So, obviously the summer is over. I am back in the United States. I am back in Michigan. And I am back at Northern Michigan University. At first, I didn't miss Paris at all. I was just so happy to be home. I was so happy to have everything I am familiar with back in front of me. And then I went into the grocery store. I was overwhelmed by the choices in an American Grocery store. I was overwhelmed by the size of everything. It was hard to handle. I nearly broke down in tears trying to find some cookies. That was when I realized I missed Paris. I miss the lazy days in front of the Eiffel Tower, dinners with my host mother, the metro.
My last few weeks in Paris were amazing. I made it to all the museums I had wanted to visit. I went to the Orsay, the Orangerie, the Louvre, the Opera House, the Carnavalet. I went into Montmartre and wandered the streets with Annick. I enjoyed all the french treats I had grown to love. I visited the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame. I wandered the streets, and said good bye to all the things that had grown so familiar to me. I was a Parisian then. I had become the girl who could ride the metro without smiling to ward off unwanted attention. I could order anything off the menu in French. I could guide tourists along the metro with ease. I could even scoff at the influx of visitors to Paris.
I was in love with Paris. But, there was so much appeal to leaving. I felt like my time there was over and done with. So I took a vacation from Paris, and met my high school best friend in Rome, Italy. I liked Rome. The pasta, the monuments, the history. I think the Colosseum ended up being the high light of my summer. Seeing Ariel there was an experience. I see her only about once a year, and here I was exploring foreign lands with her. And it was AMAZING. I did get lost on my entry into Rome, I got off the bus on the wrong side of the river. I didn't have a map. But, I found my way to where I needed to be. And although a little late and a little scared, I arrived safely.
Traveling alone is something so empowering. And so terrifying. I prefer traveling with someone, I decided. But, the things I learned about myself in my journey from Paris to Rome and back to Paris were monumental to the person I'm becoming. I arrived back in Paris, on August. 3rd, and stayed for three nights there saying goodbye to my new love. On the morning of August 6th, I returned to 4 Rue St. Hubert. And met up with Annick my lovely host mother. I picked up my excess luggage and she took me to the bus. Saying goodbye to her was like saying good bye to not only a great friend but also your grand mother. I boarded the bus. With teary eyes and said "au revoir, Paris."
