I'm sorry it's been a while since I've posted. Life here in France isn't always fun and games and travel...I do have to work a bit! Our Toussaint (All Saints' Day) holidays started on October 24, so I packed up my backpack, jumped on a train (well, two trains) to the airport. I said au revoir to France and shalom to Israel. My trip there was rather uneventful, but long. I left Douai at 3pm and arrived in Israel at nearly 3am. It turns out it is a tradition for passengers to clap when the plane touches down in the Holy Land, which was not something I was expecting. I made it through security and passport control with no issues, got some shekels (Israeli money) and didn't know what to do with myself. In the US, ... read more

Well, I've been in my new French hometown for a week now. I am proud citizen of Douai, which is located in the département du Nord in the northernmost region in France, Nord-Pas-de-Calais (the French really love to divide things into lots of categories!). There are about 43,000 people here, and it's roughly one hour from Paris by TGV (high-speed train) and about 25 minutes from Lille. I was a bit concerned about moving here after spending a week in Paris. I would excitedly tell people I was moving to Douai, and they'd make a terrible face and say something like "oh, you're SO unlucky" or "why ever would you want to go there?!" They said it was cold, ugly, rainy, the people were poor and uneducated, there was nothing to do there, I was going ... read more

I've been going into Paris every day and doing a very haphazard tour of the sights every day so far this week. I bought a week-long métro pass, so I figure I should use it! The sightseeing is haphazard because I can't really be bothered to sit down and come up with an organized plan of attack and because things in France are randomly closed, so I often have to go back and see things a second time. The métro system is very organized and trains come every couple of minutes, so I can hit several neighborhoods in one day, if only for one museum. Monday, I got up early (which is hard to do here...they have these fabulous metal shutters that block out ALL light) and went into outskirts of the Latin Quarter to meet ... read more

(author's note: If you received an email about this update, congratulations! You are subscribed to my blog, whether you like it or not. Obviously, you are more than able to unsubscribe, but know that I will be able to see who unsubscribes and I will hold it against you for a very long time! :) If you are not subscribed, please do so! It is a painless way to keep up to date with me.) Well, it's official. I am packing up my stuff and leaving for France in twelve days. And when I say "am packing" I do not mean I am doing right now...it's more that I am thinking about perhaps maybe starting to pack in the near future. I am still trying to unpack from my apartment in Pittsburgh. There is an awful ... read more

I had meant to post this a month ago as soon as we returned from Quebec, but then I was practically drowning in school work, so I'm finally getting around to posting it now. Since this was a bit ago, I don't want to rely purely on memory to recount parts of the voyage, so I'm going to post excerpts from the travel journal that accompanied us. Plus, I feel like my two travel companions deserve a voice after I practically dragged them out of the country with me. Cast of Characters: Kate - me! Krista - tiny, feisty red-head, in love with Quebec Sara - hockey-loving blonde, first time in Canada March 8-9, 2009 and March 12-13 Sara: Oh Canada...today we had to get up at 3 in the morning for our voyage au Quebec! ... read more