Fête la fin d'année

On dit pas adieu, on dit au revoir...

In all honesty, some moments, I feel as if my plane touched down yesterday and I am simply a lost American on foreign soil, other times, I have lived here for years, perfected my haughty parisian walk and feel as if I can stroll down the streets as if its my cat-walk.

I've seen, tasted, smelled and felt more than I thought I could handle in these past 12 months. But now, I return to the airport Monday, not for a quick weekend trip or a vacation in another country, but to move back to LA. Well, technically I am camping with the family at the beach, then doing a mother-daughter trip to Hawai'i THEN moving into LA apt in August, but still that is there and not here.

However, its not Monday yet and there is plenty to do before, like fête la fin d'année!

First, school was officially over, and immediately after we finished the horrid sociology final, a few friends gathered in the SciPo garden and we popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate our survival of 10 months of methodology and mayhem.

Then it was goodbye parties...sometimes during picnics on bridges or beneath the Eiffel Tower; playing tag (dangerous on grass) or trying to finally get the Germanpronounciation of 'ich' correct (key is more cat, less hack). Other times around a kitchen table, on a stairwell or from a taxi cab window we give one last set of bisous and a hug, holding on tight, trying to express the immense love and value of the friendship we've shared... We never say goodbye, but only see you soon, partly because its too hard to definitely say adieu and we all hope to meet again, maybe in our respective hometowns (north american roadtrip plans are in the works, give a shoutout if you'll be around Mexico, US, or Canada anytime soon), but hopefully in an amiable setting. (A friend recently had someone wish her well, saying "may we meet again across a dinner table and not a negotiating one.") And I desperately hope that I will see you all again soon, and share a bottle of wine (ou quelques si c'est maria) ;)

MUCH much love to the people who have made Paris, travels, Europe, being abroad, SciPo and life here what it was: unforgettable. I could never fully due justice to the expression of what this year has meant to me and the people with whom I've had the honor of sharing it. Know that I love you and miss you already, and you always have a place in SoCal to stay.



various places and people where and with whom I've finished out the year and that have made my time abroad amazing and its end bittersweet :)

a bientot! (until Vero's 2014 plan, if not before) GROS bisous!