120

Today was our first day on the worksites, which means we wake up at 5:45 for breakfast and cleanup and are leaving by 7:00 to work.  This week my group is working on rebuilding a pavilion over a picnic table right next to the ocean.  (It is beautiful working on the beach!!)  We work from 7:00 to 12:00 everyday, eat lunch, then have time to rest and hang out before starting our afternoon activities.  Today after lunch we went on a scavenger hunt to get to know the town!  Later in the evening a bunch of the kids from the town came to Service Technique (the name of the place we are staying) for a while.  We got to introduce ourselves, play sports, and just hang out with them.  It was a lot of fun to interact in French and already get to know many of the kids here!

Alex, Olivia, Mary, and Andreea at the pavilion!

This painting is on the side of a wall we walked past during the scavenger
hunt and this man wanted us to point out where we lived.

119

This morning we left Basse Terre (Guadeloupe's main island) and ferried to Terre-de-Bas.  It is gorgeous here in Guadeloupe!  Everything is so green and lush and the ocean is just beautiful!  We are staying in Petite-Anse - the smaller of the two towns on Terre-de-Bas.  All 17 girls stay in the same building, a one room metal shack, and the set up kind of reminds me of the Madeline books (12 little girls in two straight lines...)  We spent a little while putting sheets on, hanging mosquito nets, and unpacking our suitcases underneath our beds before we met for orientation.  The rest of the day was spent getting to know each other, learning about the schedules, and learning some French!

Alison and Olivia on the ferry to our island!

The view from Grande Anse to Petite Anse (the town we are staying in.) 

118

At 5:00 a.m. my dad and I met my group at the airport.  After going to bed so late after flying in and having to wake up so early, I was very tired.  All I really wanted to do today was sleep and I figured that I wouldn't miss out on too much considering no one really knows each other yet.  So after going through everyone's names while waiting for our flight to San Juan, I took a nap.  When we arrived in San Juan we had a seven hour layover before our next flight to Pointe-a-Pitre.  The San Juan airport is...well, small and there is not a whole lot to do.  We spent a couple hours in a restaurant (during some of the time which I napped again) and we spent the rest of the time playing cards, reading, trying to learn all 22 names, making bracelets, and more napping.  Haha, let's just say by the end of the day most everyone probably knew me as the girl who sleeps a lot... but really, I get to spend an entire month with all these kids so why not take one day trying to adjust to the time change?

We arrived late in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, met up with three of the counselors, and spent the night in a bed an breakfast on the main island.  Tomorrow morning we ferry over to Terre-de-Bas, the small island that we will be spending the month on.  So far everyone seems really nice and easy to get along with and I am excited to really start getting to know everyone.

117

Today I left for my month long adventure!  I am going to Guadeloupe (no, not pronounced "Gwad-a-loop-ay," just "Gwad-a-loop") for a French immersion humanitarian trip.  My dad and I flew out to New York today and I meet up with my group early tomorrow morning.  I'm still not entirely sure what to expect, but I am very excited to get to know everyone and to serve the community where we will be staying!

116

Amusement park with my friends = the perfect day

115

A little bit tired at dinner.

114

Love this girl.

113

Hiking.  Need I say more?

112

Tinfoil dinners up the canyons!

111

Nothin' better than tacos and ice cream.

110

From yoga this morning to a piano trio of Viva la Vida this evening and everything in between...I'd say it's been a pretty classic summer day!

109

Six hour hike with Tayo.  Cross that off the summer bucket list!

108

I love my cousins :)

107

Happy Fathers' Day!  I have the best dad anyone could ask for :)

On the way home from celebrating my friend's birthday we found a free grill!

106

Last day of the tournament...I wish we had these every month, not just once in a while!

Maddie, Me, Sarah, and Audie.  Love you girls!

105

Crepe party.  Thank you, Nate, for the delicious crepes!

Lacrosse tournament.  Lax lifestyle.

104

Late night movies always need friends and food.

103

Boating day with Carly's family.

102

Swimming and the canyons.

Carly focusing very hard on her Bop-It game.

Ashlyn, Zoe, Me, and Carly.

101

Lunch, switching shoes, posing like a boss, and trying to act mean.  Life is good.

100

The best day ever is when your friend whom you haven't seen for six months comes to your house and it is just like she never left. :)

99

What I have learned today:
Pizza, chicken wings, and ice cream do not help a headache...but they do taste delicious!

98

Today my dad and I toured USC and UCLA!

Left: USC, Right: UCLA

97

Dad and I flew out to California today!  Tomorrow we are touring a couple of colleges, but today we enjoyed spending a few minutes on the beach, driving past our old houses and school, and even visiting with a few of our friends out here!

(From top to bottom, left to right: Dad and I loving the rented convertible, the beach and pier, the Santa Monica Pier sign, my old school, our old neighborhood.)

96

And the interrogation begins... Haha.

95

Tie dying takes a lot longer than anticipated... after 4 hours we finally finished though, and the shirt and shorts turned out great!

94

How many people can we fit in a Jeep?

93

Summer evenings.

92

I went on a date today!  We had a picture scavenger hunt at a mall and then got snow cones.  It was a lot of fun!

My date, Josh, and I eating our snow cones with tiny spoons.

91

It is OFFICIALLY summer!!

So... more swimming and hair wraps :)

Today was our lacrosse sleepover!  Only seven people came...but we still had fun!  We watched our season slideshow, went midnight bowling, hardly slept at all, and ate crepes.  I would consider the party a success.