I'm Back, Baby!

I'm back home in Oregon now. 

After 26 hours of travelling.

And a frantic phone call to United Thursday morning.

I'm home. 

I balled at the airport. As ususal.

And I looked like this:

via

But, I'm home and loving it.

Look forward to a wrap up of my week in Paris later this week!

Last Day of Class!

Yesterday was the last day of class at CIDEF, and while I still I have finals, I feel pretty "done".

And I'm not sure how I feel about going home just yet. 

I'm VERY ready to see my family and my friends. 

I'm ready to be in a place where they speak a language I actually understand all the time. 

I'm ready to be in Oregon, I miss my car. 

But at the same time, I'm not ready to go. 

I'm going to miss my new friends.

I'm going to miss going to Paris for the day, just because I can. 

I don't think my French has improved as much as I wanted it to, I'm definitely not fluent. 

But it's ok. 

We took a few photos in my classes yesterday.

Langue 312 

Expression Orale

HARRY POTTER STUDIO TOUR!!!

In case you didn't know me when I was a tween/teenager, I was OBSESSED with Harry Potter.

I made my parents buy me the 4th Harry Potter book for me in England when we were visiting for a week before we moved there. I had an electronic spell book. I had Quidditch through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and where to Find Them before most Americans knew they existed. The books also somehow corresponded to most of my O'Rourke family reunions in middle school and high school. And my cousins and I really like the books:

My cousin Kathleen

Me

We were sitting on 2 couches that we next to each other, and not talking. Anyway, I LOVE Harry Potter. So when we talked about London, Laura mentioned that this tour was opening, and I was stoked!

So we booked tickets, about 2 months in advance. 

And it only opened about a month ago. 

AND IT'S AMAZING.

[i took about 500 photos, but i'll pare it down for you]

Had to start off with Platform 9 3/4

 shuttle from the train station to the studio

 !!!!!!

astronomy tower 

 pictures in the lobby

flying car 

 cupboard under the stairs

doors to Hogwarts 

 Great Hall

 Dumbledore

House Points 

 Daniel Radcliffe's first Harry costume

 Yule Ball costumes

Wigs (Draco, Arthur Weasley, Bloody Baron) 

 Snape's wig

Luna's costumes 

Harry Costumes from the 8th movie 

 Dormitory

 Harry's bed

 Mirror of Erised (Alyssa, Laura, Me)

 Erised

 Fat Lady

 Wands

 Azkaban Number

Snitch

Philosopher's Stone

Dumbledore's office & Sorting Hat! 

Dumbledore's office 

Invisibility Cloak 

Horcrux: Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem 

Horcrux: Marvolo Gaunt's Ring 

 Horcrux: Helga Hufflepuff's Cup

Horcrux: Tom Riddle's Diary 

 Horcrux: Salazar Slytherin's Locket

 Ministry of Magic

 Weasley Products

 Death Eater Masks

 Broomstick and Green Screen

 Tickets!

 Letters!

 Knight Bus!

Hehe.

Privet Drive 

Number Four Privet Drive 

Anamatronic Hagrid Head 

 Fawkes

Dobby

Diagon Alley

 Ollivander's!

 Tiny model of the Gryffindor common room

24:1 Scale Model of Hogwarts that they used to film 

 Me in front of the model

Laura and I 

 Daniel Radcliffe's name in Ollivander's shop

J.K. Rowling!

 Trying on a Gryffindor Robe! (fits perfect!)

Laura and my glasses! 

 

I got the official guide, a shirt, glasses and a wand at the studio and then Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone plus Tales of Beedle the Bard at the book store at Platform 9 3/4 

Hermione's Wand

Butterbeer! [Laura, Alyssa, Zoe, Me, and Laura]

In the front! 

SUCH A FUN DAY! 

I want to go back again. 

But in all seriousness, you should go.