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How A Protestant American Experienced A French First Communion

/ MeganSuddarth / Leave a comment

I have something wonderful to share.

On Sunday, my kiddo invited me to his First Communion. I’d never been to a First Communion seeing as how I’m Protestant, not Catholic – and it was simply beautiful.

Set at Madeleine in the center of Paris and done completely in French (obviously), it was so great getting to watch my eager little kiddo make his way down the aisle and stand up in front of the congregation. He was so adorable and happy and I felt so blessed to have been thought of in such a big event in his life.

I really don’t say this enough but I truly have the best family in Paris. They are so kind and generous and thoughtful and just make me feel welcome and loved.

Anyway, after the service, we all drove over to Le Royal Monceau – a famous five star hotel/restaurant – and had a four hour lunch. Complete with endless wine, personalized place cards and a private menu created by my little kiddo, it’s safe to say that this was the fanciest meal I’ve ever had and probably ever will have again. 

    

  

  

The entire extended family made a point to come talk with me in both English and French and the entire experience was just magnificent and heartwarming.

So, I’d just like to say again that I love my family here in Paris and am so thankful to have spent the past year of my life with them. They are so wonderful and I’m very much dreading telling them goodbye.

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Mom & Dad Take France, Pt. 1: Paris

/ MeganSuddarth / Leave a comment

I FINALLY SAW THEM! Eight long months after leaving my loving parents, we were reunited in Paris! I gotta say, that long wait at the front of the greeting line at the airport was quite tense for me.. Waiting, watching for those two faces while grasping a fresh baguette and doting a black beret and striped tee, I was ecstatic and all over the place to say the least. I’d waited so long for them to finally arrive and these last few moments at the airport were tough. I can’t even imagine what all the Frenchies around me were thinking.. “AMERICAN,” “Idiot,” “Who’s this weirdo making fun of us?” “I feel bad for whoever she’s waiting for,” but I didn’t care! I looked like a stereotypical American idiot but I was overjoyed that Mom and Dad were about to arrive in the first country outside of the U.S. that they’d ever been in and I wanted them to have the best greeting ever.    Therefore, the costume was very much needed. Trust me. So anyway, I’m waiting at the front of the greeting line for them and then all of a sudden the military guys come over and start yelling at everyone to get back and they shove all of us away from the gate. “BUT NO BECAUSE MY MOM AND DAD ARE HERE AND I DON’T CARE WHAT’S HAPPENING, JUST LET ME SEE THEM.” Then, I realize why we’re all being pushed back and it’s because a large black bag has been left in the middle of the area where I’d been standing and the police are treating it as a bomb. “Oh.. Okay.. Well. Maybe this was a good reason to shove me away from the big black possible bomb bag.. BUT STILL.” A few minutes later, everything is okay and turns out it’s just a regular suitcase someone dropped and we’re all allowed back at the greeting gate. I rush over to the front again grasping my now not-so-fresh baguette and wait. And wait. And wait. And then I receive a text from my Dad stating, “We’re taking turns going to the bathroom, be out in a few minutes.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME, GUYS!? I’ve been waiting 8 months for this and you’re wasting time in the bathroom!? COOOOME ON. So, I wait. More. Then.. THEY’RE HERE. I duck under the bar and run to them in front of everyone at the airport and grab them both in a baguette-filled hug. I’m sure all the Frenchies now understood that this was a big deal and they all got a good heartfelt reunion showing. Despite what everyone probably thinks, surprisingly no tears were shed. We were all too excited about the moment to cry. So, we shuffle ourselves over to the side and what do we do? We take a selfie. Yeah, first thing we do. Take a selfie.   After the selfie, I proceed to lead them through the airport to the metro where they take their first metro ride in Paris. It was full of horrible stares at me, English speaking tourists and plain just full. My parents got their first taste of Parisian life on that metro ride – so many stares at them. My Mom didn’t like it one bit. But they learned to get over it and ignore all the looks throughout their time here just like all the other Parisians do. During their time in Paris, we went to all of my favorite places, met most of my friends, ate crêpes, drank wine and champagne, met my host family, had picnics, explored all of Versailles and climbed to the summit of the Eiffel Tower.               

Speaking of climbing the Eiffel Tower.. I’d never been to the tippy top. I was saving this bucket list moment to experience with my parents. And boy, am I glad I did. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m terrified of both heights and elevators. Sooooo, going to the top of the Eiffel isn’t exactly an easy feat. BUT! I’m not the type of person to let fears control my life and I have no problem with conquering my fears. I never hesitate to try new things and escape fear. So, I climbed the Eiffel. It was terrifying sure, but I had my Mom there to comfort me when I started to have a (teeny tiiiiiiiny) panic attack at being 300 metres high. Even so, I walked to the edge and stared over the bars onto my beautiful home of Paris. I walked along the entire perimeter of the edge and am so proud of myself. I finally conquered the Eiffel! Thanks to my parents.        During their time here, my parents both embraced French life. If you know me, you know I love wine. Like, loooove love wine. I want to work in the wine industry. I love wine. Anyway, if you know my parents, you know they don’t drink. Like anything. Ever. I think I’ve seen my Mom take a sip of wine twice in my life and those two sips are the extent to which I’ve ever seen her consume alcohol. And I’ve never seen my Dad drink before in my life. So, when I saw them embracing French life in the form of wine and champagne, I was overjoyed. Mainly just with the fact that they were trying to see what it’s like to live like me and that they were open to so many more things.   They both enjoyed the wine and champagne that France had to offer them in addition to so many more things. They tried foie gras (without knowing what it was), they tried all kinds of French cheeses and they let me show them around Paris as a true Parisian. They were truly open to broadening their horizons and I couldn’t be more overjoyed with them. To sum it up, I had the most wonderful time with my Mom and Dad while they were here in Paris with me for two weeks. Saying goodbye yesterday at the airport was harder than I thought it’d be but it will only be two and a half more short months before I see their shining faces again.   I am one happy American girl in Paris.

Side note: I crossed two things off of my Paris Bucket List. 

 

Nobody said it’d be easy.

/ MeganSuddarth / 1 Comment

Well. I’m finally ready to admit it (although those close to me already hear this constantly). I miss home. Like reeeally bad. I knew it’d be a struggle to move an ocean away from everyone I love but I never imagined it’d be this hard. Don’t get me wrong, I love Paris and don’t wish to change a thing – I just need to get a few things off my chest.

I think I’m going through the first wave of homesickness that I knew would come. And I’ve been going through it for quite a bit now. I constantly find myself thinking of home, questioning my reasoning for being here and missing my family.. Like A LOT.

I miss everyone so much.

Let’s start small. And by that I literally mean “small.” Right before I boarded my flight to France, my cousin Kourtni had her first baby. A precious little girl. I’m watching her grow her first year through Facebook and social media and that crushes me. Because anyone who knows me knows that I ADORE the three babies in my life. Like I’d give my life for them I love them so much. So you can understand why it kills me to be so far away for this little one’s first year of life. Especially considering that I was sick when we visited her in the hospital and I didn’t get to hold her but once before I left. And then there are my two babies. Not literally mine, I didn’t birth them, but I’d claim them as my own. Abagail and Aliveia have been the highlights of my life since Abagail was born 6.5 years ago. I try to FaceTime them as often as possible but it’s just not the same as real cuddles and kisses. It does help though that my Momma told me Aliveia (2) has been asking about me: “Where’s Megan?” “Megan come?” “Call Megan.” So obviously they do and it makes my day to see those little faces on my iPhone screen.IMG_4910

I also miss my best friends whom I talk to (almost) daily. I miss them so dang much. I miss having someone to regularly go on El Mags dates with. I miss having someone to tell me it’s okay to eat that ten pound second round plate of HuHot that I just brought back to the table. I miss having someone to sneak into movies with. I miss margaritas every Thursday. I miss all the little things. And texting just doesn’t do all of their awesomeness justice. Even though most of them tend to blow my phone up daily – it’s just not even nearly enough. And it pains me to say this but I can feel some slipping away from me and becoming distant and that honestly breaks my heart. It’s so hard to lose a relationship when you’re so far away. It’s heartbreaking, honestly.

But most of all I miss my parents and baby brother. Man, I honestly never thought I’d miss fighting with someone so annoying so much. But I miss all the little spats with my kid bro. And I miss our frequent sibling movie dates. And I miss having someone to rescue me when I need help in the middle of the night. That kid may drive me crazy but I love him to the ends of the earth and can’t wait to punch him again. And my Daddy. Our song came on my iTunes yesterday and usually it’s too sad and deep (I know, I know) for me to listen to so I skip it so I can stay peppy and happy. IMG_4663But yesterday I listened to the whole thing and just cried. That man is my superhero and I miss him so much. He must miss me too because he FINALLY got with it and bought himself a smartphone so that he could actually communicate with me while I’m here. Now we text and Skype regularly and it still makes me chuckle to see his big smiling face excitedly say, “Hey Sweetie!” literally every time that he answers. Warms my heart. And anyone who knows me knows that my Momma and I are inseparable. Like really. She is my rock and what gets me through every tough situation. I miss her more than words can describe and what breaks my heart the most about this is that I broke her heart by leaving. I know everyone will roll their eyes and be like, “It’s just one year, chill.” But this one year of separation between my Mom and I is like an eternity to anyone else. I hate the fact that I don’t get to go on Walmart trips with her. I hate the fact that I can’t surprise her at the front door with a visit. I hate that I don’t get to interrupt her work day with a visit. Honestly it’s all of the little things.

I know my parents will be crazy upset after reading this post but I just had to  finally get it all off my chest. And now that I have, I feel loads better. And I do have to say that this experience has taught me that I can never live halfway across the world from everyone ever again. I don’t plan to live in Missouri again, but I do plan to live my life in the US.

Although I miss home tremendously, I love this dazzling life that I’m living in Paris. It’s beautiful and filled with awe and it’s truly an adventure I never thought I’d actually get to go on when I started dreaming about it in 6th grade. I’m cherishing every moment and living out a dream. I’ve made new lifelong friends, explored weird places and eaten such fattening food. OH! And drank lots of wine. It’s safe to say that I love my life. You just gotta let some things off your chest sometimes. And now that I have..IMG_4887

OH LOOK. The mom just brought me home a baguette. I’ve been hoping for one for two days this week now. And now that I finally have one, all is right with the world. And you bet your booty that I’m about to eat the entire thing. With butter. Go ahead, judge.

A Day of Adventures

/ MeganSuddarth / Leave a comment

So, today was all about stepping outside of my comfort zone.. Although, I don’t really have a comfort zone, I kind of just love to explore. I mean look at what I’m doing now – a few months ago I decided I wanted to somehow come back to France and now I’m here living in Paris for goodness sake. Yeah, I kind of just do anything and everything. But that’s not the point!

The point is that today I did new things and explored. I mean, I’ve been in Paris for like four days now, it’s about time that I get out and do things. So I basically did it all. Let’s start at the beginning..

Today was my first day walking A to school by myself. Only been here a few days and I didn’t even get lost. It probably does help though that I had an 8 year old there to help me if I took a wrong turn – EVEN THOUGH I DIDN’T. We didn’t even get lost once. Boom. And then I had to walk ALL THE WAY BACK ON MY OWN. And guess what.. I still didn’t get lost! Go me. So yeah, anyway, I walked A to and from school all alone and it was great. I waited there for him at the school after he went in and I watched him play in front.. Until he saw me creeping and came over to the fence and said, “Megan, it’s good. You can go now.” I basically felt like a rejected parent. If I knew what a rejected parent felt like. But I don’t.

After all the school shenanigans, I made crêpes! But not just any crêpes. No, no. I made chocolate breakfast crêpes that were basically better than I ever could have imagined them to be in the mere three hours I’d had to look forward to them. Even the kiddos said they were delicious! Okay.. Maybe they just said, “Mmm, these are very good,” but I’m paraphrasing and in my mind I heard, “Delicious!” And that’s that.Crêpes

Next, the kiddos wanted to go to the cinema so we did. On the Champs Elysées. Like yeah. The freaking Champs Elysées is where we saw a movie. Planes 2. It was pretty good.. I think. The best part was the fact that both S and A cuddled me during it and it just really made me feel like this next year will be wonderful.

AND THEN MACAROONS. OH MY GOODNESS THE MACAROONS. We went to Ladurée and got macaroons. I hadn’t had one in over a year. MMMMMMACAROONS.Macaroons

Then tonight, I decided to skip out on dinner with the family because I wanted to explore. Found out that there are multiple Dior, Chanel, Michael Kors, Gucci and Tom Ford stores within a ten minute radius of my apartment. Excuse me but where is it that I’m living?! ..Oh wait, that’s right. PARIS. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it but that’s fine by me. My exploring led me to places I hadn’t been before (isn’t that the point?) and all the while, my Mom is on the phone with me sharing in the experience, apparently freaking out over my lack of concern about where I am and where I’m going. All I knew on this hunt was that I wanted quiche, orangina and wine. Took me an hour of walking because most shops were already closed but I found all three! And even got some free chocolate truffles from a nice store owner when I went in to buy some wine. He was quite nice if I do say so myself.Food

All in all, quite a lovely day in Paris.

 

Leaving Home Behind

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IMG_1502Well, this is it. It’s my last night in this wonderful country that I’ve come to love with all of my heart. Tomorrow morning I’ll be leaving my home behind and a piece of my heart. This has been the most wonderful summer of my life and I hate to see it come to an end but all good things must come to an end. So, as I sit here with tears in my eyes, I recall all the amazing memories that I’ve made throughout this time.IMG_1494

This city has become my home and even though I know I’ll return one day soon, I hate to say goodbye. Everywhere I look, memories surround me. Starting with this wonderful family that took me in as their own for the summer, I can’t say how grateful I am to them. I look at the girls as my own sisters now and know that we’ll always be family. I love this house and how beautiful it is when I look outside. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend this time and don’t want to think about leaving it.

The relationships that I’ve established here are for a lifetime. I’ve found some of my best friends in the entire world and now that I have them, I can’t imagine life without them. God truly blessed this trip for me and I am so thankful to Him.IMG_1426

Austin, Austin, Austin. Austin is such an amazing guy and I love how close we became. We fought and bickered constantly but the kid is great for dealing with 19 females for the entirety of the summer without another male to help soothe the pain. You have to give him props. That’s pretty spectacular. He didn’t even kill any of us, which is a plus. Seriously though, my summer wouldn’t have been the same without him here to spend time with and eat lunch with and have hold my things for me while I was shopping and listen to me ramble about Johnny Depp and take care of me when I was down. I love that kid and know that he’ll go incredibly far in life. He’s going to be the world’s most renowned anesthesiologist, I know it.1010055_10152045606817564_101705474_n

And now for mon petit oiseau. Man, oh man, do I love my little Aubs. She is one of my favorite people in the entire world. Who knows what would have happened to me if she hadn’t been on this trip to keep me calm when I needed to vent or to take care of me. Literally. I can recall a night when I wouldn’t have lived through it if she hadn’t been there to get me through it. Honestly, I’m being for real people. I already miss our movie nights with horrible wifi that stopped us from always completely watching a movie and our dinner nights where I would cook for her and our multiple conversations about beautiful Frenchmen. Well.. MY conversations about beautiful Frenchmen and her listening of the conversation. I really like Frenchmen…But anyway…Auburn is my soul mate. We’re exactly alike. So much so that it’s scary. So, she’s my soul mate. End of story.

I’ve made a lifetime full of memories this summer and can’t wait to come back one day. I met some friends whom I don’t want to leave behind. Tasted food that will forever haunt me. Tasted food that will I forever crave. Explored ancient ruins. Experienced the best nightlife ever. Became addicted to macaroons. Became addicted to quiche. Became addicted to wine. Became addicted to hamburgers and rice. Became addicted to basically everything here. Tried everything new. Came to know and love a world outside of my own.IMG_1520

I found myself. I fell in love with a part of the world that I never thought I’d see. And I had the absolute best summer of my life.

To all of you back home, I’ll see you soon. To all of you on your way home already, I’ll see you later. To France, I love you and I’ll return one day soon.

Chez Martial

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Last night was the last dinner I’ll share with Auburn and Austin at our favorite restaurant here in France. We discovered Chez Martial at the beginning of our trip and it’s been our favorite place to dine ever since. Even though this was the place that I had my first and only interaction with boudin noir, I still love it.IMG_1485

It was bittersweet being there last night because we knew that we don’t get to go back again, but we made a pact to come back in five years no matter what we’re doing and make some more memories. Well.. I made the pact and I don’t really remember if they agreed to it or not. We drink a lot of wine when we go there..

We didn’t have our usual server last night but it turned out to be pretty awesome because we had the owner as our server instead. The guy was awesome. He knew us when we walked in and then gave us free drinks of “his” specialty, just because. He was pretty hilarious. And flirty. By the end of the dinner (after free shots) he had pulled me behind the bar to get my name and number and give me his. Oh, and he said that he was going to move to the States to open a restaurant in Missouri and name it “Chez Megan,” which is pretty cool, so, I’d say it was a successful night for me. Having restaurants named after me? Yes, please.

I think I like Frenchmen.

We wined. We dined. We stuffed our faces. We took shots…Of something. And we made our last memories of Chez Martial.