So… I might have traveled to France (alone- eek!) over the Summer in a complete month long dream, taken so pictures that my phone exploded, saw so many beautiful things that my heart burst, and heard so much français that my ears bled, but I wanted them to bleed more?
Yeah.
And it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
The experience was actually SO magical, that I’m having a bit of reluctance writing about it, even though only the fantabulous occurred during my visit… It was literally a dream that I never wanted to end, because of how much fun I had, how much stress I relieved, how much I learned, and how centered I felt afterwards.
If you are wondering how in the world I ever got this opportunity, then I will indeed tell you- my dad one day forwarded me a text from one of his friends, that said, (and I quote)
“…you have a 16-year-old daughter who speaks French, right?”
After a skeptical “…Why…?” from me, my dad forwarded me yet another text that said, (and I quote)
“I know a family over in the South of France whose daughter wants to come to America, and would be happy to host an American girl at their place for a month.”
And I texted my dad back, (and I quote)
“YES YES YES YESYESYEYSYEYSYEYSYEYSYEYSYESSSSSS!”
(okay, I might have eliminated some exclamation points, “asdfghjkl!”s and “gaaaaaahhhhha!”s, but…)
Even though I only had three years of French so far, I wasn’t going to let the fact that I couldn’t flawlessly round off all my “auxs” or perfectly conjugate all my verbs “dans le passé compose” slip and ruin my chances of a month in France!
ALSO, I was going to be in New York to open the JulyBalaya Music Festival just a week before the week they wanted me over, so it was the *perfect* way to show my fellow exchanger (who was an absolute dear) one of the greatest cities in ‘Merica!
In any case, it as the perfect excuse for the trip of a lifetime, and I was so ready for it. I honestly had my bags packed an entire two weeks early.
After an absolutely wonderful time showing my new friend around, we went back to her hometown-
I got to stay with the most wonderful and welcoming family in the entire South of France, in a quaint little town called Valence- known for their sunflowers, wine and apricots- and made a friend for life.
I visited beautiful castles, saw breathtaking landscapes, discovered more than I ever anticipated about the history and culture of one of the most amazing countries ever, spent an entire weekend on the Mediterranean, and another weekend in Paris. I know I am the luckiest girl ever.
Here’s the link to my Pintrest page with the best of my pictures from France 🙂
(I took so many though, that it might take a few months to complete posting all of them. Literally every. single. picture. I took looked good because of how beautiful this place was!)
https://www.pinterest.com/jaydesunburst/la-france-2015/
So, moral of the story? If you EVER get a mysterious text from a family member that says, (and I quote),
“you have a ___ year old ______ who can speak _______, right?”
SAY YES! (with a few “asdfghjkl”s for fun)
Thanks for reading about my adventures, Have a Sunfilled Day, and, as always…
Check Back For More
~ Jayde Sunburst
Jayde kief 
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