Je m'ennuie

Salut!

If I am covered in black and green splotches by the time I step foot on American soil, don’t worry, it’s just mildew.  It has rained in Issoudun for at least the past 6 days (I've stopped counting) and I don’t honestly remember the last time my hair and clothes have been dry at the same time.  And in just a few days, I’ll be meeting my mom and aunt for an adventure in Ireland- a country known for its rain.  So the possibility of me mildewing is not far fetched in the least.

Because my time abroad is coming to a unnaturally quick close, this blog post outlines the pros and cons of my time here in France…but with a twist...rather than pros and cons, I’m going to list what I’ll miss most from France and what I’m looking forward to most upon my return.   

What I’ll miss most from France:

5) Food- fresh baguette, patisseries, croissants, Mireille’s tarte au citron, Mireille’s smoked salmon quiche, Mireille’s cooking in general, cheese, the endless amount of yogurt, etc. 

4) 2-hour lunch breaks.  How am I expected to eat and digest lunch without the 2-hour lunch break?  This is going to be a rude awakening when I get back to the U.S.

3) Hearing and speaking French on a regular basis.  There is something indescribably enjoyable about speaking a foreign language "couramment."  Similarly, becoming culturally immersed to the point of no longer seeing anomalies in a non-American culture is mind-blowingly neat.  Speaking English in the U.S. seems boring in comparison.

2) Issoudun.  The city that has been my home for the past 9 months.  I had never before lived in a town so small or so rural, and I can attest that the people in Issoudun have “savoir vivre” and their priorities straight.  It might appear to be just a small town with very little going for it, but I’ve seen a side of the town that is friendly, homely, exotic, historic, and quaint.   

This is what I see (on a sunny day, so clearly not within the past week) on a regular basis.  Who wouldn’t want to live around this?  It's literally fields of gold.

1) The Boulot/Lefevre family.  I cannot express how grateful I am for everything this family has done for me.  To name a few things, they have welcomed me into their home, been my friends, provided me with a network, introduced me to their friends, invited me to their weekly dinners, and generally surrounded me with kindness.  My experience in Issoudun would have been unimaginably different without this family.

Who wouldn't miss these eyes?

What I’m looking forward to in the States:

5) Seeing family and friends on something other than email, Facebook, Facetime, and Skype. 

4) Not making grammatical errors when I speak.  While my French is good enough to easily get through conversations, I still speak French with an accent and my grammar is never completely perfect.  Let’s just say that I’d like to leave a conversation without questioning what I could have done better while speaking.

3) Accurate weather forecasts.  This whole cartoon of France with the vague pictures of sun and rain just isn’t cutting it anymore.  I want just once to know how to dress appropriately for the weather that day.  Is that too much to ask?

2) Peanut Butter.  Who knew that I liked it so much?  Reese’s pieces, peanut butter and apples, straight up peanut butter on a spoon from the jar…I don’t care how I get it, but I want it.

1) MEXICAN FOOD.  You name it – burritos, guacamole, tacos, fajitas, queso, taco salads, chips and salsa – I’ve craved it.  Oh great, my mouth just watered up as I wrote this.  Mom, Dad, Claire- who ever is picking me up from the airport in two weeks, expect to stop at Jalisco's before getting home...regardless of how jet lagged I am or disgusting I look.  It's necessary.

My good friend, Miss Kathryn Harter, found this website a while ago, but I think it sums up quite well how my assimilation back into the United States will happen...click on the following link:

"You've been in France too long when..."

I know I’ll be traveling for the next week, but keep in touch all the same!