getting paid for babysitting in euros. I’m getting paid a monthly stipend in euros. And gosh darn it, my French bank account is not doing too shabby with them euros. So the thought of cashing out my accounts and pockets back into dollars is a less and less exciting prospect (the beginning of my time here it was 1€ = $1.60 ; made that monthly stipend look mighty fine) — let’s just hope I make it to the American banks before the Euro meets up with dollar!

The good news is that this tumble in the European economy comes just before the arrival of my brother — that’s right, folks, the man who has been to Antarctica (more specifically and exotically, the South Pole), Tahiti, New Zealand etc. is making his FIRST EVER trip to Europe this next week! To say he’s cutting it close on making it here before I leave would be an understatement, but better late than never

I guess part of what draws me to the thought of being home is something that struck me this evening as I took the elevator up to babysitting: For 8 months now I have spent my days going from one penthouse to another (my host family and my babysitting family) and everywhere I go I am nothing but a privileged guest — sure a privileged guest is a more honorable position than just any guest, but it’s also a more trying one; it demands much more from the ‘guest.’ And while I may have been on vacation this past week, it’s still an undeniable fact that I’m not returning ‘home,’ but simply back to my temporary resting place; a temporality highlighted by the absence of nearly half of my things since I took a full luggage-load back to DC to ship home. So half of me is already drifting back across the Atlantic (notably my mind…) and looking forward to summertime – especially since my fellow Jumbos back on the Hill are already done with classes and embarking on finals!

So while those packages full of my winter clothes and last semester’s books may have already made it home, all I can say is that I’m soon to follow!