hindsight

In a vain attempt to hold onto France, I've found myself doing some little silly things:

I keep my cell phone clock in 24 hour mode.
I write my dates like this 29.09.2010 instead of this 09.29.2010.
I stare longingly at macaron recipes such as this one.
In order to be able to make above recipes, I stick a kitchen scale on my wedding registry.
I talk to myself in French sometimes while I drive.

I miss lovely Toulouse.
Sometimes I walk around the streets of the centre ville in my head. Down Jean Jaures, through Place Wilson, straight past Etam to Alsace Lorraine, down Alsace Lorraine to Rue de Metz...ah, so fun.

I've been back for over a month now, and I'm all accustomed to being American again.
And looking back I'd just like to say,
I'm very grateful for this past summer and for the time I spent in Europe. It was so eye-opening and so...stretching? character-wise. Sometimes it was really hard, you know, and not so fun. But when it was fun, man, it was fun. I cried a lot, I laughed a lot, I ate a lot, I learned a lot, I shopped a lot, I grew a lot. And it was probably my last chance to do something like that since I'm getting married this December and moving back east so my future husband can go to med school and I can go to grad school.

So, thanks BYU French department and International Study Program for this opportunity.
What a neat, neat experience.

tolosa

Little by little, maybe I've grown quite fond of this city.

I feel like I'm finally starting to really know my way around all of the little cobblestone streets, metro stations, and outer neighborhoods.

I also feel like I'm only just beginning to be able to really communicate with people.

(Dear Every Single French Teacher I've Ever Had,

Why did no one mention French is a private club for members?*)

In exactly two weeks I say au revoir to the land of  chocolate macarons and papillotes and crepes and emmental cheese and hello to the land of air conditioning.

Photo from a little side road off of Rue du Taur, near Le Sherpa-aka best creperie in Toulouse

*Membership dues include living in France/other Francophone country for at least 6 months. I just don't feel like there's any other way to become fluent.