Archive for June, 2008

June 26, 2008

June 26th, 2008 by emhest09

I am very happy to say that I added pictures to all of my previous entries so make sure to check back and see the visuals I tried to feebly describe throughout my stay in Europe! I did take, much to my parent’s shock, 900 pictures but I am working on narrowing them down to ones that I definitely want to print, it is nice to know though that I will have A LOT of pictures to remember my trip by.

This past week I spent a lot of time working at the library again and reconnecting with old friends in Northampton. One of my friends leaves for France next week and another just returned from South Africa. It is incredible the experiences you are given while in college, both to see the world and to learn about yourself at school. Speaking of people coming and going, I am ecstatic to report that one of my best friends (and fellow blogger) Amy Mullen returned safely to the US on Wednesday and (even more exciting) I will be visiting her on Sunday! It is great to have people home and senior year is looking better and better!

June 18, 2008

June 18th, 2008 by emhest09

How do you come to terms with the experience of a lifetime coming to an end? With great difficulty, let me assure you! The flight home last Saturday evening was difficult, the in flight entertainment did not work and halfway through we hit a patch of turbulence that scared me so much that the stranger sitting next to me told me to breathe (it helped!)…I really hate flying!

Now that it has been a couple of weeks since I was in Luxembourg, I have had time to reflect on my experience abroad and honestly I can’t find one bad thing to say about it. Going into Junior year was rather difficult because most of my friends had chosen to Study Abroad for the entire year. I was tempted to as well, and Holy Cross has a great program, but I knew that a whole year was not for me. I don’t regret my decision at all; I was able to take my favorite classes of my college career so far, gain leadership experience and have a great time through CAB, and I made a bunch of new friends while still keeping in touch with my friends abroad. The Luxembourg Program rounded out this experience in that it gave me the opportunity to study abroad, even though it was just for a month. I went to 5 different countries, traveled by air, water and land, took 900 (no exaggeration) pictures and got to study History in a totally new and unique atmosphere. The smile that was plastered on my face throughout the trip has definitely not gone away and I am so grateful to my parents, for letting me go on the trip, Uwe the director of the program, for being so organized and thoughtful, Professor Green for teaching us at a level I have never experienced before and to everyone who made the trip a total success!

That being said, I will add a bunch of pictures to my previous entries that coincide with the day trips, weekend trips, and general fun I had abroad. This entry has a bunch of pictures of Mondorf, including our rooms and classrooms as well as the town itself. I hope you enjoy them!

This week has been a great one, I am totally back into the swing of things on this side of the Atlantic! I worked everyday at the library which has been such a joy, I loved sharing the pictures with my boss Jude and co-workers Stephanie and Emily and was thrilled with my surprise birthday party that they threw me! I also got to hang out with my friends from home, unfortunately my friend Anthony left for Rome just as I got back so there was a shortened reunion with him. I can’t wait for the rest of my summer to really get started, Europe is hard to beat though!

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June 6, 2008

June 6th, 2008 by emhest09

These past couple of days have absolutely flown by and I am amazed that I am going to be on a plane headed home TOMORROW.

Yesterday I went with Professor Green and the rest of the History class to Strasbourg in France. On the way we visited the Convent of St.Odile which was in the Vosges Mountains. There was an impressive view of the surrounding towns and you could even see the Black Forest in the distance in Germany! We made a few stops in the wine villages of the Alsace region; Professor Green let us walk around and take in the sights. We had been learning a lot about the region in terms of the tension between the French and the Germans preceding the World Wars and it was interesting that even though the street signs were in French, the region was decidedly German.

Strasbourg, with its canals and huge Cathedral, was great as well. We went into the Cathedral and took a canal tour through the city. It was supposed to rain all day but we didn`t see a single drop! We had dinner at a VERY authentic French restaurant called "Pasta and Pizza" then made our way back to Mondorf. It was our last and, in my opinion, best field trip.

Today was our last full day and after a review session for the History class we all got "pretty" as Uwe says and took multiple group and class pictures. After that we went to the best restaurant in Luxembourg (no sarcasm here, it`s literally the best-5 star and everything!) run by Lea Linster, an award winning chef. We had a gourmet meal, complete with multiple courses and never ending drinks. It was fantastic but I am in a "food coma," I ate far too much! It was worth it though!

I want to say a quick congratulations to all the Seniors who graduated in the past week from Holy Cross. I will miss you all so much and the school won`t be the same without you! The even scarier thought is that that will be ME next year!

My next entry will be from home-I can`t believe it!

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June 3, 2008

June 3rd, 2008 by emhest09

About 5 years ago my family and I took a European trip to France, Germany, Switzerland and Iceland and Paris was by far my favorite part. I remember sitting on the train leaving Paris and thinking "I hope I can go back there someday". Well, I MADE IT!

As I watched the sun set on my 20th year (I am an English major, you will have to deal with the poetics), I had NO idea what would be in store for me in the hours to come. At midnight, I answered a knock on my door only to find Kara and Kristen singing "Happy Birthday" and bringing me a great card. I have never been around Holy Cross friends for my birthday and I have to say…they sure know how to celebrate! The next morning I opened my door to find gifts from friends as well as a box of chocolates from the director of the program Uwe, he takes such good care of us and is so thoughtful! The birthday wishes kept coming, but it was definitely eclipsed by the fact that we would be in Paris that afternoon!

The high speed train to Paris was great, we arrived at 3:30 and got to our hostel by 4. That left plenty of time to go to Sacre Coeur and see our first view of the Eiffel tower from on top of the hill in the Montmartre district. After that, we grabbed a quick dinner then made our way to the Louvre (which is free on Fridays for people under 26). I met my friend from home Laura there and it was great to catch up while seeing the best artwork in the world. After the Louvre we went towards Notre Dame and met up with Jimmy Doan who was also celebrating his birthday on May 30th. We had been planning to meet in Paris for months and our dream was finally realized! It was probably the best birthday of my life and it only got better as the weekend continued.

The next day was insanely busy, I am still reeling from the fact that we were able to see the Eiffel tower (everyone took the stairs, VERY IMPRESSIVE but not for me, my fear of heights prevented me from doing that one), the Arc de Triomphe (which I did climb), the Champs Elysees, and the district in between. We also took a boat cruise along the Seine river, luckily the weather was great! That night, we went out for our birthday dinner at a relatively fancy (we are, after all, poor college students) restaurant then made our way to the Eiffel Tower. We sat on the lawn and watched the lights come on, every hour there is a fantastic light show where the tower literally sparkles. We took lots of pictures and I cannot wait to upload them when I get home so that everyone can see them!

Sunday was our last day. We went to Notre Dame then walked to the Pantheon and along the bank of the Seine where artists and book sellers were setting up their booths. I bought a print and posters that I fell in love with, then made my way back to Sacre Coeur to buy more souvenirs and show Jimmy the area because he had not seen it the night before. We caught the train back to Luxembourg with no problems and managed to make our way back home before collapsing into bed.

Paris was one of the most tiring weekend of my life, but also one of the best. I couldn`t ask for better people to spend time with and it was great that I was able to meet up with Laura and Jimmy. This time as the train pulled out of Paris I wasn`t thinking IF I would go back, but WHEN. I can`t keep away from that city and the memories from this program and especially that trip will stick with me for a long time.

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