Spaghetti Carbonara

According to Wikipedia, spaghetti carbonara is "an Italian pasta dish from Latium, and more specifically to Rome, based on eggs, cheese, bacon, and black pepper." So essentially it's like eating breakfast and dinner at the same time.

I had never heard of this before I came here. I was interested to try it. I mean, it's Italian food. What's not to like?!

It was good, but it wasn't my favorite thing ever. I couldn't get over the fact that my spaghetti noodles were covered basically with an uncooked omelet.

French bread is a staple at every meal. Sooooo good. Oh and bringing out the camera means the youngest wants to have her picture taken. Only problem is she can't sit still for even a second!

"I thought you were going to be a teacher?"

While being over here in Europe, many people have asked me about teaching.

"I thought you were going to be a teacher?"

"When do you plan to get a real job?"

"Are you not going to teach anymore?"

Yes, I still want to be a teacher.

Yes, I am planning to get a job when I get back to the States.

Yes, it is still my passion to teach young children.

I am still an educator, even in this season of traveling.

In fact, I have been teaching pretty much the entire time I have been in Europe.

Minus the first three weeks of travel and the time I spent at the sea with my Italian family, I have been teaching in some capacity.

First, it was the English summer camp in Italy.
{Just realized I never posted about this! Oops!}

Then, it was working with the boys in Spain.

Now, I am living in France and teaching English to two precious girls.

This is not the typical route one would take after graduating with an education degree. But for me, it's perfect. I have the chance to work with children and travel, all while being paid to do so. I love teaching and I love traveling. Not a bad set up if you ask me! Plus, when am I ever going to be in a more perfect time in my life to travel the world?!

I have learned (and am still learning) so much from each experience. I'm learning about teaching and I'm also learning a lot about myself. So much so that each place will definitely have its own post regarding what I've learned.

Teaching and working with children comes natural to me. I love getting on their level and watching them learn new things. It's so refreshing to see the world through the eyes of a child. Though there have definitely been some rough patches throughout these past months, I have never been more sure that teaching is what God has called me to do.

I am very excited to get back to America and start looking for a teaching job. Actually the thought terrifies me just a little bit. But most of me is excited. Student teaching was such a wonderful experience for me. I can't wait to have my own classroom and a group of kiddos to call my own!

Feeling Like Reese Witherspoon

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Geneva to see the circus! I love the circus. Love it.

This was my first circus in an actual tent. The other ones I've been to in America have been in arenas. It was cool to watch everyone hoist up the safety net or raise up the trapeze bars. It reminded me so much of "Water for Elephants" the way everyone was working together during the entire show.

And there was one other little thing that reminded me of that movie. The fact that I got to RIDE AN ELEPHANT!!! Now granted, I didn't have the elephant to myself. And I didn't get to ride on it's back like one would normally ride an elephant (as if it's an everyday occurrence...). But. I still got to ride on top of an elephant. And that my friends, was the highlight of my day.

Someone was a little too excited to sit still and smile for the camera... 

Riding elephants in Switzerland. Who would have thought?! 

I will never get used to seeing the Swiss Alps in the background of almost all of my pictures.

Little town, it's a quiet village

Bonjour from France!

One of my friends (Hey Jess!) reminded me that I was like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Is it sad that I never even thought about that until she mentioned it? What kind of Disney fan am I?!

(PS thanks, Melissa for the title suggestion!)

Now all I need is to meet a prince and my life will be made.

I keep saying it's going to happen because after all, Sarah does mean Princess.

Anyways, I'm getting settled here and really enjoying it.

I've been taking things easy these past few days to try to de-stress and relax. One of my favorite things to do here is go on walks. There are so many cute streets for me to explore.

Here are a few pictures from the walk I've now made twice. It's on the way to a friend's house so I will be making this walk often!

Mom, there are so many blackberries along the roads. Wish you were here to pick them with me!

Three shout-outs in one post. I must be missing my friends/family more than I realize!

From Spain to France

I have been without wifi/internet for the past three weeks. Sorry for my absence!

And just like that, the Spain part of my trip is over. My flight leaves in about 5 hours! I have now been in Europe for 95 days. It’s crazy to think I haven’t seen my family in person for that long. But my mom will be here in 72 days! Can’t wait!

I was really excited about Spain but to be honest, it was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever experienced. I pride myself on how well I interact with children and how well I am able to teach. That’s my life profession, for goodness sakes. But both of those skills failed me in this specific situation. I don’t want to go into details, but let’s just say it required a lot of prayer to make it through these past two months. Even though it was difficult and I didn’t think I would make it, there were some good things that came out of it.

1.     I got to live in Spain for two months. That’s pretty cool in and of itself.

2.     I met some new Spanish friends!

    3.     I spent more time in the Word than I ever have in my life. Because I didn’t have any of my usual distractions here, I literally spent all of my free time reading the Bible, watching sermons, and listening to worship music. It has been such a huge time of growth for me and I couldn’t be happier about that. If these difficulties were just a way for me to grow exponentially in my faith, then I’d say it was worth it.

4.     I got to swim in the Mediterranean Sea and the other side of the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.

5. The family offered me a place to stay should I ever come back to Spain.

Thank you to everyone who prayed me through these last two months. I couldn’t have done it without you! Pictures from the past three weeks will be coming very soon.

Now I’m off to my next adventure: France!