11 More Days!!

The time till going home is getting closer and closer, and every day I count the days, thinking "What was I doing 11 days ago? Let's see...that would have been April 9, the day Gabrielle and I went to Monaco and Nice and drove back to Perpignan. That's not so far away!" I can't help but get excited, and knowing that everyone from back home is getting excited to have me home makes me even MORE excited!! (Can you tell I'm excited here?)

This week at school, I'm seeing each group for the last time. They're asking me questions about life in the U.S., what I think about France, and when they can come visit. Some of them seem genuinely sad that I'm leaving. Some have asked for my email address, and others still vow to track me down on Facebook.

What I find funny is that the majority of my students don't see me as going home. For them, I'm simply going to the U.S. "You're soooooo lucky," one of my female students told me today. I think I saw a reflection of an "I (heart) NY" tee-shirt in her eyes. They don't see me as returning to my normal life -- with my family, my friends, and my beloved Central Oregon pine trees -- but they see me as temporarily traveling to an exotic place littered with celebrities, where it rains money, and people drive shiny new SUVs.

Although I cannot wait to get back home, I know that I have many loose ends to tie before I leave. I have administrative things to take care of (STILL!), people to say goodbye to, and a whole apartment full of stuff to pack up.

I also know that I'll miss it here. I'll miss the freedom that comes with living abroad. I'll miss the 12-hour work weeks, and the laid-back attitude of the French. And I'll miss my apartment, which I've come to love so very much. I'll probably cry a little bit when I leave because, for better and for worse, this place has been my home for the past seven months.

And I'll certainly miss that part.