Paris: Day 5

I woke up with warm sunshine on my face.

A great start to the day.

I had slept past noon, too. What a great feeling.

I knocked out some homework before we roamed down the street to some Italian place and then a cafe for dessert. We were going to go grocery shopping, but the French are very particular about not working on Sundays.

In fact, today is the day of passing or something like that. The french take a whole month off of work, traditionally August, but in years past it has been either July or August. Today each group are on the roads passing each other, either coming or going.

I've watched as stores put up signs saying that they will be closed for the next month. That is just beyond my comprehension. I realize more and more everyday that we push ourselves too much in America. To go to a restaurant, even just the cafe for a quick coffee, will take you an hour. The wait staff expect you to be there to relax. Not get it and go. They aren't being rude, that is just how service is done here. In fact "take away" restaurants are few and far between and really only found near touristy areas. This city has really slowed me down a lot.

My classmates took a nap while I worked on some homework, before we headed to the Eiffel tower. To finally see it and walk under it was very surreal, it was like I realized I was in Paris finally. We got there around 7 or 8 and sat on the lawn, buying bottles of wine as we emptied them (there are guys that just roam the lawn selling wine). We had a really great time relaxing and just talking. We are becoming so french very fast. We sat there until 10 pm when the tower lit up in a wondrous sparkle. It only does it on the hour at dark and only for 5 minutes, but boy is it a sight. I can't wait to go up in it soon.

We grabbed dinner then a metro. A couple got on and you could tell they had just gotten engaged. Glowing face. Shiny ring (that doesn't fit). A week ago it would have depressed me. But now, I realize I don't need those things to be happen. Don't get me wrong, I was genuinely happy for them and wished them the best. But I don't need a lover in France (or America) for happiness. I'm enjoying just Madison time. I watched as a couple sat in front of us on the lawn with champagne and simply enjoyed the evening with each other, kissing between drinks. (Sidenote: the guy was wearing a red and white striped shirt, how frenchy is that?) Normally I would be disgusted. I'm pretty anti PDA typically. But, being there, and with this new acceptance, it was actually adorable. And sure, a proposal in front of the tower isn't my cup of tea (I need originality please!), but it was still cute.

I guess Paris has changed me already!

Well I am ready to find out what class I placed into tomorrow! It is crazy to think I am a student of Sorbonne. I can't believe I made it here.

Sure I dreamed of traveling and experiencing life outside the states, but I still surprise myself on how impulsive I have been the last few years. I have pushed myself a lot. And I can honestly say I am proud of the life I live. Taking these chances hasn't ended badly enough for me to regret a single one yet.

I think I will keep pushing.

Much love.

Paris: Day Three & Four

Yesterday we got up for orientation at Sorbonne as well as a placement test. Our test was pushed back, so we went to Luxembourg Gardens, just a 5 minute walk. Despite the cloudy weather, it was absolutely beautiful. I felt like I was in Central Park in a way.

Space is such a hot commodity and to stumble upon so much plus with great plant life was a pleasant relief. We laid under a row of Alice In Wonderland-like trees for a while before getting lunch at a sidewalk cafe. I still can't believe how many there are. And they are ALWAYS full. I guess the French don't pack lunch. There were people laying around everywhere and running and just strolling. Yet it still didn't feel crowded.

My placement test was a disappointment I believe. After the several years I've put into French it was a little disheartening to know hardly anything on that test. Alas, we will see when I get the results though.

From there we went to Shakespeare & Co. One of the coolest book shops I have ever been in. I can't wait to go back. Since I finished "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" I figured I would buy the sequel, but they didn't have it. What they did have though was "Superfreakonomics," a follow up to "Freakonomics." Awesome literature. Check it out. They had a reading room upstairs with plenty of books you couldn't buy and...a piano? Yeah I know. There was a kids nook, too with plenty of kids books around. I have spent so much time reading on the Metro or if I get lunch alone that I will definitely be back soon. I wish I would have brought all my summer books with me, but I had no idea I would have this kind of time!

Afterwards we got lost for a bit and finally bought our monthly Metro pass. The passes are only valid for one calendar month, not rolling. Essentially it won't work until Monday. Just a tidbit if you are ever here for a while.

I went walking alone for a bit and found this side market street that is hands down my favorite yet. It's called Rue Mouffetard and it is so quaint and busy. There are boutiques for everything, flower shops, shoes, bread, nick nacks, books, and clothing. I bought these super comfy pants that are elastic at the bottom. Think parachute pants without the crazy colors.

Don't judge me, I love them.

I also picked up a journal.

My roommate back in Orlando and I decided that this month was going to be really hard to be apart. Especially with internet being less than awesome, the time difference just makes it so hard to talk to each other. And since we were going through such changes this summer and now have to face them alone, we felt it best to keep a journal of personal adventures and thoughts and progress. Essentially what we would say if the other was here. I'm excited to fill it with little nick nacks.

It is hard to meet up with friends without a phone. All I can do is receive texts and calls, so one of the girls text me where to meet. I got lost. And decided on a solo trip to McDonalds.

And it was awesome. The sandwich itself was so much more fresh than in the states and the fries weren't disgustingly greasy and salty, although that may be what I like best about them. The restaurant was very clean and modern, too. I spent the rest of the evening walking off dinner on the streets here in the 13th Arrondissement and exploring my neighborhood, before heading back to the hotel for our last night to do homework.

This morning CEA offered an outing on a bus tour through Paris. Basically it hit up most of the main monuments and was super touristy, but was a really great way for me to get to know the layout of the center of the city. And I took my new Canon Rebel, my first SLR camera. It was great to play with it and learn to work it better. Plus, the tour was free! Why not?

Afterwards I strolled around trying to find the Apple store and possibly set up my phone for the month to work here. After I couldn't find it, I decided it was for the best. I should save my money for something better and let go of my addiction for a while.

I found a roxy store, too. And anyone that knows me well enough, knows I had to stop in. No purchases, but they had several "Roxy Paris" shirts I seriously considered!

I stopped by McDonald's again. I couldn't help myself, it is so much better here! I can only have so much cafe food. Once I got back to the hotel I retrieved my book bag from storage to work on some homework in the courtyard. The courtyard wasn't much bigger than my bathroom at home. I almost felt like I was in a fireplace chute. It was really nice though. The sun was low enough so just ambient light shone down past the one tree, a beautiful magnolia. It definitely made doing homework not so awful. Everyone showed back up at 5 to move to our new apartments!

My apartment is a one bedroom on Rue de Cordelieres here in the 13th arrondissement. This is a family neighborhood since there is a school across the street so I feel really safe. Right now I live alone, but I will get a roommate Monday who was on the July program and decided to extend. I'm excited to meet her, especially since she knows her way around and such, at least I assume. The apartment is very "ikea" with two twin beds crammed into the small one bedroom. The building is very beautifully old with an elevator shaft big enough for maybe two people. I prefer the old spiral staircase. If I lived here alone, it would be ideal. I'm not sure how two people living here will go, but we will see.

Tonight I had my first crepe (strawberry) since arriving here and it was wonderful. Much better than back home. I loved enjoying it with the other Parisians and alongside my class mates. I think we are all beginning to feel like we belong more.

Paris: Day Two (Coconuts and Peaches)

Waking up in Paris was much more tiring than expected.

We got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast. Many hotels in Paris do not include breakfast, fortunately Hotel Esperance does.

We sat ourselves at one of only 10 little tables and were served orange juice immediately without question and without pulp (small victory). The woman then brought a pan of breakfast breads: a croissant, a jam pastry, an apricot pastry, and some other bread product that I was already too full to try. The jam served at the table was cherry, strawberry, and raspberry mixed into one as well as an apricot spread.

Crazy I know, but the berry one was awesome. I think I'm going to steal one tomorrow.

We left about 15 minutes later than anticipated since everyone went out last night and the one male in our group did not get up on time.

Getting to the metro was slightly difficult, but navigating the different lines was very easy. Just like NYC. Difficulty arose when we got off to get to our program office.

We roamed back and forth for probably 10 minutes before we somehow landed on the right street.

Orientation, as they often are, was a bit on the boring side. Semi-redundant. Although, I thought I would share something that the director taught us about French and American people.

Coconuts and Peaches.

French people are very similar to coconuts. They are raised very strictly and are very obedient to their mothers and taught to be very quiet and reserved. Many of their friends are from high school, once you break through that shell (congrats first of all to you) then you have a lifelong friend. Their outsides seem hard, but that's only because they were taught appropriate timing for everything. The metro is a very quiet place. The french don't speak much there, and if they do, you can't hear them. The french cover themselves up a lot in everyday public, but on vacation, of course, you get nude beaches. A time and a place for everything.

Even nudity.

Americans are very similar to peaches. We aren't raised as strictly on social stigmas and told to go out and experience the world. Many of us go to college in different states than our hometown and even go to study abroad (not my case, but I'm a minority there I guess). The french are very home oriented. They live near home forever. We are easy to get along with and are very sociable. Soft on the outside. We let a lot of people in through to a certain level, but almost no on toward the hard center. We aren't as well grounded within this inside spectrum of human relations, be it due to insecurities or whatever. It is just who we are.

Which is why the french come off as rude. Stuck up. Unfriendly.

I found myself instantly more reserved, even around the Americans. Maybe part of it is being homesick though. I don't necessarily miss home, just Orlando. Well, maybe that is home now. We went to lunch with one of the staff members, also a student at Sorbonne. He asked us plenty of questions. He was raised in and went to school at Reunion.

We talked for a while on the way there about how un-Parisian we felt we were. Honestly, had Africa had a French class available for the summer, I wouldn't be in Paris. I'm no fashionista and the culture is nice, but mostly just a nice vacation spot. Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled to have this opportunity and I certainly need it as part of finding myself again.

Without a cell phone or internet readily available or English or my friends.

I'm really pretty alone.

But I don't belong here. The city is an amazing culture warehouse, but I would much prefer the French countryside, able to slip in and out of city life as I please.

My fellow classmates are very fashionable and love wine. I couldn't care less about those things. I love the French for their passion for sitting alone at a cafe and reading. I don't really care for a party all the time. I feel as if I'm becoming a French recluse. Ha!

It was nice to talk to a French person who didn't smoke (3/5 of us smoke, obviously I'm one who doesn't) and who didn't feel like they really belonged either. He may go with us to Disneyland Paris Sunday, who knows!

I know what you're thinking. :)

And no.

As cute as he is, I set him off limits.

After lunch we talked about housing. I still haven't met my apartment roommate since she was on the July program and extended. Hopefully I will meet her tomorrow, but if not, we move in on Saturday. The apartments sound very old, but I'm really excited. I love old architecture.

We got back to the hotel and napped - I'm still not used to this time! And awoke to go get lost and find a place to eat. We came straight back home for an early night to try and adjust.

And here I am. In between Finance homework.

Feeling a little alone. Not only am I in a foreign country, but I guess I kind of feel like since everyone is very Parisian like already as Americans that I don't really fit in with the classmates. I know I will eventually, but it is hard, especially after than plane ride alone.

Lots of alone time.

And lonely thoughts.

But I guess that's what I asked for, right?

Much love.

Paris: Day One

What a day.

As I got on my flight from Toronto to Paris, I felt like such a foreigner. Everyone spoke in quick French and quieted as I walked down the aisle to my row.

What an outcast!

I ended up having the row to myself, just me a two empty seats. Other than that the plan was completely full - crazy I know.

Every seat on the plane had a screen in front of it to watch any one of a wide selection of films or television shows (about 4 episodes of each show offered) or listen to about 50 albums they had or even a couple XM Radio stations.

My favorite part was a map feature that blows my wanting a compass everytime I fly out of the water. You can have it rotate through a map thing, which moves from a world map with your route on it (and where you are on it) to a close up of cities nearby, to a world map showing where night and day currently are to flight stats (such as how far you have travelled and have left to go, ETA, local times of the city you left and are going to).

I spent the first part of my trip reading up on "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo," before being served a pretty decent pasta dinner complete with corn, bread, a brownie, and drink.

Not bad Air Canada.

I watched an episode of Modern Family while I ate and I must say, if I ever get the time, I am going to start watching the seasons. That show was hilarious.

Afterwards I napped (or at least tried) while listening to the Cary Brothers "Under Control" album ("Belong" is my favorite track just so you know).

I set my alarm for two hours, so I would have time to wake up and finish my book before breakfast. Breakfast wasn't notable (juice and a muffin). Unfortunately, I had to spend the last two hours working on homework for my history class. It really stinks to have two online classes going on, plus starting my French class at Sorbonne on Monday.

Stupid responsibility.

Landing in Paris was a little scary. The countryside seemed beautiful as we flew over it, even on a dreary day such as today. Charles Degaulle Airport was nothing special either, actually I think even Memphis has them beat.

After immigration, I saw my driver who advised me to have a seat while we waited on another student from Chicago. 15 minutes later, we were on our way. The neighborhood just outside the airport, like so many, was disgusting and slummish. It looked like the slums of Panama or even Memphis. We wove our way further in the city, passing several big museums, before we arrived at the program office for CEA.

They greeted us with smiles (and english, thank God) plus some french snacks. The french eat this things called Chipsters which are like the baby of potato chips and with the texture of those soft dry foods babies eat out of the pringle looking can. I can't for the life of me remember what they are called.

Weird.

There were also some sweet little cookies and a chocolate bar inside. Happy.

After some brief to-do's they sent us on with more smiles, assuring us everything would be okay and we really looked like we needed sleep. Ha!

And sleep we did.

Once we got to the hotel we were given our key.

Yes one key.

And it is literally a metal key that we have to give to the front desk agent everything we exit the building.

The elevator would not hold more than one person and a bag, so my new friend and I took turns going to the 4th floor (which is actually the 5th, the French call the ground floor 0 and the second 1 and so on). There are no more than 4 or 5 rooms per floor and are even smaller than my room in NYC. Our room was two twin beds pushed together with about half an inch of space between them. And there is a bathtub with a shower attachment that sits near the faucet you can extend. Our view is a wall. Ha. To the side there are some nice buildings and a cute courtyard below.

We immediately fell out on the bed and slept with the windows open to the sounds of Paris. We slept for 6 hours until the phone rang. It was the one guy listed under our program asking if we were going to dinner or what?

BTW, dinner was an option at 5 pm if we chose to meet in the lobby. I was a bit ticked he interrupted such a great sleep, but we needed to get up anyway. We roamed through the city until we found an alley full of little cafes and chose an italian one. I got a marinara pizza and it was the best pizza I ever had in my life. No cheese, a big square pan of bread, but so wonderfully fresh. My companions chose salad, a weird pasta, and pizza. All of which looked really great.

I could really get used to these eats.

I loved walking around looking at all the specialty shops. No Wal Mart or Krogers.

Still, it was freezing and no sunshine! I did NOT pack for that! The weather is supposed to stay in the mid 70's through the week and it better. I didn't pack coats!

My fellow students went out tonight to Bastille (apparently it is a hit for the twenty somethings) and I stayed behind.

Damn homework.

Hopefully I will be able to get ahead and have a really fun weekend.

I can't believe I am going to wake up in Paris tomorrow.

Goodbye Orlando!

This post was written in the ambiance of Coldplay's Parachute Album, with particular repeat on the track "Lost." I rediscovered it in iTunes recently and it was excellent plane music as well. Enjoy.

Well this is the end of the domestic chapter of my summer. Orlando has been wonderful. My roommate has been amazing and has taught me so much and I can only hope I have returned the favor. We have gone through a lot together this summer which makes saying goodbye even harder.

When I come back I will only be here for 8 hours before driving home, so it was like our final goodbye. My friend from back home in Memphis was here to drop me off too, so it was like I was saying goodbye to Memphis too in a way, ha!

Last night we did the Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party. You get the chance to enjoy a huge dessert buffet in tomorrowland before the fireworks start and have a saved spot for the show. Before the show there was a new castle show called "The Magic, The Memories, and You." Photopass photographers travel the park everyday taking great pictures to be used in this display on the castle. I think it really adds the personal touch Disney has been looking to achieve over the last few years. It was an adorable show and a great showcase of technology (at one point the castle looks as if it has been colored with a crayon or is on fire.

I was semi-unprepared, I only started packing 2 hours before I left for the airport. So after a stressful morning of packing, finalizing debit card international use and such.

As I boarded my Air Canada flight, everything began in French. And I had NO idea what anyone was saying! Fortunately an english speaking attendant came on afterwards.

Thank God.

The flight was okay. It was neat to see Lake Ontario from above, plus I made a few Canadian friends. Especially the girl next to me who happened to be wearing almost the same sweatshirt. I guess it made me realize how much we are really alike.

But then she started talking about all the holidays canadians get and couldn't understand why we start school in August, not September. I remember the days when we started in September.

Oh, those were the days.

She was a lot of fun to talk to and was also staying in Orlando for the summer. She was a hospitality major, too in school, but now working as a vet tech. I realized we were in the same situation, too. She chose hospitality because it would be fun, but didn't really have a passion for anything else.

As I've grown older, I have found passions in life.

One is travel of course.

Although I semi-regret choosing hospitality. I love the benefits and its a ton of fun. I would never regret choosing it as my primary job.

But I think I will go back to school for photography and graphic design after a couple years. Have a real job, save money, then learn to do something I found an interest in later in life well enough to get paid for it.

No one ever said I had to use my degree forever, right?

Random sidenote: Sitting in the Toronto Pearson Airport definitely makes me wish that the Memphis airport was half as nice. Heck, even the free wi-fi would be enough.

Our city is making a lot of changes I am so proud of, but that airport needs some work soon.

As I walked off the plane I wasn't able to get to my favorite part of flying, going without a phone for a couple hours and getting it back.

No phone for a month.

Another flight with the same disappointment as I climb out of the plane and wait on my baggage.

What will I check? Where will I get information? How will I know what everyone on the planet is doing, or at least as far as what they are willing to post on Facebook?

Am I addicted or what?

I'm really looking forward to the lack of technology in a way. I need the break.

This summer has been about recovery and self discovery.

And so begins the self discovery.

How "Eat, Pray, Love" of me, yeesh.

A Memphis friend noted how much I have changed this summer the other day.

In a good way I assumed - I guess I should have asked.

He feared that I would go back to Memphis and go back to my old habits.

And by habits I believe he meant a certain relationship that maybe has held me back for a while without growth.

I feel like you should grow from every relationship in life (friends, lovers, and family alike) and growth with that person, too. We all need each other.

I have been able to take and give so much to my roommate this summer. And my friends around the country and kind of the world have all given me new perspectives and insights and growing opportunities.

Shouldn't you expect the same of your lovers?

He believed that this summer was a great time to realize how stagnant I was, but so far has just been a warm up.

That, maybe, I will find myself in another way in Paris.

I've realized the destruction, time to make plans to rebuild.

I discovered so much about myself doing my internship with Disney, I can't wait to see what going across the pond for the month does.

Much love.

Last Week in Orlando

It is so weird to plan for a crazy week such as this one for so long and it finally jump up on you. Honestly going out of the country tomorrow is the last thing on my mind with everything going on. I still haven't packed and probably won't until midnight tonight.

This last week I finished my last few days of work. I don't really get upset anymore about leaving. Sure, it is weird to walk out of Frontierland to my car for the last time in a long time and wonder who will notice I am gone again for the next 6 months. I wonder what the Fantasyland expansion will look like when I return. Will there be people in Frontierland who will know who I am in 6 months?

But I guess you get used to leaving after a while.

Tuesday my mom came into town and I spent the day with her and my brother. We hit up EPCOT and finished the night watching Wishes on the beach of the Polynesian (can you tell this is one of my favorites yet? Ha!) and enjoying some attractions at Magic Kingdom. This was the first time she had been down since our family vacation and I think she was much more excited than my brother, ha!

The next afternoon I had the opportunity to participate in my favorite art medium, glass blowing. I think it is so beautiful, especially for how fragile glass is.

There is a studio in cocoa beach on A1A with several knowledgable guys and two dogs keeping shop. One travels around showcasing his glass art, but is on hiatus for the summer from his life (sounds like yours truly). The other actually built all the equipment for glass blowing for a while and is getting back into. The dogs are a great balance of hyper and "wait is he sleeping or dead?"

We started by sticking a metal pole into the molten goo and turning it quickly at room temperature (by hand, gosh my wrists hurt!) to give it a nice orb shape. After another dip for more goo, we applied what looked like broken colored glass to create the color. I chose teal (always a given), lime green, and yellow. I put the pole in essentially a huge oven, still turning the pole to maintain the orb shape, to allow the color to melt it.

To create a crazy swirl design, I then rest the pole and took tweezer to the gunk turning little bits in different directions until it was twisted all over. Once more time in the furnace before resting the orb again to finalize its shape. From here the instructor took what looked like a half ladel, dipped it in water and rounded out the orb.

To create the thin orb, showcasing the most color, you then attach a pipe to the other end of the pole and, well, blow! After about 5 seconds, a bubble appeared and began expand the orb almost perfectly in shape.

After several rounds of "blowing" and borderline passing out we knocked the pole with a wooden block to allow the orb to fall with a small hole in the top. The instructor took a bit of molten glass and placed it on top and then curved it to allow for a string to go through after it dried.

And voila! A rockin' glass orb. They have to dry over night, so we had it shipped since thats over an hour plus tolls away. We are supposed to get it today, I will post pictures if I remember!

Best $65 I have spent in a long time.

The following few days were just being tourists with my mom. Sea World (I finally rode Manta (a laying down coaster), a MUST do if you ever get the chance to go. And then Universal, love me some Hogsmeade. A cold butter beer is a great way to start the day. The day ended with Rip, Ride, Rock It, which apparently has a secret database of songs you can play instead of the select few shown for your ride. The easter egg didn't work for me though!

Saturday was a semi prep for France day. Haircut (at Blades salon in a really neat boutique like part of town in north Orlando) and shopping for roller blades (apparently they do rollerblade tours on Friday nights in Paris). Then we hit up downtown Orlando at the SAK improve theater followed by a great night on Church Street, sobering up at 5 Guys (my first trip ever). It was a great night to let go before leaving.

Sunday was spent sleeping in, my first in forever, doing homework and going to Hollywood Studios for the last time!

Today we are going to Busch Gardens and then getting together to go to the Wishes Dessert Party for a bit of a farewell before I fly to Paris tomorrow!

On Wednesday my roommate and I drove to Melbourne (east coast, south of Cocoa Beach) to the Brevard Zoo to do a zip line called Treetop Trek. We had a groupon to do the canopy and challenge courses. And boy was the challenge one a challenge. It started off with a 65 foot zipline. We had to climb a single ladder up and stand on essentially a palate high above the wetlands of the zoo.

I was shaking in my boots to say the least.

I love the zip line, but the heights are unbearable. But everytime I came to a zip, it seemed like I had to take a moment to just let go.

Just fall.

One more gasp.

And go.

And hope for the best.

And, like it usually is, it was worth it.

The view and the thrill are so very rewarding.

I feel like I have done a lot of "falling" in my life the past couple years.

I fell from Hilton to move out of state to Disney.

I fell into scuba diving for kicks. Scared of losing air at 50, I kept "falling" deeper. Now I have fallen into the fear of dark water diving.

I have fallen in love.

And very heavily fallen out.

And when your line breaks suddenly, it is a fast descent to the pain of feeling how high you really were.

And you lay a minute, understanding more than ever, the risk you took.

You sit up, look around, and evaluate your life.

Rise and carry on.

Climb the next post with caution.

And realize how scary it actually is to be that far up again.

And how apprehensive you are to falling again.

But it isn't about the falling.

It's about flying.

Some would call it falling with style (toy story anyone?).

And again you realize why you keep taking the risk.

And right now I think I am sitting up in my life, evaluating constantly.

Wondering if I should get up.

I think for now I will stay down and take a water break.

Much love.

Random Days in Orlando

It has been crazy since 4th of July!

We watched our fireworks at EPCOT and also saw Hollywood Studios' show (if you want to see it make sure you are sitting near the Mexico pavilion).

Earlier in the day I served breakfast at give kids the world in the gingerbread house and boy was it busy! The gingerbread house is a neat place that serves breakfast and dinner for the families staying. Perkins sponsors all the food there. Along the ceiling are toys that past wish children have sent back to give kids the world for others to enjoy while eating breakfast. Many of the families were so grateful to have someone carry their tray. These parents are not only taking care of a sick child that sometimes is sick to the point of essentially caring for a newborn, but their other children as well. I can't imagine the stress and the look of relief on their faces was sign enough of everything they do in a day.

After my shift I signed up to serve breakfast again. This time I served in Ice Cream Palace, where the families can get a sundae 24 hours a day. There is a quicks service stand just next to it sponsored by IHG with Holiday Inn Express Breakfast food. Many of these families were getting up early to jet off to the parks for the day. I definitely enjoyed that more since it was busier.

The next day I worked and we rode bikes around Celebration once we got home. I feel like I continue to discover different parts of this town. There is one section, Artisan Park, that has a free gym. Residents only. And the scenery is even nicer than this side of Celebration. I know the tax rates have to be crazy over there! If you are ever in Orlando, definitely come bike around or take a segway tour. Don't forget to eat some ice cream on the main lake.

Saturday I got up early again and headed back to give kids the world. This time I worked at the main gate. This was neat because I was the first to welcome several families to GKTW and even quickly chat with workers and other volunteers. Plus I had time to do some History homework in between!

Afterwards my roommate and I went to universal with our neighbor. He wanted to see "Boys Like Girls" so we headed over and I finally bought a season pass to Universal. I talked the agent into giving me a florida resident discount.

What?

He was cute, I couldn't help myself.

After they played the two songs I knew by them (so glad I didn't pay extra for that ticket), my roommate and I went to go ride one of Universal's new rides "Rip, Ride, Rock It." It had been closed for 20 minutes, though. My roommate never gives up so we flirted our way on. Not only did we get on, but we got back doored. Essentially at Disney, you back door very close friends and celebrities. So not only did we get on past close, but we didn't have to wait in line either.

Nice.

And the ride was great, but I wish I would have had more time to choose a song (you choose a song as soon as you sit down from the list on the handlebar, and you only have 30 seconds).

On Sunday my friend and I got up really early and drove to Cocoa Beach to watch the sunrise. We pretty much did nothing all day and it was glorious. I also discovered a blown glass shop I am checking out on Wednesday!

After a couple of days of working, my friend came in town and we hit up universal with my roommate and neighbor and his friend. I finally saw "Potterversal" and it was awesome. If you have any interest in going, get to the park 15 minutes before it opens so you can run back and hop on the ride before it gets crazy. Also check out the show at Olivander's. It is neat, but not worth waiting 2 hours, so do that in the morning, too. Also, definitely have a butter beer. And the ice one, not the warm one (those are gross I hear). Honeydukes was also there and I got a chocolate frog, which came with a wizard card (I got Ravenclaw!). There were a few other small stores, none of which I would ever go in once the day got busy. They are way too small. There is also a dragon challenge which is essentially Dueling Dragons with a few harry potter banners.

Of course we hit up the Universal notables too - Hulk, Jurassic Park, and Spiderman.

We moved over to studios to ride Rip, Ride, Rock it again (this time I picked a song in time, Kanye West's "Stronger") and then The Mummy, Jaws, Men In Black, The Simpsons, and for my first time ever, E.T. A much better version of Disney's Peter Pan ride.

With two universal days under my belt and another when my mom gets to town Tuesday, I think the pass was well worth it.

The other night I finally got to see Cirque Du Soleil's La Nouba at Downtown Disney. It was a really great and intriguing show with some really neat acts. I highly recommend for an nice night out instead of a movie. I can't say whether or not it was better than Blue Man Group, but it was different. They were both very different shows than I have ever seen in my life.

Last night I was finally certified in night diving at Ginnie Springs in Alachua, FL (northwest of Gainesville). This was a super neat place that a lot of people camped at and the springs were absolutely beautiful. Cold, but beautiful. And the campsites were right on the river. If I was staying for the next month, I would have called my roommate and made plans on the spot to spend a weekend there.

The water was 70 degrees, which is SO cold, but great for a hot day I'm sure. On our first dive we basically went down and explored this cave. That's two fears in one: enclosed spaces (especially underwater), and the dark (extra especially underwater). It was really great though and just a big beautiful room. There was also a side room that really only fit 2 people that you could swim up to with big air pockets and a small space that overlooked the rest of the cave. My instructor then brought me over to a grate with a strong flow of water coming through. I had heard him talk about this before and how he often would hold on to it in the dark and simply close his eyes.

Crazy I know.

It was really fun to hold on to, lights on though.

For our second dive we would be having a "galaxy dive." A galaxy dive is essentially busting open glow sticks to watch the particles swirl around you like stars in the dark.

We went down and had to all turn our lights out. And that was probably one of the darkest darks I have ever been in, with the exception of the cave in Cozumel at Secret River. I felt like I was hyper-ventilating like crazy. But for the last minute, I finally calmed down.

And I just breathed.

There was nothing to do except relax and listen to myself breath.

And I finally understood holding on to a grate in the absolute dark letting a current move you through the water.

And then he cracked the glow sticks.

Once open, speckles of light filled the cave. It was almost Harry Potter like. As if a spell had been set. Parts of the current swirled in the cave, creating a swirling galaxy effect.

As I moved through the cave I felt like I was swimming amongst the stars.

And that is why I scuba dive.

Moments like those of absolute beauty.

Beauty you can't find anywhere else.

I wish I could take a picture, but they don't show up.

In a way, I'm glad you can't. That beauty is reserved for those will to wait in the paralyzing dark, cold water to experience in that moment. And for no one else.

Much love.

4th Of July in Orlando

I have been super busy lately! Last week I watched Cars 2 (nothing notable) and then went to see Blue Man Group at Universal Studios with my roommate.

Awesome show. If you ever go, every seat is a great seat and they sell student tickets for $35 the day of at the box office. We bought a drum head- at one point in the show they beat their drum with a different colored paint on each head. It creates a cool effect between the three of them.

The next day I woke up to buy my first Vinylmation. Vinylmations are yet another Disney collectable. They are mickey shaped figurines that are painted differently for each set. There are park sets that are themed after different attractions in the parks, or some sets that are themed after different characters in movies. I find them to be just another profit for Disney. Alas, I did fall in love with one.

It was a 9 inch figure (bigger than the normal 3 inch ones, which are tradable). And it was themed after the movie, UP. Probably my favorite Pixar film. A wonderful soundtrack and beautiful graphics. Plus a great story line.

And so I woke up early to arrive at the story a whole half hour before open and there was STILL a line around the building.

I got the last one :)

The start of a great day. I celebrated with friends the next night at Seito, a decent Japanese restaurant (try the "boat" if you ever go) in downtown Celebration, the big win in New York for Gay Rights. Since I have a lot of gay friends here (and hardly any in Memphis) we were a decent group. This has been a long time coming. And for any conservative who thinks someone else doesn't have the right to love, I would love to ask how many divorces they've had.

So much for a sacred vow.

I don't believe Jesus ever hated "the gays." In fact, he said, "above all, love." The only place in the Bible that talks about hating gays is in Leviticus. A book full of other rules that no one (Christians included) follows these days. All in all, there is nothing wrong in not following them. But Jesus came to break down a rule filled religion.

But clearly it's just easier to live by made up rules than love.

The next day a friend and I hung out at EPCOT. I finally saw Captain EO, a 3D film revolving around Michael Jackson and his sweet dance moves. Before, the area housed "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience," but soon after his death, they brought Captain EO back. Afterwards we hit up the Figment ride, something I believe was designed by Imagineers on acid. Trust me.

We ended the day with playing in the jumping fountains outside of the space. A fun time for sure. Makes for great pictures.

Wednesday I had volunteer training for Give Kids the World. Give Kids the World is an organization that houses families from wish giving organizations, the major one being Make-A-Wish. These terminally-ill kids and their families stay at Give Kids the World for the week, a wonderfully themed place with no signs of medical facilities around. In fact, the closest hospital is here in Celebration. They sought to remove all things hospital for this one week the kids get. So much so that some parents choose to stay off property instead and are still permitted use of the facilities, like the awesome pool or giant Candyland (they play live candyland every sunday night). The families stay in really nice houses for the week.

Their volunteers are just as organized as St. Jude. They allow seasonal people and snow birds alike to volunteer and have plenty of committed volunteers every week. I have my first shift tomorrow bright and early serving breakfast and I"m super excited. Volunteers do anything from greet at the airport, check-in, drive the pizza cart or cookie cart (each delivering free food items of their name).

All this week through my runs I have been listening to Cold War Kids latest album "Mine Is Yours." It is well worth the money. Especially since they aren't well known yet. Get to know them and buy their album now on iTunes before they get big. I promise they will.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to dive in Boynton Beach (about a 3 hour drive from here). It was a drift dive from a boat. Drift dives are always nice since they require little swimming and are great with helping to practice buoyancy. Maintaining buoyancy on a dive is important. You can waste air going up and down and waste energy trying to keep swimming down. If you don't watch it you can move up too fast and really hurt yourself. By hurt yourself, I mean having a nitrogen bubble in you blood or muscles, or worst, your brain. If you move too quickly back up the nitrogen you breath in through your tank that is naturally in the air we breath everyday doesn't have time to adjust and can move straight from your lungs into your blood stream, or, if they are already in your blood stream just as particles, they can move from the stream into your muscles, creating a very uncomfortable bump in there. In essence, you can only get rid of them with a decompression chamber, which will run you about 100k.

Not kidding.

Get dive insurance. Health insurance NEVER covers that stuff.

Anyway, the dives were great and easy. I dove with a guy I had just met that was willing to carpool down with me. He had gotten certified the week earlier in the nearby freshwater springs. I was excited to be there for his first ocean dive. On the second dive he got out his camera. You can buy a casing for your camera that will withstand the pressure and keep it from getting wet, but be prepared to spend around $200 for it. We saw a 10 foot nurse shark.

Incredible.

Completely harmless of course, but it was amazing to see one so big.

We ate at a local place called Hurricane's which has great Marlin Dip as an appetizer. Last night was a wonderful sleep as always. Sleeping off nitrogen really gives you a great and deep sleep.

Today we kept it easy with laying by the pool at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club where my roommates parents were staying while they were down to visit for the week. It is a beautiful property. But I don't think I would ever take out a mortgage to stay there as a timeshare owner. I guess I have never understood timeshare ownership. I think it is mostly pride.

"Why yes, I have a Hilton (Disney, Marriott, etc) timeshare. I'm an OWNER."

If I take out a mortgage, I intend on one day owning that house. Timeshare is just owning time. Even once you pay it off, you still have maintenance fees. What happens if your finances hit the fan?

Bad move buying timeshares. Don't do it. It's a waste for sure.

We ended the evening watching Disney's Fourth of July fireworks from the beach of the Polynesian resort. Watching any Magic Kingdom firework show from the Polynesian is grand, but if you want to do it for any of the three night of the fourth of July fireworks (two days before and day of so guests can watch the fireworks at EPCOT and Hollywood Studios as well), I reccomend it from there with a dole whip in hand (which you can purchase from Captain Hooks, expect a line. The parks are crazy crowded fourth of july weekend so plan ahead. You can' park at any of the resorts during the weekend unless you're staying there or you have dining reservations there. We made fake reservations last night and tonight to eat at Kona Cafe so we could get in (they keep a list of reservation holders at the front security office to get in). They were wonderful, of course, and I can't wait to see tomorrows shows at Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.

Being back at work these past couple weeks has felt a little out of place at moments. When I worked here, I worked with incredible people that made my internship a great time. Since then I have only worked once or twice every six months to maintain my proficiencies where I work and keep my perks. Now that I am working more often, it is a little less fun and feels like I'm working with strangers. They are all fun, but at the same time, it isn't my team. I miss them all dearly, but I feel like I"m living in a memory. I feel as if so many people try and keep the great times alive by extending their programs and moving down here after school.

But it isn't the same.

I have had great times in my life with great people I had just met as we came together for an extended period of time. But there comes a time for goodbyes in every chapter in life and it is best to accept that for what it is. Being seasonal the last almost two years has made for great vacations (I mean who else goes to Disney for free). And who knows, maybe I will maintain my seasonal status for the rest of my life. But after this, I don't think I will be moving down here for Disney. Sure, I am thankful that I discovered who I was here and I feel as if I will never let that go again, but I don't want to ruin my love for this place. Now I feel like the scene in Titanic where Rose revisits the ship in her mind and everyone she met was there as normal.

But that's all it is.

A memory.

A memory to maintain and keep you moving forward.

A memory to help you remember what you love and why you loved it so you make for a better life ahead.

Much love.