Handstands In Paris

I can now successfully navigate both a French keyboard and an American one, thanks to my French Netbook/American Blackberry.
I feel like a superhero.  

So in a little over 24 hours, I will be in the good ole USA. Excited? Absolutely!

Tomorrow, I’m braving the metro one last time (with 2 big suitcases, a backpack, and a purse…I can only see this going horribly horribly wrong) and then taking a bus to the airport. Flight leaves at 1:30, arriving in Canada at 2:30 (you know, super fast plane…crosses the Atlantic in an hour. Either that or it’s seven hours…but I’m really hoping for the former). 3 1/2 hour layover there and it’s off to Boston, landing at 7:30pm! I’m so excited to go home, and I know that layover is going to SUPER annoying because we’ll be so close, but yet so far. 

My parents are coming to the airport to get me, and I can just see myself bursting into tears when I see them—it’s been so long! And then we’re getting drinks because I’m 21 now! The only thing I’m not looking forward to really is the question I’m sure I’ll be asked about 80,000 times: “How was your trip?” How was my trip? I was in France for 4 months…where am I supposed to begin? I’ll figure it out, of course, and I know I’ll actually be really excited to tell all my stories (so please, do ask!!).

So for now, goodnight Paris! It’s been the greatest 4 months of my life; I learned more than I could have imagined and I’ll cherish this experience for the rest of my life. =)

Dear Daddy,

Thank you SO MUCH for listening to me bitch about anything and everything every time I was home from school. And thank you for always giving me the advice to “stay above the fray.” 
In my current situation, it is the best advice that I could have. Some people are mean, and I REFUSE to stoop to their level. We’ll return to the US and they will still have their miserable selves that only feel good when they put others down. And me? I’ll have my true friends who love me no matter what and my positive attitude. There is no reason to be mean to people, even if you don’t like them. So.  Be nice, people. Even if you don’t like someone. Be nice and avoid the drama.
Stay above the fray…

• Memorize scene from Andromaque for Phonetics
• 10-12 page paper (in French…yikes!) for Paris Métisse
• 10 minute presentation for Paris Métisse
• Grammar final exam
• Muslim Presence final exam
• Movie review for Muslim Presence

I have 6 classes left in Paris… 5 of which are taken up by either taking a final, giving a presentation, or listening to other people’s final projects. YIKES.

…than to be doing research and writing…

Cool. 

So Tuesday I have my final presentation for my class “Paris Métisse.” And then Friday my 10-12 page paper for said class is due. Wednesday is my last day of classes…So basically I’m sacrificing today and tomorrow (though I’m going out tonight, so that’s gooooood) to be able to enjoy Thursday and Friday. If I actually get my shit together and get it all done, then it’ll all be worth it. 

I really don’t want to have to spend my last two days here doing work. Soooo…back to work for me =) 

So, believe it or not, this semester is drawing to a close. I’m not sure exactly when that happened (or where March/April went?), but I have mixed feelings about the whole thing.
You see, every semester, I long to go home when finals get close. It’s just after working all semester, I’m ready for a break. Well being in Paris makes that feeling all the more confusing. I want to go home. I’m ready to go home. But I feel like shortly after I go home, I’m going to want to come back (though how shortly after, I can’t predict).  
I miss the little things about the US. Aside from my family—that’s a given!—I miss iced coffee (DUNKIN.). I miss living in a suburb. I miss my cats (even Fred, I guess…even if she’s gross). I miss living both in a dorm/apartment at RWU and living at home. I miss driving. I miss dancing. The list goes on and on…
But at the same time, there is so much of Paris that I am going to miss. The food. OH THE FOOD. I’m pretty much going to miss the baguettes, pain au chocolat, and crepes the most. Nothing compares to going to a boulangerie and getting a baguette that is still warm from the oven. And watching someone make the crepe in front of you? Nothing rivals that in the US.
There’s also so much that I feel like I didn’t discover in Paris. I learned the city by metro…which meant that when friends visited, I didn’t really know how to take them anywhere by foot. I always hopped on the metro since I have an unlimited monthly pass, and it was kinda awkward when they had single-use tickets… I feel like if I was here last semester I would have known the city much better (since I would have been more inclined to walk when it wasn’t 0°). I still haven’t been to the top of the Eiffel Tower (though tomorrow, perhaps!), nor have I done a handstand there (again…tomorrow?). I haven’t been to Versailles (hopefully next week). I didn’t go to Disneyland Paris or Parc Asterix. Now I’m stressing about papers and finals and memorizing things…I just want to go home…or to Disneyland…
It’s a weird feeling. I’m absolutely ready to go home. This has been one of the best experiences of my life; I’ve learned so much…but the USA is my home, and I’m ready. But as I enter this last week, I want to figure out a way to do all the things I’ve been meaning to do…all while figuring out how to manage these damn finals…

To finish off spring break, I went to Amsterdam with Meg and Dan!

*Sentimental thoughts*

I met Dan and Meg in our French class freshman year at RWU. A year from now, the three of us will be graduating with our French degrees…so this was a cool experience to share with them =)

So happy Dan joined me in the handstand fun!