I Had To Pay To Use Dirty Toilets.

I'm so happy to be home! Almost three weeks was way too long of an excursion. I've never been so excited and so exhausted in my entire life, and it's amazing. I gained new loves, like the Swiss Alps, and new fears, like airports and co-ed toilets.

I do not know what's better, the view from my balcony in Paris, or the fact that I got lost in Paris trying to get back to the Eiffel Tower. Maybe it was performing in St. Mark's Basilica, or the train ride up to the Matterhorn. It's hard to pick, so I will not. But my favorite country was definitely Switzerland. The people were kind and welcoming and did not laugh too hard at my attempted French and German.

Traveling through all those ridiculously astounding places was a lifetime experience and being able to join a choir and accompany a band made up of young people from all over Oklahoma made it unforgettable. There were more ups than downs, making it completely worth being away from my family and friends for so long.

The downs, they were scary. I got lost a few times with the other unaccompanied minors, ate some meat that I was not entirely sure of what it was, and had to use one of the scariest restrooms I have ever seen. Jet-lag took over for the first three days. and is back again today. Nine hour flights and six hour layovers were unbearable, like sleeping on the plane and buses across the plethora of cultural epicenters. Wifi? What is wifi? Or ice? Or bacon? Dr. Pepper? Haven't had these in quite awhile. I found myself chanting "Goos fra ba" in the massive crowds of other tourists.

The ups, those were great. Wine tasting in Paris, fondu in Switzerland, watching glass being blown in Venice, every breakfast view, and my sweet yet insane tour directors (you have to crazy to voluntarily travel with teenagers, but still, they need some professional help...) who I'll cherish forever due to their comedic and parental qualities that I was in dire need of. I cannot wait to go back, it's so different and beautiful across the pond. There was a lot of inspiration gained and a lot of writing done as well which made the trip even better. Ideas just keep flowing in, settings just tattooed in the back of my mind. Ah, excitement!

Today, I'm taking photos for a wedding so when I catch a break, I want to hear about everyone's best and worst travel experiences. More tales will be shared from my side when I get some rest. Going 27 hours with out sleep is a new record, so hopefully I can make up for lost time... eventually..