Whirl Wind!

So now I am officially back in the States - as of last night, and sorry that I haven't updated in the past couple days but it has been crazy! My last night in Dublin was a bit of a let down after I got rejected from the original restaurant that I wanted to go to, I ended up in a really bad pizza place right by my hotel. But the only good thing was that I was able to go back to my hotel, arrange a taxi for early the next morning and pack up everything that I had managed to accumulate on this trip. The next two days (Saturday and Sunday) are basically a blur of travel with lots of goodbyes. I took the earliest flight back to Paris the next morning (6 am) then took the train down to Clermont where I dropped off my bags at my host family's home and went out to a cafe to say goodbye to all the Americans who will still be staying in Clermont throughout the year. It was really sad and almost everyone had tears in their eyes. But this was also the place where the cheese changed hands - yes folks, I managed to sneak in 3 kg of unpasteurized cheese into the states! It's glorious! Anyway, then after saying good bye I went back to my host family's home for dinner where I met my host Grand-mother. She's so cool! We talked about knitting and food and French culture versus American culture back in WWII. It was really interesting, then my host mom asked me to help her make dinner. So we made crepes with a bechamel sauce. It was very fitting for my last night in France. After dinner we all watched TV together, talked and knitted. It was a very nice last night with my host family. Eventually I went to bed, and woke up early with intention to go to the boulanger (bread maker) to buy 2 loaves of bread in the morning. After a lovely breakfast of all of us together, I went to buy bread and when I explained to the sales lady what I was doing - she threw in a free Pain Au Chocolat! Whoa! Then I said a teary goodbye to my host family, and my host dad drove me to the airport. I got on my plane, made the connection in Amsterdam - and finally got back home in time for the super bowl! Yes, a very slow integration back into the US culture, with take-out chineese food for dinner and the super bowl on T.V. But after being awake and traveling for so many hours I crashed! Then here I am, eating my french bread and butter and drinking my tea out of a bowl. I guess some habits are hard to break!
So if you have enjoyed reading this AWESOME tale of cuisine and travel and would like more - please send money to ___ haha, only kidding! But seriously, I am thinking about starting another blog in the spring (march-ish) for when I get my own apartment and can cook on my own. This spring I am looking to "Live Label Less". This means that I will be trying to eat without buying things pre-made (no TV dinners, no Mac/Cheese etc.) it will defiantly be an adventure to try to do this through a Michigan Spring - but it should be worth it - So if you would like notice of when this blog will be starting please e-mail me at K07ko01@gmail.com or post a comment here. Thanks to everyone who followed this blog and for almost going through this experience of study abroad with me!
Peace, Love, and Love of Food!