A Quick Change of Plans

May has arrived and with it a new sense of urgency. As you all may know, last week the world witnessed Iceland's volcanic eruption and among many other things, Europe's complicating political and economic crisis. But less serious was the student body's response which was both dismal and fruitful. The initial eruption marked the beginning of our week-long spring break here at Utrecht University, which meant that I didn't know one person who hadn't prepared (itinerary, reservations, bags packed) for an extensive vacation. I have not done much traveling outside of the Netherlands thus far, which I think has allowed me to be more adaptive abroad, and for which I am grateful. I was however, very excited to embark on a week-long trip to Italy; Rome, Florence, Siena, Cinque Terra, and Pisa. Nature had it's way though and our flight was steadily postponed, but half way through our break we decided to stop waiting for air travel to permit and apply for a refund.

Thrilling though, was that although many students were 'stranded' here in Utrecht, everyone had a good story. There seemed to be more conversation, empathy, and connection between students last week and that was rewarding enough. It evoked childhood memories of shared feelings of anticipation and temporary diversion from normalcy that occurred during tornado drills in elementary school, and the closeness that happened when we were all huddled under our desks; hands protecting our heads; pieces of old gum inches above our hairlines; making eye contact with neighbors on the same level as ourselves. The 20 year-old, Erasmus version of that intimacy equates to a huge party where the theme was to dress up in the fashion of the country you intended to visit before the volcanic disruption. Being Italian wasn't too hard for me, but I can't say the same for my UW-Madison friend barred from Thailand.

Over pancakes, Perri, Spenser, and myself gathered to discuss our next move. Perri and Spenser are both from Melbourne, Australia (but hadn't met until studying abroad, which is strikingly common) and are good friends with my flatmate, Lara, who is also from Melbourne. Dissecting our options, I was happy to stay in Holland and visit some towns that I haven't had the chance to visit yet. But, alas! We decided to book a cheap bus to Paris, a city I assumed I wouldn't see before leaving Europe.

We left Thursday morning and the bus ride lasted about 8 hours, which was surprisingly manageable. We spent 3 full days in Paris and headed back to Utrecht Monday morning, in response to the new quarter which started Tuesday. Let me just say that Paris is as magical as they say. I'm glad that we spent a short time there because although I would have loved to spend a few weeks in Paris, I don't think I would have been able to see it all even in that amount of time. Everything about Paris, especially the architecture, feels beautiful and has a strange mystic quality. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's dazzling. Over the 3 day period, we visited monumental sites within Paris and Montmartre, and I went to 3 renowned museums: The Louvre, The Orsay, and the Rodin Museum. The sheer amount of majesty within those establishments is overwhelming enough (there were many moments I shamelessly cried) and by the end of the trip, I was thoroughly exhausted.

By the end of the vacation, I had taken nearly 600 photos (haha), but for your benefit, I sized down. You can access the album I posted on Picassa using this link.

Besides being drenched in beauty, the trip to Paris also proved to initiate a new sense of urgency. I have been thinking about my 'old' UW-Madison student-self lately, imagining what the past semester would have been like for me had I stayed in Madison. I guess that comes with the surprising reality that the spring semester is closing and friends and family are graduating in a few weeks. Wow. I am becoming excited about making the best of my last few months here and my situation in Europe doesn't feel so permanent as it once did.

In other news, I received an exciting email on the morning of our last day in Paris. It was addressed from Emily Hall, the associate director of the Writing Fellow program at UW-Madison, inviting me to accept a Writing Fellow position in the fall. I applied in March and seeing as I really wanted the position, I am thrilled! Its going to be a wonderful opportunity and I am so grateful for the support from all of you, including my Supervisor/friend Cydney at the UW-Madison Office of Admissions who encouraged me to apply. In addition to writing a letter of recommendation to accompany my art history professor's letter, she has been supportive throughout the application and interview process. I have been so lucky to have such a perceptive and dedicated mentor, and friend. Aside from being employed as Senior Writer/Editor at the Office of Admissions, and a Ph.D. Candidate in the Composition & Rhetoric department at UW-Madison, she writes a fabulous blog! For you writing object lovers (you know who you are), you'll be inspired at once. We will also be collaborating with other bloggers on a joint project in May, so be sure to stay tuned.