April Already.

I haven't updated in quite awhile! For a week it was simply because I did not have much to say, and then the second week of no posts was because Marco and I took a trip to Lyon to see some of his family. I will post about the trip tomorrow once I have sorted through the photos.


In general, it is strange thinking that it is already April 6th. My teaching contract is until the end of April but I actually only have 6 days of teaching to go (we have a 2 week break in the middle of April and I never work on Wednesdays). I am not too disappointed about that aspect of being in France, but I am already mentally trying to prepare myself for my return to the US in 1 month and 2 weeks. I bought my train ticket for May 19th for my flight back on the 20th today to try and take one more small step towards preparation. Some British friends are leaving this weekend, so I'll have to start saying some goodbyes as well.


I am looking forward to being back in the US - I get homesick a lot more often now that I did a few months ago. The problem is that I am also scared to go back in some ways. Not only do I have to leave France behind, but I also have to leave behind Marco, his mom, and my life of the past year. This year has been life changing in so many ways but no one has really been able to see the transition or what I experience on a daily basis. I think it will be difficult to assimilate back to American culture and even being with people that know me well. In fact, I am afraid that I won't ever fully be able to make a complete transition. An experience like this definitely makes a person evolve in many ways. I will be completely 'bouleverse' as the French say. My life will be disrupted, turned upside down, and once again drastically changed. All I can pray is that my experience in France has changed me for the positive, that I will always look back on these 9 months fondly, and that others are understanding through a happy, but personally challenging time.


I don't know if this is something many people who live abroad experience upon their return, or if I am a special case. I wish I could explain it better, but I know that's impossible.


"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn."
Psalm 18:32-36




P.S. Paris is the most popular tourist destination in the world. Normally, there are about 90 million tourists every year. This past year was a special case because of 'THE Crisis' (can't even tell you how many times I have heard 'la crise' in the past months) so there were about 60 million tourists instead.