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