Save Tonight

Hi guys!

Has it really been a week since I last posted? Time has been flying by in this last month, and it’s crazy to think that in a little over two weeks from today I’ll be on a plane with my brother headed back to the US. Where have the last 4 months gone?

Today I took my last exam for my seminar on Europe, so I figured as a treat for myself (instead of eating my feelings), I’d blog. Unfortunately, this will be one of my last posts, if not the last. I have to write at least 20 more pages for my research paper before next Friday, when it’s due. Then after that, my brother’s coming into town bright and early and I’ll be off showing him all of the places that I’ve fallen in love with. Until my paper’s done I’ll be MIA, and after that we’ll see how busy I am.

But before I start rambling on and on about my time here and how much I love this place, I have one other topic to cover – London! Not long after I last blogged, I boarded the Eurostar train and took the chunnel to London! I wasn’t as exciting on the way there because it was dark and I couldn’t tell the difference between the night sky and the tunnel, but on the way back to Paris you realize you’re in a tunnel for about 20 minutes. I’ve always liked trains, so the trip there and back was fun for me.

My dad told me to take a picture of the chunnel. So I did.

London itself though is a great city – if you have a chance to go, I would recommend it. Granted, after 4 days we were exhausted from walking around so much (mostly due to getting lost…), but there’s so much to do and to discover. Most of the tourist attractions have pretty expensive admission fees, but it was fun at least to see all the sights in person (we did splurge once at my request to ride the London Eye). One thing that Laura and I noticed early on was that in comparison to Paris, London is oddly quiet. I don’t know what made it so different, because there were still plenty of cars around, but it just felt calmer. It was different, but in a good way. 

No tourists were harmed in the taking of this photo.

One thing I realized about myself while in London was that the two public transit systems I know are both called the “metro.”  Which meant I was utterly incapable of referring to the London Underground system as the “underground” or the “tube.” I tried, really, but when you’ve grown up 5 minutes away from a metro stop, there are some things you can’t change about a person. I also was greatly confused and entertained by their identification system of the lines, with names like Piccadilly or Jubilee. My brain apparently only processes colors and numbers…this made travelling a little more difficult for me. But overall I had a great time in London, and while I don’t know if I’ll ever make it back there, I’m so glad I had an opportunity to spend a few days there.

After my short vacation, I’m once again back in Paris. Lately I’ve been jumping between missing my friends at home who are now already on summer break and realizing I have to leave soon (my visa expires in June). Before this semester, the longest I had been away from the States was probably 3 weeks, maybe a month, and with my family or someone responsible for me. While I haven’t been necessarily alone on this journey, I live in my own room and am responsible for my finances and daily life. And I’ve been doing this for 4 months now. My time abroad has changed my view of the world and of the United States, and of myself.  I’ve been travelling for as long as I can remember, and when I was applying to colleges, studying abroad was one of my big requirements. But after this time, I’ve come to realize that travelling isn’t just about being a tourist and going to the big expensive sights. It’s about embracing the culture that you’re in and not being afraid of trying new things. It’s not about going to the familiar places, but getting lost in the unknown. This semester for me has been about taking in another culture, and learning more about myself in the process. I’ve definitely had my weak points along the way, have given into American food cravings (I only went to Chipotle 3 times, I promise!) and speak English more than I should, but I’ve also eaten Lebanese food at an open air market at Bastille, had conversations with a French person about our lives over coffee at a café, and seen a play entirely in French. I’m not the same person that I was when I stepped onto my flight to Paris in January and said goodbye to Washington D.C. My time here has been absolutely unforgettable, and I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and for what Paris has taught me. I apologize in advance for when I go home and I only talk about this semester. I promise to cut down on the stories after a while…or at least I’ll try.

Since starting this semester, I have written in a journal every day. Most of it has been just to capture everything I did every day, but on my first day in Paris (I think my dad was taking a nap), I wrote down 6 goals for myself:

- Meet new people, both American and French (or neither!)

- Improve my French (to a point where I can comfortably speak and have a conversation)

- Reevaluate my relationships at home – who am I going to be friends with in the long run? Who will take the time to keep in touch with me?

- Explore a new(ish) country

- Find my passion – what do I want to do with my life?

- Journal daily

I’m happy to say that I think I’ve accomplished all of the things I had set out to do, plus much more. At first it was weird to think that I wouldn’t be spending another semester in the burg, but now I can’t imagine spending this spring anywhere else. 

And thank you all who have been reading my blog and keeping up with me. I have appreciated every Skype call, email, Facebook like, all of it. I’ve loved sharing my life with you. Post Paris, I might continue to post on here occasionally, to document my transition back to being an American. I’m excited for all the adventures that await me!

Love,

Dana