12.04.2013

time flies

In just under 3 weeks I will be back home in cozy little Danville, ready to celebrate Christmas with my family. I really cannot believe how fast the past 3 months have flown by, especially the month of November. This entire experience is beyond words right now - I can't simply or clearly explain how much it has affected me yet. I've always been someone who appreciates the little things in life but being here, so incredibly lucky to be supported by my family and friends, takes my gratitude to a whole new level. I get excited over the tiniest things now and am totally in the moment. This city never stops taking my breath away and I'm always seeing something new and beautiful. It's going to be so weird leaving.

On the school front, not much has changed - things still aren't challenging, it's more just a matter of showing up. Which is pretty perfect for me since it's my last semester and I'm far more interested in spending time outside in the city anyway. All last week I was super excited for a friend to visit and finished a few assignments early so I could relax while he was here. On Thursday morning, Ryan arrived from San Francisco ready to take on Thanksgiving with me. We did a fair amount of sightseeing then headed to the grocery store for some last minute items to make dinner as authentically American as possible. Cooking a turkey in a tiny french oven was a daunting task but we (he) managed to roast the bird to perfection. It was accompanied by mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie for dessert (obviously). It was such an awesome meal, fun to cook together, and cured any sort of homesickness or FOMO I might have had 100%. The rest of the weekend consisted of sleeping in late (my favorite), wandering Paris and trying out a new bar/club each night. It was super nice to have a familiar, handsome face around.

Now I'm in the process of wrapping up classes by presenting and preparing for final exams/projects, which are nicely spread out through the next 2 weeks. It's really mind-blowing to think I only have 3 more weekends in Europe. I'm super anxious to get home but I'm also sad to be separated from this place I've made home for the past few months. It'll be hard in some ways to go back to Danville. I have so much freedom and curiosity here - My hope is to land an awesome job in San Francisco so I can keep this sense of adventure in my own city. Regardless of my mixed feelings, I'm an incredibly happy girl and can't wait to share even more of my experiences. The European traveling and fun are not over yet!

Nighttime in Paris is my favorite


Loving evening runs lately


After a lovely Parisian thanksgiving!

Seeing the sky is a rarity recently

Ryan & Me

I'm in love with the sky

Another beautiful sky during an evening run at Jardin du Luxembourg

2 comments:

  1. ooohh la la. Looks like you and Ryan are picture purrfect in Paris! Luv Ya!

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