I can’t believe that it’s over already. I don’t know how time went by so quickly, and when my French dad dropped me off at the train station this morning, I definitely wasn’t ready to leave yet. I feel like I left right when I was getting comfortable with everything and that there will still so many things that I had not yet discovered or was just beginning to discover. At the same time, I also feel like I learned so much about myself in Montpellier – how to not sweat the small stuff so much, how to let others take charge, how to have amazing amounts of confidence in myself in challenging situations, and so much more. It’s almost like I discovered a better version of myself in Montpellier. I desperately hope that this new self comes back with me to the United States. Will I have enough confidence in myself to go to class without doing my hair and makeup? Will I still be able to let other people make plans and go with their ideas? Will I still be this confident when talking to strangers or when in unfamiliar places? Will I be willing to take risks not knowing if they’ll pay off? From the bottom of my broken little franglais coeur, I certainly hope so.
I haven’t even been gone a whole day yet and already I greatly miss:
Gabrielle’s little footsteps running around upstairs above my room
Ice cream after dinner with my French parents
Gabrielle’s tiny French voice calling, “Amanda?”
Being a princess at the dinner table
Watching the French news/Tour de France/Meteo in the evenings
Nutella and baguettes for breakfast while playing with Raphaelle
Breakfast tea in my elephant mug
Being challenged and pushed to improve my French and my listening comprehension
Holding Raphaelle’s tiny hands and wandering around the house and garden
Riding the bus to school every morning with my friends and catching up on gossip
Complaining about the Resto U food but refusing to eat anywhere else because of the price
Playing in the pool
Being teased relentlessly by my French parents and their friends
Hanging out at Estivales and wine tasting
Riding the floral tram and trying not to topple over
It’s really the everyday things that I took for granted that I miss the most. And I’m not going to lie, I’ve cried a couple of times today…
I’m so glad to have my mom with me in Paris, but I wish that I had known how much I was going to love Montpellier so that I could have taken her there instead.
My last few days in Montpellier absolutely flew by, and I promise that I’ll tell you all about them (as well as today’s adventures) very soon. However, the internet in this hotel is ridiculously expensive, and I’m actually typing this on the floor of my hotel’s bathroom because all the lights in the bedroom part are connected to one light switch, and my mom has already gone to bed.
I can’t wait to go back. I’m saving up now!!
P.S. Anne-Sophie et Laurent, si vous lisez ce blog, vous me manquez plus que vous pouvez comprendre. Vous étiez les meilleurs parents français en tout le monde. J’attends avec impatience le jour que je peux revenir chez vous. Donnez plusieurs bisous à Gabrielle et Raphaëlle pour moi !!
