Adieu l'aventure (mes amies), Bonjour le monde

I’ve been home for a few days and it’s taken me a minute to adjust to a few things. My sleep schedule has been off and haven’t been able to sleep past 8 a.m. and my sinuses have been acting up. You would think that with Paris’s crazy weather, I would have been able to adjust to Virginia’s own psychotic mess. However, that is not the case. I have been able to get back into the swing of things at home and spend time with my family.

I’ve loved being back home and missed the people I loved like crazy, but the adventure is gone. I’m no longer excited to get up each morning realizing that I’m not in Paris and having something else I want to see in the city. I’m back in my hometown that I’ve known all my life and have seen all there is. I will miss Paris and the adventures I had. I will miss the food I ate and the places I went to. The one thing I will miss the most are the friends I made.

Before I started my study abroad journey, I didn’t think I would make any friends or be close to anyone in my program. I figured I would enjoy spending time with some people, but not enough to miss them. That’s the thing about studying abroad, you never know the people you’re going to meet and the friendships you’re going to make. During my time, I met the funniest, amazing, caring people in my entire life. I started this journey with them and I couldn’t imagine not ending it with them.  

Coming home to where I won’t be able to see them every day is enough. It’s hard knowing that my friends (who became my family) and I won’t be able to have the adventure like we used to. To experience the craziness of the Parisian metro, our walks around the city, the interesting classes we took over, and the amazing foods we were able to try. I enjoyed my experience and I enjoyed my time being there, but, sadly, it had to end.

Studying abroad in Paris is one of my greatest achievements and the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my life. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world nor would I ever want to. Having this experience taught me about responsibility, independence, and the value of friendships. Some of those things may seem corny to some people but they change my perspective on life and how I perceived people. It may have confused me more about what I want to do with my life, but it helped me know not to settle for less. Also, that the best experiences are the ones you least expect. I am grateful for the places I’ve been to, the people I’ve met, and the lessons I’ve learned. Nonetheless, nothing will take away the time that I had with my friends.

Goodbye, my friends, I will miss you dearly. Goodbye Adventure, thank you for giving me this journey. Goodbye Paris, we will see each other soon.

Hello World, we meet again.