2010 in Review

January 2010- Ringing in the new year with my best friends by my side. Looking forward to 2010 and all the adventures it brings.

February 2010- French Exchange students from Marseille, France arrive in the United States. Marianne quickly became another member of our family and we miss her dearly!
March 2010- Just 5 weeks after the French Exchange students came to Chicago, we were packed up and ready to fly off to France. Because of heavy snow (in March?!?!) our flight was delayed for 3 hours and we all were itching to leave. We said au revoir to our parents and flew off on a whirlwind adventure.

April 2010- A picture with a baguette...when in France...do as the French do! The baguettes were cheap and were plentiful. My first international trip included being pick pocketed, climbing the Eiffel Tower, shopping in the markets, eating crepes and much more.

May 2010- Working on a film for LTTV (Lyons Township Television), the television station at my high school. The film was a murder mystery with a twist. LTTV is my home away from home and I probably spend more time at school than I do at home.
June 2010- My younger brother, Josh, graduated from 8th grade and is now in the same high school as me (scary). We have 2 campuses at my school so I never see him. My little brothers are growing up too fast!
July 2010- This picture was taken at base camp of our backpacking trip to the Stanley Hot Springs in western Idaho. To read more about my trip with the Student Conservation Association please visit the post.
August 2010- After returning from my trip to Idaho and working as a nanny the rest of the summer a 4 day mini vacation to a friend's lake house was a must. 4 days filled with tubing, water skiing, swimming, kayaking, boating and soaking up some rays.
September 2010- Some of my best friends and I went to a Rascal Flatts concert the weekend after school started and had a blast. They are my favorite band and everyone enjoyed themselves.
October 2010- After being accepted to SCAD and having my heart set on attending my dad and I took a trip down to Savannah, Georgia to check it out. I fell in love with SCAD and the city that surrounds it. The opportunities available to the students are unprecedented and all the professors have worked professionally in the fields they are teaching. I can not wait to begin classes in fall 2011
November 2010- Yet another film in production in cooperation with LTTV. This was the first film that I produced, directed, and edited all by myself. The finished product ended up being over 8 minutes but because of the competition I was entering I had to cut it in half. To see Date with Cthulhu please visit my vimeo.

December 2010- With the year coming to a close I realize that this was a year of firsts. First time out of the United States, first time backpacking, first college visit, first college acceptance, and some of the first times I've truly felt alive.

"As a big 2010 came to its conclusion I felt purposeful and satisfied, but also on the verge of overwhelm. 2011 and 2012 will be even bigger - how can I maintain momentum without forgetting to live in the moment? This is the challenge and the opportunity of the year: to create sustainable growth in all areas while retaining a core sense of identity." -Chris Guillebeau

What am I looking forward to in 2011?

A possible volunteer trip to Haiti, graduating high school, spending the summer in Ghana, making documentaries, moving out, starting college, traveling to the ends of the world, pursuing my passions, and living every moment to it's fullest.

Meilleurs Vœux

Nejlepší přání

最良好的祝愿

Onnentoivotukset

Auguri

Parimate soovidega

ด้วยค

Best Wishes,

Rebecca Kuntz

Moments of Zen

12.23.10

[Zen]- To seek enlightenment by meditation in which there is no consciousness of self.

Hmm...meditation....yeah I can barely sit still for 5 minutes without having to get up and run a lap around the room. Even though I have never meditated, I have tried. Whenever I would sit and try to meditate I could never quiet my mind enough to sit and just feel my chest rise and fall. My mind races at a thousand times a minute and constantly jumps from one idea to the next, sometimes not even having time to complete one thought before moving to the next. Even though I never have meditated I can say I have felt zen. To me zen should be defined as follows:

[Zen]- A moment when one is at peace, when nothing else matters but being in that moment and feeling as though they are truly living.

It might be a bit wordy but I believe it gets my true thought across. Zen doesn't have to be sitting still, trying every possible way to make your mind shut up and just be. Zen can be found in a moment when your mind can't stay on one single idea for more than a second. The point is that zen depends on the person. Zen to one might be sitting in a yoga studio listening to a soothing voice try to talk all of the thoughts from your mind, but zen to another person might be found riding an almost broken down bus across the Sahara. I know I am in a moment of zen when I want to be nowhere else but in that moment, if someone were to offer me a million dollars in that moment I would refuse because nothing else matters.

As you know this spring I took my first trip abroad through the French Exchange at my school. I can't even begin to describe all the moments of complete zen I had while visiting the beautiful towns along the Mediterranean coast as well as the chic capital of Paris. My favorite moment of zen had to be when I was flying back home to Chicago from Paris. We had just reached the point when it was safe to remove our seat belts so of course there was a massive rush to the two bathrooms available to economy flyers. People were walking up and down isles, languages I could not understand were being spoken like buzzing bees, and flight attendants were pushing carts around with 30 different drinks, all of which I wanted to try. And with all this chaos circling around me, I was at peace. I knew that I was flying home to family that loves me, but I also knew I was speeding miles away from a second family. I was being torn in two separate directions. I was looking forward to going home and sharing millions of stories with friends and family, but every minute that passed a piece of my heart was being ripped from the country that captured it during the past two weeks. In a child's game of tug-of-war if one side pulls harder, the other side gets yanked away from the side where they started. If the sides were evenly matched it causes a freeze, no one winning and no one losing. France verses the United States, each wanting to win over the love of my heart. Going back and forth, one was winning, and in the next minute the other was on top. Something changed within me in an instant. The country war was snapped to a standstill. Both pulling equally, the two countries were evenly matched. They both hold family and friends near and dear to my heart, both have beautiful city and countryside, both I now consider home.

I have never felt more connected to myself or the world around me than when I was in Idaho this past summer for three weeks. Three weeks of no television, no internet, or even bathrooms and showers. During this time I realized how boxed in I felt in the "real" world. Every day I am constantly surrounded by walls whether they be the four walls of my bedroom, the endless white walls at school, and the invisible walls in my mind, blocking out all fear, danger, and the terrors of the world. Through my experiences in Idaho I worked, lived, and breathed nature, every part of it. I witnessed a moose crossing a stream near hot springs in the mountains, wolves howling me to sleep each night and even swimming in a waterfall The specific moment when I felt this unbreaking bond with nature was on our recreation backpack trip. We slept overnight at a campsite at the bottom of the mountain, falling asleep to the rushing rapids below. The next morning we packed only the necessities into our bags and started the six mile trek through the forest covering the mountain. After crossing two flowing streams we were about a half a mile from our destination of the hot spring and very hungry. We decided to stop for lunch before hiking the last leg to our site. We found this huge natural rock formation that we all could climb up onto and eat lunch and talk. I took off my pack at the bottom and climbed up to the top and ate lunch and laughed with my new family. I finished eating and decided to walk around the huge steps and enjoy the breathtaking views. I sat on the edge of a rock with a thirty foot drop below. With my feet dangling over the edge, I just sat. I sat and let the thoughts run in and out of my head as they may, and for the first time in a very long time I was at peace, at peace with myself and at peace with my surroundings. The walls both physical and mental were breaking down. I had finally knocked down the walls that stood between myself and nature, and also between myself and my thoughts. I felt as though all the fear within me was rushing away with the river below. Fear jumped off the cliff I was sitting on and waved goodbye as it went for a chilly ride down the river. The block that I felt between nature and I decided to walk itself back down the mountain, never to return. I stood up, feeling a lot lighter, because trust me those walls weighed me down, and ran back to my crew and suited back up to continue the final stretch to the hot springs. Standing at the airport in Lewiston, Idaho three days later, was the first time that physical walls stood around me in 21 days. After not having anything to block me in for three weeks, one would think that the feeling of claustrophobia would quickly set in, but no I had never felt so free. Free to live life to the fullest, because I knew that fear and danger were left on the mountain, never to return again.

Breathtaking Views

What is your definition of zen and where have you found it?

French Exchange Post Trip

Becca's Baggage Breakdown:
Chicago to Paris: 1 large suitcase (58 lbs)(Limit is 60 lbs) Carry Ons: one backpack, one purse, and one blanket
Paris to Marseille: See above

Marseille to Paris: 1 large suitcase (60 lbs) Carry Ons: one backpack, one large duffel bag, one purse, one blanket
Paris to Chicago: 1 large suitcase (60 lbs) Carry Ons: one backpack, one large duffel bag, one smaller bag, one purse, one blanket

How I acquired so much weight in 2 weeks is beyond me. I off loaded some of my carry ons to others who only had one item and somehow got everything through security and back home safely. And after all weight is not just physical. We came back with a lot more memories and life experiences the do not weigh us down but rather lift us up because for most of us, this was the experience of a lifetime. I realized how much french I have learned in the past 5 years and was shocked that I could speak only french for 10 straight days. I realized how much I love traveling and experiencing new and exciting things. Bisous ♥

Favorite French Phrases:
Louche- shady
Douche- shower
Arrete-That- Stop that
Travaille Le- Work it
Ce qui arrive en France, reste en France-What happens in France stays in France
Les hoquets- Hiccups
Piquer- to steal or to bite

French Exchange Part 1

Les Français viennent à Chicago!! (The french are coming to Chicago!)

01.30.2010 - 02.09.10

It all started in 7th grade when I picked french as the language I wanted to take in junior high. This is the moment I knew I would fall in love with the language and want to study it forever....Yeah....I'd like to say this was my story of how I got chosen out of a hundred to be one of the lucky 24 to be part of the french exchange, but it wasn't. Actually I struggled with french throughout junior high and I could tell my french teacher had little faith that I would continue the language. But against all odds, here I am today blogging about the best 2 weeks of my life so far.

24 juniors and seniors got picked to be part of this adventure after teacher recommendations, personal statements and grade requirements. It felt like years between the time we submitted our applications and when we received the white envelopes that decided our fate. Our sophomore french teacher had all the envelopes sitting on her desk the whole class period, needless to say we didn't concentrate on our work at all. She gave us the envelopes and said we had to open them in the hallway. We all ran out when the bell rang, some left in tears as though their dreams were crushed and the lucky few left with their acceptance letter clutched in their fist.

After some problems because of the travel ban put on because of the swine flu epidemic (stupid pigs), we finally received our french school and french correspondents. The school is called Notre Dame de Sion and is located in beautiful Marseille in south France. At first I got placed with a guy (which I wasn't supposed to be) then someone else couldn't be placed with a girl. But the problems were resolved and I got placed with my french student, Marianne. We ran around school that day comparing each others students then proceeded to find them on facebook that night. We talked to them on facebook all the time figuring out their likes and dislikes, favorite foods, and of course who were the cutest guys.

Enough with this before nonsense, so the day finally arrives when we get to pick them up from the airport. Their plane was an hour late which delayed us leaving our houses by what felt like years. We were texting each other all morning, everyone anxious and nervous yet excited more than anything else. We waited outside the international gate, jumping every time a new flight walked out.

They finally arrived, most of them wearing little sweaters while we were wearing winter coats and scarves. There was a little bit of confusion about if we could give them a welcome hug or not because in france they do la bise (a kiss on each cheek). I didn't care about this and ran up to Marianne and gave her a hug. After the initial excitement calmed a little, suitcases needed to be loaded into the cars and each french and american student needed to be dropped off at home because the french were extremely tired. We took Clarisse (Kathryn's correspondent), Oliver (Charlotte's correspondent) and Marianne in our van. They threw on their heaviest coats when they stepped outside and said how cold it is in Chicago. We laughed at this because to us it really wasn't that cold and there wasn't even snow on the ground yet (just wait they got their freezing temps and snow storms later in the week..welcome to Chicago!). We talked in the car about various subjects and were impressed by their english over all. They would go off in rants in very quick spoken where we could only understand every couple words. We took each pair home then brought Marianne back to our house. She said that our town was very different than hers because our streets are all straight and every block of houses look basically the same. The first night here we took Marianne to my neighbors house so she could meet the 9 crazy kids I babysit. They showered us both with gifts because both our birthdays were within days of each other and had just passed. The next day (Sunday) Kathryn and I took our girls to the Art Institute downtown for a day in the city. They loved looking at all the french paintings up close and personal. We had a chic lunch in the new modern wing. They got to taste elegant american food which they likes. That night was the welcome dinner where we finally got to meet all the other french students and they got to try some typical american food. They said it was very greasy and the portions were huge (we do love to eat!). Then began the whirlwind of a week.

Everyday Marianne and I would get up pretty early (we put bunk beds in my room just before she came) and would rush around getting ready for school. We would be going in and out of the bathroom and would often wake my brothers up. Each morning we had breakfast of apple juice and frosted flakes (Marianne's absolute favorite) then headed off to school. I would drop Marianne off at the library where all the other french students would stay and go on the computers before they would take the train downtown to do their activities for the day. They hit all the big Chicago monuments and museums while we were at school. They spent 2 1/2 days at LT (one at south and 1 1/2 at north). Marianne said that our school is very different from her school because we have the same 7 classes each day and can't leave for lunch. The first day they spent at north was one of the more fun days of the year, the All School Assembly. This is when the 2,000 kids from south campus (Freshman and Sophomores) get bussed over and everyone crams into the field house.

The loved the assembly and were shocked at how many students we have at our school. The laughed when all of our 200+ teachers ran in from all doors for a flash-mob dance. On all the week nights we had planned a fun activity for all 50 of us to do. Some amusing moments include when Clement and Nils tried to eat double cheeseburgers at Portillos and ended up smashing them down, poker and ping pong at Kathryn's when the boys threw down hundred dollar bills at the beginning of the game, baking a french cake with Clarisse and Marianne trying to convert measurements from the metric system, and taking the girls to Uncle Bub's BBQ and making them wear bibs. One of my favorite days was the Friday night after the all school assembly. It is a french exchange tradition to go to Giordanos in Chicago then go to Blue Man Group on Briar Street. It was funny watching them try to eat deep dish pizza with their hands and the girls having photo wars to see who could get a worse picture of eachother. They loved blue man group especially when the strobe lights came on and they pulled the countless rolls of streamer paper from the back of the theater.

Saturday started off when Niki, Kathryn and I took our girls to Ceramic Art Cafe where they could paint pottery. Louise and Marianne painted identical teddy bears and Clarisse painted roses on a plate; it was a very relaxing morning after a crazy busy week. We planned to take them to lunch afterwards just around the corner but Niki had just had surgery on her knee and couldn't walk. So we decided to cram 6 of us into Niki's tiny car and drive over there. We passed multiple cop cars and laughed the entire way. They had just participated in their first illegal action in the United States.

The next few days passed so fast and before we knew it their last night in the US came. We all met up at Clint's house to celebrate with dancing, baby foot (foosball), and of course american food. We all had a great time and didn't want the night to end at all. We had all gotten so close in 10 days and became a family instantly. We headed home later than we should have, even though the french still had a lot of packing to do. They spent the next day at school with us until 12:45 came and we had to take them out to the buses to head to the airport. Everyone was hoping that the crazy snow storm the weather man talked about would come a little earlier. Sadly it didn't but it started snowing non-stop as we were loading their suitcases onto the bus. It was a very, very tearful goodbye but there was a little happiness because we would be seeing our new-found best friends in just 40 short days. We said our final goodbyes and lumbered back into school with puffy eyes and make up all over our sleeves.

This was just part one of the most fun and defining moments of my high school career. Even though there are so many differences between us, we experienced those 10 days together and no one can ever duplicate that.

And after all, it's not goodbye...it's see you later! A bientôt!

To see all the photos from the french students visit to the United States please visit my Flickr.