#I’m so excited to get to see min and Marina and the rest of them again :)))

[sexynetra]

Minty still has me in a chokehold I'm afraid

As she SHOULD Min is an all timer queen nobody is doing it like her I need her back on my screen YESTERDAY

[f1byjessie]

HE LIKES MY AMERICAN SMILE ━━ OP81.

love is a wild ride, and logan sargeant's sister is about to find this out the hard way.

( oscar piastri x sargeant!reader )

━━ part seven.

INSTAGRAM.

liked by logansargeant, oscarpiastri, and 23,873 others

yourusername had to take these pictures myself bc apparently angles are “too hard”

view all 1,972 comments

landonorris maybe you should’ve just asked me 🙄

↳ yourusername as much as i love your results you turn what should be a quick 5 mins into a 20 min photoshoot

↳ landonorris yes and?? i’m not seeing what the downside is 🤨

user HOW MANY LETTERS IN SARGEANT???

user literally who needs boys when girls like y/n exist

↳ user REAL

logansargeant i know about angles

↳ yourusername yes logie and your future girlfriends will thank me for it 🫶

user that dress is stunning and i want it but i know it costs more than a month’s worth of my pay 🥲🥲🥲

user ferrari spotted = y/n for ferrari 2024

↳ user get that girl in a formula car and leT HER DRIVE

oscarpiastri in my defense your heels make you as tall as me 🫤

↳ yourusername methinks it’s just bc you only know how to take one type of picture and it’s the awkward dad kind 🫤

user OSCAR??? HAS OUR HUSBAND RETURNED FROM THE WAR???

↳ user mama y papa

user OP81 IS BACK IN THESE COMMENTS WAR IS OVER

With Oscar by your side, time passes quickly. You don’t bring up that the first night you shared a bed, you’d woken up in the morning with his arm wrapped around your waist and his breath tickling the back of your neck, and you certainly don’t mention that he’d practically whined in his sleep when you’d slipped out of his grasp. It doesn’t happen again, but there’s a part of you hoping that it does.

The days blend together into a haze of happiness, laughter, and exploring the beauty of Monaco. Lando shows you the best spots— a garden just off the Monte Carlo marina, a famous nightclub that takes your breath away, and a small cafe at the edge of the city that overlooks it all.

Things are good, great even, but you can’t help but feel like there’s still some distance between you and Oscar despite his reassurance that everything is fine.

When New Year’s Eve— and subsequently your birthday— arrives, you’re awoken to a flurry of texts. Your parents have both sent sweet messages wishing you the best, Sophia has left a voice message with sounds of traffic in the background telling you she’s planning to get wasted and if you do too then you can just pretend you’re wasted together, and Dalton has made a group chat with you and Logan and has spammed you both with pictures of yourselves from across the years.

Oscar’s already gone, and his side of the bed is cold, so you take your time responding to them all and then shoot off a message of your own to Logan before getting up. It’s your first time not celebrating with your brother, and it feels strange knowing that you won’t get to see him today, but you’re excited nonetheless for the plans Lando and the other drivers in Monaco have organized for New Year’s Eve.

The day passes by lazily. Lando and Oscar both greet you with birthday wishes when you make your way down to the living room and then they present to you a feast for breakfast, which you realize is the reason Oscar was awake so much earlier than you. It’s the best breakfast you’ve ever had, mostly because they make fools of themselves retelling how many times they had to scrap the failed waffles until they got it right. You spend lunch at a place close by, joined by Alex and Lily who have flown in for the New Year, and then the rest of the afternoon you wait around at Lando’s place passing the time watching the boys play games on the TV and helping either of them cheat when asked.

You’re happy.

INSTAGRAM.

liked by yourusername, williamsracing, and 135,865 others

tagged: yourusername

logansargeant people say twins are like built-in best friends, and if that’s the case then i’m glad i got you as mine. i can’t imagine having anyone else stick by my side throughout all the crazy and wild shit we’ve been through in our lives. it feels like just yesterday we were 13 and acting as each other's lifelines in a place we barely knew, and now we’re 23 and somehow doing the same thing. you’re my best friend forever.

view all 2,117 comments

yourusername love you to the moon and back again logie 🫶 (but omg these pictures are so OLD)

↳ logansargeant love you to the stars and beyond 🫶 (yea well when else am i gonna post them?)

user i thought the only reason i’d be crying today is bc i don’t have a nye kiss but here we are aND THE BABY HANDS OMG

user I CAN’T DO THIS 😭😭😭

user sobbing over a birthday post was not on my 2023 bingo but i’ll be sure to add it to 2024 if this is gonna be a yearly thing

↳ user birthdays are a yearly thing so yea 💀

user i can’t stop thinking about the fact that each other was all they had when logan pursued racing in europe and now logan’s made it to f1 and they’re still all they have 😭

↳ user the sargeant twins are genuinely gonna be the death of me one of these days

user Y/N HAS BEEN THERE FOR HIM SINCE THE BEGINNING OMG

williamsracing Happiest of birthdays to Y/N! We look forward to seeing you out on the paddock more in 2024, and can’t wait to see what the new year has in store for you! 💙

INSTAGRAM.

liked by logansargeant, alex_albon, and 41,974 others

tagged: logansargeant

yourusername 23 + 23 = 46. 4 + 6 = 10. 10 - 2 = 8 and that’s what we’ve done for the last 23 years 😎 but real talk, i’m genuinely so honored to get to be your sister, and to share so much with you. when you win i share that joy, and when you lose i share that grief, and even though we’re an ocean away, i’m with you today and always for the rest of our lives. you’re my best friend, and even if i don’t have anything or anyone else, i know i have you and that makes me the luckiest girl in the world ❤️.

view all 934 comments

user ATE ATE ATE

logansargeant went through all the stages of grief as i read that caption

↳ yourusername i do try

↳ logansargeant i know

user HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARGEANT TWINS

user these pictures of logan are SENDING ME

↳ user y/n always feeds the ppl the low qual pics

alex_albon adding these to my folder of embarrassing pictures to blackmail logan with

↳ yourusername happy doing business with you sir 🤝

user SCREAMING CRYING SOBBING

user my mental health is dependent on the friendship between y/n and logan and it is STRUGGLING today lads

user can’t wait to see more of them in 2024!!

Lando finds you as you’re getting ready, putting the final touches on your makeup. He enters when you tell him to, and then leans against the bathroom counter for a moment just staring at you before you quirk an eyebrow at him.

“How are things going between you and Oscar?”

You lower the mascara wand and shrug, “I mean, it’s good.”

“But?” He prompts.

“But I feel like he’s still… being weird?” You slip the wand back into the mascara tube and then tuck it back into your bag. “I don’t know. Maybe we were a bit too realistic with the whole ‘making him jealous’ thing, and now he believes you’ve stuck your claim and he’s distancing himself because he doesn’t want to step on your toes or something.”

Lando snorts, “As if. I made him share a room with you, how does that in any way imply that I’m trying to stake my claim on you?”

You run a hand through your hair because you can’t run it down your face without ruining your freshly done makeup, and heave a sigh. “Then maybe he just isn’t actually interested in me at all, and I was right about him wanting to pretend the kiss never happened.”

He hums, then nods once, twice, a third time, and finally leaves the bathroom without another word.

When you finally follow him down, a number of people have already arrived— Alex and Lily are among them, and you greet them again with smiles and hugs. You’re introduced to Max Fewtrell, one of Lando’s close friends, and then you’re dragged away by Lily to hang out in the corner of the living room as the house begins to fill with current and former drivers alike.

“It’s a sausage fest,” she jokes, and you laugh beside her.

You both make conversation for a while, catching up on her and Alex’s holiday spent in California with her family and then talking about your own in Florida with yours. She asks how Logan’s doing, and you tell her that he’s well, but he’s really motivated and wants the chance to prove himself in the 2024 season already.

“I think the online discourse about whether or not he deserved a seat got to him a bit,” you admit. “But I know he can show them that there’s a reason he was chosen.”

Lily nods. “Me and Alex have faith in him too. It was his rookie year and he was in a Williams of all things. Like you said, there was a reason he was chosen, he just needs the opportunity to show the world that.”

You jump from topic to topic for a little while longer, until you excuse yourself to go find where Lando and Oscar have run off to. The guests have all arrived from the looks of it, and while a number of them all know each other already and have split off into groups to stay entertained, you’re not sure exactly how you’re meant to handle things on your own when it isn’t even your house—

“I mean, it’s fine, yeah? It’s just awkward with her, I guess.” You pause. The door to you and Oscar’s shared room is ajar and Oscar’s voice is just barely audible over the sound of music and chatter filtering up from downstairs.

“Why d’you say that? It’s just Y/N.” Lando’s voice follows.

You press yourself up against the wall, heart pounding in your chest at the sound of your name. You can’t see anything, and that almost makes it worse— imagining what their faces look like as they talk about you.

“Just that it’s weird sleeping next to her, and I feel like I’m always having to walk on glass around her. I’m trying to make things normal again, but I don’t think I can. I don’t know how I’m supposed to keep being friends with her. How can I look her in the face, knowing what happened?”

You can physically feel the dread settle into your stomach. Your heart clenches painfully in your chest and it’s like your blood has turned to ice in your veins. Your face feels warm, but the rest of your body feels cold, and suddenly it’s as though your ribcage has become too small for your lungs.

As quietly as you can, you scurry away from the door, across the distance of the hallway, and then down the stairs. Instead of turning into the living room where everyone else has gathered, their laughter and conversations a jumbled bubble of noise that makes your chest feel even tighter, you leave through the front door just as you feel tears begin to fall.

It’s worrying how frequently this has become an occurrence for you— crying because of Oscar.

━━ tags: @f1-is-lovely-33 @chasing-liberosis @405rry @aquangxl @bellezaycafe @peqch-pie @formulaal @chonkybonky @mess-is-my-aesthetic @flippingmyshit @peachiicherries @spacegirlstuff @myxticmoon @landosgirlxoxo @k-pevensie28 @moonypixel

━━ a/n: ahhhh i'm sorry i cannot let them be happy!! also, wrote this really fast and struggled a bit because i genuinely couldn't decide if it was just too fast paced or not, so i apologize if it seems rushed or if there are any mistakes editing wise that i missed!

[tdrcharmschool4]

Charm School Test #4 - Welcome to my Channel, Please Like and Subscribe! - Critiques

This week, the students' alter-alter egos took to the web with their very own YouTube channels. Let's see how they did!

Kushboo

After Granny went on Grindr a few days ago, she was bombarded with messages. In a rush of excitement she decided to make a video to share with everyone. After all, she does love sharing special occasions with everyone. Moral of the day: Sharing is caring.

Analyse: Hey, Kushboo! I really enjoyed this video and thought it read as one of those "Old People React To _______" videos, so that part of it was spot on. You had a good number of jokes in there that were really quite funny, and I know raunchy, inappropriate humor isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I loved it, so, do with that what you will. I think it's important when you're planning out jokes that you think from the audience's perspective and try to understand how they'll perceive it. One joke in particular that I was waiting for the punchline and it never came was the guy you would let "play with [your] pussy all day," and I think we were all expecting the "my cat's name is Mittens" punchline or some sort of "pussy=cat" wordplay, but it never came, and so all the buildup to that was for nothing. I would also be careful with how much time you spend on a joke -- the "sleeping" and "crying" gags went on *just* a little too long without adding much comedic value. (Things running long also contributed to the fact that your video was a minute a half longer than the maximum allowed time; make sure you're reading and following ALL directions!) I know I had a lot of really small things that I critiqued, but as we go into the final exam, I just want to see you put your best foot forward, because I have so much faith in your talent!

Harper: I think you had the strongest character going into this test, but this video fell a little flat for me. I can tell that you took my notes on the look, and I appreciate that! I will admit that it was a little hard to hear you, and I thought voice was a little deep for a granny at times. I thought you did a nice job with the graphic overlays, but the green screen was messy; it can be really hard to achieve a solid green screen without an HD camera and decent lighting, so I feel your pain. I think the central issue of this video is that the joke gets a little repetitive and the pacing is a little slow (especially when you went way over the 3-5 minute time limit). I think some more creative editing or some sort of buildup in tension would have helped it a lot. Overall, I think this was a funny premise with a lot of potential, but I do think it fell short on the execution. I can tell that you are listening to critiques and applying them, though, and that's a really important quality that doesn't go unnoticed! Good effort this week!

Luna

HEY WHATS UP YOU GUYS, YES! So storytime: I decided to change Latoya a lot from when she was first scene. I took Harpers critiques of more brow coverage and decided that I shouldn't rely on a look or a a visual gag since I couldn't make that funny for 5 minutes straight. These pictures are of Latoya BEFORE her video she filmed, so that is why she does not have lips/ eyeliner, as if this were a "no make up" face. More beauty happens during the video, but she only did what she wanted in 5 mins because she's here for one reason. To make friend$ :) The outfit is very inspired from the 90's as well as Latina and chola (I use this word with love and respect as I love the fashion and culture behind it)  influences. Most items I had, except for the overalls, which were long pant overalls that were broken at the little hooks my sister had and gave to me, cut them and rolled them and stitched them into shorts. Not much construction but definitely a LOOK. Video description: Latoya's video this week is exactly what the title says, not click bait of course. It is a Q&A + new beauty trends video. She cares a lot about making content and she puts thought into every single #hack like it was totally the focus of the video. Subscribe and make sure to go to my PayPal and straight up send me money. Thanks.

Analyse: LA-TOY-A!!! For me, this video hit the nail on the head. Like, it fully decimated the nail. The jokes landed. The timing was right. There was a variety in humor. I loved it! A parody can be super hard to pull off, and I think you went a really good direction with this one. I lived for the references (bitch, you know I love Trisha Paytas), and while the look was simple and the makeup was pretty plain, it still looked cultivated and made sense with the concept. I would've liked to see maybe a before pic AND an after pic, because if somebody was just looking at these pictures, they'd wonder why there was no lip. I don't have much to say, so I'm just going to leave it at that! Good luck going forward, and I can't wait to see your final exam!

Harper:  Awesome work this week! I was really worried that your character would come off one note, but you really did a great job of using her to create a fully-realized parody. There were so many small details in here that I really appreciated, the coupon codes especially. I thought you were really funny, the editing was great, and the look was appropriate. Your acting was good, too. I'm trying to think of something constructive to add, but I got nothing. Keep it up!

Marina

For this week I wanted to parody story time youtubers. I always thought their content was hilariously pathetic and desperate, as is Susan. So why not make a parody of it? In this video, Susan tells her true stories from her days of prostitution. Not clickbait.

Analyse: Marina Susan! In terms of the look, I see a lot that has really stepped up for this challenge. The makeup is definitely looking "draggier," and I would love for you to talk to the deans this final week and really work on refining and defining some of the details, but it is a HUGE step in the right direction. The costume is fun and cute; it doesn't tell me a lot about the character, but I get an idea of who might wear that. The shoes don't really go with with rest of it, so just make sure that when you're doing a head-to-toe look that it's really head-to-toe. The real miss for me in this submission is the video. I get the kind of video you were going for, but overall, it wasn't really all that captivating. I know you had a script, but make sure when you're in the planning process, that you're really coming at it with an editing mind. Ask yourself "is this funny? does this make sense? is there a way I can word this more clearly so the joke lands better?" and other questions like that, and I really think it will help you to refine some of those jokes and make sure that the audience is entertained and that the humor comes across. Good job this week and good luck in the final exam!

Harper:  I like this look MUCH better than what you had for your homework assignment, good work there! I do wish you were wearing a wig, though! I thought your drag makeup also looked really nice, although I'd like to see you in bigger lashes, more nose contour, and with a bit more blending on the crease! As far as the acting goes, I think one of the biggest setbacks for you was the accent. At times it was Jersey, at times it was British... it was very all over the place. I don't expect you guys to be experts with accents, but if you choose to use one you gotta be consistent! I think the lack of eye contact was also a real issue. I know Marcella and I both brought it up in our lessons because it's a really important part of connecting with a viewer! You had some really good lines in there, but they got a little lost in the format. The parody wasn't super obvious to me, and I wish you would have used a few more "youtube-isms" in your submission. Finally, this video did not meet the 3-5 minute requirement! C'mon, henny!

Nikita

Analyse: CHARLENETOTHELEFT. This is one of the videos that had me cackling throughout! All in all, it's a very good submission! My number one complaint is the lighting, and I know there's a joke about finding your lighting right at the beginning, but then you settle back into this poorly lit filming. (On the topic of lighting, make sure when you take your pictures, you don't have a light directly behind you like in these head-to-toe shots). The jokes were FUNNY, and honestly, that's probably one of the hardest things to do in a challenge like this, so kudos on that. I think one of the things you can really work on is making sure that the timing works and that you aren't pausing, because there were a couple of times where you paused a little bit and it seemed like you were trying to remember your next line. The beauty of competing in an online setting like this is that (when permitted) you get to use the magic of video editing. Whenever I'm filming a video, the amount of footage I have is probably 5 times as long as the final product, sometimes more. This gives you ample takes to choose from, and you can edit down some of that awkward pausing time. (It'll also help the fact that your video was about a minute longer than the allowed maximum). I really did enjoy this video, I get the character from the look, and I'm super excited to see what you come up with for the final exam!

Harper:  I was a little worried about your video since we didn't get homework for you, but you pulled out a fully-realized character! I thought your acting was great, and I'm about 82% certain Charlene was in my graduating class. The makeup and look are great, but I can hardly see you! I wish this video was better lit. I appreciated the stream of consciousness, but I think at the end of the day this assignment was about parodying youtube videos, and I just didn't get that from this video. I thought the things you were saying were funny and in character, but there was no real narrative structure or punchline here. It was also about a minute over the 3-5 minute window you were assigned.  I think there is TONS of potential with you and this character, this video just didn't nail it for me.

Ophelia

Chip is your average peppy-happy, easily distracted, and kind of socially awkward kind demon spawn who wanted to take a break from her usual helpful tutorials to do something different for a change: a challenge video where she answers her viewers' questions!

Analyse: Hey there! I see a lot of things in the makeup that show that you're taking some of our critiques into consideration, so thank you for that! In this week's final exam, I would LOVE to see you give us full drag queen fantasy, because this is giving me the same facepaint kind of mug you've been giving, and I know I've already commented on that a couple of times. I like certain separate elements of this look (the skirt is cute, the belt is cool), but all together, I don't really understand it as a look and I'm not sure what it contributes to the character, so make sure you're super aware of those kinds of things when choosing a costume. The video for me was very all over the place, and I know that's the character and was the point of it, but it didn't really add anything to the video in terms of comedy or entertainment value. If I opened an actual video like this, I don't know that I would make it through the whole thing. It's not that the content of the video wasn't entertaining, but I think this flaws here happened in the editing. Make sure in future videos that your post-production elevates the quality of your video and doesn't detract or distract from the content. Good luck going forward, and I look forward to you final exam!

Harper: I can tell that you listened to the notes about deepening the contour and not relying so heavily on the face paint! I do wish, however, that you would have added some lashes and spiffed up the outit a bit. It looks like a sleeveless t-shirt that I'd wear to work out, and I'm not sure if it really fits with your character. I think the jokes in this video wound up being really one note... the punchline is always essentially that you're a happy demon. I would have liked to have seen you play around with editing/the youtube parody format a bit now, but I know you were having computer issues and were running late. I will say that this feels a little low effort compared to some of your classmates (also shorter than the 3-5 minute time limit you were assigned), and I think the energy you spent putting together this look/backstory would have been better spent putting together a super entertaining video. It's good to be ambitious, but sometimes it doesn't always pan out, and this (for me) was one of those weeks.

[justtryingtwolive]

Hello

TW: self harm, ED

I know this is really long but it’s all worth it to understand me. I’m not great at talking about myself but here it goes... My name is Marina, I was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia. This means that I am in a lot of pain most of the time, the issue with fibromyalgia is that there is no cause for the pain it just exists. To understand me and the causes you need to understand my life so...

As a young kid growing up I played outside a lot, spen the summers swimming in lakes and the winters figure skating. When I was 9 I started to train for competitive figure skating. At 10 took a year off to focus on dance and how to be more fluid with my movements. This year was amazing, I met so many new people, learned ballet, jazz, lyrical and tried hip hop. This was also the year I goined Girl Guides I had done Brownies a couple years before but that was my parrents choice. I had always wanted to move up to Guides but it conflicted with skating so I couldn’t. After the year was up I went back to skating. I had done a bit of training in my off year but not too much so I was a little rusty at first. It took me a couple weeks but I got back into it and was better than ever, but everyone else seemed to get skinnier and i got bigger. None of my old dresses fit nicely I needed all new skates, pants and tops. This was so embarrassing I had just taken a year off to get in better shape and I just ended up ballooning (or so I thought). This is when I started cutting back and selectively eating. I wouldn’t eat junk food, or eat after practice. I stopped having oatmeal and cereal for breakfast I instead had a frozen fruit smoothie. Lunch was easy because I just “forgot” my lunch at home, making sure I brought it once in a while to not seem suspicious. Dinner was hard to avoid, we had family dinner almost every night, if I had practice at 7 we ate at 6, I got off at 6 we ate at 7. The rink was walking distance from my house so I was often there on my own and just walked home. (This was in a small village where everyone knew each other). It started getting worse and worse but I started to lose weight and that meant I could jump higher and spin faster because I didn’t have as much gravity pulling me down. I felt like I was floating on air. I spent 15-20 hours a week on the ice and it only increased as I got older.

The worst part about going back was I couldn’t do Guides. When I started middle school I was able to join pathfinders and it set me on my new life journey, although I didn’t know it yet.

As a skater I got injured a lot, mostly just strains and sprains but the occasional break. It got to the point I would just wrap my anke, wrist, knee or whatever body part was hurting that day and ice it.

By the time I was 16 in Grade 10 I was competing at a youth provincal level. I was so excited, I had just qualified for my first national competition I was so excited it’s what I had dreamed of since I was 5. Getting ready for nationals was the hardest grind of my life, training went from 20 to 50 hours a week, I would spend entire days on the ice. I did school work in between ice times when they had to clean the ice. It was hard but I was loving it. My diet consisted of protein bars and coffee. (I blame this for my ice coffee obsession) at this point I was no more than 100 lbs and 5’4. I felt on top of the world.

But a week before nationals my ankles started getting really bad, then it was my knees, then other parts like my wrists and shoulders. I didn’t think anything of it at first I till I woke up one day and could barely walk, still I brushed it off as just muscle strain from working too hard, I would be able to rest in a week. Typically my joints would feel better throughout the day as I warmed them up. By the time I got to nationals I was so hyped, I had never competed on a scale like this, there were cameras, people bought real tickets and I suddenly got overtly nervous. I was walking through the dressing room areas and everyone else had the expensive rolly skate bag with the tailored dresses made custom by a professional and I had a ratty old suitcase we found in the basement and a handmade dress sewn by my mother. As a kid I was embarrassed, everyone else looked so much better than me. But I was just happy to be there and able to compete. The competition took place over a couple days. I was close to the beginning because I was new and didn’t have a real chance at placing. I spent the first couple days grinding on the ice, or practicing in the hotel or in the pool or wherever I was. The day that I was finally going to compete in my short program I was up at 6 in the gym and on the ice by 8. The competition started at 1 and I was in the first group. We all got kicked off the ice about 11:30 so they could clean the ice and get ready. Looking back I don’t think I had eaten anything that day, I was so stressed and the thought of food made me sick. The first group of 10 skaters including me were let into the ice for a final 15 min warm up. This was it, after this I was officially and national level skater. And that’s where everything went wrong. I was practicing a double jump (I can’t remember which one anymore) and when I landed my foot slipped and I heard a crack. At first I didn’t thing anything of it and tried to get up but my right leg wouldn’t move properly. Then my tail bone started hurting and I started crying, I somehow managed to get myself up and over to my coach. I had a choice suck it up and compete or go see a doctor. I went to the comp medic to see what they thought and they rushed me to the hospital. (A lot of this is a blur that has been filled in with stories from my parents and friends) I was in the ER and the doctor told me I had a broken tail bone, not a big deal I’ve done that before, but also I had fractured part of my hip and needed surgery right away. After this I remember very little, only the roof of the surgical suite and waking up unable to move most of my body. I was devistated, of all times why did this have to happen now! I was on my way up I was living my dreams.

I was in the hospital for months. I couldn’t get out of bed because they casted my hip area and leg, it sounds really weird but I can’t explain it any better. This was the worst time in my life even 7 years later I can’t thing of anything worse. I went from being an athletic, skinny, girl always on the go. To lying in bed, eating chips and watching Netflix 24/7. During this time I went from under 100 to about 175 lbs in the span of months. I was so embarrassed and made my dysmorphia even worse. I went back to high school in May 2013. I hated every minute. Everyone looked at me and talked about me. I was the joke of the school. During this time I got really depressed my parents tried to get me to talk to someone but they made me very uncomfortable and I was very closed off eventually they gave up and told me to suck it up. I felt like the world hated me and that no one wanted me here anyway. I started self harming to numb the pain but also feel something. I felt like If I hurt me them maybe I won’t hurt any one else. My parents only recently found out about this recently.

I made it to the summer but nothing fit me, my bathing suits were like strings compared to what I now needed and I didn’t have any money to get new ones. That summer I spent doing a lot of lounging reading books, swimming and exploring nature around my house. Honestly looking back this was one of the best summers ever. I was home alone most of the time because my dad worked and my mum took my siblings to her cottage. This was more freedom than I had ever had I was able to do what I wanted I didn’t have a training schedule for the first time in 6 years. I wanted to go back to skating the next September, but everyone was whispering and looking at me just like in school but this time is was the adults, I don’t think I even made it onto the ice that day. I had just stared a new school, leaving all of my friends (not that I had many) behind and starting over where I knew no one. When registering for classes I picked the typical grade 11 English, math, bio,physics, chemistry. But I was left with some extra electives for the first time. At my new school they offered a dance program, but to get into the grade 11 class I needed grade 9 or 10 so first semester I took grade 9 and seccond I took grade 11. The dance teacher was very understanding about what was going on and allowed me to adapt to what I couldn’t physically so while still recovering. Even now she is my favourite teacher ever! I made it through my other classes and the rest of high school was pretty un eventful, except I started to get hurt again. I could just be walking on flat ground and my ankle would give out or my knee would lock up or my wrist hurt so bad I couldn’t take notes. I went to the ER at the start but each time they said they couldn’t find anything and they thought I was making it up. After a few months I stopped going because they seemed annoyed with me even though I was in crazy body pain. I couldn’t move some mornings, others I was fine, some days I needed crutches but others I could run and dance. It was crazy and everyone thought I was making it up so I started to belive them. I ended up taking an extra semester of high school to finish off some classes that I wanted for university. I also stayed behind because I needed to have jaw surgery. This was due to a craniofacial difference I was born with, a cleft lip and palate. While this surgery is not necessary in all cases, my jaw was small and slightly mis alligned. This was fine I had no issues with this I spent a week in the hospital, watched Netflix and hung out with friends. This stay wasn’t as hard because I could move around, I wasn’t confined to my bed.

In September 2016 I started University at Dalhousie I. Halifax , Nova Scotia. This was amazing because no one knew me there I didn’t have people holding me to old standards. I met some of my best friends (and former roommates) in my residence building. We would have movie parties in my room and study parties in another, it was a blast. I became vegetarian very quickly, partly due to the gross meat options in the meal hall but also because I didn’t like the taste of meat I had cut it out almost completely when I was young and didn’t like it after that. Another reason was the ethical portion of it, why should they die to feed me when I can survive without it.

First year ended and we all moved out and into other apartments, we were still close but not as close as we were. When I moved I started working at a Sobeys grocery store close to the school. It was great I was shy and quiet for the first little bit but I came out of my shell and now they want me back in it lol. During seccond year I was trained as a supervisor so I made sure that all the casheirs were looked after(I often describe it as adult babysitting). One day I was standing arround checking out how the night was and I notice this woman come in and she askes me where to find tape, she is wearing a Girl Guide shirt!! I had been trying to reach out to a unit here for a year!! I told her where to find it and quickly wrote my name number and email on a piece of paper and watched as she was trying to check out. I made sure to find her and open a register for her to go through. I also gave her my number and asked her to contact me and that I had been trying for a while to join a unit she seemed confused until she remembered she was wearing a guide shirt.

I get an email a few days later explaining what their unit was doing and they were exited to have me. So the next Thursday I show up to this meeting and the other leaders and I immediately clicked. One of them had just graduated from my program and most of the others were all young students just like me. That first meeting I ended up skipping a physics exam to go to, but I don’t regret it one bit. At the end of the year we were moving locations, this meant that the craft tote bins had to be removed and stored in someone’s house.

The only people returning was me and one other girl Natasha, she wasn’t there very often but she was super cute and seemed really nice. Since I had moved into a house I offered to store them in my place rather than her apartment. We spoke mostly over email for the first bit. I ended up running in to her at her work place and we finally exchanged numbers and facebooks. We talked a bunch over the summer to figure out what we wanted to do.

During this time I was trying to focus on me, I spent so much of my youth worring about how everyone else perceived me and not as much on how I did. I stoped self harming on my own but like anything else it’s addicting, I started talking to a therapist at the university and she recognized that yes I was depressed. she was also impressed that I was able to have the will power to stop on my own, but really I had just thrown out the jar and didn’t want to dig through the garbage. I started on some anti-depressants and it took a while but we found a good concoction.

When we started meeting to plan we were still kind of awkward, she was super sweet and I wanted to get to know her but I come off as overbearing sometimes and I didn’t want to scare her off. It worked out that we had the same time off classes. Whe had another class and I had work, so after class I would go to her school meet with her for ~3 hours then walk to work. The best part about Halifax is that the university’s are downtown and super close to everything, so even when busses are slow or not running it’s not too far a walk. During this time we became really close we spent a lot of time together planning, organizing and getting to the meeting location. For the first few months we bussed there each week with the craft totes, we then started to bring only what we needed but it was typically 4-6 reusable bags worth. Eventually we were able to leave them at the location, this made it much easier. Only having 2-3 bags worth each week. The next obstacle was cookies, we had 30 cases of cookes and neither of us had a car. Luckily our Commissioner was able to drop us off with the cookies. But we still hauled some to and from my house each week. With each week Natasha and I grew closer, she was the first person I came out to as bisexual. We also got a new leader Jordan, she is super nice and a real adult (not a student) I was worried at first that she would throw off our dynamic but she just made it better. In the winter I ended up buying a car, this was the smartest thing I’ve ever done. It made getting to work and guides easier, I could just keep stuff in my car I didn’t need to haul everything around with me. Unlike most units in our area, we stayed going until the end of June, many units close early due to students going home for the summer.

In May i had moved once again into a bigger house and Natasha was a huge help in that, she helped me set up my room and unpack. During this time I also went mostly vegan, there was some things that had milk or eggs in it but I did buy any more. We were rarely spending a day apart, we became best friends. We often went camping with her parter. The three of us would pack into my car and go, often booking a site on our way there. We stayed at 5 different provincal parks and visited about 10 others. We spent so much time together and it was some of the best times we would often get home and just sit in the car and have life chats or was really nice to be able to talk to someone who actually cared about how I was doing. My life seemed great for a bit, my one roommate stared to get toxic, she ended up kicking out my really good friend. I only stayed because I had nowhere else to go, I ended up getting a cat because she was so lonely and sad at the SPCA. She is abosolutly amazing and I love her to death! I don’t know what is it about petting cats that seems to make the rest of the world invisible. The toxicity got to the point of me wanting to sleep in my car rather than potentially run into her. This caused my anxiety to sky rocket and throw off the balance I had going.

Natasha started to talk to me about this pain she was having but having no idea why it was occurring. This reminded me of when I was younger and I would constantaly have weird pains I thought it was normal because there was no physical symptoms so I thought it happened to everyone. I talked to my doctor about it and he ordered a bunch of tests to try and determine what it was. All my tests came back clean and I seemed in perfect health. The stress of my living situation, as well as school and my grandfather passing away sent me into a spiral. There were days that I wouldn’t come out of my room. I often only left for work or the bathroom, I fell back into the not eating food habits, I stared self harming again. I was so low I went weeks without showering simply because I didn’t have the energy or will power to do so. My toxic roommate told me that my depression wasn’t valid and that my anxiety is fake, I got so mad that I slammed and locked my door, I left out my window and went for a drive. I ended up calling Natasha and she calmed me down, I don’t know where I’d be if she hasn’t picked up that phone call. By mid October I couldn’t stand it any longer. And I knew I need to make a change. At the same time I got my fibromyalgia diagnosis, which is a rule out everything else diagnosis. This also threw me through a loop realizing I don’t have to just internalize this and suck it up, this caused me to end up not going to classes in the fall because I simply couldn’t mentally or physically do it.

Natasha had been talking about moving out of her place and I thought this is my chance. We are already best friends we spend so much time together this will be great. In November we signed a lease and moved in later that month. It was a journey and a half, we tried to move as much as we could using my small car and managed most of it but beds and bigger stuff didn’t fit. We ended up sleeping on our camp matresses for the first little bit until we got our beds. All four of our cats are getting along for the most part. They are the cutest little demons, as I type this the 2 youngest are play fighting over top of me... ok no longer playing.

It has been a crazy couple moths with my diagnosis and trying to get meds to help it. Luckily my pain base line is really low, but it flares up a lot, often at work or when I’m not moving around a lot and it’s even worse on my period, I can’t walk some days it gets so bad. Luckily I have a team of amazing people working with me to get myself back on track. I’m back in school now and it’s going much better, I still haven’t found the perfect drugs but we are getting there. I have my down days but am having more and more up days. And I know that if ever I need something that I can always holler and/or pet cats. I have the best support team in the world and wouldn’t change a thing.

[justforustravel-blog]

THE JOURNEY TO BLUE: SHIELD NOV - #AdvanceBooking, #Antalya, #AntalyaAirport, #Booking, #DalamanAirport, #Finike, #GreekIsland, #Holiday, #Kemer, #Kumluca, #Turkey, #Turkish

New Post has been published on http://justforustravel.com/2017/10/03/the-journey-to-blue-shield-nov/

THE JOURNEY TO BLUE: SHIELD NOV

a different beauty in every corner of Turkey, different spells, different stories and is filled with excitement. that beauty which is a vertex of Antalya which is the pearl of the southern coast’ s County Nov. I’m sure you’ll be safe when you go in love. To give perspective to those who wish to spend your vacation abroad, I want to tell you in detail of the muscle. Nov, located in the western part of Antalya, Sea is clear, crystal clear, epic beaches, sea caves and a famous vacation destination located in the surrounding area of the ancient city. Also Greek island Meis’ e is just 2 km away. Nov, the name takes shape as safe as the geographical similarity. Our meis in Turkish and which is located opposite the ‘eye’ it means.

How do I get to?

from the point of our country very Safe plane, as can be navigated by bus, Private Cars, Motorcycles, and even with the hitch you are able to reach. It is possible to travel by bus safe. instead of spending some of your holiday although it is on the way, you can use the side of your plane of choice. There are two options to go with the airline.The first of these is option via muğla Dalaman Airport, Antalya Airport through the second option. You can choose the option to Antalya Airport. in this way, Antalya’t see you can add to your holiday pilani.Upon arrival to Antalya Airport, domestic terminal in about 40 minutes you can reach the bus station through the city bus numbered 600. Nov at the bus station’ there is a bus every half an hour. Nov the bus on the coast road’ about 5 hours to reach. At this time you can spend looking at the blue of the Mediterranean located on the road to Nov, Kemer, kumluca, finike, you can monitor, such as a county, and here for your next vacation you might consider adding pilani.

where?

the economy of tourism and the shield provided for by Nov many B & B, Hotel and hostel. Hostels are very nice and appropriate, so you can stay in hostels. If you do not want to get out of the hotel or hostel you can choose the option of breakfast and evening meal. If I’m going to stay where he is if you do not want to experience the rush, a very affordable one by doing your research in advance booking facility you can come by.

where is the view?

summer vacation, sea, sand and sun that means start with the beaches. In November, we will be able to let yourself in the warm waters of the Mediterranean has a lot of options. These options at the beginning of the big pebble beach, pebble beach, and Akcagerme Beach is coming. Accessible on foot from here, you can reach with the city bus. Those who have a wandering spirit may choose to walk. Big pebble beach, the centre is approximately one and a half miles, it’s not a very big beach. According to what we’ve learned, in this part of the sea, the sea out to sea from this beach and that is why he gets compared to other spring water cool the clarity of the water, although it is somewhat dazzling. Nov’s tan pebble beach is about 5 min by car, also the port of beach Nov’s warmer and the sea water of NA in this region is fairly close I’d say. You will be amazed by the cleanliness and literally saw the beach and you will be amazed. Akcagerme Beach, and usually a little more distant from the centre family-friendly beach. Akcagerme beach as sun loungers and parasols the price is cheaper. Water, like other beaches, akcagerme’s very clear. Places to visit in Nov don’t get me started. Now, there are caves compared to the movies in order. Many sea around Nov ma D%9farasi available. Here boats can be reached. Yacht tours every day already is. Tour price is quite attractive. The most famous of these caves, and breathtaking blue cave, Cave. The cave also gets the names of both properties. Pigeon next to numerous beautiful pigeons around the cave, seeing a bird comes flying. Blue color impresses people with dazzling blue cave.

Shield

come here and te shield’ a go? Shield, Nov’ about 25 km away from the Greek’Li and Lycian civilization was founded 200 years ago by sailors waist. Patara beach and kaputas Beach, located within the boundaries of the shield, are two of the world famous beaches. Shield’s white painted houses, the wonderful harmony of nature and Yesil will simply give you peace of mind. Shield’leading to the clear waters and the yachts moored in the marina you can enjoy the sun and sea.

the shield of the ancient city

Shield’come, ancient cities of Lycian civilization without being seen did you get? Xantos, istlada, Apollonia,, to the people of the ancient city of Kyaneai for once in your life that they should see one of the ancient cities. There is a legendary story, which will end with each telling.

what to eat?

after a ride so I guess your tummy is hungry. In the safe then what to eat? if you say ” Jan’s seafood and olive oil dishes in the weight of eaten food that has a culture I would say. Close to the harbour as it passed through the garden restaurant named Sultan ilisece your eyes and there you can find the opportunity to try out the local flavors. The restaurant is quiet and peaceful most in your life, I would say that you can eat. Here food, marinated with thyme and olive oil, coral fish, will be one of the most beautiful fish you will ever hold. Shrimp stew is also delicious with olive oil also. If you come safe, then surely the Sultan’s Garden Restaurant’I say give me a break.

Shield’s also it is possible to find the great places you can do Breakfast in the village. In the meantime, I have good news for vegetarians. You’ll love the vegetable dishes here.

nightlife

Nov. continue until the first light of morning on the nightlife. Especially rock in a bar, finds the opportunity of young people singing and dancing like crazy until the morning. One of them, the blue bar at the town center Nov. Always is the right place where teenagers and young can have fun exaggerating when I say the rest of us I guess. Have a holiday in November and you will leave unhappy.

Nov shields’s more than a It’s a quiet place. Seventy Seven Public, a separate happiness and gives you a souvenir. I hope Nov and shield’s throw light on what to expect.

[shelbiemays-blog]

Eurotour (aka best 12 days of my life!!)

*CAUTION: LONG AND SAPPY POST IS AHEAD*

From April 7-18 I went on a bus trip around Europe and we went to France, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. These were honestly the best 12 days of my life. I made some of the best friends in the world, and we all became a family of 48 within 12 short days together. I miss them all so much but I’ll never forget all the amazing times we had together wandering the streets of Europe. 

I’m going to go ahead and list all the people I’ll talk about so I don’t have to explain who they are later on:

Everyone from my district, Jack (USA), Joao (Brazil), Jeff (Brazil), Luca (Mexico), Sergio (Brazil), Beaven (USA), Dhruvi (India), Candela (Argentina), Cami (USA), Emma (USA), Azul (USA), Rafheala (Brazil), Marina (Mexico), Hu (South Korea), Hannah (USA), Joe (Finland)

Day 1: Paris, France

The first day of Eurotour was so lit! I had so much fun! Ao we got on the train at 9, then around 12 we got to Paris. We met everyone then got on the bus. We went to a garden, The Invalids, the Eiffel Tower, and then the other places we saw were from the bus. We stayed in Paris for about 2 hours then we headed to Reims where our hostel was. We got there around 6pm, then we ate dinner at the hostel. Around 9:30 we walked to the cathedral that Reims is known for, and on the way there and back, I talked to Jack about life and how crazy everything around us was, and when we got there, Sarah was waiting for us. It was great being able to see her again. Once we got back to the hostel, we all headed to bed for the next day.

Day 2: Strasbourg, France

This day was great. We left the hostel in Reims at 8, and got to Strasbourg around 12:30. We had an hour and a half for lunch, so we ate at this really good Italian place. Then, my pen pal for the past year and a half, and one of my really good friends, Zelie, came to meet us. I had never met her before, so it was really cool to be able to meet her in France!! After lunch we took a little tour around Strasbourg, but it wasn’t very long. After that we had another break. We looked at the little market that was going on, got ice cream, sat by the river, and then went into the cathedral, which was super cool! There was a clock that had the Earth’s rotation, zodiac signs, time (obviously), and some other stuff on it. It was huge, and super cool to see, and the coolest part about it is that it has never been recreated! I really liked Strasbourg, and when we left, since Strasbourg is on the border of France and Germany in a region called Alsace, we drove in France for about five minutes then we were in Germany! It was crazy because when I was looking out the window, one minute I could read all the signs, then the next thing you know, everything was all in German! We got to the hotel, ate dinner (man was that hard to order seeing as NOBODY spoke English or French!), had a little party thing where I met Cami and her two friends Emma and Azul. After that we all went to bed, nothing too exciting that night!

Day 3: Munich, Germany

I LOVE GERMANY! Everyone was so nice, and it was so different than France! Unfortunately, it was a Sunday so that meant everything was closed. We got to Munich around noon, and we all walked to the town hall, and it was super cool because since it was noon, the glockenspiel was going off. We went on a search for lunch, and we found a burger place, and then after that we went and got ice cream. We headed back to the meeting spot, and in the town square, there was a protest going on for the EU and for France to stay in the EU with Germany. For those of you who aren’t in to French politics, the elections are in just a couple days and if Le Pen (France’s Trump) wins the presidency, she wants to take France out of the EU. Seeing as Britain just left the EU, France and Germany are the only powers left, and if France leaves, Germany will be the only main power left and at that point, the EU would basically fall apart. So it’s a pretty big deal to Germany that France stays in the EU. We stayed and watched that for a bit, then we started our tour. We walked around a little bit, then got on the bus and went to Miami Beach, which was super cool. It was basically this river with a really strong current so people were surfing. Then we went to the BMW museum where we had free time. Me, Izzy, Kayli, Jack, Dhruvi, Beaven, and Luca were in a group and we just looked at all the cars and such, but Jack and I got separated about half way through, so we just walked around by ourselves until we found the rest of the group. After our free time was over, we got back on the bus and headed to our hotel deeper into Germany. We drove for about two hours and then once we got to the hotel, we went to eat dinner. We went back to the hotel, where I attempted to corn row Jack’s hair, and Luca, Sergio, Jeff, and Joao came into our room to talk. We finally went to bed around 11:45.

Day 4-5: Prague, Czech Republic

Our day started at 7 with breakfast, and then we hit the road to Czech. We ate lunch outside of Prague at McDonald’s, and got to the center of Prague around 1:30. We did our walking tour and looked at all the buildings and clocks. We got the Charles Bridge, where we had 30 minutes of free time so we got ice cream (in case you haven’t noticed, our plan was to get ice cream in every country). This ice cream was different than all the other places though, because they don’t serve ice cream in cones in Prague, they serve them in really big churros. We did a little bit more of a tour, then we went back to the hotel. We ate dinner around 6, then we went to a YMCA kind of thing where we bowled and played squash until 11. We had to run back to the hotel in the rain, so we were all exhausted from the bowling, squash, and running, so we all immediately went to bed. Our last day in Prague was so much fun! We started the day with a tour of the castle. It was so cold that morning that it made the tour miserable. We saw the changing of the guard, the cathedral, and the rest of old Prague. At the end we saw the John Lennon wall, and that was by far my favorite thing. We had free time after that (our typical group, Izzy, Kayli, Jack, and I gained a member, Sergio), and we all just walked around and looked around. On the way back, we got lost, and so we were late to the meeting point. After getting lectured a bit, we got on the bus and drove across Czech to the complete opposite side to Brno. We stayed in a really cool hotel and all the rooms looked like apartments. The six guys, Jack, Joao, Sergio, Joe, Jeff, and Luca had the biggest room and so after dinner we all went over there to hang out. We went back to our rooms around 11:30 and talked a little bit more with our new roommate, Rafheala. 

Day 6: Vienna, Austria

Oh my gosh, Vienna was so pretty! There wasn’t a lot to do in Vienna, so we just walked around the stores, but we spent most of our free time in souvenir shops, where Izzy and I found really cute matching (kinda) hats! Our main goal was to find Birkenstocks, but to my usual luck, Jack and Kayli found some, but I didn’t. We got Starbucks, and then towards the end, we got some really good pizza. And it was super cheap, only three euros! Then we got some really good ice cream. Our tour started after that. W didn’t walk around at all, it was all on the bus. We drove to the “min Versailles”, and walk around and took pictures. Then we drove around some. W went to a little amusement park after, but everything was so expensive, so we only rode 2 rides. After we left, and drove about 45 minutes to a really cute little hotel! We ate dinner, ten we went to a common room and played a brain storming game. it was good for bonding, but other than that kinda boring. After Izzy and I jumped on a trampoline for a bit, but then we all went back tot he hotel room and went to sleep. 

Day 7: Travel Day

The drive from Austria to Italy really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We drove for about 10 hours, and when we stopped for lunch, we went to a place with an amazing view of the Alps and a river. It was so pretty. We listened to music, sang, talked, slept, and just chilled. When we finally got to Italy, we stopped in Jesolo, which is the town where most people stay when they’re going to Venice. We headed straight to the beach after we put everything in our rooms (Caroline joined us this time). We put our feet in the water, sang, played music, sand volleyball, and (inside joke) Hu tried to dig a hole back to Korea. Once we were done with the beach, we went back to the hotel, which was right across the street, and ate dinner. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much pasta, and who would’ve known that they serve pasta before every main course?? After dinner, we went on a walk, stopped at an arcade where Hu and Insu killed a fighting game, and then we went back to the beach for about 30 minutes. We went back to the hotel and washed off all the sand, then went to bed.

Day 8: Venice, Italy

The next moring w had breakfast at 7:30. Thenw e got on  abus to take us to the boats for Venice! W got to Venice around 10 and then had 40 minutes for free time. Izzy and I bought masks, and other little things. Our tour was long and we walked around the entire time, because there aren’t any cars in Venice! Just walking, bikes, and gondolas! Although the tour was little boring, seeing everything was worth it! It was all so pretty! We saw a lot of Venice, so overall, it was worth it. After our tour, we had lunch, and 3.5 hours of free time. We ate pizza, got ice cream, and just walked around. Towards the end, the feeling became overwhelming, and we broke so we HAD to take a gondola ride! Sergio and Jack didn’t want to do it, so Izzy, Kayli, Dhruvi, Candela, and I all did it. We had a really great driver, Tommy, who was funny, and he even sang for us! He told us quite a bit, and come to find out, you can only be a gondola driver if you were born and raised in Venice! That was my favorite experience through all of Eurotour, even if it was only 30 minutes long. After the gondola ride, we went back to the meeting spot, and headed back to the boat to go back to Jesolo. When we got back to Jesolo, we met all the other exchange students, because there was another group that was a day behind us and we were all staying at the same hotel. We went to the beach, and did the same thing as the day before. After we went back to the hotel and ate dinner. We were all going to a club, so after dinner we all ran up to the room to get ready. Cami and another girl, Hannah from the other tour, were in our room getting ready with us. Around 10:30 we walked about 20 minutes to the club, and we stayed there until about 1am. It was a lot of fun! We walked home, and we all crashed. 

Day 9: Milan, Italy

We headed for Milan the next morning, and it was like a four hour drive. WE got there and we had 2 hours fro free time. We ate pizza again, and I had planned on meeting my friend Natalie from back home who is on her exchange in Italy, but we ran out of time. We started our three hour tour, which was so boring. We walked around the outside of a fort, wen tot the cathedral, and to the seven pointed star, which is where all the really big name brands are. We had 30 minutes for free time after that and we got the best gelato. We headed back to the bus, and drove for maybe 30 minutes and then arrived to our hotel. We had dinner, then the Rotarian’s offered us time outside, but Jack wanted me to really corn row his hair, so that’s what I did. Kayli, Izzy, and Sergio were in and out, but in the end, Jack’s hair looked so freaking good. Luca saw it and he wanted me to do the same thing to his, so I did. His hair isn’t as long as Jack’s so it was a bit harder. After everyone left our room, we all went to bed. 

Day 10: Chamonix, France

We woke up, had breakfast, and then headed for France. Chamonix was sooo pretty! It’s a little town surrounded by mountains on the border of Switzerland, Italy, and France. We had 2ish hours for lunch, so we looked for raclette, because man that stuff is amazing. Every exchange student in France says it’s their favorite meal. We looked for about 45 minutes, but we finally gave up because it was all so expensive. Izzy and I got sale and sucre crepes, but everyone else (Sergio, Caroline, Kayli, Jack, Cami, Emma, and Azul) got Subway. We headed back to the train station, and a train took up to the top of the mountain. We took some pictures, then took a ski lift car thing (sorry idk what it’s called) down to the mer de glace (a really big ice cave thing. )After that we took a train back down, took a group picture, then we went to our hotel. We had dinner, which included live music, and then we all talked outside for a bit, but Izzy and i fell asleep early. Apparently everyone else went back outside to hang out, but Izzy and I were out. 

Day 11: Geneva, Switzerland

We left for Geneva around 9, and got there around 11. We took a tour of the United Nations Office of Switzerland, and that was super cool! I really enjoyed it. It was also really cool because there was a meeting in New York that day so all the offices were open and we got to see all the meeting rooms. This place was huge, even the ceilings were huge! The tour lasted about an hour, and then we went into the center of Geneva. We had more free time for lunch, but everything was pretty expensive so we ate at McDonald’s. We walked down to the river to see the fountain, and us girls (me, Kayli, and Izzy) got ice cream. Then we headed back to the bus to head to Dijon. The drive was about 3 hours, and so when we got to Dijon, we ate dinner right away. We were having a going away party since it was our last night together. It was honestly pretty boring, all they did was play music, but everyone was so tired. Plus it was all Brazilian music, don’t get me wrong, I love it, but when you don’t understand any of the music the entire night, it gets pretty annoying. We finished around midnight, and all headed to bed. 

Day 12: Paris, France

Alright, so this is where it will get sappy. 

Talk about the saddest day ever. I wasn’t even this sad when I left home. I don’t know if I’ve ever cried this much. We woke up at ^;30, left an hour later, stopped for lunch, Jack, Izzy, Dhruvi, and I talked about the end of the world/WW3/Trump/Nuclear War at lunch, and then once we arrived in Paris, that’s when the tears started. It was so incredibly hard to say goodbye to everyone. This is definitely the worst part of exchange. I miss them all so much, even now, I mean how could I not? They were the main part of the best days of my life. These kids, from all over the world, made this trip. Not the places, but the people and memories. I have friends from all over the world, and if I could visit every one of them, I would in a second. I miss them and love them so much and pray that one day I’ll be able to see some of them again. I’ll see Jack again, he lives in the same town as Izzy, hopefully I’ll see Beaven, and Cami, Emma, and Azul. The Americans aren’t as hard to see later on, but people like Luca and Marina from Mexico, and Sergio, Jeff, Joao, and everyone else from Brazil are where it gets tricky. Before I go too far, I’m going to stop and leave you all with, if you ever get the chance, GO ON EXCHANGE! STUDY ABROAD. It will change your life, and the people you meet will change you. Open yourselves up to the world, to other people, and other cultures. You won’t regret it, I know I never will. 

#besteuropetour2017 #dab