MAAAAAH FACE

This picture is almost 21 years in the making!

Home for the 4th. Inspiration struck, and here we are much as we were long ago. Less blond, still pretty adorable.

whirlwind

home, home, home.

I haven't blogged in ages. Honestly, I've been pretty busy moving from France, hanging out in New York and visiting with my sisters to even be on my computer.

I'm really happy that I'm home and it has been really nice being around my sisters. I feel grounded when I'm at home with them, and it is hilarious to be part of our family (even if we sometimes behave like a bad family sitcom or drama!). I have been away for so long, but I love coming home and being part of my big, wonderful, disorganized family. I like being there to go on walks around the lake, go out to dinner at fabulous Austin restaurants, and just be here. 

Some things that have happened since I left France with 3 sixty pound suitcases, one large bike and a 22 pound carry-on:

• stayed with Lana in New York with her family. We had delicious hand cut french fries (as made by her momma), we out to yummy restaurants, and saw two great movies (UP and Away we go). It was nice seeing her and Edwin (who had to get shaved while we were there - he looks like a loser). We talked about new adventures, me moving to New York, and other life things.
• went to see Austin's Girls Rock Camp showcase. It was amazing seeing 9-14 year old girls rock out with such confidence, talent, and ambition. My little sister was a camp counselor and it was mighty good to see her excited about her band.
• received an email confirmation that my iphone is in the mail! Woot! This means that blogging will be going mobile.
• arranged things for upcoming road trip. Booked a wigwam in Arizona, campsites in national parks, and have been anxiously waiting for the Germans (and French) to arrive!
• started the job search, and updated my resume. Things are ready to go! 
• Planned 4th of July pool party with my family! Our new pool is ready for its inaugural pool party! Veggie burgers, hamburgers, corn on the cob and other exciting delicious items are on the menu!

I'll be posting details about the road trip asap! :-D

Need to pack all of this into 3 suitcases

Packing, Packing, Packing!

This is pretty much the saddest thing ever as I am letting go of a lot of things that I like. I do not like to let things go. EVER. 

I'm pretty much a classic packrat, I enjoy having my things around me and even more, I like little whimisical and hilarious items to be near me at all times. This does not a clean, organized bedroom make.

I really want to bring my bike home to the US, but I have limited arms and legs.
What is a girl to do?

Les admissibles CESEM

Over the last week, I've been putting in long hours at my school for the two week period known as "les admissibles".  This is a huge event at my school and is the moment when potential students that have passed the written examination come to take part in their oral interviews. The day consists of them arriving in the morning, watching two presentations (one BDE and one from the Administration), doing a language interview (in the language of the program their want to go to : English, Spanish, German, Italian, etc) and then a personal motivation interview in French.

The students known as "les admissibles" are nervous and uncomfortable in their new suits, and are full of questions for us as they want to give perfect responses.  As "admisseurs" we are there to share our experience, keep them occupied and show them how awesome CESEM is. This is not difficult.

We start the day with our presentation. A presentation where I tell two personal stories of my experience in Reims, as do other members of my student council. Then we show them a few videos (both of which seem sentimental as we are nearing the end of our year), and we finish with a quick cheerleading routine done by our IBWE cheerleaders (utterly hilarious and awesome).  It is so crazy to see how small they are as they walk by full of ideas and excitement/nervousness.  I see myself in them five years back, so excited to begin Northeastern, and even more excited at the prospect of two years in France!

I'm also running the restaurant reservations, and so I have to make sure how many admissibles are going out to dinner each night, and which admisseurs are going with them.  The school pays for the admisseurs to go out to dinner meaning it has been tight competition to get in for a free meal. This is totally normal with college students ;-). But is is also pretty tiring as it is non-stop conversation, and usually lasts till 11pm (dinner begins at 8:30pm).

At the end of the day, I'm so excited for the little admissibles that I meet. They are beginning their college experience, and (the lucky ones) might even be doing the CESEM program, a program that I am delighted to have taken part in. On a more selfish note, I'm really glad that the whole event is going on, because  it kind of forces us all to hang out every day and soak in the last weeks together.

The reality that the end is coming is starting to hit us all. Yesterday, a friend of mine brought a flag to be signed by everyone. I sometimes feel like my whole self just starts to feel like "error, error, error when I think of CESEM ending.  I'm really going to miss Reims, all my wonderful friends who are going to be scattered all over the world, and speaking and living in French.

19 days until I head off to NYC.

Done.

I finished my undergraduate degree on Tuesday at 18h22. I defended my thesis and was told that I will get a good grade, and that it was interesting.

This is delightful and exciting news. I really did it. 5 years and now done. DONE. DONE. DONE.

Things I've done....

• Finished five years of school. Two of which were spent in France.
• Interviewed more in French than in English as a result of doing a six month internship in Paris, France.
• Received a French and American undergraduate business degree : Magna Cum Laude
• Wrote a 89 page thesis on e-commerce and web 2.0 (in French) 
• Found my interest in the Internets during my first internship (love at first site!) (pun! O_o)
• Planned a trip for 100 international business students in Italy for IBWE
• Wrote a weekly newsletter for my school during this entire year, in French and HTML.
• Biked 750 km to Venice during a week of vacation to IBWE.
• Traveled to cities all over Europe and Africa! (ok just Morocco)
• Made lasting friendships with people who are going to be all over the world doing wonderful things
• Developed the self-confidence and resilience necessary take me to my next adventure 

So there you have it. A small overview of me. College. What has happened. The magnitude of it all is still hitting me. But I can feel the small drums of excitement beating through me. The reverberations signaling the promise of new things to come. I'm scared, excited, and nervous all at the same time, but I'm ready for something fresh. Working world, look out, I'm coming...

Comings and goings

Things have been pretty good over here. Quick list of great (and remarkable) events:

1. Finished my mémoire! Woot! So much work went into the 89 pages of Volume I and the 36 pages of Volume II, I can barely believe it is finished. I have to defend it on Tuesday in front of my advisor and another professor, currently working on that presentation right now.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Had my last classes of CESEM and Undergrad. Can't deny it, feelz good.
3. Went to London. Visited my good friend Misha. Saw dinos in the Natural History museum, and even went to see Star Trek. Ate so much good food - Indian, Portuguese, Greek, etc. I was in vegetarian heaven. Am going to start looking for jobs in London ASAP.
4. Going to Disneyland Paris on Monday - this should be magical and fun, but Sunday we will be sleeping in Paris, drinking shreks galore at Le Kitch and picnicing at Flamingo Pizza OOOooo so excited!
5. Epic Road Trip is in planning mode! Ze Germans arrive chez moi le 1 juillet! Woot!
6. Currently planning orientation events for my school. I'm pretty excited to have a last hurrah with everyone. 
7. Starting to look for a job - feelz weird.

Magna Cum Laude : Northeastern '09

And we're off!

I'm leaving this morning to take on the 750 km all the way to Italy!

Wish me luck!

We've got our padded pants, spandex galore and we are ready to bike, bike, bike!

RELAY 2009
Reims-->Lucerne-->Altdorf-->Lugano-->Bergamo-->Verone-->Venice-->Bibione

Busy

Just a quick word to say, "I'm swamped"! Trying to finish the writing part of my mémoire this week, while also calling up companies and trying to get last minute interviews. Fun, right?

But WHATEVER, because I'm going on a 750 KM bike ride to Venise in 11 days! So I'm going to get this mémoire done so I can roll my way on to IBWE 2009!

I'm aware that I'm breaking my New Year's resolution to write very often, but I can't right now. Every word I have must go into that mémoire!

See you on the flip side!

Mémoire