Dear Reader,
They say that home is where the heart is. If that is true, then I left my heart in St. Laurent du-Var. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I bade farewell to the small town I had grown to love so much. Even though I had four days in Paris ahead of me, I couldn't fathom dinners without Lucie (my adorable host sister), walks without my new friends from St. Laurent who weren't venturing to Paris, or days without going to the rocky beach. Saying goodbye to all those things was a nightmare. It is strange when your nightmare is that the dream is simply coming to an end.
At the beginning of the trip, I made a few goals for myself. They included accidentally writing a blog post in French, reading a newspaper article in French understanding every word, and considering myself to be borderline conversational/fluent. After a few days in France, it became easier to transition between English and French so I never wrote an entire blog in French. But when speaking to friends, I often typed in "Franglish" throwing in a few words in French here or there. Also, when I first arrived in the US, I kept accidentally talking to people in French. "Oh right. We're in America now. English", I constantly had to remind myself. I had the opportunity to read several newspaper articles while in France. Though I never could understand every word, I understood the overall idea. It was fun getting to keep up with the same world I had always lived in, but in a different language. I would consider myself to be very conversational in French, but I still have a long way to go before I'm fluent. Looking back on my French speaking skills prior to the trip, I was hardly conversational. I could read and write well but I had never spoken French aloud. It was so rewarding the other day listening to my favorite Edith Piaf songs and understanding what the famous French singer was saying.
Returning to my house in America was strange. I wasn't used to all the space and I realized that people really don't need that much space. How amazing it is to have air conditioning all the time, to be able to dry your clothes quickly in a machine, and to be able to drive everywhere... unnecessary, I now realize, but luxuries.
I expected to be homesick when in St. Laurent du-Var. I never expected to be homesick once returning to Kansas City. I want desperately to be back in France with my friends and host family. If I was crying when I left St. Laurent, you would expect for me to bawl when leaving Paris. Yes, I was sad. But looking out that airplane window, I knew it wasn't goodbye for long. "Au Revoir, France. Mais pas à jamais", I said under my breath.
Avec toute mon affection,
Elizabeth
