An October Catch Up
I thought it was time for an update. September may have been the longest month of my life but October has speed by - and I am not upset about it because in just two days one of my best friends joins me in Paris as my first visitor and we are going on a European adventure!
I found this park about a 25 minute walk from my place. It has little paths that lead to nature and some places to sit. It reminds me of my favorite park back home. Huh back home, what does that even mean? The park I am referencing is on Mercer Island which hasn't been home for a few years now. Anyway, I am trying to find a place to write but instead keep wandering. *I found a place
Isn't the concept of home so interesting. Is it the place we lay our head for rest? Is it the place our parents live? Is it the house we return to for holidays? Is it the people we surround ourselves with? I think home is a little bit of all of those things. Home is the place you feel comfortable, familiar, cozy. And that can come in the form of a house, person, area. And for me personally I think my "home" is found in all the places I have been. Home is where I go back to, but also where I am. Home isn't one place, it is pulling pieces of all the things that make us feel safe, that make us feel ourselves, and settling for a little sum of time.
So what have I been up to since I last posted?
I went to Giverny the home of Claude Monet. It was BEAUTIFUL. Monet was an impressionist artist - you probably know his waterlilies painting - Whenever we had to do a project about an artist, or something from French culture, I would chose Monet. Until I went to Giverny and saw his studio and THE garden I had forgotten that was a part of the way I fell in love with the idea of coming to France.
Something else I loved about the idea of France? MACAROONS - I finally tried the famous Ladurée macrons and they were marvelous. A commentary comparing Ladurée and Pierre Hermé is still to come when I have tried the later haha.
October has been full of solo outing moments and some good friend hangs. I went to my first museum alone AND my first sit down restaurant, all by myself.
Going to the Louvre on my own was such a good choice. I saw what I wanted to see, wandered and lingered as long or as little as I pleased, and didn’t have any tugging feelings of constantly wondering if the person I was with was having a good time or wondering what they wanted to do. It was all up to me.
My Louvre tips:
-Find a map before you go to orient yourself because the museum is CONFUSING
-You can see the Mona Lisa from the side, do not stand in line to stand right in front of her. Also there are BEAUTIFUL paintings around her that deserve your attention as well.
-Yes there are super famous paintings and status that are famous for a reason, and SO cool to be able to say you saw them in person, but if I am honest one of my favorite things I saw was a chess set in some random part of the museum. Oh and the sparkle bow in the Crown Jewel area of course.
-Bring a snack, tuck it away, and then when you switch wings take it out and eat.
-If you happen upon someone giving a tour (that you didn't sign up for) it is okay to linger to the side and see what information you can pick up.
October like I said also had good friend moments!
I connected with Mallory Hagan a former Miss America for a quick bite in Paris, which was so random and super cool. (a longer story, to be told later).
One of my mom's childhood friends has lived in Basal, Switzerland for some years now with her family and they took a holiday trip to France, including Paris, and so graciously took me under their wing for the weekend. Now, they are all my friends too. Together we ate delicious food, saw funky yet gorgeous Theirry Mugler fashion, explored the creepy catacombs, and walked through beautiful parts of Paris. Spending time with them that weekend felt familiar, like a piece of home (see I can tie a blog together some) and I can't wait to visit them in Switzerland.
My final reminders for now:
-Hormones suck and its not your fault. I have become much more aware of my emotions and mental state since being here (and as a girl my cycle totally messy with me). Some days you may go to bed ready for tomorrow, then tomorrow comes and you wake up not wanting anything, feeling like nothing. I am still figuring out how to deal with that. My tips so far: journal, drink water, force yourself to do some physical activity, binge eat sugar, and talk to people who love you. (maybe not the sugar part)
-Take the enneagram test and read a book about it. I got two of my au pair friends into the enneagram and it makes me so happy to introduce other people into a way to learn more about themselves and how they can grow from where they are. So take the test, then come talk to me.
-Sleepovers with friends are just as valid of an activity as going out to a bar or club.
Above was where the blog was going to end, but before I managed to finish editing and post it, this happened:
So I finished the Vampire Diaries. This is what happens when it takes me multiple days to write a blog post, life keeps happening. This is a typical teen drama, supernatural show. It was ridiculous but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and had tears for the final episode. Isn't it so cool and also strange that as viewers we get so attached to characters and story that we are emotionally involved? Tv, movies, books. They are not real people, but I have a vested interest in Caroline Forbes' happiness with Stefan Salvatore. I think that's one reason that draws me into acting and film, why I wanted to explore and study it more, why I constantly find myself drawn to story and the creative process. There is something so intriguing in art, in non-fiction, pulling us in, inspiring life, starting conversations, stirring feelings. I am obsessed with exploring how a silly show about vampires can effect and change my world perspective. Yes I am getting all deep about a show meant to be watched as an escape from reality- sorry not sorry - but stay with me here. Art, whether it be high fashion runway looks, centuries old paintings, words on a page, or a tv show about vampires, it contains a message, a story, a perspective, something if we look at it from the right angle - we can gain. The underlying message of this show was family and sacrifice. Over and over again it asked how far are you willing to go to protect and save the people you love. Now how is that message not worth watching 8 seasons?
Okay, till next time.
~Be you
Rachel
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