Dress: Forever 21 Plus Size
Sunglasses: Target
Lipstick: Nars

 Throughout my time traveling these past couple months I have had the inclination to see more of the United States. Each time that I talked to someone from Europe I was baffled at how little they had traveled. Little did I realize how big of a contradiction I was being when I realized I hadn't even seen much of the United States myself. That is why my next travel goal is to discover America. For almost a year I have been discovering Europe and all its glory and now it's time for me to return home to the States and see America in a different perspective. I'm excited to see what New York (and other states) will have to offer.


Get ready, get set, and lets go!


We are officially going back to the United States of America

With my travels coming to an end soon, my worry for writers block for the blog have been looming in my head. For almost a year now, my blog has primarily been dedicated to my teaching experience here in France. With the program over (and the date to go back to the States looming closer every day), reality has begun to sink in. My days of extensive traveling are coming to an end.

I feel like a spoiled brat for actually being sad about this (okay, maybe disappointed is a better word?).For almost a year I have had the privilege of essentially getting payed to travel.  Now, reality is sinking in and the times of doing day trips to Paris and Geneva have officially come to an end. With the impending return to Minnesota, I wonder what I will write about as a blogger. I'm sure many of you travel bloggers have gone through these internal debates as well. Sure, I can write about my struggles of adjusting back home, but there comes a point where complaining can only go so far.

At the end of the day people come to read travel blogs because the yearn for something they cant have at a certain time or moment. Its why we are always obsessed with social media; watching everyone's moves and wondering if they are doing something better than we are.

The truth of the matter is this: life will probably  be a bit less glamorous for a bit. You might even notice this on the blog (or the lack of posts for sheer embarrassment that I'm not living some fabulous life)  Don't get me wrong, I love Minnesota (only in the summer though), but there's only so much that one can blog about  their hometown right?

Wrong. I'm going to challenge myself to continue to blog as much as I have here in France and see if I can use this new found perspective and travel bug inside of me and apply it to my hometown in Minnesota. Sure, I might not be doing day trips to Paris for a while, but that doesn't mean I should stop myself from the possibility of discovering new places along the way in the United States and Minnesota.

I'm excited to really see the United States for what it has to offer this summer and write about it on the blog. I might not be getting payed to travel anytime soon (though it would be pretty rad if I was), but that doesn't mean I can't explore; or write in this blog.  


Until next time,

 The people standing besides me are the reason why I had such a fun time in Montpellier France. Get ready ladies and gentlemen for a sappy post brought to you by yours truly,

I'll be honest and tell you that I didn't think it would be easy to make friends here in Montpellier. Yet somehow, without any effort, these two people literally came into my life (from my apartment door unannounced) and became my best friends with a blink of an eye. Being an assistant isn't always easy. You're away from your family, friends, and country for almost a whole year. Though there were many perks to getting the opportunity to live in France and travel around the area it can be hard missing important events at home.

Living in a foreign country can take a toll on you emotionally. I remember when I was first considering moving abroad I was told that simple tasks would be 5 times harder than back at home. They couldn't have been more right. Little things such as grocery shopping or asking for directions can become a challenge and be mentally draining to the fact that you just want to stay in bed all day.

We were a support system for each other in Montpellier. Our slogan throughout the year (which I like to take credit for) was 'profitez' which means to seize the day. This word, which is widely used throughout France, helped us when we were together having the times of our lives and when we were apart teaching in the classroom. Its what kept us sane when the teachers canceled at the last minute, during train delays, or during administrative work. At the end of the day we were still living the dream of being in the South of France; and we soaked up every minute possible trying to live each day to the max.

Getting these tattoos symbolizes the time that we had together and the journey we are now embarking on as individuals. It is a reminder that even though we might be miles a part, there is someone out in the world with the same motto remembering to  seize the day, no matter how shitty it might have been.

So thank you guys for making this year so great. I couldn't imagine my life without you guys and I can't wait to see where you will go in life. Keep on profitez-ing.

Yours truly,

  ThePrincessFusion

I've been getting pretty sentimental lately on this blog about the end of TAPIF.  It seems like it was only yesterday that I received my arrete de nomination saying that I was going to be moving to Montpelllier, France.
I'll be honest and tell you that I didn't do much research about Montpellier France when it came to selecting a desired Academy for TAPIF. A part of me desired to go back to my second home to Paris again. Fortunately, I listened to the little voice inside that was nudging me to try something new and live in the South of France.

A lot of things have changed since I packed up my black and yellow suitcase towards the country of cheese and wine. As sappy as it might sound, I've grown from this experience and wouldn't take back the last 7 months in a heartbeat. I'll admit that there were a lot of ups and downs on this journey. I was very naive at times and had to learn quickly about what it meant to be an adult abroad, miles away from friends and family,

    

There are many 'firsts' that I accomplished here in Montpellier. I got my first apartment and learned what it truly meant to live by myself away from the comfort of my parents. This included doing adult things such as budgeting for rent, food, cleaning supplies, and other mishaps (which there were many) along the way. Along with my first apartment came new faces that I can now call my friends. After 7 months I can now understand a bit of German thanks to my two room mates and even made French friends along the way thanks to my neighbors.

Like many people on the first day of school, I questioned myself if I would truly make friends in Montpellier. Even though there were language and cultural barriers the group of assistants in Montpellier magically became a close nit group that would go to karaoke nights on Wednesdays, themed parties on Fridays, and Sundays at the beach.



Thanks to this experience I not only have made Montpellier another home, but have created lifelong friends from around the world. From karaoke nights with the Italians, to bro-ing it up with a rad Canadian, learning about Yemen, being mildly capable of understanding German jokes, and learning from two special British people how to 'profite' each day; I wouldn't want to change a thing.
You see, even though I might have complained about Montpellier at times (and even considered leaving early) these people  made this experience unforgettable.

Teaching also gave me the opportunity, especially in Montpellier, to appreciate different cultures and to receive the opportunity to learn from others. At the end of the day, my students and colleagues taught me more than I could ever imagine.

As I close this chapter of my life, I cant help but wonder what the next experience will be for myself and for the friends that I made here in France. Because of this experience I can now say that I have made friends and memories around the world; and theres nothing that I would change from that.

Until next time,

You might have noticed that I am a big fan of traveling, especially when it comes to day trips. You really don't have to plan too much in advanced for them. You just need to have a mode of transportation, some food, a camera, money and go! Oh so I thought

Living in a new town can be fun, especially if you're a major foodie like myself. Throughout my time in Montpellier France, I had the opportunity and luxury to try out many restaurants within the city and now I'm sharing some of my favorite restaurants with you guys. Here is the list of my favorite vegetarian friendly hot spots in Montpellier France. 

Best Veggie Burgers: 

Have you ever realized that your students are struggling to describe what they did over break? With the amount of breaks the French school system has, you would think that the students would be able to properly describe what they did over each break. Yet time and time again, I find myself having to help them pronounce how to correctly say 'beach' in regards to vowels. So, in order to crush what seems to be an ever ending cycle, I decided before the beginning of Spring Break to go over some helpful vocabulary words. What made this lesson even more fun was that after the kids finished writing the definitions for each word, I tested their memory by dividing the class up and playing hang man. This really helped the student retain what they had just learned and utilize their spelling and comprehension skills to the max.

What kind of lessons have you done with your students? Comment below and let me know!