*holidays // advent*

**this is something I'd been wanting to share regardless , but also wrote about for an SYA Campus reporter post with the prompt "tell a story about one of your favorite moments from winter break"**

Ever since before I can remember, I've spent every single winter break in the exact same place with the exact same people. Needless to say that as excited as I was for the winter break, I was a tiny bit apprehensive towards all of the change. I was worried that things would be too different, that I would miss my old traditions too much or that I would feel too out of place to enjoy it. I couldn't have been more mistaken. 

My Christmas season began with one of my favorite stories from the entire year - the war of the advent calendars - and I've since decided that fighting over chocolate is a true sign of sibling-hood. Thanks to the pleas of my host brothers, my fantastic host dad gifted all three of us chocolate filled calendars the night of November 31st. My brothers and I (17) definitely qualify as having outgrown the tradition but that didn't keep us from being extremely excited. Nor did it stop my brother from stealing my first chocolate and eating it...

The next day, I came home from school and teamed up with my little brother to carefully remove all of the chocolates from our big brothers calendar, hide them and leave a note behind for him. We carefully closed the box up and put it back in his room, then hid each of our calendars to prevent anything similar from happening...then we waited. After dinner, I proposed a bet - if my brothers could find my calendar in five minutes they could have one of my chocolates but if not I got one of their chocolates. 

My oldest brother accepted and my little brother and I exchanged sneaky glances. When he lost and went to get his chocolate to pay up, he found only a little piece of paper with a little note in its place...and so the war began. Our parents had gone out to dinner and my little brother and I were on the ground laughing, so no one was there to stop him while he opened every cabinet in the house looking for his chocolates. After every article of soothing was emptied from both mine and my little brothers closets we realized we should probably return the chocolate. 

By the end of our war, all three of us were laughing uncontrollably. Chocolate is pretty great, but our behavior definitely had not been consistent with our ages. We cleaned everything up together and didn't say anything when our parents came home. It was only the next night when they asked what we'd done the night before that all three of us burst out laughing, and then had to explain everything. By the end of the story - with all three of us interrupting each other and trying to tell our own versions - my entire family was laughing at our immaturity. 

I might have been worried about my winter break being too different but I couldn't have imagined how wrong I was. My holiday break was full of so many incredible experiences that I could write about, like seeing my family named carved into the base of a statue on a castle gate in Prague or adventuring through Paris with my dad visitings places he'd lived thirty years before. I saw incredible places, ate fantastic food, spent time with my dad that came to visit, introduced him to my host family, got to spend vacation time with the best second family I could hope for...the list goes on. I'm incredibly fortunate to have lived those experiences , but I chose to write about the advent chocolate was because it represents something incredibly important to me - the bonds I've formed in France. 

I've met incredible kids from all over the US that I know I will stay friends with long after our plane ride home, but I've also found an incredible second family. I hadn't realized it at first, but ever since arriving in France I've become more and more adopted into my new family. I'm sure that I'll feel even more a part of the family when the time comes to go home, but I try not to think about leaving. 

Instead, I prefer thinking about how incredibly lucky I am to have found the most welcoming French family - two more wise parents to look out for me and the best two brothers I could ever hope for. It's random moments, like remembering that we nearly destroyed the entire house for a box of chocolates, that remind me just how close I've become with these incredible people in just a few months. It's something I already know I'll never forget. 

Travel's Gifts to Me // English Class

  Few people are lucky enough to have flown thousands of miles in before their first birthday but I was born into a charmed existence and became a worldwide traveler even before I was born. Ever since then, I've been lucky enough to spend at least a month each year away from home but I've only recently realized how much I've taken my adventures for granted. Most of the time I revisit the same places and at this point they've I've become far too passive - even a place with the familiarity of a second home is worth keeping my eyes open for but I'm only now realizing this. 

I am almost three months into my year abroad - my greatest adventure yet - and I worry that I'll allow myself to fall into the same trap again. It took me some time and a very odd situation to even acknowledge this possibility : I've never been fond of surprises and I think I'm not alone when I say I hate making mistakes but I've found that my new home is full of opportunities for both. My most rewarding experience so far was a combination of the two - missing the bus and then realizing the sensation wasn't all that unpleasant.

An odd sort of entrapment occurred when you miss your bus. You can't go anywhere but at the same time you have nothing to do because you were all prepared and planning to do something else. I found myself sitting on a bench for fifteen minutes with nothing to do other than think about my new life, family and friends. Certainly not the most comfortable, of experiences but certainly enriching. I thought about the characters in my daily life and the strength and speed of the bonds I have already formed surprised me yet again and then made me think about how much I'm missing out on in my former life. But for me, the most bizarre part of the experience were the minutes I spent thinking about myself. Self centered, I know, but as I tried to compare current me to pre-travel me I realized some surprising things about myself.

I've always been intrigued by how other people would describe me, simply out of curiosity, but I've come to accept that I'll probably never know. I do however know how they interact with me directly. My empty time at the bus stop gave me time to compare my friendships in the US to those here and it made me realize where I've changed and where I've stayed the same. Some things are superficial, like my new found ability to wear something other than pajamas when I get dressed in the morning, but others scared me a bit. I realized that elements of my character - me, myself and I - had changed. Leaving "home" caused the changes and then gave me the perception to see them. In all honesty, it was a bit frightening.

last night home

(All three Vosmik girls...an old photo by Delaney Adams)

Currently I'm curled up on top of my bed, and as I assumed this position I realized it would be the last time for a long time. I won't get to spend the night in my perfectly comfy bed in my room in my house in my city on my continent for another nine months. Instead, I'll be spending my nights halfway across the globe...

(Little Al's photography from my going away party)

Tomorrow morning I say goodbye to my home of sixteen years and begin the greatest adventure of my life. I'm hugely excited for what the future holds but this post is definitely a bit bittersweet to write. 

(Snack at Lift Coffeeshop today with C)

So much will change in the next nine months and I know that when I do return to RVA it will become very apparent, which scares me a little.

(C photographing graffiti meets mural...something I'll miss about my town)

Living abroad for a school year will change my perspective on so many things and I can't wait to see where I end up come next June. 

(Trying on vintage clothes like a pro)

However, today C and I headed off on our last adventure (playing hookie, shh) and Sus went to her practice and I ate lunch with my friends at school and I realized that I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss my life here a little bit. 

(Record browsing at Steady Sounds)

However these are all minor facts in the overal picture. I've finally packed my suitcase and bought host family gifts. The whole thing has begun to feel real and I couldn't be more excited to embark on this next step in my life. I truly cannot wait. 

anticipation + thoughts // next year abroad

 At this very moment, I'm sitting in a freezing cold waiting room and expect to stay here until my aunt is ready to be driven home. I've been thinking about how I've spent my summer and what lies ahead of me. As I've mentioned before, I have only a short time (14.5 days) left in Richmond VA before I head off to Rennes. It still doesn't feel real, but ever since I started counting down a few days ago I've realized some things that I'm going to attempt to articulate now. 

Firstly, going to Rennes is an incredible opportunity any way you look at it. I get to go to a new school, meet new people, immerse in a new culture and live with a new family, just for starters. Everyone I've spoken to agrees that a year abroad is life changing, and not just for the high points. I expect to face all sorts of new challenges, and become a stronger person for them. Even just dealing with silly things like getting a phone fixed, as I did last summer, without any parents around can be surprisingly educational. This post has the potential to come off sounding cheesy, but please understand I write it with the utmost sincerity. I spent five weeks away from home last summer and even that short time changed my life and outlook dramatically...I can't wait to see what a whole year does. Someone asked me what I plan to do, what I want to get out of it and I honestly think I just want to refine my understanding of life. I think that it's a worthwhile goal independent of living abroad, but I'm glad I have the added incentive to do so. 

Secondly, I've been thinking about the connections I've made at home in Richmond. I've personally always sought independence, almost to the point where it was self-isolation, and this summer helped me find an incredible balance. Knowing that I had only a few months before departing for nine months helped me realize this importance of the people around me. My aunt moved to RVA to be around family, and this summer I finally spent time with her. I didn't do anything extraordinary, just help her move houses and go to the zoo and hang out, but it was so worthwhile. Same thing with babysitting my little cousins all summer...I know them so much better now, and I'm so excited to see what they are up to when I come home from France. My sisters and I connected this summer as well, probably due to my ability to drive us on adventures, and I can honestly say I'll miss their antics while I'm away. Having a near twin (C) was so much fun, and my little nugget S is really incredible. When I come back from France I'll have only a year left to live with them, which is frightening and exciting at the same time. I can remember eating sand with them, and now we're closer to visiting each other's apartments. Lastly, I realized how much I'm going to miss my friends. I used to think friends were just for fun but I've realized there more than anything a support systems wrapped in laughter and good times. I'll miss them like mad while I'm away, and I can't wait to come home to them, but I also realize that France opens the door to incredible new friendships. I know that by the time I come home I'll have a whole new network spread all over the world of incredible people to enjoy. 

I have no idea what the next few months will hold but I think it's safe to say that it will be the biggest adventure of my life, and I am immensely excited and a little nervous. I've tried explaining my thoughts about this to my friends and realized this : I'm sad that I'm leaving here, but I'm glad I'm going there.