Hello everyone from sunny and warm Northern France! :) Ahh it is finally spring! Today I have the window wide open and am listening to the "Top Hits" songs from the TV across the street. And, yesterday, for possibly the first time in about 3 years now, I have the slightest hint of a suntan! Yesterday was my roommate Miriam's last day in Douai. Her sister was in town to drive her home, so yesterday the three of us spent last day together...at the beach! It was so wonderful! But before we went to the beach, we stopped in Bergues, France--a small town made famous by a French film. We had lunch at a restaurant that came highly recommended to us, called "Le Bruegel." All the waitresses wore traditional smocks and the food was regional specialties of the North of France. We opened up our menus, and soon realized it was impossible to order something that was not smothered in cheese. Like I am talking the amount of cheese in this restaurant could cause the digestive systems of the entire population of Delaware to come to a complete halt. It was absolutely unbelievable. I could not even eat 1/3 of my meal ( a. because it was so unbelievable heavy, and b. because I was legitimately concerned about the health of my heart after eating 2 bites).
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| Me with my hearty lunch. |
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| At the beach (well...close to it at least. It was way to cold and windy to actually sit on the beach, so we took refuge on some sand dunes next to the beach). |
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Anyway, it was a really fun day, but the whole time I had that weird feeling in my stomach that I always get when times start to change. Miriam is the second person to leave our apartment, and by Friday morning there will only be two of us left. Last Thursday night, all of the English teachers in my high school took me out to dinner. I was asked many times how I felt about leaving, if I was sad, if I was going to miss my new friends/students/etc. I really struggled with how to answer this difficult question. My lifestyle these past 5-6 years has been rather transient, so this is certainly not the first time in my life that I have had to say goodbye to people and experiences that have truly meant something to me. So being asked this question several times has made me realize that no, I do not feel sad about leaving. Instead, I just feel really appreciative that I have had this opportunity to meet so many wonderful people and to have this experience abroad.
Ok..that and plus when I leave next Tuesday I am going to be going....
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| HERE (Ireland - 8 days) | | |
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| Then HERE (Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia- 2 days) |
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| Then on to HERE (Hvar/Split, Croatia--4 days) |
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| And finally, HERE (Dubrovnik, Croatia--4 days) |
Then I will meet my parents in the French/Swiss Alps for some hiking, and then we will end in Paris. Ahhhh. So while in the above paragraphs I was trying to sound philosophical and regal about my life experiences teaching me to accept good things coming to an end...but let's be honest...this is really why I am not sad....
Anyway, I need to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. I hope you all have a lovely Sunday!
I'll be back home from May 22nd--May 30th, and then I will be in Alaska from May 30--August-ish, so I look forward to seeing ya'll soon! :)
