Before I left for France I found it impossible to imagine that in such a short time I would be leaving to go to a foreign country for a whole year. I feel a little bit like that right now. Not only do I find it utterly impossible to imagine that I'm going to be back in the United States in less than two months, but it also seems like I'm going to another foreign country. The two months mark came and went without leaving me time to fully comprehend the magnitude of what it means.
In about a month and a half I will no longer be in France. With almost all of my friends and family here in France, the subject has become taboo. We just don't talk about it because it's too sad to think about. I know I'll come back, but visiting isn't the same thing as living the French life.
I've really come to love this country and I haven't even had the chance to explore it in it's entirety. I'm going to be coming back to visit for the rest of my life.
With that all said, it's not over yet! I still have time left to really take advantage of my experience. School is almost over (June 10th) and the weather is gorgeous! I'm living the life with the sun and a high of 80's every day.
I've also taken advantage of the nice weather to do some traveling and see some friends and family. Since the last time I updated I've visited with my older brother, sister-in-law and niece, I've been to the French Alps, traveled back up to Paris to visit some friends from home, took a trip to Corsica, and spent a mini-vacation in St. Tropez.
Here's the proof :)
Lucy, Laura and me in Cassis
Ice Cream with Lucy and Eben in Cassis
Hiking in the Alps!
Reunion in the middle of Paris!
The view from a hike in Corsica
Jumping around in Bonifacio, Corsica
Emma and me in Corsica
The Statue of Liberty! There's a carnival at school where everyone dresses up, and this was my costume.
La Bravade de St. Tropez.
Each year, St. Tropez has their "fête du village" where they celebrate their history. It's a different St. Tropez than I had imagined or seen before. All of the Tropeziens dress up in the old provençal costumes. It's like we took a trip back in time.
La Bravade de St. Tropez
Here's a video of last years Bravade. It'll give you an idea of what it's like. You'll see small bouquets on the shoulders of the soldiers. Nicoles family is the last family in the town who make the bouquets, so we spent the day before the bravade making bouquets for the town. They then got sent to the church to be blessed. Folklore has it that if you keep your bouquet for the whole year, it'll bring you good luck. On the other hand, you can't throw it out until you have one from next year, and you can't throw the old one in the trash. It has to be thrown to sea or burned.
In the next month and a half, I expect that I'll be even busier than the last! Imagine that!
