Keeping Up with Kenzie

Joyous Juin! Although I may not be in a gym training for Kilimanjaro my shin splints would say otherwise. Walking here is one of the main modes of transpiration and I could not be happier about it. Another contributing factor may be the 6 hours I was on my feet playing with some wonderful kids at an after school care center yesterday. The Zadigozag Cafe is super cool, allows for kids to explore their interest, and features a fully equipped coffee and desire bar. The kids come from migrant families but are filled with so much joy and kindness that the hours spent there are delighted in. I don't know how people do it every day because not only is my mind spinning from French but now my body is tres fatigue. As for today's adventures they included a French class that is quickly progressing (I think much faster than my personal French skills take me), a delicious mozzarella omelette for lunch, and an afternoon at the Red Cross. The Croix Rouge is an great service site, especially t

Today was full of wonderful shopping however my lack of space in my suitcase is somewhat daunting to start purchasing new clothes. The vintage stores here are unlike any other shopping experience I have had. I kid you not the vintage stores are literally worth flying to Montpellier for. Vintage Hermes scarf? They have it. Fur from the 1920's? Oh it's in the back. You could spend hours digging through these goldmines and coming out with a complete different look every time. As for class the big event in French class this morning one of the undocumented refugees who I sit next to got up in the middle of class and started putting everything in his backpack and with one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen said my wife is having her baby, so shout out to him and his new baby  whom shares a birthday with my big brother Austin(Happy Birthday Aus!) As for this evening I had a wonderful dinner with my host family, Madame Jocelyne is absolutely my spirit animal. She is everything I wa

Bonne journée aujord hui! This morning was a très long French class, I think I am driving my French teacher absolutely insane because the verdict is in and I am not the least bit linguistic. I continuously stuble over pronunciations and can someone please tell me why there are masculines and feminine objects, countries, and actions in French?! However, we only have school in the morning and lunches make up for it todays lunch was an omelette, salad, and french fries (only in France!) After lunch we headed over to the Red Cross and got a tour of two locations in Montpellier. I'll be doing service here every week and look forward to diving in! They offer some great discounted items in which refugees or asylum seekers are able to spend their 15 euros they are allotted per month (That's right 15 euros-that is nearly how much my lunch cost today...) After the tour I hopped back on the tram and got off at the grocery store 'Casino' it resembles Walmart and Safeway and I truly

Saturday morning breakfast! Montpellier by day Have a nice day :-) What more do you need... Home <3

Well that's a wrap on the weekend! It was tres successful... Saturday was a recoup day of sleeping in and making and then walking to the market and getting a baguette, chocolate croissant, eggs, and fruit and making a wonderful breakfast was one of the highlights. Saturday afternoon I spent wandering in and out of the Montpellier alleyways which are filled with the most adorable shops and cafes which I was able to weave my way through, later that afternoon I met with some friends to go to the beach and had a wonderful siesta there. Public transportation can be rather challenging and frustrating especially when the bus doesn't come and so we ended up walking 2 miles and as we got there saw the tram pulling away so had to wait 30 more minutes (hitch hiking isn't looking too shabby). Today was filled with lots of waiting for public transportation, a friend and I wanted to go hiking at Pic Saint Loup and turns out the bus we took just ends at a station called Pic Saint Loup not

Montpellier officially has the best shopping. Today was filled with lots of hopping from boutique to boutique which was tres fabulous. The alleyways weave in and out and in between lining the city with fabulous cafes and boutiques. The morning was filled with a rather long lecture about French immigration and policy. It is so interesting to truly become a part of their culture and be immersed. So often as travelers and vacationers we can begin getting caught up in the cycle of judging somewhere by the tourist destinations and you do not get the opportunity to truly immerse into the culture. It's the little interactions that make you truly get a feel for the place, for example as I was walking out of my house this morning our neighbor stopped me and began telling me the entire history of Montpellier in very rapid French or when I tried on a fabulous little wrap dress and a women working in the shop truly gave me the time of day and gave me her opinion of how it looked. Being a part

Today included a lecture with a 3 course lunch, the beach, and a fabulous dinner...photos from Montpellier moments An art exhibit set up for VSArt show, an art program for underprivileged or immigrant children Bank holiday = beach day!! Book in host families house...my spirit animal Arc de Triomph of Montpellier

J'aime Montpellier! I am happy as can be adapting to my French life here in Montpellier. French class is making my head spin but it is worth it because I do feel like I'm learning (even if I do speak Valley girl French). Today was also my first day of community service at VSArt, an art school for underprivileged or immigrant kids, and today I was able to set up their gallery for their end of the year display. Even though I can't understand a word the children are saying hand motions and pictures go a long ways. My host family is tres fabulous, my studio is so nice, and her cooking is superb (omelettes with potatoes for dinner and nutella toast for breakfast = yum!) Now I may have to start sleeping on my French books so I can actually communicate with them!

I am officially in my French dream. Today I changed homestays and although it was difficult saying it wasn't working out ultimately I believe it was the right one because life is tres bonne a la mon maison. I am staying with my host mother who I am still unsure of her name and feel as though I just one the lottery. She is very nice with a French twist of sass and lives in a house her family built a long time ago, which means it includes lots of rooms and many gardens = fabulous. Another student is staying with me and she is absolutely lovely and the perfect housemate. I get to live in the studio which is downstairs and has its own door, kitchenette, bathroom, and living room...(WOW). Today also included my first day of French classes which I was 30 minutes late for due to the length of my previous homestay and my mapping skills. However, I learned a lot and have to make a video of me speaking so that should be interesting. This afternoon we went on a tour of Montpellier and discove

Just an American girl in the Industrial District tucked in the ghetto of Montpellier. You know that scene in Sex and the City where Carrie is walking around Paris in that fabulous little tutu dress and just blissfully happy and the only kind of happy that you can be when you’re in France? Well that is how I felt in Paris and not I feel as though I was hit by the bus (and metro) that I have to take back to l’industrie aka my home for the night. Hence the singular night because I was told that I would be moving homestay a. because of the distance from school and b. because I am in a not so bon area. The events of the day were quite interesting they included me taking a placement test, eating a tres delicious kebab (pronounced KAY-bab, emphasis on the KAY) and taking a bus home that made 12 stops before I got off.  11 a.m. Me sitting in a classroom in University of Montpellier IMLS taking a French placement test or more like taking a 50 multiple choice test within 60 seconds and for

As I type I am in my quaint bedroom in Montpellier after a pleasant train ride from Paris. Quaint may not be the exact word I would use, possibly primitive or on the fringe. Just as like I am on the fringe of Montpellier. When I decided to be a part of this trip I knew it would be challenging and I knew I would need to be my toughest self, however, I feel as though I am incredibly trapped. The neighborhood I am in is not regarded as safe so you have to take the bus then metro everywhere. Additionally I have kicked the poor son out of his room and he is sleeping on the couch. I absolutely do not want to be difficult but I am living here and the time to be proactive is now. The French aspect is another hurdle to jump as the mother and son do not speak much English and as my French is majorly lacking. I am not a sit still kind of person but at the same I would hate to have to switch because these are the people that absolutely need the help and where I just feel like an utterly spoiled b

Today was fabulous to say the least and I knew it the moment I bit into the most delicious chocolate crossiant I have ever had this morning. I don't understand how the French have the reputation for being thin because with this diet I may be rolling up Mt. Kilimanjaro. Breakfast consisted of a plethora of breads which is my kind of breakfast. From there we went to the immigration museum and received a lecture on how the media misconstrues the truths of immigration, for example the largest percent of immagrants to France are from Portugal. The issues of immigration span far and wide even in a culture as profound as France, you can see this if you take a walk down the Seine and observe the homeless and beggars or even the men on street corners selling water or chestnuts. From the museum we went to a delicious cafe and had a quick bite to eat. From there I went on a stroll on my own in actuality looking for an ATM and ended up taking about a 2 hour walk and finding an absolutely gorge

Je suis arrive a Pari! Today was filled with touring, tasting, and   the oh so fun time change. I began the day by meeting the rest of the group in the airport and already enjoy everyones company and personalities. We are staying in one of the oldest hotels in Paris right down the street from the Louvre and we were able to walk through the historic palace in which the Louvre is encompassed in. From there we strolled down the Seine to a fabulous little restaurant on the right bank where we ate baguettes, quiche, and some delicious salmon. Over lunch I was able to refresh my brain on French and by refresh I mean reaffirm my lack of French. Thankfully, the other students are extremely patient and kind with me and I’ve started taking notes (we’ll see how long that lasts). From there we went to my favorite part of Paris, Ile Saint Louie! We were able to see them oh so historic Notre Dame and go into a bread festival (France fifteen here I come!) We then took the oh so Euro and oh so necess