One more time.

Bonjour de Cannes, France one last time! This has been one crazy ride, but one that I am thrilled to have taken. We've been talking a lot lately about our first days here way back in August, and how we've all grown and changed throughout the semester. In many ways, that first day seems like just yesterday, and in others, it seems like another age entirely. I remember waking up in a hotel room in Nice on my first morning here, hearing the maids speaking French just outside the door, and groggily thinking, "Oh NO, I have to get up and use all my energy to translate that noise all day." Then I thought about this past Tuesday night when I was able to jump in at the last second and direct a choir of kids for a French song on the spot in front of an audience. The language is so deeply rooted in my brain now that I can't help but understand it without even trying. I have so much more confidence speaking and navigating, and that's really exciting to realize.

This has been a hard day for everyone here. We had our last class with Sylvie this morning; it finally began to hit home that you can't spend three hours a day, five days a week with the same people for four months and not miss them. Luckily, I will be able to see most of my friends from CSB/SJU next semester (although it won't be the same), but I don't know if I'll ever see my friends from France, Germany, and those with the AIFS group from all over the United States. This afternoon, Mickey and McGhee left for Nice for the night, and a group of us will walk Katie to the bus station at two o'clock this morning so she can make her early morning flight. There are so many goodbyes to be said and everyone is getting sick of it; I already had to leave my students and my flute teacher at the Conservatory earlier this week.

Studying abroad is one of those experiences that has dozens of unforseen consequences and outcomes. The hardest thing about it for me is the finality of leaving and not knowing when I'll be back to this place that I've called home for the past four months. After wandering around Cannes this week, I realized that I also don't remember a lot of things that struck me about France when I first got here - or I don't remember why they struck me, because everything about France is so normal to me now. I guess the last part of this adventure will be the reverse culture shock stage, where I stare, dumbfounded, at green, same-sized currency and scream and run away in fear of giant SUVs that just might eat me. I'll have a phone again, no need for a plug converter anymore, and the waiters at restaurants will bring the check right away after the meal without my asking for it. Also, people will give me strange looks when I try to order my food or respond to questions in class in French without noticing.

I also want to say merci mille fois to all of my family and friends who have supported me through this semester in so many ways. Thanks for the cards, emails, Skype dates, Facebook messages, and for giving me motivation to keep up with this blog throughout the semester. Thank you for putting up with me missing and craving Chipotle from time to time (even though I'm in France, for heaven's sake) and complaining of the "cold" here. And thank you especially to Mom and Dad for working so hard to get me here, worrying incessantly for four months straight, coming to visit, and for taking good care of Johann Sebastian in my absence.

I will see all of you soon on the other side of the Atlantic where I see a snowstorm has been arranged as a welcome back gift. Mais avant de partir, je voudrais dire à la France: C'est pas "au revoir", c'est "jusqu'à la suite". Tu me manques déjà.