Tours, Je T'aime.

I just said goodbye to Ashley and Sara.

I said goodbye to Jane, Paisley and Blake two weeks ago.

And so the Fellowship of the Ring, though eternally bound by friendship and love, was ended.

We now go our separate ways, journeying without one another across the globe, but each retaining the wonderful moments of the past semester in their hearts and minds forever.


I guess I should probably explain what i've been doing for the past few weeks shouldn't I? I haven't even had the time to go through my pictures yet, but this being my last evening in Tours, I find it appropriate to write my goodbye letter instead.

For those of you that are curious, I left two weeks ago to spend some time with my much missed family in the Netherlands! I've waited literally my entire life to make my pilgrimage to my grandfather's childhood home in Oijen. And I did it, I saw the place where ten people were a family. I saw the place where it all began, the vast amount of warm and loving people that are making their way across the world and doing fantastic things.

I stayed with my mother's cousin Anja, her husband Freddy, and their stitch loving daughter Carli. Though Carli is nine and doesn't speak english, we quickly bonded over our love of our favorite blue alien! The town of Oss and the countryside surrounding it is absolutely beautiful, what with the endless plains of grass and numerous dykes. I made Anja make me a family tree, too. Now I know important things.

Now one thing I want to make clear to my readers is that the Netherlands are not just Windmills, Tulips, and Wooden Shoes. They make wooden wheels too.

My Grandpa's house in Oijen

The Outhouse

The Kitchen

Anja in the Kitchen!

The Netherlands: More Sheep than People

We got to see Carli at School!

Anja asking the teacher if Carli can skip school.

 I kid, Anja and Freddy and Carli do not live in early 19th century Holland. They live in Oss and Carli does not go to school by candelight. his was at the Open Air museum with a bunch of reconstructed houses from all over the Netherlands reconstructed with original materials! Me and Carli got to feed lams. It's like disney world, I swear. You can talk to real wheel makes and go watch the Blacksmith do his job in his forge.

So cool! Then we went to Floriade, the world's largest horticultural expo which is in the netherlands once every ten years! Tulips for days. I unfortunately don't want to risque putting up too many pictures because I think Pierre will blow up, but Anja and Freddy can attest that I took more than two hundred pictures of flowers that day.

Alright, here is a tulip picture:

 Like I said, I have hundreds of pictures that I haven't even gone through yet, so I guaruntee you this is not my best work, but if we're friends on the ye olde facebook, then stay tuned for some flower power.

The days with the family were absolutley amazing, and I can't wait until they come and visit America so I can show them new and awesome stuff!

So, Anja Freddy, and Carli left me at the Amsterdam train station when I found Keith and his friend from high school, Greg, and then we took off!

Now please keep in mind that with a small budget, it's hard to do a lot. Through Amsterdam we mainly walked a lot. We tried to get into Van Gogh/the Rijksmuseum but the crowds were absolutely insane. Just walking around the city was beautiful though! We were lucky with great weather, and just chilling out along the canals was enough for a great time!

We then had some trouble flying to Venice. We lost Greg for a while, but then we found him at our campground, which is the same one that my soulmate Emily stayed at during her time in Venice coincidentally!

Now Venice for me was... interesting. The architecture and the canals are gorgeous, but the city itself was crowded and devoted to tourism. Not the most fun just walking around and seeing nothing but crowded streets.

So eventually we went to Rome and it was beautiful, too. We saw everything there is to see from the outside. I do want to go back to Italy one day with a larger budget and visit Florence to see the art masterpieces and go to Rome again to visit the Vatican with some more depth.

I know, this blog isn't much fun without pictures, but just wait, they will come.

But after staying away from France for two weeks toting around a heavy duffel and sleeping in a different bed almost every night, it was nice coming back to Tours, ready to go home.  

When I left Tours two weeks ago for the Netherlands, it didn't seem like goodbye, but returning on Tuesday morning made me realized how much the city had meant to me. Tours might not only be the center of the Loire valley, but it has also become our home away from our home away from home. 


I wish I could've gotten a photo of the corner that Paisley, Keith, and I met up at every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday morning and everytime we took an adventure. I have no photo of Crepe man, who sells delicious desserts for cheap. I have no photos of Rue Nationale before the construction of the tram began. I have hardly any photos of the Institut Touraine, where we took our classes. I hardly have any photos of my host family, or the magnificent Loire river.


Pas de Soucis, though. Ashley probably has a lot and I have a few hours before I leave to get what I need.

I guess it's hard with a blog to relay everything that has ever happened to me here. Though the internet is ever connecting people across oceans, those of you that I haven't seen can't possibly know all of the amazing experiences I've had here. Thinking back, i've left so much out of these blogs. I bet most of you don't even know who Alain Maydat is, or even Olivier Dufresne.

I've learned so much this semester and met so many people.

I can never forget La Famille Du Puy (Isabelle, Albain, Francois-Xavier, Olivier), Isa's family with Yufu, Mathilde, and Elise, or Marie-Jose, Alain Maydat, Olivier Dufresne, Jean-Noel Billard, Patrique le Sommelier and Christine le Chef, Kevin, Joy, Hyein, Hilary, Kato Potato, Erin, Mary, Sierra,  USCHI, Clara, Andreas, Frances, Meghan, Blane, Fernando, Allison, Mauricio, Leonor, Isabella, Dr. Emhemed (I'm so sorry if I butchered the spelling on that), Sachio, Woojin, Irene, Claudia, Myong Joo, Geraldine and Betty, The Old Couple from Chicago, Thomas and Jennifer, Brice, Daniel, Matthieu, Alexia, Pauline, The entire Universite Francois Rabelais Model UN, Meryl, Les Augustins, Madame DeTarley, Bruno and Janine, The Bartender at La Cabane, The Cha Cha Pasta Lady, The Angry Security Guard at Monoprix, Balla, Ndaye the driver, John Beam, Sara Simon, Jane Morrison, Blake Candler, Carol Kruger, and Cosette.

Now, as I look around me trying to figure out the easiest way to shift weight at the airport, I find the friendship shell that Paisley found on the beaches of Saint Malo and an empty bottle of Vanilla Coke. There is so much I want to take back but I physically can't. All I can do is retain the memories of the senses, like eating lunch on the Loire with goat cheese, vanilla coke, and fresh local strawberries.

I really do love you, Tours. Consider this my declaration. Sure I've been saying how much i've missed mozzarella sticks all semester (which by the way I found in Rome), but I really do love the way you glitter at night, what with the city lights and stars at the same time. I love the way you hustle and bustle but still find a calming balance. I really love your wine and cheese. I really love your bread, butter, and all around cuisine. Your apple pie needs work. I love your rivers. I love your gardens. I love your destroyed buildings. I love your fountains. I love your playgrounds. Sure you can be incredibly moody, with your rain one day, 70 degrees the next day, then bitter freezing cold in the next one, but all in all you know when to make us smile.

Tomorrow I will walk down your streets for the last time and say my Ta-Ta's. I don't believe in goodbyes. I will say goodbye to the construction, though. The next time I see you Tours, I guess you'll be on the map, what with your shiny new tram. I just hope that when I come back, you will have come to your senses and reopened Cha Cha Pasta and preserved your charm.

Thanks for the circularity by the way, Tours. You know how much I like it. You know very well of how on the first day here, the Hobbits tried to break into the church by Ashley's house. It wasn't until today that we were able to look inside. The first and the last of many.

I really had no idea what to expect in December 2011. I just watched a lot of movies set in Paris to prepare myself. I just knew that what Me, Keith, Ashley, and Paisley were getting into was something completley new, and we had to be open to everything. And you know what Tours, we were. The only thing that any of us said no to really was Paisley saying no to meat.

Thanks Tours for a great semester. I'll see you again soon.

Also, readers. This isn't the end. Hold out for photos. There is still summer. 

The ships have come to carry us home. And now we sail across the sea, into the horizon, ready for another adventure.

Tot Ziens! Au revoir! Ciao!
Traveling Quincy

P.S: Oh yeah, did I mention I got hit by a taxi? It wasn't serious or anything, not even a bruise. But I lost the bet. Ashley was not the first to get hit.

The Penultimate: Senegal

It has been about a month now since we left for Senegal.
For those of you that are Americans and are stereotypically bad at geography, Senegal is a small country just south of Mauritania, which is just south of of Morocco, on the western coast of Africa. It looks like a face if you squint hard enough because the small country of Gambia lies within its borders!

Now, let me just say that our tenish days in Senegal were some of the most amazing I've ever experienced.
Starting at the beginning is too overdone, so i'll start at the end this time.

At the Leopold Sedar Senghor Airport in Dakar, I affirmed that if I were a super hero, my power would be my ability to fall asleep anywhere. At midnight, after a long day of traveling and goodbyes, I fell asleep at a table in an airport bar, sitting straight up holding my back pack. Our departure gate was locked, so all we could do was wait. I guess it wouldn't have been so bad if our plane hadn't been delayed by several hours due to a broken plane in Guinea. We would be leaving at around 3am or so, so I guess it was important to get some shut eye.

Before that, we said goodbye to Balla and our driver. Bittersweet, but after ten days, he felt like family. We ate all of our meals together, and we even bought him a T-shirt. Wherever he is now, I hope he is dealing with his two problems succinctly and peacefully, but more on that later.

Have I ever mentioned that Jane Morrison is the coolest girl I know? Because this girl would do anything to keep her friends from embarrassing themselves. She would even stop someone being dared to eat the hottest pepper they've ever tasted, one that would paralyze your tastebuds for hours on end. Oh wait, did I really type that? Because that is the opposite of true. I guess taking her dare was my own fault, but now I am as scared of red peppers just as I am of french taxis, but more on that later.

After the Pepper- Photo Courtesy of Ashley Parker

 Yes. I am crying.

Our day at the West African resource center let us get to know more about the problems that Senegal as a country faces. . If you'd rather not hear about political issues, I suggest you skip this paragraph and continue right after you see a picture of a really cool river. As it turns out, there was a really big election this past year, the results of which confirmed that Senegal is still one of the most peaceful african country with a perfect record of succeful transitions of power. But this time, it wasn't so peaceful. Last year, former president Abdoulaye Wade announced that we would run for an unheard of third term. Now, the Senegalese people didn't like that very much. So this group of Senegalese rappers formed an activist group called the Y'en A Marre (We've had enough) to encourage the youth of senegal to vote in the upcoming election to ensure that the peace in Senegal would continue. The promise of this group was that all demonstrations would be peaceful in an attempt to rally support. Over the course of the year, the group gained strength and suffered many backlashes from the office of Abdoulaye Wade, including bribes to end the group or convince the people that Wade was the right choice to make. They refused. They continued to rally, and eventually, the leaders of the group were arrested. This only confirmed everything they had been advocating for and many discovered the truth behind the mask. Abdoulaye Wade lost by a significant enough margin this year to abandon his attempt at an increased term, and now Senegal lives on.  Do you want to know what the coolest part about it all was? We were told this story by one of the creators of the group that was imprisoned. He taught us this mini contemporary political history, and it made all the difference. Now, the words Y'en a Marre are being spread all over West Africa, following the example that this group has laid.

Paisley, Blake, Ashley, and Sara in a Kayak

Ok, you can read again.


It was miserable, I should've known to put sunscreen on during our time on the river. I walked through the streets of the Shellfish village, a place where Muslims and Christians live happily together and are really proud of it. I was wearing a piece of fabric so it wouldn't touch my shoulders. It hurt so bad that I hardly payed attention to the tour guide as we walked around.

It wasn't exactly Club Med, but it was a really nice hotel in Toubacouta, the farthest south i've ever traveled to. It was right in the Kine Saloum, one of Senegal's largest river. Yeah, we went kayaking and possibly saw a few more crocodiles, but what else is new?

We had our official spring frolics here this year, and while there was commotion in Davidson, NC, there was commotion on the other side of the world, too. The night of Frolics, we went to a local spectacle where we got to watch some local dancing (our very own Dance Ensemble) and some of Senegal's famous performers perform for the town of Toubacouta. (We unknowingly sat in the VIP seating section, so we got to see the backs of some local celebrities throughout the night.) We were promised a drum performance from Blake's friend Ibou, but before it could start, a stampede of sorts nearly trampled us as we sat in our seats. We were freaked out as about fifty children ran into the stands. Sara was crushed against a pole, and the rest of us struggled to find each other in the crowd. I didn't hear anything. I saw the children running for us, and my survival instincts told me to run with the crowd as long as I could until I found an exit point. I looked into the darkness and started running, but Paisley wouldn't let me do that. She grabbed my hand and held it tight so that we were able to fight the current and find the others.

Ashley's account of the story tells us that Dr. Kruger saw Sara being slammed against a pole and started screaming, "Not the Blonde! Not the Blonde!". In a later interview with Kruges, she said that, in response to my question about what was going through her head in those moments, she started writing a mental letter that started with something like, "Dear Mrs. Simon..."


(Sara's last name is Simon.)


When we were all together, holding each other close, standing as an immovable rock as the crowd continued to push against us, Blake's friend Ibou appeared and informed us that there was nothing to worry about, and that sort of thing happens all the time. Keith thought they were running from the police. I thought they were running from a rhino, or a hippo, or a rabid goat. Turns out, that's how they announce that the time allotted for renting the performance space was up.

On Frolics we also swam in the river, and used our Davidson cat cups to hydrate ourselves...with water.

This situation also went down:

Jane: Hey cool!  Free Pirogue Ride for three!

Jane: Now who should I take?

Jane: Keith... 

Jane: And...

Jane: Balla.

Balla: Cool.

I'm on a Pirogue and...

It's going fast and...

That's a real dead fish in that guy's hand...

I never thought that I'd be on a pirooooooogue!

 Yeah, we were channeling some sick Lonley Island beats all day long.

There were several songs that applied to our trip. If I were to make a playlist describing the things we felt in these ten days, it might go something like this:

1. Don't Rock the Boat- Hues Corporation
2. Hakuna Matata- The Lion King
3. Not Afraid- Eminem
4. Love the Way You Lie- Eminem ft. Rihanna
5. Africa- Toto
6. The Riddle- Five for Fighting
7. I'm On a Boat- Lonley Island
8. Up is Down (Instrumental)- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
9. To Die For (Instrumental)- The Lion King
10. Wow- Viviane N'Dour (Senegalese artist that performed at the spectacle in Toubacouta)

I think it has alot of variety. Fun fact: They love Eminem in Senegal!

Another fun fact: Jane and I learned the entire song of Love the Way You Lie during one of our extremely long van rides.

For those of you that are interested, here is some senegalese music. This is probably the most memorable song from our night at the Spectacle. Viviane NDour was there singing this song with the CD. Blake even got to dance with her! It might not seem like much, but this song holds a special place in the hearts of our team. The majority of the song is in the most widley spoken dialect in Senegal that isn't french, Wolouf!

We went to the Mosque in Touba. It was really hot, but really interesting. The level of devotion shown in the biggest Mosque in Senegal was amazing, and even though it was illegal, we managed to get some pictures of boys and girls together. We didnt know that this was illegal though when we took them.

We saw a naturally pink lake, and visited a village where the chief had three wives, and went to the western most point in Africa, and went to a slave trade island where 60 million people either passed through there or died there (our guide changed the story a few times). We visited the english club at the University in Dakar, and I was commissioned to write a play just because I specialize in theatre. I'm thinking of the plot now, and have to get it done soon.

Does it seem like im rushing through the first dew days? Does it seems like im leaving out crucial details? I am. I'm sorry, but if I see you at any point in the future and demand specific details, I promise I will give you all that you want to know, no matter how long it takes. I can tell you about the food, the mosquitoes, the people, the shops, the money, and the goats. I can even tell you that when I man says how many problems he has in senegal, that number usually corresponds to the amount of wives he has. Balla only has one wife, but he said if he had more money he'd get another one, to remedy against his crazy wife. His other problem is his mother.

I think I forgot to mention by going in reverse order, that we were in a van for the majority of the trip. I just wish that we could've gotten out and done some non touristy stuff. Everywhere we went, people tried to sell us stuff. Being students, we were kind of poor. We told them we had no money, but they didn't believe us. Balla told us later that one of them confided in him, "They are lying. They are Americans, of course they have money. You just have to keep trying." It was awful trying to even talk to any of the locals, because you usually couldn't get more than five words of a normal conversation out of them when we were in touristy areas. It absolutely sucks that people think so poorly of us, especially in cultures where the most prized aspect of their culture is their hospitality.

The trip to Senegal was the trip of a life time. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to see another part of the world. To understand how such a mixed culture has evolved over time is simply fascinating, and to actually see the people there was sobering, but heart warming at the same time. And people say that studying French is useless.

Until next time,
HAKUNA MATATA!
Traveling Quincy

(I guess putting this at the end is kind of useless isn't it?)