Europe 1999

Following our return to the U.S.., Marcella and I collaborated on the project below. I hope you enjoy it!!

Marcella: Hola, Bonjour, Guten Tag, Ciao… For those of you who know me you wouldn't be surprised when I told you I was going to Europe. Ever since I could imagine I wanted to expand my horizons. Now don't get me wrong. I love California, Los Angeles is very exciting, San Francisco is beautiful and Las Vegas, have I got stories from Vegas. I have even made annual trips to Rosarito and TJ. However nothing will compare to traveling to another country. I have been very close several times to setting my foot on the plane however it wasn't till this past Fall that I decided if I didn't go now, I never was. A little dramatic I know but I needed some motivation.

One of the first steps is picking a traveling companion. Now it is important to travel with someone who is going to want to see the same things as you and who you could tolerate being with day in and day out. Oh and one minor detail, they have to be able to afford it or at least have a big enough credit limit on their VISA. All jokes aside, Pati was to be my traveling buddy. After I put her through an extensive screening process (she agreed!) we purchased our tickets. For those interested Council Travel is an agency that assists student travelers on their trips. They offer discount prices and some good advice.

Pati: In high school, I vividly recall gazing at posters of France wondering if I would ever be given the opportunity to see the wondrous sites that appeared to beyond my reach. Many years later, I would finally realize my dream of traveling to France...and not only did I travel to France, I also happened to stop by three other countries! The day was August 6, 1999 when Marcella requested my presence in her Winter voyage to Europe. The thought had crossed my mind several times to go to Europe after graduating but I knew an opportunity when I saw it and immediately took up the offer.

It had been a life long dream of mine to travel to Europe, specifically France because of my exposure to the extraordinarily magnificent French language and culture. For many years, I had cultivated a passion for Les Francaises and I knew that one day the same passion would take me to their home. Right from the begging of our discussions, I insisted, “as long as I get to Paris, you can take me anywhere you want!” And so it was decided, Marcella and I would be traveling to Europe in December. I must admit that I was skeptical as to whether or not our grand adventure would become a reality…it was not until I September when I held the tickets in my hand that I realized nothing was going to stop us.

Marcella: Our trip began on December 6, ironically the Monday of Finals. Now of course knowing this months in advance I would have all of my papers done in time so I would not have to stress out, yeah right! I kid you not the night before we left I wrote a seven page paper in three hours and dropped it off at our very own Sarah's house at four in the morning and took off to the airport. Now for those of you wondering what I received in the class, B-!!!!! Thanks Sarah. Unfortunately for me that was just the beginning. I had another 10 page paper due on Tuesday. I spent the entire plane ride from Philadelphia to Madrid writing seven pages of it. In Madrid I finished the other three all on pen and paper. On Tuesday afternoon in Madrid, Monday night in the States. I faxed my ten pages of nonsense to my mother and she typed it and mailed it to my teacher. Pretty shitty way to start off my trip huh. C’est La Vie!

Back to the trip, most people asked, “why would you want to go to Europe in the Winter it will be so cold?” True, it was a bit chilly but to see Europe during Christmas was a sight I would never trade for a million dollars (not literally!) Not only were we able to see Europe and all it's history but we were able to see how each country celebrated Christmas.