I've been to 4 different countries in the past month.

Last time I wrote here I had just returned back to Lille from Austria. Here I am, just over a month later. In about one month, I have been to 4 different countries. That is pretty neat.

After my Austria trip, I am going to be honest, I was counting down the days until home. I had 2 more weeks left of class and I was planning and preparing for those classes (I got to leave for winter break 4 days early so I had to cram my teaching hours in) and it flew by rather quickly. So after Austria I really just worked. It sounds boring I know but I was about to be running around for the next couple weeks so it was necessary to chill/take some time for myself (aka not spend a dime). Not going to lie, the weekend before going back was really difficult because I was so excited to be home. I didn't do much that weekend. But hey that’s life. I was excited to go back to America for the first time in 3 months, and did I mention… surprise some family and friends back home!!

So after a few conversations with friends in Lille right when I got here (back in September), I realized that I really didn’t want to spend Christmas in Lille. I’m all about being here, being present and soaking in every moment of being in France but nothing really beats being home for Christmas and I was really looking forward to the possibility of “maybe” pulling off a surprise.

I bought a ticket home for Christmas a week and a half after I got here. Sounds weird right? Well I bought it for dirt cheap so I felt like it was meant to be. I didn’t tell anyone for a month, but then Jimmy came and visited (in October) I told him I was coming home! Long distance is harder when you don’t know when you are going to see that person next so I decided eh, why not break it to him. He was so shocked and surprised I had already bought a ticket!

Another month passes, it’s the end of November and I am facetiming my mom. We were talking about her coming to visit etc. and about what she was doing for Christmas. And then I couldn’t help but to tell her on facetime that I would see her in about 3 weeks! We both started tearing up :’)

One day later, I was facetiming my dad and I asked him what his plans were for Christmas/when our family Christmas would be and then I couldn’t help to break the news to him that I was coming home for Christmas as well! He was so surprised and happy and we immediately started planning which days I would spend at his house near Madison and how to keep it a secret from my extended family.

I arrived in the USA on December 18th, and I took a bus from the airport to Madison. Luckily I had WIFI right when I arrived in the airport because I hadn’t installed my US Sim card back into my phone. First thing I did was call my mom to tell her I arrived!

I arrived in Madison around 5:30 PM and then the first person I saw was Jimmy. He picked me up at the bus drop off and it felt so surreal to be home. It’s funny because this happened last time when he arrived in France... it sounds weird but I couldn’t believe that he was a real person, especially since we have actually been dating longer apart than in person. But quickly it feels all back to normal. We headed straight from the bus stop to Culvers (I was dying for some cheese curds right when I got home) and then his theatre rehearsal.

The next day, with the help of Emily’s boyfriend, I was able to pull off my first successful surprise! Emily thought that her and her boyfriend were getting lunch together during their lunch breaks BUT turns out it was in fact, not her boyfriend but it was ME! Mwhahahaha I felt so sneaky. So I drove over to Canteen on the square (my heart was pounding I was so excited!!) I walked in the door, (Derek texted me all of their messages so I knew what table she would be at) and her face dropped to the ground when she saw that she wasn't going to be having lunch with Derek. I would say she was shocked but it was utter confusion and then hugs and pure happiness. I had missed Emily so much and I’m so thankful for her friendship! We got margaritas, tacos and caught up on life.

SURPRISE!

Also, I got to see some other familiar faces like my friend Kirby from STLF (STLF was a student org I was a part of during college), we grabbed coffee that morning and I shared about my adventures and I got to hear all the neat things Kirby did interning for Yellowstone this summer. S/O to Kirby (I’m so excited for your adventure to China this next year!) As many people know about me, I loved studying abroad and it really helped me grow and I love hearing about other students taking advantage of the opportunity to study abroad.

After catching up with friends, I went and visited my dad with Jimmy later that day and it felt so peaceful and comfortable being back at home. It’s really hard to describe the feeling as anything but surreal. This time it felt a lot different coming home than when I studied abroad because I knew I would be going back in a week so I couldn’t get too comfortable being home and going back to my routine there.

So much happened in the next few days that I think I’m just going to bullet point it all. Here are a couple of highlights from the week:

• Going to Fireside Theatre with Jimmy’s family to see A Christmas Story

• Driving back up to DoCo, never thought I would miss the open cornfield drive

• Stopping to get take out from Bao Ju (in Neenah)

• Eating Culvers not once but 3 times

• Spending time with family and friends (and surprising my grandpa/extended family!!)

• Singing Christmas carols at a Doll family Christmas (S/O Jimmy’s mom!)

• Playing card games/any game/catan (ok I do this in France anyways)

• Seeing my puppy dogs and walking Wilson through the woods.

• Driving a car for the first time in 3 months and singing while driving (oh how I missed this)

• Watching the Packer Game at Nitty Gritty

Fireside dinner theater with Jimmy's family!

Mommy!

Walks with Wilson and Jimmy through the woods!

After all this... going back to France was weird. BUT I was genuinely so excited because my cousin Jenna was coming with this time!!

After a week of craziness back home, I got Chipotle as my last meal in America for a few months and Jimmy dropped me off at the bus stop and we said goodbye for the next few months. After crying on the bus, I met up with Jenna at the Chicago O’Hare airport looking crazy with my red puffy eyes but so excited to travel to France with her.

Once we both arrived in France, the strikes (oh yay!) were still going on. We had to wait at the train station for about 4 hours. After we arrived in Lille, we bought food for dinner and then fell asleep almost immediately. We slept a lot but we were both terribly jet lagged. After lots of sleep, a little bit of netflix, and a day and a half later we decided to go to Belgium!

We visited Brussels, drank beer, ate mussels and shopped around the Christmas market in this amazing city. I had so much fun exploring a new city with Jenna and taking photos and listening to music on the streets. It was a great way to start the trip.

Exploring Brussels w/ cousin Jenna!!

Next we went to Paris and met up with my friends Monica and Mira (they are traveling around Europe for 5ish months!). My friend Jace from high school French class also joined for a few days all the way from Senegal! Here are some highlights from a week in Paris with them:

• Sitting, eating charcuterie and a man comes up and starts playing “La vie en rose” for Jenna and I

• Every single meal we ate in Montmartre near the Sacre Coeur (ft. cute restaurants with live music)

• Visiting the Arc de Triomphe and walking up and down the Christmas lights of the Champs Elysees

• Seeing the Eiffel Tower beneath the fog (I have never seen it so spooky looking)

• Walking through park Buttes de Chaumont and seeing a clan of ponies

• GOING TO THE CATACOMBS FOR THE FIRST TIME!!

• Watching these really cute dogs in a dog park near the catacombs

• Dancing next to the sparkling Eiffel tower to “La vie en rose” with Mon

• Visiting a gluten-free bakery with Jenna her last morning there :’) so happy she got to taste some french pastries!

Spooky Eiffel Tower

Mon and I in the Tuileries!

Catacombs (tunnels and tunnels of bones underneath Paris)

Overall, I had such a wonderful time showing Monica, Mira and Jenna a little taste of Paris and some of my favorite spots. In addition, I got to try new places I had never been to before and explore even more of Paris. My winter break was so fun and refreshing and I already have had my first week of teaching back, but I am already planning on (lots!!) more adventures to come in the next few months. I have many friends and family members stopping by in Europe to say hello and I cannot wait to create new memories with them. À bientôt!

Kristin