After spending another Tender Tennessee Christmas at home with family and friends, I am back in the Old Country, back in the land of William the Conquerer and Marie Antoinette and Charles de Gaulle, back in the land of 3-hour lunches and groceries you bag yourself...
I have to admit that the charm of this beautiful town has begun to rub off just a little bit. Not in a bad way, just in a reality-setting-in sort of way-- kind of like being at Disney World, totally loving you some Magic Kingdom, and suddenly seeing Goofy, big fluffy head in hands, lighting up a cigarrette in the corner behind the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room. Your once-silly, favorite cartoon pup-come-to-life is now just some sweaty guy trying to get his nicotine fix. And your once far-away dream destination is now just a place where there is a 99.9% chance that you will step in dog shit each and every time you step out the front door.
That said, I am, in fact, happy to be back. I think all of this boo-hooing stems a little from the end of the holidays and a second round of goodbyes to everyone back home, and from a general sentiment of ennui and malcontent that evidently wafts through the air in this town at this time of year (much like the scent of the aforementioned dog poo). I have a lot to accomplish this semester (an overwhelming lot to accomplish). I'm nervous and excited about sitting for exams and hopefully completing my MA by the end of the summer. I have friends and family who are coming over that I can show the sights! I am learning so much about myself and what I want out of this life by living alone in a foreign country-- it's not all fun and games, and at times it's so hard I wonder whether I can really do it, but it's building me and changing me as a person and teaching me more than I ever could have imagined, and for that I cannot complain.
