Well I guess I should back up a bit and start with what's all been going on since I last updated. So after I left Aix, I took a train to Paris where I met Selby the next day. I always love meeting people at airports, especially the part where I get to see people I haven't seen in almost a year. Selby & I had quite the grand adventure which included a run in with the French police (ok, it was the metro police, aka "contrôleurs", but still) and culminated in me getting pickpocketed in Barcelona, Spain, a place I now officially dislike. So Selby & I hung out in Paris for a few days, seeing the basic sights (Eiffel Tour, Arc de Triomphe, etc, etc) and then we went to Barcelona for the weekend which, like I said, wasn't so hot on account of the fact that I got pickpocketed not 20 minutes after we had arrived, and right after I had warned Selby how Barcelona was famous for pickpockets (I had hidden everything but my blackberry which I had left in my shorts pocket, oops, so much for having a fancy phone when I get back to the States. Other than that though, we did have a good time, and one night we went out with our hostel where we met what seemed like half the Canadian population (there was at least 20 of them in our group of 30) and learned that Canadians like to high five while Australians do this weird thing where the do planks in public places and then take pictures, the weirder (or more dangerous) the place, the better I guess? All the while, I could not think about how much I wanted to go back to France, even though we were only gone during 3 days total, I missed it so much. I think it was at that moment that I truly realized how much I consider France to be one of my homes and I FINALLY began to feel like I fit in.
After Selby's visit (literally, the day after) my mom and her two friends, the two Cyndis, came to visit. From the Paris aéroport we took the high speed train right down to Aix, where we spent 4 BEAUTIFUL days in the south of France. I think this had to be one of the best parts of my trip so far and for so many reasons. One, because I got to show my mother around the city/region/country that I had been living in for a year, and two, this also gave me the chance to visit some places in the south that I hadn't yet seen. Plus, my mother finally got to meet my French family, with whom we stayed during that part of the trip. I was super nervous about this for many reasons, language barriers, cultural differences, differences in eating habits, etc, etc, but my mom got along with my French family GREAT. It was kind of like uniting two completely different parts of my family. I will forever be grateful for what my French family has done for me. They have shown me kindness & hospitality. I have so many fond memories with them! From our weekly dinners, to letting me sleep over when I'm not feeling good or feeling a little bit homesick, celebrating my birthday with my favorite dish made by my French mommy, when I stayed over during spring break "to study" and ended up just hanging out with my French sisters, going to the gym for an "abdos-fessiers" (butts & abs) with my sisters, from which we all came home & declared that they had "killed Doog" because I could not walk well for like 3 days after that. Yes, yes, I could go on & on. I love these guys so much & I hope they know how much I appreciate all they have done for me. They have truly been a part of making this one of the best years of my life and I only hope one day I can reciprocate.
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| My mom has most of the pictures with my French family, however, here is one of me, my French sis Audrey, and my mommy. |
Well I'll be seeing you all soon Stateside.
Ciao!
-Doogie
