Hello and welcome back for what is likely my last post of my study abroad blog. Thank you all who have been reading, if there are any of you left. Shout out to the random people who have been reading this whole time. Yes, even you. You know who you are, even if I don't.
After a horribly long travel experience making my way from Aix to Pittsburgh, I arrived safe and sound and tired. I've been home for nearly a month and I'm pretty much settled in. Yesterday I finally uploaded the last of my pictures to Facebook. When I got home there was a whirlwind tour of seeing all my friends and family again and it was wonderful. But now that I'm comfortably back home, I find myself missing France and my life there.
I'm sure I'm romanticizing it in my mind, but life there was so different. In France, dinners lasted for at least an hour, here I'm lucky if it reaches a half an hour. Every day there was some sort of strange and new adventure with my new friends, here life is getting a little boring and mundane. (Anyone else relate?) Back in France I saw almost all my friends almost every day, whether we were in school, or the park, or the market, or just sitting around. Here I don't see as many friends nearly as often. Part of that is because we're not in school anymore and everyone's busy, but it's a weird change.
Explaining these things to people who have never been abroad is hard. It's hard to remember that I was in France and I did something so amazing as going away for five months by myself having no idea what would happen. Sometimes I just have to stop and remind myself that it's really cool. (Hey, we all need to compliment ourselves sometimes.) Now whenever I get a little flustered about doing something new and potentially frightening, I remind myself I went abroad for a semester for crying out loud. What could be newer and more frightening?!
I don't want the time I had there and the people I met there to slip away, but who knows when I'll see them again or when I'll be back in France. That fact is so strange, because most times when we leave friends we know we'll see them again soon, over the summer, or back in the school year. But not when you study abroad. Sometimes I forget my time in France actually existed and there are lots of days I just want to go back. I would even go back to my constant state of language confusion. I love being near my friends and family and home, but as everyone always said would happen, I want to go back. But when I think of leaving home for another big adventure I get a little anxious. I definitely need to stay home for at least a little longer.
Going back to my real college, now that will be an adventure.
After those serious reflections I'd like to share with you all my first observations of the good ol' US of A. My first steps in America were in the JFK airport. Oh, you charming airport, you.
- khaki shorts and sneakers-- or worse socks and sandals-- on men
- exercise clothes for non exercise purposes
- hoodies
- top buns on girls, this is a hairstyle I both missed and find heinous
- t shirts, all the t shirts
- giant drinks, who, I beg you who needs a drink that large?! No one. A large coffee in France is smaller than a Starbucks' tall.
- large, everything is large. Cars, bathrooms, sidewalks, buildings, rooms, meals, everything.
France, I miss your classy ways.
That being said, I do love sitting around in basketball shorts.
Reverse culture shock kids, it's hard. I found myself wondering what kind of strange country I live in where people dress like this all the time and eat that much food. It's gotten better, I'm more acclimated to home (as I sit writing in my exercise clothes, even though I have no plans to exercise), but I'll never be able to truly think of all this American culture as normal as I once did.
And last fun fact, my family, my real family here in the US, is housing a kid from France in a few weeks! REVERSE! A teenager from France is just coming to live here and experience the US for a few weeks over the summer. Oh kid, have you got some shocks coming your way.
Merci mes amis and as always, profitez, no matter what country you're in.
After a horribly long travel experience making my way from Aix to Pittsburgh, I arrived safe and sound and tired. I've been home for nearly a month and I'm pretty much settled in. Yesterday I finally uploaded the last of my pictures to Facebook. When I got home there was a whirlwind tour of seeing all my friends and family again and it was wonderful. But now that I'm comfortably back home, I find myself missing France and my life there.
I'm sure I'm romanticizing it in my mind, but life there was so different. In France, dinners lasted for at least an hour, here I'm lucky if it reaches a half an hour. Every day there was some sort of strange and new adventure with my new friends, here life is getting a little boring and mundane. (Anyone else relate?) Back in France I saw almost all my friends almost every day, whether we were in school, or the park, or the market, or just sitting around. Here I don't see as many friends nearly as often. Part of that is because we're not in school anymore and everyone's busy, but it's a weird change.
Explaining these things to people who have never been abroad is hard. It's hard to remember that I was in France and I did something so amazing as going away for five months by myself having no idea what would happen. Sometimes I just have to stop and remind myself that it's really cool. (Hey, we all need to compliment ourselves sometimes.) Now whenever I get a little flustered about doing something new and potentially frightening, I remind myself I went abroad for a semester for crying out loud. What could be newer and more frightening?!
I don't want the time I had there and the people I met there to slip away, but who knows when I'll see them again or when I'll be back in France. That fact is so strange, because most times when we leave friends we know we'll see them again soon, over the summer, or back in the school year. But not when you study abroad. Sometimes I forget my time in France actually existed and there are lots of days I just want to go back. I would even go back to my constant state of language confusion. I love being near my friends and family and home, but as everyone always said would happen, I want to go back. But when I think of leaving home for another big adventure I get a little anxious. I definitely need to stay home for at least a little longer.
Going back to my real college, now that will be an adventure.
After those serious reflections I'd like to share with you all my first observations of the good ol' US of A. My first steps in America were in the JFK airport. Oh, you charming airport, you.
- khaki shorts and sneakers-- or worse socks and sandals-- on men
- exercise clothes for non exercise purposes
- hoodies
- top buns on girls, this is a hairstyle I both missed and find heinous
- t shirts, all the t shirts
- giant drinks, who, I beg you who needs a drink that large?! No one. A large coffee in France is smaller than a Starbucks' tall.
- large, everything is large. Cars, bathrooms, sidewalks, buildings, rooms, meals, everything.
France, I miss your classy ways.
That being said, I do love sitting around in basketball shorts.
Reverse culture shock kids, it's hard. I found myself wondering what kind of strange country I live in where people dress like this all the time and eat that much food. It's gotten better, I'm more acclimated to home (as I sit writing in my exercise clothes, even though I have no plans to exercise), but I'll never be able to truly think of all this American culture as normal as I once did.
And last fun fact, my family, my real family here in the US, is housing a kid from France in a few weeks! REVERSE! A teenager from France is just coming to live here and experience the US for a few weeks over the summer. Oh kid, have you got some shocks coming your way.
Merci mes amis and as always, profitez, no matter what country you're in.
we're glad you're home, baby girl.
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