Salut, mes amis! The end of my stay in Nancy is quickly approaching, and I am trying to deal with all the changes that have been happening here. Only 5 more days in Nancy! Kelly arrived in one piece last Wednesday, and we spent a few easy days hanging around the apartment while she adjusted to the "décalage horaire". Now she will get to see my very exciting life here... (heavy sarcasm right there).
I did get to travel with my family in the beginning of May which was really fun. I couldn't wrap my head around seeing them in Europe with me! Paris was fun, but overrun with tourists as always. I think the family was also a bit tired from the travel, and still adjusting to all the little nuances of life in Europe (no forks?!). We went to many of the places I've already been, but it is so different to experience it with other people. We even showed our Boston sides, taking pictures in our Red Sox shirts by the Eiffel Tower, thanks to Ellen's great suggestion! And everyone tried some rather exotic Parisian food, like steak tartar (raw hamburg-- go, Mom!) Then it was off to Nancy, where they got to hang out with Brady and Marc, who decided to be their personal guide to all things French, like aged comté and proper wine. We cooked at home, had a picnic in the park, and then had a nice dinner of the regional specialties downtown.
It was also my first time going to Germany-- we started in Weinheim which I found really charming. They have beautiful gardens and forests surrounding the city, a nice town center, and it felt different than France although I can't quite explain why. We only stayed a day there, and we were off to Cologne which has an amazing cathedral, The Dom, that I must have 50 pictures of. We strolled downtown and along the river, had some authentic German dinners like Dad's pork knuckle, and took a cruise along the Rhine. I think we took it slow and really got a feel for the flair of each city. It was a bit strange saying goodbye to my family in Europe, though, and get on a train alone again.
Since the end of April, I have found that everything here has changed quite a bit. I have been finding it incredibly difficult to think about leaving behind my life in France and all the people I've met here. It almost seems more difficult than it was to say goodbye to everyone at home, and I think it is because this is more permanent. No matter where I go, I will always come back to Boston. But I'm not sure that I'll ever be back in Nancy, and the people I knew here will be spread all over the world. Pamela and Autumn, some of my closest assistant friends, have already left, so I have been spending time with a lot of other assistants through Brady. It's a bit hard though trying to get to know more people in the last month before I leave. And I will miss all the people I worked with here! I finally felt comfortable with all of my colleagues and in my role at the school. All the English teachers took me to dinner to say goodbye, which was wonderful except that it made it sink in that I am actually leaving soon.
Five more days... well, really only four because Kelly and I planned some day-trips around Nancy. Saturday, we went to Luxembourg city, and this Wednesday we go to Strasbourg. But otherwise we will be here planning out the start of our trip. I will have to tie up the loose ends of my life here-- cancel contracts, turn in my keys, and say goodbye to everyone. And I still have to stuff everything into my backpack! So I probably won't have time to write again before we leave for Paris on Saturday morning, but the laptop is coming with us on the trip. I will try to post something up here and there, even if I don't have time to write something interesting. But feel free to email anytime! We fly home July 21st, so I will see you all around then!
