One last time...

Bonjour à tous!

My plane back to the United States leaves in just over 12 hours.  Just so we're clear, I'm absolutely not okay with this.  I would need about six more months here before I would be completely ready to come home.  France just hasn't annoyed me enough yet.  No offense to the four or five of you back home that read this.  I love you all, I'm looking forward to seeing you.  But really, I live a couple miles from the Mediterranean Sea and mere blocks away from hundreds of cafés ready to serve me wine and beer at all times of the day.  This just can't be matched by the good ol' USA.  

As I sit looking out the large square window of my small square communist regime apartment at the 18th century buildings across the street for what might be the very last time, I'm starting to wonder whether inspiring views of this nature have always existed in the US.  It's quite possible that I just haven't noticed them because they are very normal to me.  A French person certainly doesn't see anything special in a trip to the nearest café for a incredibly small coffee, just as an American doesn't see anything special about...wait...what is it that we do again?  Get wasted and occupy countries???  Oh yeah...that's the ticket.  Either way, I just checked my flight itinerary and it says "leaving paradise: 7:15 am, arriving in the Midwest 8:45 pm".  I do, however, return to the United States hopefully with a new vigor to see the country in which I was born.  This trip has made me realize that I have barely seen any of it, and I'm looking forward to pursuing a remedy for this.

On a more positive note, I think I did this semester as well as was humanly possible.  I think I hit seven countries and traveled all over France while still going to school enough to keep good grades.  And to be fair, most of the times that I didn't attend class weren't because I didn't want to go, but because there was an elaborate display of chairs, tables and various other pieces of debris blocking my entry.  At the same time, I didn't do too much.  I didn't set out at the beginning to see all of Europe in this one semester.  If I had done so, I would have no reason to come back.  I think I struck a good balance between setting down roots in Montpellier and exploring very different places in Europe.  I can't even been to describe how well I feel like I know France now, especially the southern part.  I think half of that is because of the amazingly functional transit system here.  Once you know how to work a train station, you can get anywhere fairly quickly and at a decent price.  Southern France is a particularly special place.  The vast majority of it was developed during the Roman Empire and then slowly transformed in to what it is today.  This is why there is such a mélange of cities and cultures here.  This is also the main reason why I'm glad I chose a program in the south rather than Paris.  It is unique beyond measure.  

Now for a list of the top ten moments from the semester!  (note: these are moments, not full trips)

10. Going to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

9. Stepping onto the Asian continent

8. Seeing the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum in London

7. Watching the awestruck look on my mother's face when her very first Monaco hit her lips.

6. Buying many scarves in the Spice Bazaar in Turkey

5. Every conversation I had with Veronique the Patisserie lady

4. Going to the Louvre with Andrew in Paris

3. Eating pastries on top of some random hill in Morocco while listening to the call to prayer with Colin and Irina

2. My first train ride from Montpellier to Paris

1.  The moment I reached the top of Pic Saint Loup (while I might have done cooler things, this was the singular moment where my new life bitch slapped me across the face). 

Really...I'm not sure if those were ranked correctly.  As I reflect more upon the trip, that list might change a lot.

Okay, my cab is coming to take me to the airport in one hour (it's 4 am right now).  So I'm going to have to wrap this up.  

Although leaving is very unfortunate, I'm taking comfort in the fact that I'm only 21 years old, and I have unspeakable amounts of time to seek out more experiences of equal or greater magnificence.  I will consider my return to the United States only as another stop, and I am going to start planning for the next adventure soon.  I refuse to live a stationary life.  In the words of my father, it is so important to just get out.  I advise you do the same.

Best,

Corey